Princeton's Serious Wine Room Finally Gets Its Due
Downtown Princeton · Princeton · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Perch at Peacock Inn’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list lands in your hands and you immediately know this isn't a hotel restaurant afterthought — it's a proper wine program that someone spent real time curating. Grand cru Burgundy, library Bordeaux, Italian icons, South African surprises, and a Liber Pater sitting at $35,000 just to remind you where you are. Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence is on the wall, and for once, it feels earned.
The depth here skews hard toward France — Burgundy and Bordeaux anchor the list with serious bottles like Domaine Laroche Les Clos Chablis Grand Cru and Château Lynch Bages 2020 — but there are genuine curveballs that keep things interesting. Italy shows up strong with Gaja Barbaresco 2012, Sassicaia 2016, and Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino 2018. The Rhône gets a nod via Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage and E. Guigal Saint-Joseph. What's less represented: anything natural, anything skin-contact, or anything under $60 that feels genuinely adventurous — the list plays it safe in terms of style even as it goes deep on prestige.
Glass pours run $14–$38, which is a respectable spread for a room at this price point. The program rotates around wine dinner events and regional showcases, suggesting the by-the-glass selection isn't completely static. That said, we'd love more transparency on what's actually pouring on a given Tuesday night — the list breadth implies the glass program could be doing more work.
Alain Graillot Syrah Crozes-Hermitage 2018 — $85
On a list loaded with four-figure bottles, $85 for Graillot — one of the northern Rhône's most consistent producers — is practically a handshake deal. Serious Syrah with real pedigree, and it doesn't require a second mortgage.
Oremus Mandolas Tokaji Furmint Tempos Vega Sicilia 2020
Most people at this table are ordering Burgundy or Bordeaux. The Oremus Furmint at $90 is the sleeper — a Vega Sicilia project in Hungary producing textured, minerally whites that almost nobody orders and almost everyone should. It's genuinely interesting in a room that can trend toward the predictable.
Rombauer Chardonnay 2022
At $95 a bottle, you're paying a steep premium for a wine you can find at any decent wine shop for under $30. Rombauer is a crowd-pleaser, sure, but on a list with actual grand cru Chablis and Chassagne-Montrachet, ordering this feels like going to a steakhouse and ordering chicken fingers.
Domaine de Rome Sancerre 2022 + Refined seafood entrée
At $60, the Sancerre is the smartest move on the list for The Perch's seafood-forward kitchen. Loire Sauvignon Blanc with its cut and mineral drive is exactly what you want against delicate fish preparations — it enhances without competing, and it won't bankrupt you before dessert.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Perch is the real deal for Princeton — a hotel restaurant that genuinely cares about wine, backs it up with a sommelier, serious storage, and a list deep enough to warrant a return visit just to explore. The markups on trophy bottles are what they are, but if you shop smart — Graillot, the Sancerre, the Furmint — you can drink extremely well without the sticker shock.
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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
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La Mezzaluna isn't where you go to discover wine — it's where you go to drink something Italian and not think too hard about it. That's a perfectly valid reason to visit, as long as you know what you're signing up for.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Salt Creek Grille isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a reliable steakhouse with a California-heavy list that gets the job done at a slight premium. Send a friend here if they want a comfortable, familiar bottle with a solid meal; don't send them if they're hoping for something to talk about on the drive home.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Forrestal Village · Princeton · Italian / Mediterranean
Tre Piani is exactly what a neighborhood Italian wine bar should be: honest, Italian-leaning, and priced for people who actually live nearby. It's not going to change your relationship with wine, but it's a reliable call when you want a decent Barolo and a bowl of mussels on a Monday.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Eno Terra punches above its suburban-Italian weight class with a by-the-glass list that actually takes some swings — Schioppettino, Mencía, Nebbiolo rosé — at prices that don't make you do math at the table. It's not a destination wine program, but it's the kind of list that rewards the curious diner who bothers to read past the Pinot Grigio.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Hilo · Hilo · New American
Coco Cantina is almost certainly a fine place to eat, but it has opted out of the wine conversation entirely. Order the Cava, enjoy your meal, and don't come here expecting more than three options.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Belmont · Charlottesville · New American
The Local isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing something smarter — building a list that actually reflects where it lives. Show up on a Monday, order Virginia, and you'll leave having drunk better than you expected for less than you planned to spend.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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Borealis Basecamp deserves credit for maintaining a 51-bottle list this far off the grid, and the recognizable names will keep most guests happy. But the markups are steep, the list plays it safe, and the program feels like it was assembled to impress rather than to excite — if you're here for the aurora, order wine and enjoy the view; if you're here for the wine, temper your expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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