Atlantic City's Italian anchor delivers on the bottle
Lower Chelsea · Atlantic City · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Girasole Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Girasole lands exactly how you'd expect from an upscale Italian spot in Atlantic City — heavy on the Italian classics, with a California section clearly included because somebody at the table always wants Napa. It's not trying to be adventurous, but it's not embarrassing either. The room is warm and the list matches: familiar, confident, and priced accordingly.
The Italian backbone is legitimately good — Brunello from both Argiano and the Casalino bottling, Amarone from Masi Costa Sera, a Barbaresco from Corsini, and Antinori showing up twice with the Peppoli and Marchese Chianti Classico Riserva. That's a Tuscany and Piedmont lineup that earns respect. The California contingent skews predictable — Silver Oak, Frog's Leap, Inglenook, Sequoia Grove — all solid names but nothing you haven't seen on a hundred other Italian-American wine lists. Oregon gets a brief cameo via Lange, and Champagne is covered with Taittinger and Moët, which is the right call for a room that does anniversaries and celebration dinners. Gaps show up in Southern Italy, natural wine, and anything below $45 that actually excites.
Estimated at 10–16 pours, the glass program leans on approachable crowd-pleasers — Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is almost certainly anchoring the white side, which tells you something about the ambition level here. Prices likely run $12–$22 per glass, which is reasonable for Atlantic City's upscale dining tier. Don't expect the Amarone or Brunellos to show up by the glass — those are bottle-only plays.
Chianti Classico Peppoli (Antinori) — $55
Antinori's Peppoli is one of the most reliable Chiantis on the market and typically retails around $20–$25. Even at a restaurant markup, it's the most honest QPR on the Italian side of this list — real Sangiovese with structure and food-friendliness built in.
Lange (Oregon)
Oregon Pinot Noir gets buried on Italian restaurant lists, and most tables go straight for the Tuscany section. Lange is a serious producer out of the Willamette Valley making restrained, earthy Pinot that drinks closer to Burgundy than most California bottles on this list. If you want something lighter and more interesting than another Chianti, this is your move.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is the most marked-up Pinot Grigio in the history of Italian restaurants. Widely available at retail for around $20, it will show up here at $55–$70 on the bottle. It's a perfectly drinkable wine — it's just one of the worst value propositions on any wine list anywhere. Order literally anything else.
Amarone Masi Costa Sera + House-made tagliolini with braised short rib or wild boar ragù
Amarone was practically designed for this — the dried-grape concentration and grippy tannin structure stand up to rich, slow-cooked meat without overwhelming fresh pasta. Masi Costa Sera is one of the more elegant Amarone producers, so it brings the muscle without turning the whole experience into a competition.
The Bottom Line
Girasole is the kind of Italian wine list that won't thrill a serious collector but won't let down a table of four splitting a nice Brunello on a Saturday night. If you're eating here anyway, the Italian selections are genuinely worth your time — just steer clear of the Santa Margherita and don't expect any surprises.
· Atlantic City · New American / Winery Restaurant
Renault is a one-producer list, and you have to go in knowing that — but within that constraint, the variety is genuinely solid and the pricing is honest. If you're curious about what South Jersey wine looks like when someone takes it seriously, this is the right place to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlantic City · Cocktail Lounge
Nola's is a genuinely fun place to spend a late night on the Atlantic City Boardwalk — the atmosphere earns its stripes. But if wine is why you're sitting down, you're in the wrong seat. Order a cocktail, enjoy the music, and save your serious wine budget for somewhere that's thought harder about the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlantic City · New American / Wine Bar
The Iron Room is the kind of wine-forward bar Atlantic City doesn't know it needs — cozy, staffed by people who care, and refreshingly serious about what's in the glass. If you're in AC and want something other than $14 Pinot Grigio at a casino bar, this is your move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
Golden Nugget Casino · Atlantic City · Steakhouse
Vic & Anthony's is a competent casino steakhouse wine list — it won't embarrass you and it won't thrill you. If you're already there for the steak, grab the Siduri by the glass and don't look too hard at the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Margate City · Atlantic City · Seafood / New American
Steve & Cookie's isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid spot to drink reasonably well alongside excellent seafood and a live jazz soundtrack. If you're going Monday through Thursday, get there early and hit the bar before your table.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Atlantic City · Atlantic City · Mediterranean / Italian
Sofia isn't a wine destination, but it's a better-than-expected list for the Shore — especially if you lean into the Greek selections that nobody else around here is bothering with. The markups on the California staples will sting, so go Greek and drink smarter.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia-Highland · Decatur · Italian
La Tavola deserves a real wine list — the food and the room both demand one. Right now, five bottles with no reds and no whites is a disservice to a kitchen that's clearly cooking at a higher level than the wine program suggests. Order the Ca' Del Bosco if you're drinking wine, and hope they overhaul this list before your next visit.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Harrisburg · Italian
Mangia Qui is a genuinely appealing spot — the food, the room, and the service cadence all point toward a place that takes the dining experience seriously. The Italian wine focus is the right instinct for this kitchen, and duck confit with a solid Tuscan red is exactly what this kind of room should be delivering. We just don't have enough confirmed wine list detail yet to tell you whether to come for the bottle or stick to the food. Worth a visit — ask your server what's good on the wine list and see what happens.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Eugene · Italian
Excelsior Inn Ristorante has the bones of a solid wine destination — Italian-focused list, upscale setting, food that deserves a proper bottle — but we can't fully vouch for it until the wine program is better documented. If you're heading there for a special occasion, ask your server what's drinking well from the Italian side and what they're pouring locally from Oregon; a restaurant this thoughtful about atmosphere usually has at least one or two right answers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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