Wood-Fired Pizzas Meet Serious Italian Wine Depth
Heights · Houston · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Coltivare’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open this list expecting casual pizza-joint wines and instead find 100+ bottles skewing Italian with enough depth to make you rethink your dinner plans. This is Chris Shepherd's farm-to-table Italian spot with a wine program that takes the cuisine seriously — think obscure Puglian whites and Alpine reds alongside the expected Chiantis.
The list runs 80-120 bottles with a clear Italian backbone, but they're not playing it safe with Pinot Grigio and Chianti. You'll find Produttori di Manduria's "Alice" Verdeca from Puglia, a rare Sforzato di Valtellina from Dirupi called "Vino Sbagliato," and skin-contact wines like the Chiara Pinot Grigio. Europe gets solid representation with a Bischofliche Weingut Trier Riesling from the Mosel and Cyprien Perchaud Sauvignon Blanc. The U.S. section exists but clearly plays second fiddle to the Old World focus.
Eighteen to twenty-two pours by the glass is a strong showing for a neighborhood spot. The glass list mirrors the bottle program's adventurous spirit — you're not stuck with the usual suspects. Monte Bernardi's Gioventu shows up on the by-the-glass menu, giving you access to quality Tuscan wines without committing to a full bottle.
Cave de l'Orlaya Gamay de Brenson — Unknown
Gamay from a lesser-known French co-op — the kind of wine that drinks above its price point and pairs with everything from pizza to pasta
Dirupi "Vino Sbagliato" Sforzato di Valtellina
Sforzato is Valtellina's answer to Amarone — dried-grape Nebbiolo that's intense, complex, and rarely seen on Houston wine lists
2023 Chiara Skin Contact Pinot Grigio
78% markup on a $28 retail bottle — skin-contact wines are trendy but this pricing is steep for what you're getting
Produttori di Manduria "Alice" Verdeca + Wood-fired pizza with seasonal vegetables
Verdeca is a crisp Puglian white with enough body to handle char and smoke from the wood oven, plus the minerality cuts through cheese beautifully
The Bottom Line
This is where you take friends who think wine at Italian restaurants means overpriced Chianti. The markups sting a bit, but the selection and staff knowledge justify the splurge for special occasions.
Houston · Houston · Steakhouse
Doris Metropolitan's wine list is quietly one of the more interesting steakhouse lists in Houston — fair pricing, a globe-trotting selection with actual personality, and a dessert wine program that embarrasses most dedicated wine bars. We'd send a friend here with confidence.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Houston · Restaurant
Bar Bludorn is exactly the kind of wine program Houston needs more of — thoughtful, fairly priced, and deep enough by the glass that you can actually explore without buying a bottle. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely good one, and we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Houston · Steakhouse
Perry's is a reliable steakhouse wine list — nothing that'll make you rethink your palate, but enough to drink well with red meat if you know where to look. The fortified and dessert wine section is genuinely worth your attention; the rest is competent but forgettable.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montrose · Houston · French
The Marigold Club is Houston's most interesting new wine room for anyone who thinks Champagne is a food group and France is the only country that matters — in the best possible way. Go on a Sunday, order the Delamotte, eat the Duck Wellington, and tip generously.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Houston · Houston · American, Italian
Milton's is the kind of neighborhood trattoria that surprises you — the room says casual pasta night, the wine list quietly whispers Biondi-Santi. If you care about Italian wine and you're in Houston, it's worth a reservation just to explore the bottle list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montrose · Houston · Italian
Marmo is hiding a legitimately serious Italian wine program behind a piano bar and a plate of hand-rolled pasta — and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. Send a friend here if they think Houston Italian restaurants don't take wine seriously; this list will change their mind.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Johns Creek · Italian
Pasta Vino isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a neighborhood Italian with a list that actually makes sense for the room. Pricing is fair across the board, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the Italian selections (especially the Chianti duo and the Lugana) show some genuine thought. Send a friend here for dinner knowing they'll drink well without overpaying.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian
Piccolo Mondo punches above its Arlington zip code with a genuinely Italy-forward wine list that includes some names worth ordering. We'd love to see pricing and by-the-glass details more clearly published — and without knowing the markups, we can't fully endorse the value play — but the producer selection alone puts this ahead of most neighborhood Italian spots in the DFW suburbs. If you're going, head straight for the Tuscan reds and don't look back.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
The Macaroni Grill Lakeland wine list is functional the way a vending machine is functional — it dispenses what you ask for without fuss or personality. The by-the-glass breadth gives casual drinkers options, but the markups on several bottles and the complete absence of anything interesting or Italian-forward make this a list you tolerate rather than enjoy. Order the Lambrusco or the Trapiche Malbec and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
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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