Five Bottles and a Prayer
· Gatlinburg · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Carrabba's Italian Grill’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Five wines. That's the list. At a sit-down Italian restaurant in a tourist town, we expected something resembling a wine program — what we got instead is the kind of selection you'd find on a laminated insert tucked behind the dessert menu. The one bright spot: Carrabba's does run an October wine dinner series, which suggests someone, somewhere in this organization, cares about wine.
The entire list is five labels, and three of them are Orin Swift — a bold brand play that either signals savvy or just means whoever ordered inventory really likes flashy labels. Orin Swift's Abstract Red Blend, Bloodlines Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8 Years in the Desert cover the red side of things, which is simultaneously interesting and monotonous. La Marca Prosecco handles bubbles, and Blank Stare Sauvignon Blanc is the lone white. There are no Italian regional wines — zero — on a menu that calls itself an Italian grill, which is a choice that deserves to be called out.
We don't have confirmed by-the-glass data for this location, so we can't tell you whether these five bottles are poured by the glass, bottle only, or some combination. Given the chain context, a glass pour program is likely, but we won't guess at prices or availability that haven't been confirmed.
The Bottom Line
A five-bottle wine list at an Italian restaurant with zero Italian wines on it is not a wine program — it's a placeholder. If you're in Gatlinburg and wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your stop. The October wine dinner series is genuinely interesting and worth watching, but the everyday list doesn't give us enough to recommend making wine a priority here.
· Gatlinburg · Seafood
Chesapeake's Gatlinburg isn't trying to win a wine award, and it doesn't need to — the list is honest, the pricing is fair for what it is, and the white wine depth is genuinely appropriate for a seafood restaurant. If you're in Gatlinburg and want a bottle that won't break the bank or embarrass you, you can do a lot worse than landing on that Dry Creek Chenin Blanc.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Southern American
Ole Red is a concert venue and bar that happens to have wine on the menu — and it shows. If you're in Gatlinburg for live music and cold beer, this place probably delivers. If you're looking to drink well, skip the wine entirely and order a cocktail or a local beer. There are better uses for your $10.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · American bar and grill
Dick's Last Resort is a novelty dining experience built around rude service and tourist energy — and the wine list is consistent with that brand in the worst possible way. Skip the wine entirely, order a beer or a bucket cocktail, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else in the Smokies.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Winery and Tasting Room
Bootleggers is a Gatlinburg curiosity worth a stop if you're already in town and in the right headspace — which is to say, relaxed, not taking yourself too seriously, and maybe still a little sunburned from the afternoon. Don't come looking for a serious wine program; do come if you want to try something local, weird, and made with actual intent.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Cajun, Seafood, American
Come for the crawfish and the balcony view, skip the wine list entirely — or grab a $6 Pinot Grigio and make peace with it. This is a cocktail-and-beer spot that happens to have a few bottles of grocery store wine on the menu.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Parkway Rooftop · Gatlinburg · Mexican, Tex-Mex
Loco Burro is a great spot for a frozen margarita on a Smoky Mountain rooftop — the wine list is just not the reason you're here, and no one pretends otherwise. Order a cocktail, enjoy the view, and save your serious wine curiosity for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vail · Italian
Colletta's wine list is a focused, all-Italian effort with fair pricing and enough depth in the whites and sparkling to reward the curious drinker. The red selection is the weak link, but producers like Feudi di San Gregorio, Inama, and Villa Bucci prove that someone cared when putting this together. If you're in Vail and want a bottle of Falanghina without getting gouged, this is your place.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· White Plains · Italian
La Bocca is a polished, reservation-worthy Italian room in White Plains with a wine identity that leans on Italy's marquee regions — safe, serviceable, and priced for a special-occasion crowd. Until we can get eyes on the actual list and confirm what's pouring, we'd treat the wine program as a pleasant companion to the food rather than a destination in its own right. Ask the staff for their recommendation and see what happens.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aspen · Italian
Mezzaluna's wine list is a missed opportunity in a town that could easily support something far more interesting. The markups are real — Santa Margherita at $64 and Joel Gott Cab at $60 are doing the heavy lifting on margin — and the selection never ventures beyond brands your parents recognize. If you're eating here, drink the Frescobaldi or the Ruffino Riserva and call it a night; don't expect the list to surprise you.
Grocery Store
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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