Venice on the Providence waterfront, wine included
Federal Hill · Providence · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Al Forno’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Al Forno reads like a love letter to the Veneto — and honestly, given the wood-fired Italian cooking coming out of that open kitchen, that's not a bad thing. It's focused and intentional, not scattered. You won't find yourself flipping through pages of random California Cabs here.
The list leans hard into northeastern Italy, with a clear Veneto spine running from entry-level Valpolicella Classico all the way up to aged Amarone. The 2016 Amarone Crosara de le Strie and the 2013 Amarone Riserva Monte Danieli are the headline acts, and they're legit. That said, if you're hoping for Piedmont, Tuscany, or anything outside Italy, you're going to be disappointed — the geographic range is narrow enough that it starts to feel limiting by the time you're ordering a second bottle. The Ripasso fills the middle tier nicely, but there's a noticeable gap in white wine depth.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass is a workable range for a restaurant this size, and the Carpene Malvolti Prosecco is a solid opener — familiar enough to not scare anyone off, but a legitimate producer rather than anonymous bubbles. The glass program mirrors the bottle list's Veneto focus, which means you're getting consistent quality within a narrow lane.
2021 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso — $55
Ripasso hits the sweet spot for this kitchen — enough body and dried-fruit richness to hold up to the wood-fired flavors without requiring you to commit to a full Amarone price tag. It's the move for a table that's ordering across the menu.
2022 Valpolicella Classico
Most people at a table with Amarone on the list will walk right past the Classico, and that's a mistake. A good Valpolicella Classico is lighter, brighter, and frankly more food-friendly for a multi-course Italian dinner than its heavier Veneto cousins. Don't sleep on it.
2013 Amarone Riserva Monte Danieli
The wine itself is probably excellent, but Amarone Riserva at a restaurant markup on a decade-old vintage is a significant spend — and without a knowledgeable floor staff to walk you through what you're buying, you're paying a premium largely on faith. Save this one for a shop where you can do the homework first.
2016 Amarone Crosara de le Strie + Dirty Steak with Hot Fanny Sauce
Amarone's concentrated dark fruit and grippy tannins are built for char and fat. The Dirty Steak's wood-fired crust and assertive sauce need something with enough structure to push back — this Amarone doesn't flinch.
The Bottom Line
Al Forno is a Veneto specialist in a city that mostly plays it safe with Italian wine, and there's real value in that focus. Just go in knowing the list won't surprise you geographically, and the markup means you're paying for the room as much as the bottle.
Federal Hill · Providence · Italian
Camille’s offers plenty to explore, but set your wine budget before opening the list. Our starting order is Jorio Montepulciano at $11/glass or Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina at $12/glass. Save Tignanello for a planned splurge.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Providence · Restaurant
Mare Rooftop is a great place to watch the sunset with a cold glass of Whispering Angel — and that's about the ceiling of its wine ambition. If you're here for the view and the vibe, lean into it; if you showed up hoping for a thoughtful wine experience, you're in the wrong place.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Providence · Italian (modern trattoria)
Sarto's wine list is a credible, Italy-focused program that earns its place in a serious Italian kitchen — just go in knowing the markups lean steep and the list doesn't reward wandering outside the boot. Order the Vermentino, eat the pasta, and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Federal Hill · Providence · Italian-American
Joe Marzilli's Old Canteen is a Providence legend for its food and its history, not its wine list — which reads like something assembled in 1994 and never reconsidered. Come for the veal cutlet and the nostalgia, but don't let the wine list talk you into spending $48 on a Kendall-Jackson.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Side · Providence · American Brasserie (French-Influenced)
Red Stripe isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. Fair prices on recognizable bottles in a lively room that actually makes you want to stay for another glass — that's a respectable thing to get right.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Providence · Providence · Upscale American Steakhouse with Seafood
The Capital Grille Providence is a well-oiled machine with a wine program that earns more respect than most chains deserve — the depth is real, the staff knows the list, and the Generous Pour event is a legit reason to show up. The markups are steep and the soul is corporate, but if someone else is expensing dinner, you could do a lot worse.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· 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
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