Bloomin' Onion, Wilting Wine List
Unknown · Bakersfield · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You open the laminated menu and the wine list is basically a greatest hits of grocery store endcaps. Kendall-Jackson, Josh Cellars, 19 Crimes — these aren't wines, they're brands you recognize from Super Bowl ads. No surprises here, and that's not a compliment.
The list runs 20-35 bottles deep but reads like corporate purchasing made every decision, because it did. California and Australia dominate, with nothing approaching regional character or producer integrity — this is a list built for familiarity, not discovery. You're not getting Paso Robles Syrah or a Central Valley gem; you're getting whatever Outback's national distributor locked in at the lowest negotiated rate. The gaps are everywhere: no rosé worth mentioning, no sparkling beyond token bubbles, and absolutely nothing that would make a wine-curious diner lean in.
Eight to twelve options by the glass sounds reasonable until you clock what's actually in the lineup — Beringer White Zinfandel is on there, which tells you everything you need to know about the intended audience. Glass pours run $8–$15, and at those prices for these producers, you're paying chain-restaurant tax on wines that retail for $10–$14 a bottle. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking — what's on the list today was probably on it three years ago.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $9
It's the one wine on the list from a producer that actually has credibility. Ste. Michelle's Columbia Valley Riesling is genuinely good, food-friendly, and usually the lowest-markup option on menus like this. Order it, feel slightly better about your evening.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Nobody at a steakhouse is ordering Riesling, and that's their loss. It cuts through the richness of a ribeye better than half the Cabernets on this list, and it's priced low enough that the markup stings less.
19 Crimes Red Blend
Heavy marketing, light substance. This bottle retails for around $10 and you'll pay chain-restaurant prices for a wine whose main selling point is an augmented reality label. The juice does not justify the spend.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Ribeye Steak
Josh Cab is soft, fruit-forward, and low on tannin — which actually makes it functional with a well-marbled ribeye. It's not exciting, but it's the most obvious fit on a list that isn't trying to be exciting. Sometimes you just need the wine to stay out of the food's way.
❌ The Bottom Line
Outback's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain: safe, overpriced for what it is, and clearly an afterthought. Order a cocktail or a beer, enjoy your steak, and save the wine drinking for somewhere that gives a damn.
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