Corporate Steakhouse Wine Done Competently
· Princeton · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ruth's Chris Steak House Princeton’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Ruth's Chris Princeton is exactly what you'd expect from a national steakhouse chain: 29 options, all available by the glass, curated for broad appeal rather than curiosity. There's nothing here that will make a wine geek's pulse quicken, but there's also nothing that will embarrass the table.
The list leans hard into reliable American and Italian crowd-pleasers — Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Belle Glos, La Crema, Stag's Leap Karia — names that read well on a menu and rarely cause arguments. There's a nod to Old World with Trimbach Alsace Pinot Blanc and Collet Brut, which adds a sliver of credibility. The red selection beyond Pinot Noir is thin: Hayes Ranch Merlot and Catena Zapata Malbec are essentially your non-Pinot options before you get into the full bottle-only territory. For a steakhouse, the absence of Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass is a conspicuous gap.
All 29 labels are available by the glass, which is generous on paper. Prices run $11–$28/glass, and with most bottles sitting at a 4x retail markup, the math on ordering by the glass gets painful fast. Still, having this much flexibility is welcome, especially for tables with mixed preferences.
The Bottom Line
Ruth's Chris Princeton delivers a competent, corporately assembled wine program that covers the bases without taking any real swings. Markups are steep across the board — this is not the place to drop serious money on a bottle — but the all-by-the-glass format and the Trimbach and Catena Zapata picks give you room to drink well if you choose carefully. Come for the steak; drink strategically.
Palmer Square · Princeton · Italian / Pizza & Wine Bar
Teresa's has the bones of something genuinely good — a wine-bar concept in a charming Princeton setting, with an Italian-leaning list and the kind of casual-but-intentional vibe that makes you want to linger over a second glass. We'd call it a Wild Card because the setup is promising and the concept is right, but without a fully sourced list in hand, we're betting on potential as much as proof. Worth a walk-in to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Wine Shop with Tastings
Princeton Corkscrew is doing something genuinely useful: shop-floor pricing on a focused, mostly Old World list that punishes nobody for wanting to drink well without a restaurant markup. The Dubreuil-Fontaine Beaune Premier Cru at $67.50 and the Tardieu-Laurent Rhône Blanc at $19 both represent the kind of value that makes a wine list worth paying attention to. If you're in Princeton and care about what's in your glass, this deserves a stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / American
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.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· 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
· Portsmouth · Steakhouse
The Library Restaurant is a Wine Spectator award holder that plays it very, very safe — heavy California Chardonnay, a prestige Champagne tower, and markups that favor the house. If you're here for a special occasion and want to pop a Pol Roger at $125 or a Veuve at $155, it's a fine room for that. But if you're hoping to find something unexpected or feel like the wine program is working hard for you, this list isn't going to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Golden Nugget Casino · Atlantic City · Steakhouse
Vic & Anthony's is a competent casino steakhouse wine list — it won't embarrass you and it won't thrill you. If you're already there for the steak, grab the Siduri by the glass and don't look too hard at the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hilton Head Island · Steakhouse
Crane's Tavern won't make any top wine lists, but for Hilton Head, the by-the-glass program is unusually honest and the pricing doesn't insult you. If you're eating steak here, you have solid options — and that Brocard Bourgogne Blanc is a legitimate surprise.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
