Five Wines, One Price, Zero Ambition
· Winston Salem · Neapolitan Pizza · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cugino Forno Pizzeria’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Cugino Forno fits on a napkin — and not a big napkin. Five bottles, all $23.95, all available by the glass at $5.95. It's not a wine program so much as a wine checkbox.
To their credit, the five wines are Italian-leaning and thematically appropriate for a Neapolitan pizza spot: a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio for the white crowd, and a Sangiovese, Barbera del Monferrato, and a red blend from Castellargo for the reds. That's the whole show. No Aglianico, no Nero d'Avola, nothing from the south of Italy where Neapolitan pizza actually lives. The producers — Castellargo, Sassi, Feudo De San Nicola, Ipola — are serviceable mid-tier Italian imports, not exactly the stuff of discovery. At five labels total, there's nowhere to hide if one wine isn't working for you.
Every bottle on the list is also available by the glass at $5.95, which is genuinely cheap for Winston-Salem and makes the list feel more like a casual bar program than a curated offering. With a single flat price across the board, there's no incentive to explore — and with five options, not much to explore anyway.
Ipola Barbera del Monferrato — $23.95
Barbera is an underrated everyday Italian red — bright acidity, low tannin, made for pizza. At under $24 a bottle, this is the most food-friendly wine on the list and the clearest reason to order a bottle over glasses.
Feudo De San Nicola Sangiovese
Most people reaching for a red here will default to something familiar, but the Sangiovese is the most structurally interesting pick on a short list — earthy, acidic, and genuinely suited to tomato-based pies in a way that the Castellargo Rubeus blend probably isn't.
Castellargo Sauvignon Blanc
A Sauvignon Blanc at a Neapolitan pizza spot feels like an afterthought, and it probably is. It's not a natural match for the menu and Castellargo isn't a producer that's going to make you rethink the grape. Save the $5.95 and order a second beer.
Ipola Barbera del Monferrato + Margherita pizza
Barbera's high acidity and cherry-forward fruit are built for tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. It cuts through the fat, doesn't fight the basil, and costs less than most cocktails. The whole point of this wine is moments exactly like this.
The Bottom Line
Cugino Forno isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the five-bottle list makes that abundantly clear. The prices are fair enough that you won't feel ripped off, but if wine matters to you on a night out, this is a BYOB situation — check their corkage policy.
· 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
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Market
Little Pep is doing something genuinely uncommon for Winston-Salem: a short, confident, all-by-the-glass natural wine list with real producer cred and fair prices. Send a curious friend here; skip sending someone who wants a Napa Cab.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ballston · Arlington · Neapolitan Pizza
Pupatella isn't trying to be a destination wine program, and it doesn't need to be — it's a pizza place with a focused, fairly priced, Italian-centric list that actually makes sense with the food. Send a friend here for the pizza and tell them to order the Lambrusco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Star / Lebanon Road · Frisco · Neapolitan Pizza
Cane Rosso Frisco isn't a wine destination, but the Tuesday and Wednesday half-price program turns a grocery-store-safe list into a genuinely compelling reason to show up mid-week. Come for the pizza, come back on a Tuesday, and don't overthink the wine.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown Frisco · Frisco · Neapolitan Pizza
For a beer-and-wine-only pizza spot in Frisco, this list has no business being this interesting — all-Italian, regionally diverse, and priced without ego. If you're eating Neapolitan pizza in North Dallas suburbs, you could do a lot worse than landing here with a glass of Falanghina.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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