Casino Strip Surprise: Natural Wine in the Loud Room
· Atlantic City · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Palm Atlantic City’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Palm on the Atlantic City casino strip, you brace for a wall of Caymus and Silver Oak at three times retail. What you find instead is a six-bottle list that reads like a natural wine bar in Brooklyn accidentally took a wrong turn on the Garden State Parkway. It's small, it's weird, and against all odds, it's interesting.
Six bottles is not a list — it's a conviction. Whoever curated this ignored the obvious and went straight for the left-field picks: Puzelat Bonhomme from the Loire, Clos du Gravillas Minervois, Ferrando's Canavese Rosso doing its Nebbiolo-meets-Barbera thing in Piedmont, and a Ruth Lewandowski 'Feints' from Utah of all places. The anchor is Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011, which gives the list some Rhône muscle to balance all the natural-leaning curiosities. There are no Napa Cabs, no Malbecs from Mendoza, and nothing that would feel at home at a hotel minibar — which is either a bold statement or a clerical error, but we're choosing to believe in the vision.
One option by the glass: the Lucien Crochet 'Le Chêne' Sancerre 2013 at $23, which is a legitimately good pour — a single-vineyard Sancerre from one of the appellation's best houses. The problem is there's exactly one choice, full stop. If you don't want Sancerre, you're buying a bottle.
Ferrando 'Canavese Rosso' 2013 — $44
Ferrando is a legendary Piedmontese producer known for Carema, and this Canavese blend is the entry point into their world. At $44 in a casino steakhouse, you're getting serious Alpine-inflected northern Italian red at a price that doesn't insult you.
Ruth Lewandowski 'Feints' 2013
Almost nobody at this table is ordering a wine from a Utah producer, and that's exactly why you should. Ruth Lewandowski makes small-batch, skin-contact, low-intervention wines from California fruit — 'Feints' is strange and compelling and the kind of thing you'd wait a year to get an allocation of at a natural wine shop. It's sitting here on a list in Atlantic City. Order it.
Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011
Not a bad wine by any stretch, but at $90 it's the list's one concession to conventional steakhouse pricing. The 2011 vintage in Châteauneuf is solid but not exceptional, and you can find this bottle at retail for significantly less. The Ferrando or the Clos du Gravillas will serve you better for the money.
Clos du Gravillas Minervois 2012 + Prime Ribeye
Languedoc Grenache Blanc and Maccabeu-based blends from Clos du Gravillas have enough savory, herbal depth to stand up to a heavily marbled ribeye without the oak and tannin overload of the usual steakhouse red. It's the unconventional call that actually works.
The Bottom Line
We wouldn't fly to Atlantic City for this wine list, but if you're already here, this is the last thing you expected and the best reason to sit down. Six bottles, zero safe choices — someone cares, and it shows.
· Atlantic City · Cocktail Lounge
Nola's is a genuinely fun place to spend a late night on the Atlantic City Boardwalk — the atmosphere earns its stripes. But if wine is why you're sitting down, you're in the wrong seat. Order a cocktail, enjoy the music, and save your serious wine budget for somewhere that's thought harder about the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlantic City · New American / Wine Bar
The Iron Room is the kind of wine-forward bar Atlantic City doesn't know it needs — cozy, staffed by people who care, and refreshingly serious about what's in the glass. If you're in AC and want something other than $14 Pinot Grigio at a casino bar, this is your move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
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
Margate City · Atlantic City · Seafood / New American
Steve & Cookie's isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid spot to drink reasonably well alongside excellent seafood and a live jazz soundtrack. If you're going Monday through Thursday, get there early and hit the bar before your table.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Atlantic City · Atlantic City · Mediterranean / Italian
Sofia isn't a wine destination, but it's a better-than-expected list for the Shore — especially if you lean into the Greek selections that nobody else around here is bothering with. The markups on the California staples will sting, so go Greek and drink smarter.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlantic City · Italian
Café 2825 is a celebration restaurant with a wine list to match — trophy Champagnes, premium California whites, and a few smart Italian picks that reward anyone who looks past the obvious. Prices likely reflect the occasion more than the liquid, but if you're in Atlantic City for a big night, there are worse places to pop a bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Steakhouse
What we can document at Mastro's Beverly Hills is a narrow, Napa-centric selection that plays zero risk and offers zero surprise — which is a defensible choice for a power-steakhouse crowd, but not one we can enthusiastically endorse to wine lovers. The seven wines on record are all from a single event page, so the full list is almost certainly broader; but until we have more to work with, our honest advice is to know what you want before you sit down, because the list isn't going to inspire you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Yountville · Steakhouse
Press is a special-occasion restaurant with a wine program built to match — deep Napa regional focus, a sommelier on staff, and pairing options that range from serious to stratospheric. The pricing is steep by design, and you should go in knowing the wine spend can easily outpace the food bill. If you're willing to lean into it, this is exactly the kind of Napa experience the valley was built around.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Vail · Steakhouse
Russell's isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't need to be — but the list is better than the room probably demands. Fair pricing, a genuine global reach, and twenty pours by the glass make this a steakhouse wine program worth engaging with. Order the Fincas de Ganuza, skip the Laurent Perrier, and leave the mountain resort markup where it belongs: on the cocktail list.
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.
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