Neighborhood Italian That Actually Knows Wine
Downtown Chandler · Chandler · Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Crust Simply Italian’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Crust doesn't try to impress you — it just shows up and does its job. Thirty labels, mostly Italian and Californian, sized right for a neighborhood pizzeria that takes its food seriously. The half-price Monday bottle deal is the first thing that should catch your eye, and it's not a gimmick.
Italy anchors the list with solid picks like La Palazzetta Brunello di Montalcino and Avignonesi Grifi Super Tuscan sitting alongside crowd-pleasing Sicilian whites from Donna Fugata and Brugano. California fills in the rest with recognizable names — Jordan Cab, Rombauer, ZD, Orin Swift Palermo — which reads more 'reliable steakhouse shelf' than 'adventurous Italian deep dive', but the bones are good. There's a noticeable gap in southern Italian reds and anything sparkling beyond a house Moscato, which feels like a missed opportunity for a pizza-focused spot. Still, a Brunello and a Barolo on a 30-bottle list at a casual pizzeria is nothing to scoff at.
Eleven by-the-glass options give you enough to work with across whites and reds, and the $6 all-day happy hour pour until 6pm is genuinely useful on a weeknight. Premium glass options at $10 — likely pulling from the better bottles on the list — make it easy to drink up without committing to a full bottle.
Avignonesi Grifi Super Tuscan — $55/bottle
A Super Tuscan from one of Montepulciano's most respected names at the top of the bottle price range — this is where the list earns its keep. Grifi is a Sangiovese-Cabernet blend that drinks well above its restaurant price point and makes the Neapolitan pizzas and pastas significantly more interesting.
Donna Fugata Anthila White Blend
Most people at an Italian joint will reach for the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio out of habit. Skip it. Donnafugata's Sicilian white blend is more interesting, more food-friendly, and one of the more honest expressions of southern Italian winemaking on this list — the kind of bottle that makes you forget you're at a pizza place.
Rombauer Chardonnay
At $85 a bottle, Rombauer is doing what Rombauer always does — charging a premium on the back of its name recognition. You can find this bottle at retail for around $35-40. That's a steep climb even by restaurant standards, and the butterscotch-bomb style doesn't exactly sing with Italian food. Pass.
La Palazzetta Brunello di Montalcino + Chicken Parmesan
Brunello with Chicken Parm sounds like overkill, but the tomato-forward acidity in the sauce and the weight of the dish actually give this wine something to grab onto. Sangiovese loves tomato. That's just science.
Monday — Half off all wine bottles all day Monday. Wine by the glass is $6 every day until 6pm, and select premium wines are available by the glass for $10.
The Bottom Line
Crust is the neighborhood Italian spot you want to live near — the wine list is priced fairly, anchored by some genuinely good Italian bottles, and the Monday half-price deal alone is worth bookmarking. It's not a destination wine list, but it doesn't need to be.
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Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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High Tide is a genuinely fun, lively seafood restaurant with food worth showing up for — but the wine program is an afterthought dressed up as a list. Twelve Chardonnays with no other variety isn't a curated selection, it's a gap in judgment. Wednesday half-price wine softens the blow, but the program needs a complete rethink before we'd call it worth drinking through. Order the Diatom, skip the Rombauer, and quietly wish someone had added a rosé.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
SanTan Village · Chandler · Steakhouse
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Sea & Smoke earns its reputation as a polished neighborhood seafood spot, but the wine program isn't yet pulling its weight alongside a kitchen that's clearly swinging for the fences with Lobster Pot Pie and Chilean Sea Bass. Until we have a full menu in hand, we'd recommend asking your server directly what's pouring well tonight — and keeping an eye on that markup.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sun Lakes · Chandler · New American
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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