Italian comfort food, wine list holds its own
Downtown · Tuscaloosa · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed DePalma's Italian Cafe’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Forty-seven labels at a casual Italian café in Tuscaloosa is more than you'd expect, and the list reads like someone actually thought about it. There's real Italian DNA here — Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany — alongside enough California to keep the crowd happy. It's not a wine destination, but it's not an afterthought either.
The Italian backbone is legit: Vietti Barolo Castiglione, Tommasi Amarone, a Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva, and a Tommasi Ripasso give you a proper tour through northern and central Italy without ever leaving the table. La Spinetta's il Nero di Casanova adds a Tuscan wildcard for those paying attention. California gets a fair shake with Hook & Ladder Russian River Pinot and Brutocao Anderson Valley Pinot — not throwaway picks. The gaps are on the white side; beyond a St. Pauls Sauvignon Blanc from Alto-Adige and a Casal Garcia Vinho Verde, the list skews heavily red, which may frustrate anyone who wants to dig into the lighter pasta dishes with something more delicate.
Thirteen by-the-glass options running $9.50 to $12 is a solid spread for this kind of neighborhood spot. The Saldo Zinfandel Blend hits at $12 a glass, which is fair enough for what it is. The range covers the basics without rotating much — don't expect seasonal pours or anything adventurous showing up mid-week.
Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella Veneto 2015 — Not listed as glass/bottle price in data — bottle list
A Ripasso at this price tier at a casual Italian café is a genuine find — dried fruit richness, structure, and enough heft to stand up to baked pasta without blowing your budget on the Amarone.
Nicchia Lambrusco di Sorbara L'Onesta Dry Rosé Emilia-Romagna
Most people see Lambrusco and picture sweet, fizzy grocery store stuff — this is the opposite. A dry, slightly sparkling rosé from Sorbara is one of Italy's great food wines, and almost nobody at this restaurant is ordering it. Their loss, your gain.
Saldo Zinfandel Blend Oakville CA
At $48 a bottle or $12 a glass, you're paying a noticeable premium for a wine that retails well under that. It's not a bad wine, but the value math doesn't work when the Ripasso and Barolo are sitting right next to it.
Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva 2015 + Lasagna
Chianti Classico Riserva was basically invented for this. The high-acid Sangiovese cuts through the richness of the béchamel and meat, the earthy tannins lock in with the pasta, and the 2015 vintage has had enough time to settle into something genuinely satisfying.
The Bottom Line
DePalma's isn't a wine bar, but it's fielding a wine list that punches above its casual Italian café weight class. Send a friend here — just steer them toward the Italian side of the list and away from the marked-up California stuff.
· Tuscaloosa · Wine bar / small plates
The Wine Market is a casual spot where the wine is cheap and the list is an afterthought — come for the small plates and the price point, not the selection. If you're actually chasing a wine experience, keep driving.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tuscaloosa · New American / Bar
FIVE Tuscaloosa is a bar that happens to sell wine, not a wine destination. If you're here for cocktails or beer, you're in the right place — but there's no reason to open the wine list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverfront / Downtown · Tuscaloosa · American bar & grill / steak and seafood
The Levee isn't where you go when you want to geek out on wine, but it's absolutely where you go when you want a decent glass without drama. The Tuesday deal sweetens it further — show up, get the Merlot, order the ribeye, enjoy the river.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown · Tuscaloosa · Craft beer bar and taproom with growlers and packaged beer; limited bar snacks
Loosa Brews is a craft beer taproom that somehow snuck in a 70-label wine list with legitimate producers and genuinely fair pricing — and that's worth celebrating. If you're the one friend who wants wine while everyone else debates IPAs, you could do a whole lot worse than this.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown · Tuscaloosa · Craft cocktail bar with small plates
Session Cocktails is a legitimately good bar that has no business being reviewed for its wine program — and it knows it. Order a Manhattan, enjoy the atmosphere, and leave the half-bottle of Josh for someone who doesn't know better.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Tuscaloosa · Steakhouse, American
Dillard's Chophouse is a solid steakhouse wine experience for Downtown Tuscaloosa — competent, predictable, and not going to embarrass anyone at the table. If you already love Jordan or Duckhorn, you'll be comfortable; if you want to go off-script, you're mostly on your own.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Brookhaven Town Center · Brookhaven · Italian
Mirko Pasta isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid neighborhood Italian that doesn't embarrass itself on the wine front — and Wednesday Wine Night gives you a real reason to show up mid-week. If you're after a glass of Montepulciano with your burrata at a fair price, this delivers. Just don't expect to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Vinings · Vinings · Italian
Crispina's wine list is doing more than it needs to for a Vinings pizza-and-pasta spot — the Italian white selection alone puts it ahead of most neighbors, and 23 by-the-glass options means you're never stuck ordering a bottle you don't want. Markup is fair across the board, and the $9–$13 glass range makes it easy to drink well without overthinking it. Send a friend here; just steer them toward the Falanghina.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Smyrna · Italian
Mezza Luna reads like a genuinely warm neighborhood Italian restaurant where the wine list exists to support a good dinner rather than headline it. We don't have enough menu detail to point you to specific bottles, but the Southern Italian regional focus is a promising sign that someone gave it more than five minutes of thought. Go for the lasagna and the atmosphere — and ask your server what they're excited about on the wine list. If they have an answer, you're in decent hands.
Plays It Safe
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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