Neighborhood Solid, Nothing to Write Home About
Grove Street · Jersey City · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Mathews Food & Drink’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mathews is exactly what you'd expect from a lively Grove Street neighborhood spot — short, familiar, and built to move quickly on a busy Friday night. It's not trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be. What you get is a tight roster of crowd-friendly bottles that won't embarrass anyone at the table.
Fifteen to twenty bottles doesn't leave much room for adventure, and this list plays it safe with recognizable names across Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and California. The Painted Wolf Chenin Blanc from South Africa is the most interesting call on the list — everyone else went Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. There's a Jacques Dumont Sancerre that gives the list a little credibility in the French column, but beyond that it's Raeburn Chardonnay and Cloudy Bay territory. Gaps are obvious — no Pinot Noir, no Rosé, no bubbles spotted — but for a casual American bistro, the list covers the basics without embarrassing itself.
Eight to ten options by the glass is genuinely decent for a neighborhood restaurant at this price point, with pours running $11–$18. The glass program mirrors the bottle list almost entirely, so what you see is what you get — no rotating surprises or special pours. At $11 for the Vigneti del Sole Montepulciano, the red side of the by-the-glass menu is where the value actually lives.
Vigneti del Sole Montepulciano — $11/glass
At $11 a glass for a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, this is the easiest call on the list. It's an approachable, food-friendly red that holds its own against a burger or the fried chicken sandwich without asking you to think too hard about it.
Painted Wolf Chenin Blanc
South African Chenin Blanc is chronically underordered in the US, and most tables will walk right past this to grab the Cloudy Bay. Don't. Painted Wolf makes a lively, textured Chenin that's more interesting than anything else on this list and worth seeking out.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Cloudy Bay was exciting in 2005. Now it's a $25 retail bottle that restaurants charge a premium for because the name still moves. The Haymaker Sauvignon Blanc from the same region does a comparable job for less — order that instead.
Raeburn Chardonnay + Fried Chicken Sandwich
Russian River Chardonnay has enough richness and bright acidity to cut through the fat on a well-made fried chicken sandwich. Raeburn keeps things fruit-forward without going full butter bomb, which means it actually refreshes between bites rather than weighing you down.
The Bottom Line
Mathews is a reliable neighborhood pour — fair prices, familiar bottles, and a by-the-glass selection that works well enough for a casual dinner on Grove Street. Don't come here to geek out on wine, but don't skip the Montepulciano either.
Jersey City · Jersey City · New American / Cocktail Bar
Jane Doe is a cocktail bar that quietly assembled a better wine list than most actual restaurants in the area. If you're in Jersey City and someone tells you to skip the wine here, they haven't seen the list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · Italian
Porto by Antonio delivers a credible Italian-forward wine list with genuine high points — Promis, Barbaresco, Brunello — and a by-the-glass program that actually gives people choices. Markups get aggressive at the top, and the Caymus pricing is frankly embarrassing, but if you stick to the Italian core and the smart mid-range picks, you'll drink well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · French-inspired / Cocktail Bar
Madame JC isn't a wine destination — it's a cocktail bar that happens to have one of the most focused and genuinely well-chosen dessert wine lists in Jersey City. Show up after dinner, order the 20-Year Tawny, and thank whoever put this menu together.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · New American
Mathews isn't a destination wine list, but it's honest, fairly priced, and more thoughtful than it looks at first glance. Send a friend here if they want a good glass without a lecture.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · American Bar
Ed & Mary's isn't trying to be a wine bar and doesn't need to be — but whoever put the Intérieur Carbonic Zinfandel and Delegati Sparkling Pinot Noir on a 13-bottle bar list deserves a nod. Prices are fair, the whole list pours by the glass, and two genuinely weird options make this worth more than a passing glance.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hamilton Park · Jersey City · Italian
GP's Hamilton Park isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair one — honest prices, approachable options, and a by-the-glass program that covers the table without drama. Send your friend here if they want a solid neighborhood pour, not a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · American
13 Coins Bellevue earns its Wild Card badge by being a late-night diner that actually cares enough about wine to stock a geographically diverse list — not groundbreaking, but genuinely unexpected for the format. If Sunday happy hour is your move, this place becomes a legitimately fun spot to drink Washington wine over a Caesar salad at 11pm, which is a sentence we didn't think we'd be writing.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Newport News · American
Cheddar's is a casual comfort-food chain, and the wine list reflects exactly that level of ambition — none. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine conversation for somewhere that wants to have it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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