Cincinnati's Italian Wine Anchor, No Passport Required
Hyde Park · Cincinnati · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Alfio's Buon Cibo’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Alfio's Buon Cibo lands with some weight — 200-plus bottles, Italy front and center, and a staff of three named sommeliers ready to walk you through it. This is not a list that got assembled by someone calling the broadline distributor and saying 'send whatever.' Someone here cares, and it shows immediately.
Italy is the backbone and the beating heart here — Barolo from Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Banfi, Amarone from Allegrini and Bertani, and the Super Tuscan hits like Sassicaia and Tignanello for when you want to feel fancy. The regional spread goes well beyond the greatest hits, which is what earns the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence they've held since 2025. California gets a seat at the table too — Stag's Leap and Jordan Cab fill the bill for guests who want something familiar — but this list is clearly Italian at its soul. The one gap worth noting: white wine depth could match the reds.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is a genuinely strong pour program, especially for a neighborhood Italian spot. Expect rotating Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita or Livio Felluga on the lighter end, with bolder Italian reds filling out the slate. If a sommelier is on the floor, ask what's recently been opened — they'll steer you toward something interesting.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $65
Jordan is a crowd-pleaser that actually delivers — polished, consistent, and usually marked up responsibly at Italian spots. For a table that wants something recognizable and reliably good, this is the move without burning through your dinner budget.
Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio
Most people hear Pinot Grigio and think Santa Margherita on autopilot. Livio Felluga is the grown-up version — textured, mineral, with actual personality. It's priced below where it should be relative to what's in the glass.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Look, it's fine. But you're paying restaurant markup on a bottle you can grab at any grocery store, and Livio Felluga is sitting right there on the same list for a better drinking experience. No shame in moving on.
Amarone della Valpolicella (Allegrini) + Osso buco
Allegrini's Amarone brings dried fruit intensity and serious structure — exactly what you want next to the deep, braised richness of osso buco. The wine's weight matches the dish without bullying it, and the slight bitterness on the finish cuts through the marrow.
The Bottom Line
Alfio's is the rare neighborhood Italian that takes its wine program as seriously as its pasta, backed by a knowledgeable floor team that can actually help you spend your money wisely. Send your friends here — and tell them to let the sommelier pick.
Newport (Greater Cincinnati Riverfront) · Cincinnati · Seafood
Chart House delivers exactly what it promises: a reliable, unadventurous wine list in a spectacular waterfront setting. Come for the view and the lobster bisque — just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cincinnati · Wine Bar
Ripple is punching well above its Cincinnati zip code with a sparkling-forward list that's genuinely thoughtful and mostly fairly priced. If you love bubbles in all their forms, this is your spot — and even if you don't walk in that way, you might walk out converted.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Cincinnati · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Cincinnati is a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse list that delivers exactly what it promises — big California reds, proper storage, and a bottle for every budget above $50. Just don't come expecting discovery; come expecting execution.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Over-the-Rhine · Cincinnati · Tapas / Mediterranean-inspired small plates
Abigail Street is a Wild Card because nobody walks into a tapas spot in OTR expecting Lebanese orange wines and Champagne from Bollinger — but here we are. The markup math on the tap program stings, but the top half of this list is doing real work and earns a recommendation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North / Kenwood area · Cincinnati · New American / Grill & Wine Bar
Seasons 52 Cincinnati is a chain wine program that punches above its weight class on volume and actually tries — Monday half-price bottles are a legitimate reason to show up on a specific night. Just go in knowing this is a crowd-pleaser list, not a discovery list, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Mason · Cincinnati · West Coast–style American (brunch-focused cafe)
Maplewood Mason isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is fair, accessible, and has just enough personality (Stolpman, Jezebel Blanc) to keep it from being totally forgettable. If you're here for brunch, grab a glass and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
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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