Italy Runs Deep, California Holds Its Own
Beverly Grove · Los Angeles · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Culina Ristorante + Caffè’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list lands with the confidence of a place that actually thought this through. Four hundred-plus bottles weighted toward Italy and California, and not just the obvious stuff — there's real depth here, from Piedmont crus to coastal California producers most restaurants wouldn't bother with. This is a hotel restaurant (Four Seasons adjacent) that earns the right to take itself seriously.
Italy is the clear obsession — Barolo from Gaja, Ceretto, and Vietti; Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri; Amarone from Dal Forno Romano, which alone tells you someone is paying attention. The Super Tuscan bench is stacked with Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello, so the trophy hunters are covered too. California holds up its end with Kistler Chardonnay, Opus One, and a well-chosen Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot that bridges the two worlds. The only gap worth noting: if you're hunting Burgundy or Champagne, you'll find slim pickings — this list has a clear point of view and sticks to it.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is a serious program, with prices running $14–$30 — wide enough to work for a solo glass with pasta or a full table progression. We'd expect the Italian whites and a rotating Rosso or two to anchor the list; the range suggests this isn't just a token offering. Wednesday's half-price wine night is legitimately good news and something to plan around.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2019 — $95
Vietti's Castiglione is the entry point to one of Barolo's great estates, but it doesn't drink like an entry point. At $95 on a list where Gaja runs $165 and up, this is the move — you get the house, the terroir, the vintage, without lighting your wallet on fire.
Sottimano Currà Basaltic 2020
Most tables here are scanning for Gaja or Biondi-Santi. Meanwhile, Sottimano's Currà Basaltic sits at $88 and represents one of Barbaresco's most compelling single-vineyard producers — volcanic soils, nervy structure, longer game. The people who order this know something the rest of the room doesn't.
Rombauer Chardonnay
Rombauer is fine. It's also available at every airport wine bar between here and JFK. On a list this thoughtful, ordering the Rombauer is like going to a great record store and buying the Top 40 compilation. Kistler is right there.
Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra 2019 + Short rib agnolotti
Sori Ginestra is structured, dark-fruited, and has enough grip to stand up to the braise without steamrolling the pasta. The fat in the short rib softens the Barolo's tannins and brings out its iron-and-rose-petal core. This is the combination you came here for.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to the bottle list, making this one of the better mid-week moves in LA for serious wine at approachable prices.
The Bottom Line
Culina's Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence isn't decorative — this list delivers real depth, fair prices, and a Wednesday half-price program that should be on your calendar. Send a friend here and tell them to order the Barolo.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Sant Ambroeus Palm Beach is a reliable, if unambitious, wine experience — Italy and France, done cleanly, priced for Royal Poinciana Way. If you're here for the scene, the truffle pizza, and a glass of something Italian and uncomplicated, it delivers. Just don't come looking for value or discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newark · Italian
Five Corners has stocked four respectable Italian reds and essentially stopped there. Without pricing, pour options, or a list that can accommodate the full table, it's hard to call this a wine program — it's more like a wine shelf. Come for the Italian cooking; manage your expectations on the wine side.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Decatur · Decatur · Italian
Sotto Sotto is a genuinely Italian wine list in a city that usually settles for Italian-American approximations — the Timorasso, the Lambrusco di Sorbara, the Franciacorta all signal real intent. The glass program is accessible, markups are reasonable, and the bubbles section alone justifies a visit. If you want depth across all of Italy, you'll hit the edges fast at 68 labels, but what's here is well-chosen. Send a friend who likes to drink something they've never heard of.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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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