Italian Comfort With a Respectable Wine Bench
Downtown · Winston Salem · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Cibo Trattoria’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Cibo Trattoria reads like someone actually thought about it — there's a real Italian backbone here, not just a Chianti and a Barolo slapped on at the end. It's not a deep cellar, but for downtown Winston-Salem, this is a step above what most Italian spots bother to put together. You won't feel embarrassed ordering off it.
Italy does the heavy lifting, with solid representation across Veneto (Soave, Valpolicella), Piedmont (Barbera d'Alba), Sicily (Nero d'Avola), and Abruzzo (Montepulciano) — a thoughtful nod to regional variety that goes well beyond the usual Pinot Grigio-and-Chianti shortcut. California fills out the rest of the bottle list with familiar names like Caymus, Cakebread, and Duckhorn, which will keep the crowd happy but won't win any points for adventurousness. France shows up in bubbles and a Louis Jadot Burgundy, and there are decent cameos from Washington, Oregon, Spain, and Argentina. The gaps are noticeable — no Barolo, no Brunello, no natural wine, nothing truly esoteric — but for a neighborhood Italian in a mid-sized city, the range is honest and functional.
The glass program runs 8-14 options depending on the day, covering sparkling, white, rosé, and red — which is a reasonable spread. You'll find workhorses like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Meiomi Pinot Noir doing their usual crowd-pleasing thing, alongside more interesting pours like the Demarie Barbera d'Alba Superiore if you know to ask for it. Rotation doesn't appear to be aggressive, so don't expect surprises week to week.
Demarie Barbera d'Alba Superiore — $12–$15 (estimated glass pour)
Barbera d'Alba at this quality tier — fruit-forward, food-friendly, with real Piedmontese character — routinely gets overlooked next to the Caymus crowd. Demarie is a legit producer and this is the kind of wine that actually belongs on an Italian table.
Venturini Massimino Valpolicella Classico
Most guests walk right past Valpolicella Classico to grab a Cab, which is a mistake here. Venturini Massimino is a serious Veneto producer, and a proper Classico — not Ripasso, not Amarone — is the right call with pastas and anything tomato-based. It's the most Italian thing on the list and nobody orders it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, it's marked up everywhere, and at an Italian trattoria it's the least interesting wine you could possibly choose. You're paying a premium for a brand name that has nothing to do with the food on the table. Order literally anything Italian on this list instead.
Venturini Massimino Valpolicella Classico + Zucchine De Involtini
Valpolicella Classico's bright cherry fruit and tangy acidity cut right through the ricotta and play off the tomato sauce without overwhelming the delicate zucchini. It's a regional match — Veneto wine, Italian technique — and it actually makes sense on the plate.
The Bottom Line
Cibo Trattoria isn't going to blow a wine geek's mind, but it's doing more than most Italian spots in Winston-Salem bother to do — and if you order smart, you'll drink well. Stick to the Italian side of the list and you'll leave happy.
· Winston Salem · Bakery / Cafe
Camino Bakery shouldn't have a wine list this considered, and yet here we are. Bottles top out at $29, most land between $14 and $19, and the selection skews curious rather than safe — Txakoli and orange wine at a Winston-Salem bakery is genuinely unexpected. If you're nearby and want a low-pressure bottle without the restaurant markup, this is a legitimately good stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Thai
Thai Harmony is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the khao soi and kai yang have real fans for a reason, and the downtown space is one of the better dining rooms in Winston-Salem. But come for the kitchen, not the cellar. Until the wine program shows us something specific worth recommending, you're better off ordering a Thai iced tea and saving the wine for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican
Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
The Caviste is doing something genuinely weird for Winston-Salem — a curated, Austria-only bottle shop with prices that should embarrass most restaurant wine lists. If you're even slightly curious about Grüner Veltliner or natural-leaning reds, this is a low-risk, high-reward detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Winery Tasting Room / Light Bites
Divine Llama is a fun, farm-genuine detour if you're exploring North Carolina wine country and want something local and unpretentious. Don't come for depth or discovery beyond the estate — come for the story, the setting, and a glass of Traminette you probably wouldn't have ordered anywhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Winston Salem · American Cafe
West End Cafe isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something decent without overpaying for it. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner and aren't looking to make an event out of it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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
· 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
· 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
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