Jersey's Italian Wine Anchor, No Passport Needed
Ridgewood · Ridgewood · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Felina’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Felina and the list feels like someone actually cared — Italy front and center, no apologies, no filler Malbec padding the pages. The price range stays honest, with bottles starting around $45 and the upper end topping out at a reasonable $150+, which tells you this place isn't trying to squeeze the table. For a neighborhood Italian in Ridgewood, NJ, that's already a small victory.
The list runs 150 to 250 bottles deep and stays locked on Italy, which is exactly the right call for a kitchen turning out house-made pasta and wood-fired dishes. Piedmont shows up strong with Barolo producers anchoring the reds, and Tuscany covers the rest of the bases — Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans, and Chianti Classico Riserva give you real range within the region. For whites, Alto Adige Pinot Grigio is a smart inclusion — it's the kind of lean, mineral-driven pour that actually works at the table, not the flabby stuff. Amarone della Valpolicella rounds things out for anyone who wants to go big and bold. Wine Spectator handed Felina their Award of Excellence in 2025, citing Italy as the clear strength — and the list backs that up.
Somewhere between 12 and 20 pours available by the glass, priced $12 to $18, which is fair for northern Jersey without being a bargain-bin situation. The range likely mirrors the bottle list — Italian-focused with a few crowd-pleasers — but don't expect aggressive rotation or anything too adventurous off the beaten path. What's here should do the job for most tables without a lot of deliberation.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $45–$65
Chianti Classico Riserva at the entry-level price point is one of the most reliable value plays on an Italian list — it's structured enough to stand up to braised short rib but won't blow up your bill the way a Brunello will.
Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige
Most people hear Pinot Grigio and expect something forgettable. Alto Adige changes that math — these are crisp, food-driven whites with actual personality. It's the glass most tables walk past, and they're wrong to.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Amarone is a showstopper wine, but it's often the most aggressively marked-up bottle on Italian lists, and without a dedicated sommelier to guide you toward the right producer, you're taking a $100+ gamble. Unless you know exactly what you're ordering, it's a risk that doesn't always pay off here.
Barolo (Piedmont) + Braised Short Rib
Barolo's tannic backbone and tar-and-roses character are built for long-braised meat. The short rib's richness softens the wine's edges; the wine cuts through the fat. This is the combination you're here for.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Felina earns its Wine Spectator stripes with a focused, Italy-first list that respects both the cuisine and the customer's wallet. It's not the most adventurous room in Jersey, but it's exactly the kind of reliable neighborhood anchor you'd actually want to bring your parents — or a first date — without overthinking it.
Rainbow Curve / I-49 Corridor · Bentonville · Italian
The Bertani Amarone and Col d'Orcia Brunello sitting on this list are like finding a Rolex in a vending machine — impressive that they exist, but the surrounding context makes the whole thing feel absurd. Come for the pasta, drink the Chianti Classico, and lower your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Square · Bentonville · Italian
Tavola Trattoria isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it has enough going on — solid Italian depth, fair pricing, reasonable glass options — to earn your business on a date night in Bentonville. Stick to the classics and let the balcony do the rest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Central Ave · Bentonville · Italian
Sestina is doing something genuinely interesting for Bentonville — an Italian-focused, bubble-forward list with real producers and regional ambition tucked into a small but considered 26-bottle program. The red wine gap and unknown by-the-glass program hold it back from greatness, but if you're in Northwest Arkansas and want to drink better than average, this is the spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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