Super Tuscans in an Atlantic City Institution
Midtown · Atlantic City · Upscale Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cafe 2825’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Cafe 2825 reads like someone raided an Italian trophy cabinet — Gaja, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello all in one place, inside a reservations-only dining room on Atlantic Avenue. It's a genuinely surprising flex for a city better known for buffets and blackjack. The Italian backbone here is serious, even if the overall program has some real gaps.
About 115 labels deep, this list leans hard into Italian prestige with a particular love of Bolgheri and the Super Tuscans — Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Antinori's Tignanello and Solaia are all present and accounted for. Piedmont gets proper respect too, with Gaja's Barbaresco and the single-vineyard Sori Tildin showing up alongside the Gaja 'Restituta' Brunello di Montalcino. California makes a cameo through Peter Michael 'La Carriere' from Knights Valley, and the Champagne shelf has Louis Roederer Cristal and Dom Perignon for the big-spender crowd. The gap is everywhere else — no Spain, no Germany, minimal France outside of bubbly, and by-the-glass options remain a mystery.
We couldn't pin down the full by-the-glass program from the available data, which is itself a yellow flag — a strong glass pour selection is usually front and center on a menu worth bragging about. If the pours mirror the bottle list, you'd hope to see something from Tuscany or Piedmont rotating through, but without confirmation we can't make that call. Come with a plan to buy a bottle.
Tignanello, Antinori, Tuscany — null
Pricing wasn't available, but Tignanello is the most accessible entry point into the Super Tuscan tier here — a Sangiovese-Cabernet blend that consistently overdelivers relative to the glamour names around it on this list. If you're splitting a bottle with the table and want something that punches above casual, this is your move.
Peter Michael 'La Carriere', Knights Valley, Sonoma
It sticks out on an otherwise Italy-dominant list, which means most tables at Cafe 2825 are going to skip right past it. That's a mistake. Peter Michael's Chardonnay from Knights Valley is one of California's most serious whites — restrained, mineral-driven, nothing like the butter-bomb Chardonnay reputation it might unfairly inherit by association.
Dom Perignon
Dom Perignon at a restaurant in Atlantic City is going to carry a markup that belongs in a Vegas high-roller room. You're paying for the bottle on the table moment, not the wine in your glass — Cristal is at least a more interesting conversation if you're going trophy bubbly, but even that's a steep ride.
Gaja Barbaresco, Piedmont + Cacio e pepe prepared in a cheese wheel
Barbaresco's high acidity and earthy complexity cut right through the fat and salt of a proper cacio e pepe. The tableside cheese wheel presentation deserves a bottle-level moment, and Gaja delivers exactly that — structure and elegance that match the drama of the dish.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Cafe 2825 is not a wine destination in the traditional sense, but it has no business having a list this good for Atlantic City — and that's exactly the point. If you're already coming for the tableside pasta experience, spend a little extra on a Super Tuscan and lean into it.
Tennessee Avenue · Atlantic City · American / Beer Hall
Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall is exactly what it sounds like — come for the beer, and come for the atmosphere. If your crew insists on wine, the Bezel Pinot is a worthy pour, but don't come here expecting a wine program that keeps up with the rest of the experience.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Boardwalk/Park Place · Atlantic City · Steakhouse, Seafood, Contemporary American
Park Place Prime is exactly what a casino steakhouse wine list should be — familiar, functional, and tilted toward the crowd writing checks. It won't thrill anyone looking for discovery, but if you want a solid Cab with your dry-aged steak and don't mind paying casino prices for the privilege, it gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ocean Casino Resort · Atlantic City · Italian-American
Superfrico is a reliable wine program in a setting designed to get you to spend money — and it mostly delivers without being a total shakedown. Send a friend here for a fun night, not a wine education.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Chelsea · Atlantic City · Italian
Boca Coal Fired Bistro is a reliable neighborhood Italian with a wine list to match — nothing you haven't seen before, but nothing to embarrass yourself with either. Stick to the Chianti Classico, enjoy the pizza, and don't come here expecting to be wowed by what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Walk/Tanger Outlets · Atlantic City · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Atlantic City is a reliable, well-executed steakhouse wine program that does exactly what it says on the label — deep California Cab selection, competent staff, proper storage, steep prices. Send a friend here if they want a sure thing, not if they're looking to be surprised.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Boardwalk (Claridge area) · Atlantic City · Steakhouse and Seafood / Raw Bar
Dougherty's won't convert anyone to wine obsession, but it charges fair prices, pours everything by the glass, and hides a decent Pouilly-Fuissé and a good Provence rosé in a list most people will scroll past without looking. For a Boardwalk steakhouse, that's enough to earn a recommendation.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Boardwalk (Caesars) · Atlantic City · Upscale Italian
Il Mulino earns its place at the table — the list has real producers, genuine depth in the Italian section, and by-the-glass pours that don't embarrass the room. Just go in knowing that casino pricing is the cost of admission, and steer toward Italy where the list actually knows what it's doing.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Franklin Street · Chapel Hill · Upscale Italian
Il Palio is the best Italian wine list in the Triangle — it's not particularly close, and it's genuinely competitive on a national scale. The markups are real, but so is the curation; if you're going to spend, spend here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Seneca Casino · Niagara Falls · Upscale Italian
La Cascata is the rare casino restaurant where the wine list doesn't feel like an afterthought — there's real Italian depth here if you look past the headline names. Just know you're paying casino prices for the privilege, and no one's coming to check on your glass knowledge.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.