Great Meat, Wine an Afterthought
Downtown · Milwaukee · Brazilian Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed June 9, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Rodizio Grill – Milwaukee’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into Rodizio Grill and the energy is all about the meat — gauchos in traditional dress, swords of picanha and lamb, a sprawling salad bar. The wine list feels like it was assembled to fill a legal requirement rather than complement the food. It's there, it's fine, and it will not excite you.
The list runs 30 to 50 bottles and leans hard on the obvious: Malbec from Mendoza dominates the South American corner, which at least makes thematic sense in a Brazilian steakhouse. There's a nod to Brazilian wine through Miolo, a large commercial producer from Rio Grande do Sul, which earns points for staying on-brand even if Miolo isn't exactly a discovery. Domestic U.S. selections round things out with nothing adventurous in sight — no interesting Tempranillo, no aged Rioja, no Chilean Carménère that could have elevated the list considerably. The gaps outnumber the highlights.
Six to ten options by the glass keeps things accessible for a party that can't agree on a bottle, but the selection mirrors the bottle list: safe, familiar, and built for volume rather than quality. Don't expect rotation or anything poured with purpose — what's on the list tonight is probably what was on it six months ago.
Gaucho Club Malbec — $38
It's the most honest pick on the list — a straightforward Mendoza Malbec that holds its own against the heavier cuts of meat without asking you to think too hard about it. At this price point it won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either.
Miolo (Brazilian selection)
Most tables here will reach for the Malbec without a second thought, but the Miolo is quietly the most interesting thing on the list. Brazilian wine is still a curiosity for most American diners, and Miolo's Serra Gaúcha reds have enough grip to handle the churrasco spread. Try it once — worst case you have a story.
Malbec from Mendoza (generic/house tier)
The entry-level Malbec on this list is marked up well past what you'd pay for the same quality at retail, and in a room full of bold grilled meats it's going to taste flat and unremarkable. Save the money, drink the Gaucho Club, or honestly just order a caipirinha.
Gaucho Club Malbec + Full Rodizio – Picanha
Picanha is the star of the rodizio circuit — fatty, charred, deeply savory — and a Mendoza Malbec's dark fruit and soft tannins are built for exactly this moment. It's not a revelatory pairing, but it's a correct one, and correct counts for something when there's a sword of beef coming at your face.
The Bottom Line
Rodizio Grill Milwaukee is a genuinely fun night out if you're there for the meat and the spectacle — but the wine list is coasting on the restaurant's momentum rather than adding anything to it. Order the Gaucho Club, enjoy the picanha, and save your serious wine budget for somewhere else.
Story Hill · Milwaukee · American, Regional
A compact 12-wine list with glass and bottle prices posted, half-glass portions, and a bottle shop run by the same business. Order the $11 Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône or the $11 Anjou Chenin Blanc by the glass and confirm current availability, since the menu is linked as 8-22-26. This unrated guide covers the posted beverage menu, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Milwaukee · American, Steakhouse, Seafood, Contemporary
A very large list with no by-the-glass section posted: 657 priced wines from $30 to $4,450, and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the biggest group at 93 entries. For a starting point, the $50 Jean Marc Martin Haut-Médoc Merlot 2015 is the lowest-priced wine in the "Sommelier's Favorites Reds", and the $70 Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse White Blend 2023 is the South African pick. Prices carry no unit and the page is undated, so confirm both. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Brady Street · Milwaukee · American
A short, varied list: 35 wines, from Lambrusco and Mourvèdre to Napa Cabernet, with paired numbers from 11 to 15 and a Cruvinet box at 11 to 22. Try the 11 | 43 Pirates del Ebro Tempranillo, or the Selbach Riesling with the scallops, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Riverwest · Milwaukee · Pub fare and brewery food
Lakefront is a beer hall with a one-line wine list: three Wollersheim wines at $9. If you want wine, start with the Prairie Fumé alongside the cheese curds and ask about pour size, since the menu does not say. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
Brady Street · Milwaukee · Italian-American
A friendly, easy list for a pasta-and-pizza room: 19 pours by the glass from $7 to $13, plus bottles from $36 to $90. Start with the $7 Wollersheim Prairie Fumé, or get the $10 Banfi Chianti Superiore with a bowl of Pomodoro, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Historic Third Ward · Milwaukee · Italian-Mediterranean
A bottle list with Greek, Sicilian and Lebanese bottles alongside Napa Cabernet, and Dom Perignon at $550. Start with the $40 Oenops 'Apla' or the $65 Château Musar 'Jeune', and plan around Wine Wednesday, when the restaurant says select bottles are half price from 5pm to 9pm. Confirm vintages and which bottles qualify before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Bridgewater · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Bridgewater is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be. The list is competent chain-restaurant territory: crowd-pleasing producers, steep-but-not-shocking markups on most bottles, and a wide enough by-the-glass selection to keep a table of six happy without debate. Grab the Alamos Malbec, skip the Chandon Mini, and save your wine focus for somewhere that earns it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· White Plains · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão White Plains is not a wine destination, but it's not trying to be. The by-the-glass program is wide enough to find something that works with the meat parade, the Malbec lineup is appropriately on-theme, and the $10 entry point keeps things accessible. Markups trend steep as you climb the list, so stay in the $10–$20 glass range and you'll leave satisfied. Send a friend here for the beef; the wine is just along for the ride.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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