Old Colorado City's cozy Italian wine anchor
Old Colorado City · Colorado Springs · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 2, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Dat's Italian’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Dat's Italian reads like a greatest hits of Italian-American restaurant wine — familiar names, safe choices, and zero surprises. It fits the room: warm, family-run, unpretentious. You're not here to discover a grower Barolo; you're here to eat lasagna and not stress about the wine list.
The focus is firmly Italian, which makes sense, though the selections lean heavily on supermarket-familiar producers rather than anything that might make a real wine lover lean forward. Antinori and Ruffino anchor the Tuscan side, which is respectable, but there's little digging into southern Italy, Piedmont, or anything off the beaten path. With 60-90 bottles estimated, the depth is there in volume, but it's width — not range — that's missing. If you want a Sicilian Nero d'Avola or an Aglianico, you'll probably need to look elsewhere.
Ten pours by the glass is a decent showing for a neighborhood Italian spot, though the selections skew predictably toward crowd-pleasers like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Meiomi Pinot Noir. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here — this list feels set and stable, which isn't the worst thing if you already know what you want.
Antinori Chianti Classico — null
Antinori is a legitimately good producer and Chianti Classico is the natural match for red-sauce dishes on this menu. Among the options here, it's the one that earns its place — solid structure, real Sangiovese character, and a producer that doesn't cut corners.
Ruffino Ducale Chianti Riserva
Most tables at a place like this reach for the basic Chianti and call it a night. The Ducale Riserva gets overlooked, but it's a step up in seriousness — more age, more complexity, and it stands up better to a heavy lasagna or chicken parm than its younger sibling.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is the wine that taught a generation of restaurant-goers to overpay for Pinot Grigio. It's fine, but it's marked up everywhere it appears, and you're almost certainly paying a premium for the name recognition alone. There are better pours for the money.
Antinori Chianti Classico + Eggplant Parmesan
Chianti Classico and tomato-based Italian dishes are a textbook match for a reason — the high acidity in Sangiovese cuts through the richness of the sauce and cheese without fighting the dish. The Antinori is structured enough to hold its own against the eggplant's earthiness.
The Bottom Line
Dat's Italian is a genuinely charming neighborhood spot where the food does the heavy lifting and the wine list is there to support it — not steal the show. Come for the lasagna, pick the Riserva, and don't overthink it.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Johns Creek · Italian
Pasta Vino isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a neighborhood Italian with a list that actually makes sense for the room. Pricing is fair across the board, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the Italian selections (especially the Chianti duo and the Lugana) show some genuine thought. Send a friend here for dinner knowing they'll drink well without overpaying.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian
Piccolo Mondo punches above its Arlington zip code with a genuinely Italy-forward wine list that includes some names worth ordering. We'd love to see pricing and by-the-glass details more clearly published — and without knowing the markups, we can't fully endorse the value play — but the producer selection alone puts this ahead of most neighborhood Italian spots in the DFW suburbs. If you're going, head straight for the Tuscan reds and don't look back.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
The Macaroni Grill Lakeland wine list is functional the way a vending machine is functional — it dispenses what you ask for without fuss or personality. The by-the-glass breadth gives casual drinkers options, but the markups on several bottles and the complete absence of anything interesting or Italian-forward make this a list you tolerate rather than enjoy. Order the Lambrusco or the Trapiche Malbec and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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