Serious Bottles Where the Meat Reigns
Newark · Newark · Brazilian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed CS Brazilian Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Brazilian churrascaria, you're expecting the wine list to be an afterthought — a few Malbecs, maybe a Cab, done. CS Brazilian surprises. The list has actual bones to it, with names like Château Léoville-Barton and Don Melchor sitting alongside the expected South American stalwarts. This isn't a place that phoned it in.
The list clocks in at 100-150 bottles with a clear four-lane focus: France, Spain, California, and Argentina — which maps perfectly to the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've held since 2017. Bordeaux shows up credibly with Léoville-Barton; Burgundy gets a nod via Louis Jadot; California is covered by Jordan and Clos du Val Cabernet. The Iberian angle via Torres Gran Coronas adds a nice wrinkle that most churrascarias completely ignore. Don't expect deep verticals or esoteric natural pours — this is a confident, meat-forward red list built for the rodizio experience, and it does that job well.
Ten to sixteen pours by the glass is a solid count for this format, giving the table enough range to mix and match through the parade of skewers. We'd like to see more rotation and a white or two for the lighter proteins, but at a rodizio the glass program exists to serve the beef — and it does. Price range on bottles tops out at $120, which means even the nicer pours stay accessible.
Torres Gran Coronas (Spain) — $35-$45
A Tempranillo-Cabernet blend from one of Spain's most reliable producers, Gran Coronas punches well above its price point at a steakhouse. It's structured enough to handle the Picanha but won't drain the table budget.
Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
Clos du Val is one of Napa's old-guard producers that gets overlooked now that everyone chases cult labels. It's a more restrained, Old World-leaning Napa Cab — exactly right for a long rodizio dinner where you need the wine to last, not just launch.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Jordan is a fine wine, but it's also the most recognized name on this list and almost certainly carries the biggest markup premium for the recognition alone. With Clos du Val and Don Melchor both on the menu, there's no reason to default to the brand everyone already knows.
Catena Zapata Malbec (Argentina) + Picanha (top sirloin cap)
Picanha is fatty, rich, and aggressively savory — Catena Zapata's Malbec has the dark fruit and firm tannins to cut through the fat without overpowering the meat's natural sweetness. It's the most obvious pairing on the menu and it's obvious for a reason.
🎲 The Bottom Line
CS Brazilian Steakhouse is doing more with wine than any churrascaria in Delaware has to. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely respectable one — and in this format, that's the Wild Card win.
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese and Brazilian
Tony da Caneca isn't a wine destination in the traditional sense, but it's the kind of place where the wine list actually makes sense with the food — and in the Ironbound, that's a quiet form of excellence. If you love Portuguese wine and grilled seafood, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese Seafood, Iberian
Allegro isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing something genuinely rare: building a list that actually matches the food and the neighborhood. If you're in the Ironbound and want to drink well with serious Portuguese cooking, this is where you go.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese
Campino isn't coming for any wine awards, but it's doing something genuinely useful: serving honest Portuguese wine at honest prices alongside food that actually matches what's in the glass. In the Ironbound, that's exactly what you need, and it earns its wildcard status by being a taco-joint-level surprise in the best possible way.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese and Spanish
Valença isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable one — and in a room this fun, eating this well, a fairly priced Alentejo red or a cold Vinho Verde is all you really need. Send your friends here for the food, tell them to stick to the Iberian side of the list.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese/Steakhouse
Pic-Nic is the kind of place that earns a Wild Card not because it's trying to be a wine destination, but because a Portuguese neighborhood joint with Quinta do Crasto and Anselmo Mendes on the list is genuinely rare. Come for the rodizio, stay for the Douro.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese and Spanish
Iberia Peninsula is a reliable anchor for Iberian wine in the Ironbound — fair prices, a focused list that respects the food, and bottles you'll actually want to drink. Send your friends here before a big family-style seafood dinner and tell them to order the Esporão.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Bend · Bend · Brazilian
Boiada is genuinely great at what it does — the meat program is the whole point, and nobody's arguing otherwise. But the wine list is underbuilt, overpriced in spots, and would be unforgivable if not for that Wednesday half-price bottle deal, which is the one reason to think about wine here at all.
Plays It Safe
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Northville · Northville · Brazilian
Gaucho is a genuine wine surprise in Northville — a Brazilian steakhouse that takes its South American wine program seriously enough to earn a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 2013. The markups get steep on the California names, but stick to the Argentine and Chilean bottles and you'll eat and drink very well. Wednesday's half-price wine night is the kind of deal you tell your friends about.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Unknown · Charleston · Brazilian
Come for the rodizio — it's the show. But do yourself a favor and order a caipirinha or a beer, because the wine list is an afterthought dressed up with a $14 price tag. This program deserves a South American overhaul.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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