Jersey Farm Vibes, Surprisingly Serious Wine List
· Princeton · Farm-to-Table / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Brick Farm Tavern’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk in expecting barn-chic and a list of Meiomi — and the wine list actually stops you in your tracks. There's Klet Brda Rebula Brut from Slovenia, a Basque cider, a Hambledon Brut from England, and local Unionville pours from right next door in Hunterdon County. This is not a list that was assembled on autopilot.
At 38 labels, the list is compact but punchy, leaning heavily into sparkling, rosé, and whites — which suits the farm-fresh ethos. The regional spread is genuinely adventurous: you've got Cremant de Bourgogne sitting next to an English Blanc de Blancs-style Hambledon, a Slovene orange-adjacent Rebula, and a Basque natural cider from Isastegi alongside Far Niente and Hamilton Russell. Unionville Vineyards shows up three times, which reads as a genuine local commitment rather than filler. The red selection is not represented in the sourced data, which may signal a list that skews white-and-bubbles by design.
Eight pours ranging from $14 to $17 is a reasonable spread, and the glass selections are more interesting than most: you can get the Klet Brda Rebula Brut, the Unionville Mistral Viognier/Marsanne blend, and the Jermann Pinot Grigio by the glass, which is rare. The Prosecco at $14 is the entry point and the only true bargain in the glass program.
The Bottom Line
Brick Farm Tavern has no business having a wine list this interesting, and that's exactly the point. The markups are real — this isn't a value destination — but the curation earns genuine respect, especially with the local Unionville pours and the Slovenian Rebula Brut as curveballs. If you're driving out to Princeton for the farm-to-table experience anyway, the wine list is a legitimate reason not to skip it.
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LaScala's Fire Princeton offers a functional, crowd-friendly wine list that does the job without making any bold moves. The by-the-glass selection is genuinely broad and pricing stays reasonable at the lower end, but markups on recognizable names like Kim Crawford and Veuve Clicquot are steep enough to notice. Send a friend here for a casual pizza night — just point them toward the Vermentino or the Prosecco and away from the big-name bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / Pizza
Nino's is almost certainly a solid neighborhood pizza spot, but the 'Wine Bar' tag is doing a lot of heavy lifting on a list this thin and this anonymous. If you're here for a slice and something to wash it down, you'll survive — but don't come expecting anything beyond the basics. Order the Lambrusco if you're feeling Italian, or just get a beer.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Route 1 / MarketFair area · Princeton · Seafood / Steakhouse
Eddie V's Princeton is a reliable, well-run wine program that excels on its own terms — California-focused, sommelier-staffed, and properly stored — but it won't challenge your palate or your loyalty to the coasts. Send your California Cab-loving friends here without hesitation; send the natural wine crowd somewhere else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Greater Princeton Area / Hamilton · Princeton · French-Inspired Contemporary American
Rat's is a destination restaurant that takes its wine program seriously — 900 bottles, a sommelier on staff, and a reserve list with actual depth earn it that much. The markups are real and you'll feel them, but if you time it right with happy hour, this is one of the better wine experiences in the Princeton orbit.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Witherspoon Corridor · Princeton · Artisanal wood-fired pizza, Italian
Nomad Princeton earns its reputation on the pizza, not the pour — and that's fine, but know what you're walking into. If the wine matters to you, bring a bottle and pay the corkage, or stick to whatever Thomas Henry has on tap.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Princeton · Princeton · Italian
La Mezzaluna isn't where you go to discover wine — it's where you go to drink something Italian and not think too hard about it. That's a perfectly valid reason to visit, as long as you know what you're signing up for.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Center Street / Downtown · Healdsburg · Farm-to-Table / New American
Barndiva is doing the right things: a sommelier on staff, proper storage, and a list that genuinely reflects where it lives. The markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're in Healdsburg for a special dinner and want to drink local without thinking too hard, this is your room.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Heavenly Village / Base Area · South Lake Tahoe · Farm-to-Table / New American
Maggie's isn't going to make a wine person drive up from the Bay Area, but for a ski-base hotel restaurant it punches well above its weight — fair markups, considered pours, and a list that treats guests like adults. If you're already at Heavenly Village, you're in good hands.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lower Thames · Newport · Farm-to-Table / New American
TSK is quietly one of the better wine lists in Newport, which is a town that doesn't exactly set a high bar — but this one would hold its own in most cities. If you're eating farm-to-table food and want a bottle that actually matches the kitchen's ethos, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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