Thursday nights just got a lot cheaper
West Des Moines · Des Moines · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano – West Des Moines’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 West Des Moines is exactly what you'd expect from a polished suburban Italian chain — familiar faces, safe regions, nothing that's going to make you stop mid-scroll. It's Italy and California wall to wall, which fits the room, but don't come here hunting for a funky Jura white or an obscure Sicilian producer.
Eighty to one hundred twenty bottles sounds like range until you realize most of the real estate is occupied by recognizable brand names — Santa Margherita, Meiomi, Kendall-Jackson, Ruffino, Duckhorn's Decoy — the kind of list that could exist at any TGI Fridays with a decent pasta section. The Italy focus makes sense given the concept, and the Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale is a legitimate nod to the menu's roots. California fills in the rest, leaning on label recognition rather than any particular depth of terroir. There's nothing embarrassing here, but there's also nothing that suggests anyone spent real time curating it.
Fifteen to twenty-five pours by the glass is a respectable count, and the $8–$14 range keeps things accessible. The selection mirrors the bottle list — big brands, familiar grapes — so you're not going to find anything surprising, but you're also not going to get stuck with bad wine. Just know that most of these same bottles retail for well under $20, so you're paying a premium for the poured convenience.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale — $50 bottle / $13 glass
At 117% markup it's the least punishing option on the list, and it's actually the wine most in harmony with the menu. Sangiovese with a room full of pasta and red sauce is a no-brainer, and this one has the structure to hold up to it.
Decoy by Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people sleep on Decoy because it lives in the shadow of its parent brand, but at $58 a bottle it carries the Duckhorn pedigree at a fraction of the price and marks up cleaner than almost anything else on this list. It's the grown-up choice at a table that's otherwise ordering Meiomi.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
A 200% markup on a $13.99 grocery store bottle is a hard no. This wine is everywhere, costs nothing, and Biaggi's is charging $42 for it. Order literally anything else.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale + Chicken Marsala
Sangiovese's bright acidity and earthy backbone cut through the richness of the Marsala sauce without bullying it — it's a classic Italian match that actually makes sense on this menu rather than just sounding good on paper.
Thursday — Chain-wide 50% off bottles under approximately $75, dine-in only. Some locations also discount select glasses. This is the single best reason to plan your visit around a specific night.
The Bottom Line
Biaggi's is a dependable suburban Italian with a wine list that plays it completely safe and prices that would sting if not for Thursday's half-price bottle deal — show up then, order the Chianti, and you'll have a genuinely solid night. Any other day, just manage your expectations.
Downtown Des Moines · Des Moines · American, Regional
Proudfoot & Bird is the kind of place where the room earns a star the wine list can't quite match — solid enough for a business dinner or a date night in a stunning space, but don't come expecting to find something you've never heard of. If you're in Des Moines and want a dependable glass in a beautiful room, it works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
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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