Italian Comfort, California Cameos, Twenty Years Strong
Newark · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Caffé Gelato’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Caffé Gelato on a Wednesday night and the amber lighting and candles do a lot of the heavy lifting — this place wants you to relax, and the wine list follows suit. It's not trying to impress you with esoteric Georgian skin-contact pours; it's trying to make sure your Chianti arrives before the pasta gets cold. That said, there's more going on here than the cozy-neighborhood-Italian-spot vibe would suggest.
The list clocks in at 100-150 bottles with a clear double focus: Italy and California, which tracks with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've held since 2005. On the Italian side, you've got Antinori Chianti Classico and Ruffino Brunello di Montalcino anchoring Tuscany, with Gaja Barbaresco representing Piedmont at the serious end of the spectrum — that's not a name that appears on lazy lists. California gets a respectable showing via Caymus and Stag's Leap Cabernets and Jordan for those who want something a touch more elegant. The gaps are real — no southern Italian representation we can spot, and Burgundy fans are on their own — but within its lane, the list is curated rather than dumped.
Ten to sixteen by-the-glass options is a healthy pour count for a restaurant of this size, and the $8-$14 price range is fair for Delaware dining in 2024. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio will predictably anchor the white side — it's a crowd-pleaser for a reason — but we'd want to see more rotation and adventurous pours before calling this a by-the-glass destination.
Banfi Rosso di Montalcino — $30s
Rosso di Montalcino is the little brother to Brunello — same Sangiovese grape, same Montalcino terroir, fraction of the price and ready to drink now. At Caffé Gelato's entry-level pricing this is the bottle you order when you want to drink well without doing math at the table.
Gaja Barbaresco
Most tables here are ordering the Caymus without a second thought, which means the Gaja Barbaresco sits quietly on this list being deeply underappreciated. Angelo Gaja is one of the most important producers in Piedmont — full stop — and finding his Barbaresco on a Newark, Delaware neighborhood Italian spot is genuinely surprising. Worth the splurge.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
It's fine. It has always been fine. But Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the most marked-up 'safe choice' on wine lists across the entire country, and you can almost certainly do better here for the same money. Order the Banfi instead.
Antinori Chianti Classico + House-crafted pasta
This is the pairing that basically writes itself — Sangiovese's bright acidity and cherry fruit were engineered by centuries of Italian cooking to cut through tomato-based pasta sauces and complement fresh pasta. Antinori has been making Chianti Classico since 1385, which means they've had some time to get it right.
The Bottom Line
Caffé Gelato is the kind of place that earns its Wine Spectator Award the quiet way — consistent, honest, well-chosen, no gimmicks. Send a friend here if they want a solid Italian bottle without the downtown-restaurant price anxiety.
· Newark · Spanish and Portuguese
Spanish Tavern is a Newark institution with the bones of a wine-forward dining room — the setting, the cuisine, and the Iberian focus are all pointing in the right direction. The list likely plays it safe and the markups are probably what you'd expect from a white-tablecloth special-occasion spot, but if you're here for a proper sit-down dinner of paella and seafood, a bottle of Spanish red will do the job. We'd love to see the list push further into the Iberian depth that the kitchen deserves.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arts District · Newark · Tasting-menu / New American
For a concert hall dining room in Newark, this wine list has no business being this French, this specific, or this fairly priced — and yet here we are. The by-the-glass selection alone is worth flagging for anyone catching a show at NJPAC. Go in, order the Vouvray or the Morgon, and be pleasantly surprised.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newark · Wine Bar
Enoteca Wine Bar earns its Wild Card badge by being exactly the kind of place Newark shouldn't be sleeping on — a focused Italian and Spanish program in a room built for lingering, at price points that don't punish you for ordering a second bottle. We'd want a closer look at the full list and glass pours before calling it a destination, but if you're in the neighborhood and want wine with your wood-fired pizza, this is a smarter bet than most.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newark · Brazilian Steakhouse
The Taste of Brazil is almost certainly a great time if you're here for the rodízio experience — the meats, the energy, the all-you-can-eat chaos. The wine program, though, is an unknown quantity we can't responsibly endorse, and the lack of any transparent list online suggests wine isn't a priority here. Order a caipirinha, enjoy the picanha, and save the serious bottle for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newark · Italian
Five Corners has stocked four respectable Italian reds and essentially stopped there. Without pricing, pour options, or a list that can accommodate the full table, it's hard to call this a wine program — it's more like a wine shelf. Come for the Italian cooking; manage your expectations on the wine side.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montclair · Newark · Tasting-menu and New American
Halcyon is a reliable dinner-out option in Montclair where the wine list does its job without showing off — broad enough to find something that works with the seafood, priced at the higher end of what the neighborhood commands. Until we can get eyes on verified bottle selections and pricing, the specific picks stay blank, but the overall program earns a cautious endorsement: go for the crab cakes, ask your server what's pouring well by the glass, and you'll land somewhere fine.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian
An Italian list dated 06.17.26 with 18 glass pours at 15 to 19 and full bottles from 60 to 970. Start with the Barbera d’Alba La Gemella at 15 a glass, or the Fontanavecchia Aglianico del Taburno from the chef’s Campania hometown at 17, and confirm prices because the list says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian
A big-ticket Italian and Napa list with a genuine glass section: 14 wines by the glass from $15 to $85, then 89 bottles from $55 to $3,000. Start with the Prunotto Barolo at $30 a glass, or the Guidalberto at $145 if you want a Bolgheri bottle, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
Coral Gables · Miami · Italian
An Italy-first list built around Piedmont and Tuscany, with a four-vintage Burlotto Barolo vertical, three vintages of Sassicaia and a 16-bottle Brunello section plus special-vintage Brunellos. Start with a Coravin pour or a quartino, then ask for bottle prices, because this version of the list posts none and carries no printed date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
