Casino wine that doesn't embarrass itself
Downtown · Springfield · Tapas / Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a casino wine bar, you brace for the worst — and this place is actually fine, which feels like a win. The room is polished and social, the list is shorter than it should be, and the familiar labels on the menu tell you exactly who they're targeting. It's not adventurous, but it's not embarrassing either.
The list leans heavily on crowd-pleasing household names — Meiomi, Kim Crawford, Whispering Angel, La Marca — the kind of wines you'd find on any mid-tier restaurant list from coast to coast. There's a nod to Spain, France, Italy, and California, which checks the regional boxes without digging into anything genuinely interesting. You won't find a grower Champagne or an obscure Albariño here, but you will find something drinkable at every table. The gaps are real: no serious Old World depth, no natural or low-intervention options, no producers that would make a wine-focused diner lean in.
The by-the-glass program runs 12–20 options depending on the night, which is a decent spread for a lounge format. The selections mirror the bottle list — safe, recognizable, approachable — so you're not going to stumble into anything that surprises you. Rotation appears minimal; this feels like a set-it-and-forget-it program rather than something a curious buyer is actively tending.
La Marca Prosecco — null
In a casino setting where markups run hot, ordering a glass of Prosecco keeps your spend low while giving you something genuinely fizzy and food-friendly alongside the charcuterie. La Marca isn't exciting, but it's reliably clean and the pour-to-price ratio beats most of what's around it on the menu.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
Nobody orders this at a tapas bar because it feels too grocery-store familiar, but it's actually a sharp match for the acidic, salty flavors running through the small plates menu. Crisp, citrus-driven, and refreshing — it punches above its casual reputation when there's good food in front of it.
Whispering Angel Rosé
The Whispering Angel tax is real everywhere, and a casino lounge is not the place to pay it. You're almost certainly looking at a significant markup on a bottle that's already expensive for what it delivers. It's a status pour, not a value pour — and the food here doesn't need it.
Meiomi Pinot Noir + Croquetas
Meiomi's soft, fruit-forward profile and low tannins make it unusually good with fried, creamy croquetas — the richness of the filling needs something that doesn't fight back, and this Pinot has the right weight and roundness to complement without overwhelming.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The MGM Springfield Tapas Lounge is a perfectly acceptable place to drink wine if you're already at the casino — just don't expect the list to excite you or the markups to be kind. Order by the glass, keep it simple, and save your serious wine curiosity for somewhere else.
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We wouldn't send a friend here for wine — we'd tell them to order a beer or a cocktail and enjoy the pasta. The Bertani Amarone is a genuine curiosity, but one interesting bottle surrounded by corporate-approved crowd-pleasers at steep markups doesn't make a wine program; it makes a footnote.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverfront · Springfield · Tex-Mex and American casual dining
Chili's Springfield Riverfront is not a wine destination — it's a place where wine exists so the menu isn't technically dry. Order a margarita, enjoy your ribs, and leave the wine list alone.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverfront / Hall of Fame · Springfield · Bar / Steakhouse
Max's Tavern is a reliable steakhouse wine program that punches slightly above its tourist-anchor location — the sommelier presence and European inclusions keep it from being generic, even if the pricing reflects the zip code. Send a friend here for dinner and tell them to skip the Cakebread.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown · Springfield · Wine Bar / German
The Fort Cellar Bar is doing more than most in Springfield, but steep markups and a list built for comfort over curiosity keep it from being anything more than a reliable neighborhood stop. Order the Pieropan, skip the top-shelf Napa, and enjoy the fact that this place exists at all.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Basketball Hall of Fame / Riverfront · Springfield · Casual American / Chicago-Style Pizzeria
UNO Springfield isn't a wine destination and makes no pretense of being one — come for the deep dish, order a beer, or grab the Wairau River if you need something in a glass. Sending a friend here specifically for wine would be a strange thing to do to a friend.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Springfield · Mediterranean / Middle Eastern
Nadim's wine list is far from perfect — the markups are stiff and the California heavyweights are filler — but those three Lebanese bottles make this a genuine Wild Card worth knowing about. Come for the food, order the Musar, and feel smarter than everyone else in the room.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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