Neighborhood Italian With Serious Wine Credentials
Alpharetta · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 13, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Casa Nuova sits in a strip mall on Atlanta Highway, and yes, you almost drive past it — but the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence hanging near the host stand stops you cold. This is not your average neighborhood red-sauce spot. Someone here actually cares about what's in the bottle.
The list leans into its Italian identity hard, which is exactly right for a restaurant of this name and pedigree. California and France round things out, keeping the occasional Chardonnay loyalist or Bordeaux devotee from feeling stranded. With a credentialed sommelier — Pepe Fundora — running the program, the selections feel deliberate rather than default. The Award of Excellence, held since 2023, signals a list that Wine Spectator's team found genuinely worth endorsing across Italy, California, and France.
Specific by-the-glass options weren't available at time of review, but with Fundora steering the ship, we'd expect a rotating short list anchored by Italian pours. Worth asking what's open — a good sommelier usually has something interesting breathing behind the bar.
Not available — insufficient pricing data — N/A
We weren't able to confirm specific bottle prices at time of review. Ask Pepe — that's literally his job and by all accounts he's approachable about it.
Not available — insufficient list data
With a focus on Italy and a real sommelier on staff, there's almost certainly something from a lesser-known southern Italian or Sicilian producer hiding on this list. Ask what's underordered.
Not available — insufficient list data
We can't call out a specific bottle without confirmed pricing, but at any Italian restaurant with this kind of markup exposure, the California Cabernet is almost always the least interesting value play on the list.
Not available — insufficient data + Not available — menu data not confirmed
Specific dish and wine pairings require confirmed menu and list data we don't have at time of review.
The Bottom Line
Casa Nuova is the rare strip-mall Italian that earns its Wine Spectator credential — with Pepe Fundora on staff and a focused Italy-California-France list, it punches well above its Alpharetta zip code. Make a reservation, skip the wine list anxiety, and just ask the sommelier what to drink.
· Alpharetta · Asian
Sushi Sumo isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for the sushi, stick to sake or beer — both will serve you far better than a mass-market Merlot. The wine program gets a Lazy List badge not because of the price, but because three identical-label bottles and zero effort is a choice, and not a good one.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alpharetta · Alpharetta · Mediterranean/Greek/Middle Eastern
Mozaika Mezze has no business having a wine list this considered in a Alpharetta strip mall, and yet here we are. The all-by-the-glass format, fair markups, and a few genuinely regional picks — especially the Skouras and Ksara — make this worth your attention. Order the Greek and Lebanese bottles, ignore the urge to default to Orin Swift, and you'll eat and drink very well.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Other
Charcoal N Chill is not a destination for wine. Three bottles, all heavily marked up, all available at your nearest grocery store for a fraction of the price — this is a wine list that exists to check a box, not to serve anyone. If you're eating here, drink whatever they're making with the charcoal and save the wine for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Asian
Ichiban's wine list is exactly what you'd expect at a solid suburban steak-and-sushi spot — recognizable producers, honest prices, and near-universal by-the-glass availability. It won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either. If you're here for the food, the Alamos Malbec at $28 a bottle keeps things easy and affordable.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Mediterranean/Greek/Middle Eastern
Efendi's wine list is a competent, fair-priced selection that plays it safe with California heavyweights while quietly sneaking in a few Turkish bottles that are the most compelling things on the menu. If you're here, do yourself a favor and skip the Prisoner, grab the Kavaklidere Yakut, and let the kitchen do what it does. It's not a destination wine list, but it won't let you down either.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Baraonda is a genuinely pleasant place to eat Italian food in Sandy Springs, and the wine list seems to know its lane — Italian-focused, approachable, nothing that'll make you gasp at the price in a good way. We'd send a friend here for the pasta and the atmosphere without hesitation, but if wine is the reason you're going out, there are better lists in Atlanta worth the drive.
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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