Gaucho Cuts Meet a Serious Wine Cellar
Fort Lauderdale · Brazilian Steakhouse
Reviewed April 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Chima Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into Chima expecting meat on swords and a frozen caipirinha — what you don't expect is a 400-plus bottle list with Sassicaia, Opus One, and Chateau Margaux sitting next to Catena Zapata. The list has real ambition for a churrascaria, and Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence (2025) isn't a fluke. This is a steakhouse that takes its wine seriously, even if the room is louder than a Copa Mundial broadcast.
California dominates and rightly so — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Far Niente, Duckhorn, and Opus One give the Cabernet crowd everything they want with one list. Italy shows up strong with the Super Tuscans: Tignanello, Sassicaia, and Antinori Solaia all present, which is a genuine nod to the old world beyond just sticking Barolo on a shelf. Argentina gets its due with Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard and Achaval Ferrer Malbec — a smart call given the Brazilian context and the fact that big red meat loves big Malbec. The gaps are real though: Burgundy and the Rhône are thin, and if you're looking for anything outside the California-Italy-France-Argentina lane, this list won't help you.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is generous for a churrascaria, and the rotation covers enough ground to get through a full rodízio service without repeating yourself. We'd push the staff on what's actually open and fresh — a list this size can mean bottles sitting open longer than they should. Wednesday's half-price wine program is the real headline here; if you can plan around it, do.
Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2020 — $85
At $85, this is the most honest price on the list — Catena Zapata at this tier drinks well above its weight, and next to Picanha it's the most logical pour in the building. Everything else climbs fast.
Achaval Ferrer Malbec
Everyone eyes the Opus One and the Super Tuscans, but Achaval Ferrer is the underdog Malbec that consistently punches above its tier. It's got the structure for red meat without the Instagram markup, and most tables walk right past it.
Château Margaux 2018
At $1,250, you're paying a serious restaurant premium on a wine that needs another decade in a proper cellar to show what it is. This isn't the setting or the moment for Margaux — order it if it's someone else's card, otherwise put that money toward something that's actually ready to drink.
Tignanello + Picanha (sirloin cap)
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend has enough acidity to cut through the fat on Picanha and enough dark fruit to match the char. It's the Italian answer to a Brazilian cut, and it works better than any straight Cabernet on this list.
Wednesday — Half-price wine bottles on Wednesdays — applies to the full list, making otherwise steep markups suddenly reasonable.
The Bottom Line
Chima isn't a wine bar wearing a steakhouse costume — it's a legitimate churrascaria that happens to have built a wine program worth respecting. Pricing runs steep across the board, but Wednesday half-price night changes the math entirely, and the Argentine and Italian selections give you real choices beyond the usual California parade.
· Fort Lauderdale · American Steakhouse Grille
What we can see from the available data is a six-bottle California-only snapshot tied to a wine dinner event — not enough to call this a real wine program. Del Frisco's Grille may have more going on behind the scenes, but until we see the full list, we'd recommend ordering a cocktail or asking your server what's actually available by the glass before committing to a bottle.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Las Olas · Fort Lauderdale · Brazilian Churrasco Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Fort Lauderdale is a great place to eat a lot of excellent meat; the wine list appears to be a functional but uninspired supporting cast. If you're a serious wine person, do your homework before you go — call ahead and ask what's on the list, because we couldn't nail it down from publicly available sources. The food will carry the night regardless.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fort Lauderdale · Fort Lauderdale · Mediterranean
The Terrace Grill isn't where you go to chase down rare bottles or get your mind blown by an unexpected producer — it's where you go to drink well without overthinking it. For waterfront Mediterranean dining in Fort Lauderdale, that's a perfectly respectable offer.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Fort Lauderdale · Fort Lauderdale · Italian, Floridian
La Fuga earns its Wine Spectator hardware with a focused Italian-California list that does right by the food — just be prepared for steep markups on the prestige bottles. Send a friend here when they want serious Italian wine with their pasta and a view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fort Lauderdale · Fort Lauderdale · Italian
Anthony's Runway 84 is a Fort Lauderdale institution that knows its audience and delivers exactly what it promises: big Napa names, old-school Italian comfort, and no surprises. Wine-forward diners may find the list a little safe, but the Italian highlights and the fresh Wine Spectator Award of Excellence signal that someone here is paying attention — even if the list isn't ready to take risks.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ft. Lauderdale Beach · Fort Lauderdale · Steak House
Steak 954 is a legitimately strong wine program for a beach hotel steakhouse — deep on the producers that matter, proper storage, and a by-the-glass count that punches above its weight. Markups are what they are at this address, but if you pick smart, this is a great place to drink wine with a serious piece of beef.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Bridgewater · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Bridgewater is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be. The list is competent chain-restaurant territory: crowd-pleasing producers, steep-but-not-shocking markups on most bottles, and a wide enough by-the-glass selection to keep a table of six happy without debate. Grab the Alamos Malbec, skip the Chandon Mini, and save your wine focus for somewhere that earns it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· White Plains · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão White Plains is not a wine destination, but it's not trying to be. The by-the-glass program is wide enough to find something that works with the meat parade, the Malbec lineup is appropriately on-theme, and the $10 entry point keeps things accessible. Markups trend steep as you climb the list, so stay in the $10–$20 glass range and you'll leave satisfied. Send a friend here for the beef; the wine is just along for the ride.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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