Italy-first list that earns its pasta
North Loop · Minneapolis · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bar La Grassa’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bar La Grassa reads like someone who actually likes Italian wine built it — not a consultant checking boxes. There's a clear point of view here: lean into the boot, pepper in a few crowd-pleasing New World options, and keep prices honest. It's not trying to impress you, which is exactly why it does.
Italy anchors everything, and the regional spread is genuinely solid — Piedmont shows up twice with Barbera and Nebbiolo, Sicily contributes both a white (Cottanera's Etna Bianco) and a rosé (Frappato from Caruso e Minini), and there's a Ripasso from Valpolicella sitting next to a Chianti Classico. The Abruzzo Pecorino from Lunaria is a nice touch that signals someone went looking beyond the obvious. Outside Italy, Oregon's Foris Pinot Noir and a Hubert Clavelin Crémant du Jura round things out without diluting the Italian thesis. Gaps exist — no Barolo, no Brunello, nothing aged with any real cellar time — but for a pasta-forward neighborhood restaurant, this list punches where it needs to.
Seventeen by-the-glass options is a strong count for a casual Italian spot, ranging from $10 to $21 a glass. The BTG list mirrors the bottle program well — you can get the Etna Bianco, the Lambrusco, the Moscato d'Asti, and the Crémant du Jura all by the glass, which tells you someone thought about this beyond just pouring the cheapest thing. Rotation appears limited, but the starting lineup is good enough that you won't feel stuck.
Angelo Negro 'Angelin' Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2022 — $15/glass (est.)
Nebbiolo by the glass at a non-wine-bar price is genuinely rare. Angelo Negro makes approachable, honest Langhe Nebbiolo — Barolo DNA without the Barolo invoice. Order a bowl of pasta and don't overthink it.
Cottanera Etna Bianco DOC Carricante, Sicily, Italy 2023
Carricante from the slopes of Etna is one of Italy's most interesting white grapes, and most people at this table will order Pinot Grigio instead. Their loss. This is volcanic, saline, and genuinely distinctive — the kind of wine that makes you look up the producer when you get home.
Whitehall Lane 'Tre Leoni', Napa Valley, California 2023
It's a fine wine, but it's also exactly what you'd find on every hotel restaurant list in the country. You're at an Italian restaurant in Minneapolis with Etna Bianco on the menu — Napa Cab is a waste of the opportunity.
Tenuta Sant'Antonio Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy 2020 + Dry pasta with a rich meat ragù
Ripasso's dried cherry depth and grippy structure are basically engineered for slow-cooked meat sauces. It's the kind of pairing that feels obvious in retrospect and makes you wish you'd ordered a second glass.
The Bottom Line
Bar La Grassa is the Italian restaurant wine list Minneapolis deserves more of — Italy-focused, fairly priced, and with enough interesting picks that the wine enhances the meal instead of just accompanying it. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Pinot Grigio.
Downtown · Minneapolis · Brazilian churrascaria / Brazilian steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Minneapolis is a reliably fun night out if you're there for the meat spectacle — and you should be. The wine list is a supporting cast that knows its role: keep people happy, don't surprise anyone, move on. If wine is more than an afterthought for you, lower your expectations before you open the menu.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Loop / Warehouse District · Minneapolis · Modern Argentinian Steakhouse
Porzana punches above its class for a Minneapolis steakhouse — the Italian and Argentine selections show genuine curation, and the Fenocchio Barolo alone justifies a serious wine order. Just go in with eyes open on markups and skip the entry-level bottles unless you're pouring by the glass.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lowry Hill · Minneapolis · Steakhouse and Wood-Fired Pizza
Burch has the bones of a genuinely great wine program — knowledgeable staff, proper storage, and a list that respects the classics — but the pricing strategy on the mid-tier and entry-level bottles will test your patience. Go big or go home: the value-to-quality ratio only really clicks once you're spending $200+.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / North Loop · Minneapolis · New American / Contemporary American
112 Eatery's wine list is punching well above its weight for a Minneapolis neighborhood bistro, with a genuinely distinctive Old World focus and producers that belong on serious lists anywhere in the country. The markups sting on a few bottles, but the curation earns enough goodwill to keep us coming back.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Uptown · Minneapolis · French Bistro
Barbette is a wine list built by someone who actually drinks wine and wants you to as well — it's small, French, and surprisingly legit for a neighborhood bistro in Uptown. If you're a natural wine fan or just someone who wants good Beaujolais with steak frites, send your friends here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Loring Park · Minneapolis · New American
Cafe Lurcat is a reliable, well-staffed wine program in one of Minneapolis's prettiest dining rooms — just know you're paying a premium for the address and the ambiance. Ask the sommelier for help navigating the list and you'll drink well; go on autopilot and order the obvious Napa Cab and you'll leave having spent more than you should have.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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