Fort Worth's Italian wine list punches hard
Fort Worth · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed 61 Osteria’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list lands like a statement. Three hundred to five hundred selections in a Fort Worth osteria is not what you're expecting when you walk in off West Seventh, and the Italy-first architecture makes it immediately clear that someone here takes this seriously. This is not a steakhouse wine list with a pasta menu bolted on — it's the real thing.
Italy is the backbone and it's a strong one: Barolo from Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri, and the Super Tuscan trifecta of Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello all make appearances. The Amarone section with Dal Forno Romano alone is worth the visit for serious red drinkers. California and France fill in the flanks responsibly — Opus One and Far Niente for the Napa crowd, Louis Jadot and Drouhin holding down Burgundy — but the Italian depth is where this list separates itself from every other upscale dining room in North Texas. The one gap: a deeper dive into Southern Italy or natural-leaning producers would push this into truly rarefied territory.
With 20 to 35 pours available by the glass, the program is generous enough to actually explore rather than just survive. Prices run $12 to $22 a glass, which is fair for the caliber of restaurant. We'd push staff to tell you what's rotating — sommeliers David Donalson and Daniel Wood are on the floor and know their stuff.
Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino — $120
Brunello at this level from one of Montalcino's most consistent estates is nearly impossible to find on a restaurant list without a painful markup. If the bottle price is anywhere near retail, this is the move — full stop.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella
Everyone at the table is chasing the Barolo and the Super Tuscans, and Allegrini's Amarone sits there quietly being magnificent. It's structured enough for the Wild Boar Pappardelle and approachable enough that you don't need a wine degree to enjoy it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also on every steakhouse list in America at a 3.5x markup. You're in an Italian osteria with Giacomo Conterno on the menu — ordering Caymus here is like going to a great taqueria and ordering a burger.
Ornellaia + Wild Boar Pappardelle
Ornellaia's Cabernet-Merlot blend has the structure to stand up to braised wild boar and the elegance to not bulldoze the pasta. It's the kind of pairing that makes you slow down and pay attention to both the plate and the glass.
The Bottom Line
61 Osteria earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and then some — this is the most serious Italian wine list in Fort Worth by a significant margin. Markups aren't shy, but the depth of selection and the knowledge on the floor justify the room.
Fort Worth · Fort Worth · Steakhouse
Bob's Fort Worth is a dependable steakhouse wine list — California-centric, Champagne-heavy, and priced for the occasion. You won't discover anything new, but you won't be drinking badly either.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Fort Worth · American Steakhouse
Del Frisco's Grille Fort Worth has a wine list the same way an airport newsstand has a wine section — technically true, practically limiting. Order the Tokaji for dessert, drink cocktails with dinner, and don't expect anyone to help you navigate the difference.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fort Worth · Fort Worth · Chinese
Teddy Wongs is the kind of place that shouldn't work on paper — dumplings, Fort Worth, Wine Spectator award — and yet here we are. If you let the list guide you toward Alsace or Texas instead of defaulting to the California crowd-pleasers, you'll eat and drink extremely well for the money.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West 7th · Fort Worth · Mexican, Steakhouse
Don Artemio is doing something genuinely unusual in Texas steakhouse territory: building a wine list around Mexican producers that deserve serious attention, backed by a sommelier who knows the material. If you care at all about wine, skip the Napa defaults and let Adrian point you toward Baja — you won't regret it.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Fort Worth · Fort Worth · American
Grace is the real deal — a Fort Worth restaurant that has built and maintained a wine program worthy of the city's best table. The markups run steep and the list plays it safer than adventurous, but when the caliber is this high and the service is this dialed in, we're still sending every wine-serious friend through the door.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Fort Worth · Fort Worth · Mexican
Buena Vida's wine list isn't going to win any awards, but Wednesday's 50% off bottle deal turns a steep, pedestrian selection into a genuinely fun night out. Come for the tacos, drink on a Wednesday, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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