Big List, Casino Setting, Plays It Safe
Stateline / Casino Row · South Lake Tahoe · Upscale Steakhouse with Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Mastro's Steakhouse – Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mastro's arrives the way the steakhouse does — confidently, with some weight to it. Two hundred-plus bottles, a global scope, and a sommelier on staff signals that someone upstairs actually thought about this program. What tempers the excitement is that this is a chain operation, and the list reads accordingly: polished, professionally assembled, and calibrated to move bottles at casino-resort margins.
The list casts a wide net geographically — French Champagne, Napa Valley heavyweights, and imported bottles from South America and southern France all make appearances. The Social Hour menu gives you a window into the approachable end of the program: Carol Shelton's 'Coquille' Red Blend, Thistledown 'Gorgeous' Grenache from Australia, and Maison Lorgeril Ô de Rosé from Languedoc suggest at least some curatorial range beyond the obvious Cabs and Chardonnays. That said, the list is built to satisfy a steak-and-seafood crowd in a casino resort, so don't expect deep cuts from obscure appellations or anything that requires explaining. The upper tier leans into the kind of blue-chip bottles — think Napa Cabernets and Champagne magnums — that photograph well on an expense report.
The by-the-glass program runs 20 to 30 options with prices between $18 and $40, which is a solid count for a steakhouse format. The Social Hour selections give you an accessible entry point — Candoni Prosecco, Mer Soleil Chardonnay, and the Casas del Bosque Cabernet Sauvignon cover the crowd-pleaser bases without embarrassing anyone. Rotation appears tied to chain-wide programming rather than seasonal or local curation, so don't expect much surprise from pour to pour.
Thistledown 'Gorgeous' Grenache — $18/glass (Social Hour)
Australian Grenache at the Social Hour price is a genuinely good deal in a room where everything else trends upward fast. It's got the fruit weight to hold up against a ribeye without demanding a second mortgage.
Carol Shelton 'Coquille' Red Blend
Most people at a steakhouse are ordering Cabernet on autopilot. Carol Shelton's 'Coquille' is a red blend that flies under the radar here — she's a respected Sonoma producer with real craft behind her, and this bottle tends to get overlooked next to the Napa heavyweights on the same list.
Charles Heidsieck Réserve Brut 1.5L Magnum
At $240 for a magnum of Charles Heidsieck, you're paying a steep casino-resort premium on a Champagne that retails comfortably under $80 for a standard bottle. It's a great house — the markup just isn't.
Maison Lorgeril Ô de Rosé + Seafood Tower
A chilled Languedoc rosé next to cold shellfish is a no-brainer — the wine's dry, mineral edge cuts through rich crab and lobster without fighting them. It's also the lighter, smarter order when the table is splitting a seafood tower before the real steaks arrive.
The Bottom Line
Mastro's Lake Tahoe is a well-executed chain steakhouse wine program — professional, properly stored, staffed with people who can actually answer your questions, and priced the way casino resorts price things. You'll drink well here, but you'll pay for the view and the room, not the discovery.
· South Lake Tahoe · Modern American, steak & seafood
The Landing is a genuinely lovely place to drink wine — the setting alone earns it goodwill — but the list itself is working harder to not offend than to impress. We'd recommend coming for the Chilean sea bass and the lake view, ordering a California Pinot or Chardonnay without overthinking it, and saving your serious wine curiosity for a list that wants to meet you there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· South Lake Tahoe · Food Hall Bar, Multi-Vendor Cuisine
The Thirsty Bear is a food hall bar with a convenience-store wine program and a by-the-glass menu that's mostly agave cocktails. At $8 across the board, the pricing isn't the problem — the effort is. If you're at Cascade Kitchens for the food, order a beer or one of the actual cocktails; the wine list isn't the reason to be here.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Heavenly Gondola / Stateline · South Lake Tahoe · American / California Cuisine
ECHO's wine program is exactly what a hotel lounge in a ski town should be: fair prices, nothing offensive, nothing exciting. If you're here for the mountain, this list won't get in the way — and that's honestly enough.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mid-Town / Al Tahoe Blvd · South Lake Tahoe · Wine Shop & Café / Delicatessen
The Cork & More is the kind of place that shouldn't work as well as it does — a wine shop and deli hybrid in a tourist ski town charging near-retail prices. We'd absolutely send a friend here, especially one who's been burned by $80 Napa Cabs at resort restaurants one too many times.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Heavenly Village / Base Area · South Lake Tahoe · Farm-to-Table / New American
Maggie's isn't going to make a wine person drive up from the Bay Area, but for a ski-base hotel restaurant it punches well above its weight — fair markups, considered pours, and a list that treats guests like adults. If you're already at Heavenly Village, you're in good hands.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lake Tahoe Lakefront · South Lake Tahoe · Californian with Mediterranean/Greek influences
Jimmy's is a dependable resort wine list with some genuine bright spots — just don't expect adventurous pricing or a staff member who can walk you through the Ornellaia. If you're in South Lake Tahoe and want a proper glass of something good with a fire crackling and the lake out the window, you could do a lot worse.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Overland Park · Overland Park · Upscale Steakhouse with Seafood
J. Gilbert's delivers exactly what it promises: a polished, California-forward steakhouse list with real depth by the glass and a sommelier who actually shows up. The markups sting on the prestige bottles, but if you stay mid-list, you'll drink well with your steak without a second mortgage.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Legacy West · Plano · Upscale Steakhouse with Seafood
Bob's Plano is a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse wine program with real depth and a sommelier worth talking to — just don't expect deals. If you're expensing dinner or celebrating something, it delivers. If you're watching spend, steer toward the California mid-tier and away from the prestige Champagne.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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