Italy By Way Of Everywhere, Nowhere Special
Henrietta · Rochester · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 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
The wine list at Carrabba's Henrietta reads like the Italian section of a mid-tier grocery store — recognizable names, zero surprises. You're not here for the wine program, and the list knows it. It's designed to clear the path between ordering and eating, not to make you think.
The list leans heavily Italian, which at least makes geographic sense for the concept, but the depth stops well short of interesting. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Cecchi Chianti Classico are the workhorses — solid, safe, and on every chain restaurant list in America. Il Borro Super Tuscan is the one bottle that suggests someone, somewhere, tried — but a single Super Tuscan does not a serious Italian list make. The Borrigiano Toscana rounds out the Tuscan theme without breaking any new ground.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, but expect the usual suspects — Riondo Prosecco as the sparkling opener and a handful of the bottles above poured by the glass at chain-standard pricing. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here. If you're looking for a glass program that surprises you mid-meal, keep looking.
Cecchi Chianti Classico — null
Pricing wasn't available to confirm, but Cecchi is a legitimate Chianti Classico producer — not flashy, but real Sangiovese from a real appellation. Relative to the other options here, it's the most honest bottle on the list.
Il Borro Super Tuscan
Most people at a Carrabba's table are going to reach for the Pinot Grigio or the Chianti. Il Borro is a legitimate Super Tuscan from a well-regarded Tuscan estate — it's the one bottle on this list that belongs somewhere better. Worth ordering if you're splitting a bottle and want something with actual structure.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is fine. It's also the most marked-up Pinot Grigio in the history of Italian-American dining. Retail price is modest; restaurant price is not. You're paying for the label recognition, full stop.
Cecchi Chianti Classico + Chicken Bryan
Chicken Bryan's goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes need something with enough acidity to cut through the richness without overpowering the dish. Chianti Classico's Sangiovese-driven brightness does exactly that — it's the one pairing on this list that actually makes both the food and the wine better.
The Bottom Line
Carrabba's Henrietta is a chain that uses wine as a line item, not a feature. Come for the Chicken Bryan, drink water if the prices feel wrong — they probably are.
Downtown · Rochester · American Steakhouse
CHAR makes it easy to try Finger Lakes wine alongside the steakhouse standards. Our move is Hosmer Cabernet Franc at $16/glass, with Panizzi Vernaccia at $14 for anyone leaning white. Check the per-ounce pricing before ordering a Coravin pour.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Neighborhood of the Arts · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French inspiration
Avvino is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up, not an afterthought. If you're in Rochester and you care about drinking well, this is your room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Brighton / Monroe Ave · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French influences
Avvino is the kind of wine-forward neighborhood restaurant Rochester deserves more of — nearly 200 bottles, a sommelier, and a standing half-price Wednesday that makes a solid splurge genuinely accessible. It's not reinventing the wine list, but it's doing the right things consistently enough that we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Village Gate / NOTA · Rochester · Farm-to-Table / New American
Lento isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its list is thoughtful enough that it kind of becomes one by accident — especially if you care about Finger Lakes wines in their natural habitat. Send your friends here, let them order the Duck Confit, and point them toward the Cab Franc.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pittsford · Rochester · Refined Seasonal American with Wood-Fired Pizzas
jojo Pittsford is the kind of wine program that makes you want to cancel your dinner reservation somewhere else. For a bistro in suburban Rochester, this list is genuinely exciting — send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
East Avenue / Winton · Rochester · Traditional Italian
Ristorante Lucano is a reliable Italian dinner with a wine list that doesn't embarrass itself — Italy-focused, anchored by classics, a bit overpriced but not offensively so. Send a friend here for a date night with the instruction to order the Barolo and not overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
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
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