Italy's Greatest Hits, Naperville Edition
Hotel Arista / CityGate Centre · Naperville · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 2, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Che Figata’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Che Figata arrives looking like a love letter to Italy — pan-regional, producer-forward, and longer than most suburban Italian spots would bother with. It's the kind of list that signals someone actually cares, even if the pricing occasionally makes you wince. Hotel-adjacent restaurants rarely clear this bar, so credit where it's due.
With 100+ Italian labels spanning Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, Abruzzo, and Sicily, this is a genuinely committed Italian program — not a token Chianti-and-Pinot-Grigio situation. The Sicilian presence is a bright spot: Planeta's Etna Rosso shows up and it's worth ordering. Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the list with recognizable heavyweights like Pio Cesare Barolo and Tignanello, which will satisfy the table that orders by label recognition. The gap is anything outside Italy — if you want a French or domestic option, you're mostly out of luck, but given the restaurant's identity, that's a defensible call.
Estimated 10-16 by-the-glass options at $12-$18 puts this in a reasonable range for an upscale hotel-adjacent spot, though we'd love to see more adventurous pours beyond the Ruffino Prosecco and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio that are doing a lot of heavy lifting on that list. If they're rotating the glass program with any intention, that's where this list could really shine — right now it feels a bit static.
Ca' del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Franciacorta NV — $78
Yes, it's marked up, but Franciacorta this good rarely appears on suburban Chicago lists at all. At retail this runs $40, so you're paying a premium — but it's a genuine alternative to Champagne and one of the most interesting bottles on the list. Order it to start and don't apologize.
Planeta Etna Rosso
Most tables here are ordering the Barolo or the Tignanello, which means the Etna Rosso from Planeta sits quietly on the list waiting to be discovered. Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of an active volcano in Sicily is nothing like what you expect from an Italian restaurant in Naperville — it's lighter, more mineral, and genuinely exciting. Don't sleep on it.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Alto Adige NV
At $42 a bottle for something that retails at $19, you're paying a 121% markup on a wine that has coasted on reputation for decades. It's fine. It's also the most boring, overpriced order on the list. There are better options for less money sitting right next to it.
Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico + Pappardelle Bolognese
Amarone's dried-grape concentration and dark fruit intensity meets a slow-cooked meat ragu and the two basically complete each other. It's a big wine that needs a big dish, and the Bolognese here earns it. Classic for a reason.
The Bottom Line
Che Figata is the rare suburban hotel restaurant with a wine list worth actually engaging with — Italian-focused, sommelier-guided, and broad enough to reward exploration. The markups sting on a few bottles, but the range and program depth make this the best wine bet in Naperville's CityGate orbit.
· Naperville · American bar and grill
Bar Louie Naperville's wine list exists to check a box, not to excite anyone. Order a beer or a cocktail — the bartenders are more invested in those anyway.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oak Brook · Naperville · Steakhouse
Gibsons Oak Brook is a reliable, if unexciting, wine stop — the BTG program is genuinely strong in volume, but the markups and brand-safe selections keep it from being anything more than comfortable. Order smart and you'll drink well enough; let the table pick and you'll probably end up with Whispering Angel.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Naperville · Italian / Pizza and Wine Bar
Fire + Wine is doing something genuinely thoughtful in a market that usually settles for Malbec and Pinot Grigio. The sparkling program alone is worth the trip, and the value on the French and Italian bottles is hard to argue with.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Naperville · American Winery Restaurant
Goat & Vine is a one-winery show, and that's both its charm and its ceiling. Send a friend here if they want a casual, curiosity-driven evening — not if they're looking for serious wine range.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Naperville · Naperville · Modern American / Latin-influenced
Santo Cielo is a great place to have a drink — the atmosphere earns that — but the wine list isn't the reason you're going. Come for the rooftop and the small plates; just don't expect the wine program to match the view.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Naperville · Modern American
Entourage earns its stripes as a genuinely thoughtful suburban wine list — fair pricing, more depth than the address suggests, and a by-the-glass program that actually tries. We'd send a friend here without hesitation, especially if they're willing to wander past the Chardonnay section.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Pricci's wine list is the restaurant equivalent of a reliable business traveler — organized, presentable, and rarely offensive, but not the person you call for an adventure. The markup leans steep across the board, and the lack of a visible specials program means you're paying full retail every night. That said, the by-the-glass depth is real, and there are smart Italian picks hiding in the list if you ignore the Napa trophy bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · Italian
A Bellagio is doing something right: a 65-bottle Italian-leaning list with 19 glass options, fair pricing, and enough regional Italian depth to make the wine order as interesting as the food order. Staff confidence and dish data are unknowns from where we sit, but the list itself is worth showing up for — especially if you let the Montecucco Sangiovese talk you into a second glass.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Cibo e Beve has a functional, crowd-pleasing wine list that serves its room well — but the markup on some bottles is hard to ignore, and the depth of Italian regionality you'd hope for at an Italian restaurant just isn't there. Grab the Gavi or the Verdicchio by the glass and call it a solid night.
Plays It Safe
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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