749 Bottles Deep on Newbury Street
Back Bay · Boston · Northern Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Contessa’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Contessa lands like a full-on Italian thesis — 749 labels, a sommelier on staff, and a rooftop perch above Newbury Street that already has you feeling like you're spending money before you've ordered a glass. This is a serious list in a seriously pretty room, and the two feel very much intentional.
The bones of this list are Italian to the core: Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the cellar, with Nebbiolo verticals that suggest someone here actually cares about aging. France shows up credibly in Bordeaux and Burgundy, rounding out the old-world focus without veering into showy wine-geek territory. Paolo Scavino anchors the Langhe section and is exactly the kind of producer that signals a list built for drinkers who know what they're looking at. The reported 6,000-bottle inventory isn't just a number to brag about — it means depth across vintages, not just breadth across labels.
We don't have full visibility into the by-the-glass lineup, which is genuinely frustrating given the scale of this program — a list this size should have a by-the-glass selection worth writing home about. What we can say is that with a sommelier on floor and a wine-forward identity, the pours by the glass should be better than average; just ask your server to walk you through what's open. Don't default to whatever's cheapest — this is a room where the staff can actually help.
Paolo Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo — $115
Yes, $115 stings when retail sits around $50, but in a Boston rooftop dining room with this kind of ambiance and a sommelier-curated cellar, this is still the most honest ticket on the list — a proper Piedmontese Nebbiolo from one of the region's most consistent producers. It drinks above its weight class and gives you real Barolo character without the Barolo price tag.
Nebbiolo Vertical Vintages
The fact that Contessa stocks a Nebbiolo vertical is the kind of detail that separates a real wine program from a decorated one. Most tables skip right past vertical offerings because they look intimidating or seem expensive — but this is exactly what you come to a list this deep for. Ask the sommelier which vintage is drinking best right now and let them work.
Paolo Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo (at $115)
We love the wine, but a 130% markup is hard to stomach when you know what it retails for. If your budget is tight, this one will hurt — there are almost certainly better value plays elsewhere on a 749-label list. Ask the sommelier for something off the beaten path at a better price-to-quality ratio.
Paolo Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo + Butternut Ravioli
Nebbiolo's high acid and dried cherry character cut right through the richness of butternut squash filling and whatever brown butter situation is likely going on in that pasta. It's the old-world reflex at work — northern Italian wine with northern Italian food — and it just makes sense.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Contessa is a genuinely impressive wine program with the depth and staff to back it up — the markups are steep enough to make you wince, but if you're willing to lean on the sommelier and hunt for value, there's real reward here. Send a friend who drinks Italian red and tell them to ask questions.
Seaport District · Boston · Greek
Trade is doing something genuinely rare in Boston: taking Greek wine seriously and giving diners the tools to explore it without a lecture. If you're eating anywhere near the Seaport and curious about what's actually in your glass, this is the move.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Financial District · Boston · American Steakhouse
The Vermilion Club isn't trying to reinvent the steakhouse wine list, and it doesn't need to — the California depth is real, the execution is consistent, and it delivers exactly what a power-lunch crowd in the Financial District wants. Just know what you're walking into: this is Cab country, the markups are steakhouse-standard steep, and adventurous wine drinkers should calibrate expectations accordingly.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Post Office Square · Boston · Cuban
Mariel earns its Wine Spectator credential by being genuinely thoughtful about a list that could have easily phoned it in. If you're in Boston's Financial District and want something more interesting than another steakhouse Cab Franc, this is exactly the kind of wild card worth having in your back pocket.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Back Bay · Boston · Seafood
Atlantic Fish is a reliable, well-run wine program in a room that takes its seafood seriously — Greg Bergeron keeps the white Burgundy and Italian whites sharp and the BTG list honest. Markups will sting on the big bottles, but if you navigate toward the value end of the list, you'll drink very well.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lovejoy Wharf · Boston · American, Seasonal
Alcove isn't a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely solid one with fair prices and enough depth to reward the curious drinker. If you're coming for the view and the lobster risotto, you'll leave happy on the wine front too — and that's more than most waterfront spots in Boston can say.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beacon Hill · Boston · American, Small Plates
1928 Beacon Hill is exactly what a Beacon Hill neighborhood spot should be on wine — honest, Italy-forward, and priced fairly enough that you won't feel the sting. It's not a destination list, but it's a very good reason not to skip the wine.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bay Harbor Islands · Bay Harbor Islands · Northern Italian
The Palm Miami earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence on the strength of a reliable, well-stored California-focused list that does exactly what it's supposed to do in a steakhouse setting. It won't surprise you, but it won't embarrass you either — just budget accordingly, because the markups here are real.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Northern Italian
The Palm DC is a perfectly competent California wine destination if you want big names, reliable quality, and zero surprises — just know you're paying for the address as much as the wine. Send your client here, but order Jordan, not Opus One.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Salt Lake City · Salt Lake City · Northern Italian
Veneto is quietly one of the best Italian wine lists in the mountain west — focused, deep where it counts, and priced with enough fairness that you won't wince at the bill. Send your friends here, and tell them to order the Barolo.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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