Serious Bottles Where the Meat Reigns
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 →
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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.
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Fernandes Steakhouse II isn't a wine destination, but the Portuguese section of the list gives it a genuine identity that most neighborhood steakhouses completely lack. Come for the grilled meat, order something from Portugal, and leave the Dom Pérignon for someone else's table.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ironbound · Newark · Portuguese / Seafood
Sol Mar isn't a destination wine list, but it's an honest one — Portuguese-focused, reasonably priced, and built to serve food that actually needs wine alongside it. Send a friend here for the whole experience; just tell them to order a bottle of something white and cold from the Douro.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Newark · Newark · Italian tapas / wine bar
Spuntino earns its Wild Card badge by building a genuinely interesting dessert wine and port program inside what looks like a casual Italian tapas spot — that Vin Santo lineup alone is worth the trip. If you're bringing someone who wants to explore wine without committing to a full bottle, the flights make this one of the better low-stakes wine education stops in the area.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Newark · European Bistro
Satis Bistro is doing more with 22 bottles than most restaurants do with 60 — it's a focused, honest list with fair prices and a few genuine finds. If you're eating in Newark and care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Newark · Newark · New American
Nico is a pre-show pitstop, not a wine destination — the list exists to get a glass in your hand before you head into the auditorium, and it does exactly that and nothing more. Order the Chapoutier Rosé, enjoy the show, and don't expect the wine program to be part of the evening's highlight reel.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
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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