Appleton's Secret Weapon Has Serious Cellar Cred
Appleton · Appleton · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Carmella's Italian Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to find Mascarello Barolo and Le Ragnaie Brunello at a neighborhood Italian bistro in Appleton, Wisconsin — but here we are. The wine list lands with genuine weight: 110 labels that read like someone actually cares, not like a manager copy-pasted from a distributor sheet. The range from entry-level pours to serious Piedmontese heavyweights is legitimately impressive for this zip code.
The Italian backbone is the real story here — Oddero's 'Gallina' Barbaresco, Damilano's 'Cannubi' Barolo, and Le Ragnaie's Brunello di Montalcino give this list more Piedmont and Tuscan firepower than restaurants three times its size. California shows up strong too, with Sea Smoke and Doubleback representing the prestige end of the West Coast. France gets a seat at the table with Drouhin's 'Laurene' Pinot and proper Champagne representation. The one gap: the lighter, entry-level Italian whites and everyday Nebbiolo territory that would make this list more approachable for the table that isn't ready to commit to $400 Barolo.
Ten by-the-glass options at $9–$15 is a workable program, though it skews toward approachable rather than adventurous — none of the heavy-hitter Italian reds make the cut by the glass, which is both understandable and a missed opportunity. The glass range is fine for a weeknight dinner crowd but won't wow anyone who's already scanned the bottle list and gotten hungry for more. Rotation frequency is unclear, and no standout pours by the glass were confirmed in our research.
Lapostolle 'Clos Apalta' 2018 Carmenere / Chile — $Not publicly listed
Clos Apalta is one of Chile's most decorated wines and consistently punches above its tier. If the price sits anywhere near the lower-middle of this list, it's the smartest bottle in the room — complex, age-worthy, and routinely overlooked by diners who default to Napa Cab.
Oddero 'Gallina' 2020 Barbaresco
Gallina is one of the most celebrated crus in Barbaresco and Oddero is a serious, traditional producer. Most tables will walk right past it chasing the Barolo names, but this is the move — aromatic, structured, and ready to drink now without needing a decade in your cellar first.
Mascarello 2020 Barolo
Mascarello is a legendary producer and the wine is real, but $426 at a neighborhood bistro in Appleton is a significant markup on a wine that still needs years in the bottle to open up. Unless you're celebrating something major and you know exactly what you're getting into, this one's better left on the list.
Drouhin 'Laurene' Pinot Noir / Dundee Hills + Wild Mushroom Risotto
Laurene's earthy, red-fruit-forward Oregon Pinot plays directly into the umami depth of wild mushroom risotto — neither one bulldozes the other. It's the rare pairing where the wine actually elevates the dish rather than just tolerating it.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Carmella's is the kind of place that has no business having this good a wine list — and that's meant as a compliment. The markups on the top-shelf bottles sting, but the depth and seriousness of the Italian selection alone make it worth a visit for anyone who wants to drink well in Wisconsin.
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