Lakeside Italy, priced like they want you back
Lake Austin · Austin · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 29, 2026
RagingWine reviewed 68 Degrees Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives and it's immediately clear someone here has a thing for Italy — a focused, confident thing. No page-filler Malbec or obligatory Napa Cab wall of shame; just a tightly curated Italian program that means what it says. The lakeside setting makes you want to order something special, and for once, the list actually lets you.
This is an Italy-first list with real conviction behind it. Piedmont gets the serious treatment — Vietti, Conterno Fantino, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja are all present, covering the full spectrum from approachable Barolo to serious collector Barbaresco. Tuscany shows up strong with Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia alongside Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico Riserva, while Alto Adige Pinot Grigio and Amarone della Valpolicella round out the North. A few California bottles (Ridge, Flowers) appear as capable understudy options, but nobody comes here for those.
With 12–18 pours in the $12–$18 range, the by-the-glass program punches well above its weight for a neighborhood Italian spot. The range likely tracks the bottle list — expect a proper white from Alto Adige and at least one structured red from Tuscany or Veneto. Wednesday's half-price wine night turns these already reasonable pours into some of the best-value glass drinking in Austin.
Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra 2019 — $32
A single-vineyard Barolo from one of Piedmont's most respected names for $32 a glass is almost offensive in the best way. At that price you'd barely get a grocery-store Chianti elsewhere in Austin.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2019
Most people at this table are going to reach for something they recognize, but the Vietti Castiglione is a masterclass Barolo from a vintage that's already drinking beautifully — and at $28, it's the kind of bottle that makes you feel smarter than everyone else at the restaurant.
Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2022
Flowers is a fine wine, but you're at an Italian restaurant with access to Giacosa and Gaja. Ordering California Pinot here is like going to a great taqueria and getting the quesadilla. Nobody's stopping you, but you'll regret it.
Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili 2018 + Short rib agnolotti
The Asili vineyard produces Barbaresco with a silky structure and red fruit depth that cuts right through the richness of braised short rib without overwhelming the pasta. It's the kind of combination that makes a Tuesday feel like an occasion.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to the wine list and makes an already fairly-priced program genuinely exceptional value.
🎲 The Bottom Line
68 Degrees is doing something genuinely rare in Austin: an Italian wine list with real depth, honest pricing, and a Wednesday deal that should be on your calendar. We'd send anyone here who wants to drink well without a fight.
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ALC Steaks plays it safe and plays it competently — this is a wine list that serves the room without challenging it. If you know what you're looking for, there are smart picks buried in here; if you don't, you'll still drink fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Sammie's is a genuinely fun room with a wine list that's earned its Wine Spectator hardware — the Italian depth is real, the sommelier knows her stuff, and Monday half-price bottles might be the best deal in Austin. Just go in knowing the markups lean steep, and let Jenny point you toward the plays that aren't on the tourist track.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Downtown Austin · Austin · Latin Steakhouse
Ciclo is a reliable, well-run California-centric wine program that does exactly what it says on the menu — it just charges you for the privilege. If you're here for the steakhouse experience and want a Cab that won't embarrass you, Joe Pena's list delivers. Just don't expect to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
East Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Birdie's has no business being this good at wine for a neighborhood spot on East 12th — and that's the highest compliment we can give it. Send your friends here, tell them to order Burgundy, and let them figure out on their own that this place is a wild card worth knowing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Austin · Austin · Italian
Siena's wine list is a genuine Italian-focused program with some serious names and a half-price Monday that should be on every Austin wine drinker's calendar. Markups run steep at the high end, but the bones are good enough that we'd send a friend — especially on a Monday.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
South Lamar · Austin · Italian, Seafood
A neighborhood Italian spot with a better wine list than it has any obligation to have — and Wednesday half-price wine night is one of the better deals in Austin. Come for the pasta, stay for the Barolo.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
West Sedona · Sedona · Italian
Bella Vita isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one — fairly priced, Italian-forward, with enough smart choices to reward the curious diner. If you're in Sedona and want honest Italian food with a glass of Chianti Classico that won't cost you a red rock tour, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kenwood · Sonoma · Italian
Stella is doing more with 31 bottles than most restaurants do with 100 — the picks are local, specific, and occasionally genuinely exciting. The markups are real and the list has blind spots, but if you're eating in Kenwood wine country and want something worth thinking about in your glass, this earns a seat at the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Midtown / Highway 50 · South Lake Tahoe · Italian
Izabella is a dependable wine play for a mountain-town Italian dinner — the glass selection is genuinely broad and the marquee bottles are there if you want them, but the markups are Tahoe-elevated and the list doesn't take many risks. Send your friends here for a solid Cab and a good meal, not a wine discovery.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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