California's Greatest Hits, Played Loud
Route 1 / MarketFair area · Princeton · Seafood / Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Eddie V's Prime Seafood’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Eddie V's Princeton lands with the confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly who its customers are. Three hundred-plus bottles, a sommelier on the floor, and a list anchored so firmly in California that Napa might as well have a satellite office here. It's polished, it's legible, and it will cost you.
This is a California wine list wearing a tuxedo — Caymus, Silver Oak, Opus One, Far Niente, Kistler, Flowers, Stag's Leap Artemis — the whole murderer's row of Napa and Sonoma royalty is present and accounted for. The depth within those California regions is genuinely impressive, and a sommelier is on hand to navigate it. What's missing is any real sense of adventure: don't come looking for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything that fermented within 500 miles of the Loire. If you love big, rich American wine and have the wallet for it, this list delivers exactly what it promises — just don't expect to be surprised.
Twenty by-the-glass options is a solid count for a restaurant at this level, and the pours skew toward crowd-pleasing heavyweights — Whispering Angel rosé, Rombauer Chardonnay, Austin Hope Cabernet are all likely in rotation. The program feels curated for the dining room's vibe rather than for exploration, but the quality floor is high and you won't get burned on a glass pour.
Stag's Leap Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon — $90
Artemis is the entry point to the Stag's Leap house style — structured, polished, genuinely age-worthy — and at a place where bottles can run well past $200, it tends to be one of the more honest markups on the list. Solid juice for the room you're sitting in.
Flowers Pinot Noir
In a list dominated by Cabernet and Chardonnay, the Flowers Pinot gets overlooked by almost everyone in a steakhouse setting. That's a mistake. Flowers works from the Sonoma Coast with a cooler, more restrained style than most California Pinot — it's the right call if you're splitting between the sea bass and the ribeye and need one bottle to do it all.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine. It's also everywhere, wildly over-produced, and marked up at every upscale chain in America. You're paying a significant premium for a label that's become a brand more than a statement. With a sommelier on the floor and Artemis or Far Niente in the same neighborhood, there's almost always a better move.
Kistler Chardonnay + Sea Bass with Meyer Lemon Butter
Kistler's Chardonnay brings enough richness and texture to match the butter-forward preparation without steamrolling the fish. The bright acidity keeps it from feeling heavy, and the citrus notes in the wine play off the Meyer lemon in the dish in a way that feels almost too obvious — until you try it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
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.
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
Forrestal Village / Route 1 · Princeton · Steakhouse, American, Seafood
Salt Creek Grille isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a reliable steakhouse with a California-heavy list that gets the job done at a slight premium. Send a friend here if they want a comfortable, familiar bottle with a solid meal; don't send them if they're hoping for something to talk about on the drive home.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Route 1 / MarketFair · Princeton · New American / Wine Bar
Seasons 52 Princeton is a reliable wine stop for anyone who wants a wide-open by-the-glass menu, fair pricing, and zero surprises — in a good way and a bad way. Send a friend here if they're still figuring out what they like; send a wine nerd somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Forrestal Village · Princeton · Italian / Mediterranean
Tre Piani is exactly what a neighborhood Italian wine bar should be: honest, Italian-leaning, and priced for people who actually live nearby. It's not going to change your relationship with wine, but it's a reliable call when you want a decent Barolo and a bowl of mussels on a Monday.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Cannery Row · Monterey · Seafood / Steakhouse
Chart House Monterey charges destination prices for the view and delivers gas station wine execution — the list is inoffensive, cheap enough, and completely uninspired. Come for the bay, order by the glass, and don't expect anyone behind the bar to talk you through it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sugar House · Provo · Seafood / Steakhouse
Harbor is a reliable upscale date-night option where the wine list won't embarrass anyone but won't excite anyone either. The markups sting a bit — Caymus at $195 is a lot to ask — but the quality of the bottles themselves is real. Send a friend here for a steak and a Pinot, just don't expect them to text you about what they discovered.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Wichita · Seafood / Steakhouse
AVI is a reliable wine stop for Wichita's steakhouse crowd — familiar labels, decent glass selection, and nothing that'll offend anyone at the table. Just don't come looking for discovery; this list is built for comfort, not curiosity.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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