Tuscany's Greatest Hits, Done Right
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Cucina Toscana reads like a love letter to central Italy — Brunello, Barolo, Super Tuscans, all present and accounted for. It's serious enough to impress a date but not so precious that you feel like you need a decoder ring. The historic Firestone Building setting does a lot of heavy lifting for the atmosphere, and the list mostly holds up its end of that bargain.
With somewhere between 100 and 180 bottles, this is a legitimately substantial list anchored hard in Tuscany and Piedmont — exactly what you'd want from a place with this name. Brunello di Montalcino and Barolo anchor the high end, Chianti Classico Riserva and Vernaccia di San Gimignano cover the approachable middle ground, and the Super Tuscan blends add some crowd-pleasing swagger. Umbria gets a nod too, which shows someone was paying attention beyond the obvious regions. The gaps show up outside Italy — if you're hunting for a Burgundy or a Rhône to mix things up, you're largely out of luck.
Twelve to twenty by-the-glass options is a healthy pour program for a restaurant at this price point, and the Italian regional focus carries through here as well. Don't expect a lot of rotation or surprises — this feels like a list that gets set and mostly stays put. What's there is competent, but ask your server what's freshest before committing to a glass.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano — null
This Tuscan white is almost always the overlooked option on Italian lists, which means it tends to be priced more fairly than the reds. Crisp, food-friendly, and genuinely regional — it's the move when the markup on the Brunello starts to sting.
Chianti Classico Riserva
Everyone reaches for the Super Tuscans because the names sound impressive on a date, but a well-chosen Chianti Classico Riserva at this kind of restaurant is often the better bottle — more complexity, more sense of place, and usually better QPR than the trophy wines getting all the attention.
Super Tuscan blends
Super Tuscans carry a lot of brand recognition and restaurants know it — which means they tend to get marked up accordingly. At a $$$-tier spot like this one, you're likely paying a premium for the cachet. The same money spent elsewhere on the list goes further.
Brunello di Montalcino + Melanzane alla Parmigiana
Brunello's earthy depth and firm structure cut through the richness of the eggplant and cheese without stomping on the tomato. It's a classic Tuscan combination on both sides of the plate, and the kind of pairing that makes the markup feel briefly worth it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Cucina Toscana is a dependable Italian wine destination in a city where that bar isn't impossibly high — the list is focused, the depth is real, and the setting earns its keep. Just go in knowing the pricing leans steep and order strategically.
Sugar House · Salt Lake City · Steakhouse and Seafood with Scandinavian/European Influences
Kimi's earns its reputation as one of Salt Lake City's better nights out, and the wine program has real bones — a sommelier, a thoughtful Italian-leaning list, and proper glassware. Just go in knowing the markups are aggressive on the bubbles, anchor yourself to the Riesling if you're watching the spend, and let the room do the rest of the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
9th & 9th · Salt Lake City · Middle Eastern
Mazza isn't a wine destination, but it's doing something genuinely interesting by building a list around Lebanese producers that actually belong on the table with this food. If you're in Salt Lake City and want to drink something you won't find anywhere else in town, this is worth a detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Japanese and Sushi
Takashi is a great restaurant with a wine list that's just along for the ride — functional, safe, and a little overpriced relative to what you get. Go for the sushi, order the Cloudy Bay or the Oregon Pinot, and don't expect the wine program to keep pace with the kitchen.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Raw Bar
Market Street Oyster Bar is a reliable spot for wine if you calibrate your expectations accordingly — this is a crowd-pleaser list built for a crowd-pleaser room, and it mostly delivers. Send a friend here for oysters and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, not for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cottonwood Heights · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill Cottonwood is a dependable neighborhood anchor with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to — nothing more. Send a friend here for the oysters and the Sonoma-Cutrer; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill is a solid, dependable restaurant that deserves a more adventurous wine list — the oyster program alone could support something far more interesting than what's here. Come for the seafood, order the Sonoma-Cutrer, and don't spend too much time staring at the bottle list hoping it changes.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wooster Square · New Haven · Italian
Tre Scalini is the rare neighborhood Italian that backs up a serious room with a serious wine list — 425 bottles, a sommelier, and real Italian depth all say someone's paying attention. Markups run steep on the prestige stuff, but value is absolutely findable if you know where to look.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Greene · Dayton · Italian
Bravo is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be — but Wednesday nights at the bar with $7 pours of Ruffino Chianti and a pasta dish is genuinely a decent night out in Beavercreek. Skip the wine list the other six nights unless you're okay paying chain markups for supermarket bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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