Italy's Greatest Hits, Done Right
Downtown Saratoga Springs · Saratoga Springs · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Chianti Il Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walk in and the wine list reads like a greatest-hits tour of the Italian peninsula — Sassicaia, Tignanello, Brunello, Barolo, all in one place. For Saratoga Springs, that's a legitimately impressive statement. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've held since 2016 isn't just a vanity plaque here; the list earns it.
The 150-250 bottle list leans hard into Central and Northern Italy, which is exactly right for a restaurant named after a Tuscan wine region. Super Tuscans anchor the top end — Antinori's Tignanello and Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia are both present — while Banfi's Brunello di Montalcino and Prunotto's Barolo round out the prestige tier. The everyday-drinking range pulls from reliable producers like Ruffino and Felsina for Chianti Classico Riserva, and Masi or Allegrini for Amarone. What's missing is any meaningful venture outside Italy — if you want something from France or the New World, you're mostly out of luck, but that's a feature, not a bug.
The BTG program runs 12-20 options, which is a solid count for a mid-sized Italian restaurant in upstate New York. Expect the usual Italian suspects — Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita, a Chianti Classico, probably an Amarone-adjacent red — but don't expect much rotation or surprise. It does the job without breaking any ground.
Chianti Classico Riserva (Felsina) — $55
Felsina's Riserva consistently punches well above its price point — structured Sangiovese with real aging potential that restaurant lists typically mark up into painful territory. At this price range, it's one of the smartest bottles on the list.
Gavi di Gavi (La Scolca)
Most tables at an Italian restaurant default to Pinot Grigio without a second thought. La Scolca's Gavi di Gavi is the smarter white — tighter, more mineral, with actual personality. It flies under the radar here because nobody asks for it by name, but it's the white wine the kitchen's seafood dishes deserve.
Pinot Grigio (Santa Margherita)
Santa Margherita is the Starbucks of Italian white wine — fine, consistent, and wildly overpriced for what it is. Restaurants mark it up aggressively because customers recognize the name. Order the Gavi instead.
Amarone della Valpolicella (Allegrini) + Risotto Amarone
The restaurant literally named a dish after this wine, and they're not wrong. Allegrini's Amarone — dried Corvina grapes, concentrated dark fruit, serious weight — mirrors the richness in the risotto without steamrolling it. It's one of those pairings that makes the dish taste better and the wine taste better simultaneously.
The Bottom Line
Chianti Il Ristorante is the Italian wine list Saratoga Springs deserves — focused, fairly priced, and serious enough about Italy to hold a Wine Spectator credential for nearly a decade. It won't blow your mind with discovery, but it will reliably deliver a great bottle to go with your pasta.
Downtown · Saratoga Springs · Tuscan Italian
Forno Bistro isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair and functional one that respects your wallet — especially on Mondays when half-price bottles make a $30 Chianti feel like a genuine gift. Send your friends here for a fun dinner; just don't send the ones who want to talk about terroir.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Side / Route 50 Area · Saratoga Springs · Wine Bar and Bistro
If you're in Saratoga and want an honest, unpretentious look at what the Finger Lakes can do, Thirsty Owl earns the stop — especially on the patio in the warmer months. Just go in knowing this is a winery showcase, not a global wine bar, and you'll leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side / Route 29 · Saratoga Springs · Winery with American Fare / Wood-Fired Pizza
The Saratoga Winery is a legitimate Wild Card: a single-producer list of cold-hardy New York grapes served in an Adirondack tasting room with live music and wood-fired pizza. It's not a destination for serious wine exploration, but it's a genuinely fun, low-stakes way to drink something you've never tried before.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Downtown · Saratoga Springs · Upscale New American
15 Church has the bones of a genuinely good wine program — the range is there, the interesting picks exist — but the pricing is aggressive enough that you'll spend more time doing mental math than enjoying your glass. Stick to the Old World bottles and avoid anything with a recognizable California label.
Solid Range
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Race Course / Union Avenue · Saratoga Springs · American, trackside dining
Come for the races, stay for the atmosphere, but don't come here for the wine. If you need something in a glass to toast a winner, grab the Champagne and leave it at that.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Maple Avenue · Saratoga Springs · Jazz Bar / Cocktail Bar
Come to Nine Maple Avenue for the live jazz, the whiskey program, and the atmosphere — the wine list is a placeholder, not a reason to visit. If you're committed to ordering wine, grab the Château D'Esclans Rosé and enjoy the music.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Italian
Josephine's is the kind of place where the wine list exists to complement a very good meal, not to be the reason you showed up — and that's fine, because it does its job without embarrassing itself. Send a friend here for a date night, just tell them to skip the obvious Napa Cab and dig a little deeper.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Italian
Armando's has a wine list that actually reflects the food it's serving — Italian-centric, solid by the glass, and wide enough to satisfy most tables. The markups are South Florida standard (read: steep), but the selection quality keeps this squarely in reliable territory.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's Lakeland is a place you drink wine at, not a place you go to drink wine. If you're here, order the cheapest bottle that sounds like Italy and focus on the food.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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