Chain Italian Done Better Than It Should Be
Westdale · Cedar Rapids · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano – Cedar Rapids’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Biaggi's Cedar Rapids is exactly what you'd expect from an upscale-casual Italian chain — recognizable names, safe picks, and enough Italian representation to feel intentional. It's not trying to impress anyone who subscribes to wine newsletters, but it's also not a disaster. Think of it as a greatest hits album: nothing surprising, but most of the songs are solid.
Fifty-five labels split between California and Italy, which is the right call for a restaurant like this. The Italian side punches above its weight — Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, Pertinace Barolo, Zenato Amarone, and Antinori's Il Bruciato give the list some genuine credibility beyond the red sauce stereotypes. California leans hard into the trophy wine crowd: Caymus, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap Artemis, The Prisoner — all crowd-pleasers with serious markups to match. The gaps are on the lighter side: no real Nebbiolo alternatives, no Etna, no Vermentino that isn't ColleMassari Melacce, which is actually a decent find. It's a list built for the table that wants something they already know, not one that wants to discover something new.
Twelve to eighteen options by the glass is a generous pour program for Cedar Rapids, and the range covers white, red, and a few Italian outliers. The Livio Felluga Esperto Pinot Grigio and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc are reliable glass pours that won't embarrass anyone. At $10–$18 a glass, you're paying restaurant-chain pricing, so stick to the bottles when you can do the math.
Antinori 'Il Bruciato', Italy — $45
A Bolgheri red from one of Italy's most respected houses, Il Bruciato punches well above its typical retail price of $20–$25. Even at chain markup, this is the best dollar-for-quality ratio on the list — big fruit, structure, and a real sense of place. Order it before someone at the next table beats you to it.
Viberti 'La Gemella' Barbera d'Alba, Italy
Barbera gets ignored in favor of Barolo and Amarone by most guests scanning this list, which is their loss. La Gemella is a food-friendly, high-acid red with dark cherry and enough earthiness to hold up to anything on the pasta menu. Most people walk right past it — don't be most people.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley, California
Caymus is a fine wine that has been marked up to luxury status at virtually every chain restaurant in America. You're paying a significant premium for the label recognition, not the experience. The Stag's Leap Artemis drinks just as well and almost certainly costs less on this list — go there instead.
Pertinace Barolo, Italy + Chicken Parmesan
Barolo's firm tannins and dried cherry character cut right through the richness of a sauced chicken parm — the acidity lifts the tomato, the structure handles the cheese. It's a classic pairing dressed up in Piedmontese clothes, and it earns every penny of its price tag here.
The Bottom Line
Biaggi's Cedar Rapids isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable Italian chain that actually stocked a few wines worth ordering — especially if you steer toward the Italian side of the list. Send a friend here if they need a decent bottle with dinner and don't want to think too hard about it.
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Italian
Biaggi's isn't a wine destination, but the Italian-forward list does enough right that you can drink well if you know where to look. Stick to the Italian bottles, avoid the obvious crowd-pleasers, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Upscale Steakhouse / Fine Dining American
Midtown Reserve is doing more with wine than anyone in Cedar Rapids has a right to expect, with a list that actually has some range and genuine finds if you look past the house pours. The markups are real and the glass program plays it safe, but for a serious dinner in Iowa, this is absolutely where you want to be drinking.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
NewBo · Cedar Rapids · Steakhouse / Butcher Restaurant
Butcher's Block is a reliable steakhouse wine list that does exactly what it's supposed to — get Napa Cab on the table with a great piece of beef. It won't excite the adventurous drinker, and the markups sting a little, but if you're here for the meat, the wine will do its job.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Czech Village · Cedar Rapids · Pub food and American
Parlor City is a genuinely fun neighborhood pub, and the daily happy hour makes the wine situation tolerable — half-price Moscato d'Asti at 4pm is a perfectly fine life choice. But if wine is your priority tonight, this isn't your stop.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · American / Brewpub
Granite City is a perfectly fine place to drink a pint brewed on-site — that's genuinely the move here. The wine list exists as a formality, not an invitation, and the markups on grocery-store bottles aren't doing anyone any favors.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · Sports Bar
Buffalo Wild Wings Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it's a sports bar that technically serves wine the way a gas station technically sells food. Order a beer, enjoy the wings, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else in Cedar Rapids.
Grocery Store
Steep
Red Flag
MIA
Set & Forget
Hot Mess
· Johns Creek · Italian
Pasta Vino isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a neighborhood Italian with a list that actually makes sense for the room. Pricing is fair across the board, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the Italian selections (especially the Chianti duo and the Lugana) show some genuine thought. Send a friend here for dinner knowing they'll drink well without overpaying.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian
Piccolo Mondo punches above its Arlington zip code with a genuinely Italy-forward wine list that includes some names worth ordering. We'd love to see pricing and by-the-glass details more clearly published — and without knowing the markups, we can't fully endorse the value play — but the producer selection alone puts this ahead of most neighborhood Italian spots in the DFW suburbs. If you're going, head straight for the Tuscan reds and don't look back.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
The Macaroni Grill Lakeland wine list is functional the way a vending machine is functional — it dispenses what you ask for without fuss or personality. The by-the-glass breadth gives casual drinkers options, but the markups on several bottles and the complete absence of anything interesting or Italian-forward make this a list you tolerate rather than enjoy. Order the Lambrusco or the Trapiche Malbec and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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