Familiar Faces, Fair Prices, No Surprises
· Princeton · Italian / American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Metro North’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Metro North reads like a greatest hits album you've heard a thousand times — Josh, Kim Crawford, Coppola, Duckhorn Decoy. There's nothing here that'll make your jaw drop, but there's also nothing that'll make you wince. It's a list built for the table that wants something recognizable without overthinking it.
All 20 wines are available by the glass, which is genuinely unusual and worth appreciating — you can range from a Schmidt Söhne Riesling at $12 to a Renieri Rosso di Montalcino at $17 without committing to a bottle. The Italian thread running through the list — Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico, Michele Chiarlo Nebbiolo, Renieri Rosso di Montalcino — makes sense given the cuisine, and those are probably the most interesting pours on offer. The rest leans heavily on California brands and grocery-store staples: two Josh labels, two Coppola labels, Kendall-Jackson, Duckhorn Decoy. Adventurous drinkers will find themselves staring at the same ten names they see everywhere else in town.
Twenty wines, all by the glass, priced between $12 and $17 — that's a genuinely accessible range for Princeton. The selection doesn't rotate or surprise, but the breadth means you can hop from a Fleurs de Prairie Rosé to a Terrazas Malbec across the table without anyone committing to a bottle. It's a workhorse BTG program, not a destination one.
The Bottom Line
Metro North's wine program is honest, approachable, and priced fairly for what it is — a crowd-pleasing list that gets out of the way and lets you eat dinner. If you're looking for discovery or depth, you won't find it here, but if you want a glass of something reliable at a fair price, the Nebbiolo and the Rosso di Montalcino are quietly doing the real work on this list.
· Princeton · Farm-to-Table / New American
Brick Farm Tavern has no business having a wine list this interesting, and that's exactly the point. The markups are real — this isn't a value destination — but the curation earns genuine respect, especially with the local Unionville pours and the Slovenian Rebula Brut as curveballs. If you're driving out to Princeton for the farm-to-table experience anyway, the wine list is a legitimate reason not to skip it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / Pizza
LaScala's Fire Princeton offers a functional, crowd-friendly wine list that does the job without making any bold moves. The by-the-glass selection is genuinely broad and pricing stays reasonable at the lower end, but markups on recognizable names like Kim Crawford and Veuve Clicquot are steep enough to notice. Send a friend here for a casual pizza night — just point them toward the Vermentino or the Prosecco and away from the big-name bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / Pizza
Nino's is almost certainly a solid neighborhood pizza spot, but the 'Wine Bar' tag is doing a lot of heavy lifting on a list this thin and this anonymous. If you're here for a slice and something to wash it down, you'll survive — but don't come expecting anything beyond the basics. Order the Lambrusco if you're feeling Italian, or just get a beer.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Route 1 / MarketFair area · Princeton · Seafood / Steakhouse
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.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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
· Medford · Italian / American
Bella Union doesn't reinvent the wine list, but it does right by Southern Oregon — fair prices, genuine local representation, and enough range to make dinner interesting. Send your friends here knowing they won't get burned.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bridgeport · Italian / American
Matto is the kind of neighborhood wine bar Bridgeport deserves — fair prices, a genuinely open-minded list with Italian backbone, and enough by-the-glass options that you're never stuck. It's not a destination, but it's absolutely worth a stop.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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