Amoré Italian Steak & Seafood

Walking into Amoré, the wine list feels like it means business — 150-plus bottles anchored by Italian heavyweights and California classics, which is exactly what you'd want from a candlelit Italian-American steakhouse on Pearl Street. This is not a restaurant that threw a wine list together; there's a sommelier on staff and a fresh Wine Spectator Award of Excellence to prove it. For Fort Wayne, that's genuinely impressive.

The list leans hard into its two strengths — Italy and California — and doesn't apologize for it. On the Italian side, you're looking at Antinori Tignanello, Gaja Barbaresco, Marchesi di Barolo Barolo, Masi Amarone della Valpolicella, and Banfi Brunello di Montalcino: a who's-who of the peninsula's greatest hits. California holds its own with Caymus Cab, Far Niente Chardonnay, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in the lineup. The gaps show up outside those two lanes — if you're hunting Burgundy, Rhône, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you're mostly out of luck. But for the cuisine being served, the focus is defensible and well-executed.

With 12 to 20 pours on offer, the by-the-glass program is more generous than most spots at this price point. We'd expect the Italian reds to dominate the pour list, which is the right call when veal osso buco and beef carpaccio are on the menu. Rotation details are thin, but with a sommelier steering the ship, there's reason to think the glass list gets thoughtful attention.