Playing It Safe in the Mountains
Downtown Asheville · Asheville · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bargello’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Bargello's wine list feels like it was designed by committee—safe Italian producers that won't offend anyone but won't excite anyone either. Walking in, you get the sense the wine program is an afterthought to the pasta.
The list sticks to recognizable Italian regions—Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto—with predictable producers that you'd find at any decent Italian spot in any American city. We're seeing Antinori Chianti at $68, a Banfi Brunello pushing $110, and the obligatory Ruffino Prosecco for $42. No deep Sicilian cuts, no adventurous orange wines from Friuli, no natural producers shaking things up. It's the wine equivalent of ordering spaghetti carbonara at every Italian restaurant you visit—reliable, sure, but where's the personality?
The glass pour selection runs about 6-8 options, heavy on the Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico. A Gavi by La Scolca sits at $14, a safe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo at $12, and predictably, a Super Tuscan blend at $16. Nothing rotates with any urgency—these are the same pours you'll find here in three months.
Ceretto Langhe Nebbiolo — $58
Baby Barolo vibes at half the price—teaches you the grape without the mortgage payment
Masciarelli Villa Gemma Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Everyone orders the cheap Montepulciano, but this single-vineyard version at $72 shows what the grape can actually do with some age and attention
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
At $110 with what's likely a 3.5x markup, you're paying Asheville vacation pricing for a mass-produced Brunello you can find for $35 retail
Vietti Barbera d'Asti + Tagliatelle al Ragù
Barbera's bright acidity cuts through rich meat sauce like it was designed for this exact moment—because it was
The Bottom Line
Bargello does the job if you're already here for the food and want something drinkable. But if wine is why you're choosing a restaurant in Asheville? Keep looking.
Downtown Asheville · Asheville · Farm to Table
The Blackbird is doing wine right in a town that's more known for craft beer — there's a real sommelier (Sarah Reder) behind this list and it shows. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Asheville · Asheville · American
Vue 1913 is a reliable wine destination for guests who know what they like and want to drink it with a jaw-dropping view — just don't expect the list to push you anywhere new. Send your California Cab-loving friends here without hesitation; send your natural wine friends somewhere else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Grove Park · Asheville · Regional
Sunset Terrace isn't a wine destination — it's a destination where wine happens to be available and handled competently. Come for the mountains and the steak, order the Ridge or the Sonoma-Cutrer, and enjoy the fact that at least nobody's pouring you something terrible.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
West Asheville · Asheville · American, Farm to Table
Jargon is doing something real with wine in a neighborhood that doesn't demand it, and that's exactly why it deserves your attention. Send a friend here — just tell them to skip the Napa Cab and ask about the Minervois.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Asheville · Asheville · American
The Dining Room is genuinely worth the trip, and not just because of the mansion backdrop — the sommelier team is real, the cellar is serious, and Wednesday half-price wine night turns a splurge into a steal. Markups on the prestige bottles are steep, but the overall program earns its Best of Award of Excellence.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Asheville · Asheville · Middle Eastern
Jerusalem Garden Cafe does Middle Eastern food well, but the wine program is non-existent. Stick to the Turkish coffee or mint tea and save your wine budget for literally anywhere else in Asheville.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Red Flag
MIA
Set & Forget
Hot Mess
· 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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