Jersey's Italian Wine Shrine Nobody Saw Coming
Summit · Summit · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Felina’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Felina, the fireplace and 60-seat marble bar set expectations high — and the wine list mostly keeps the promise. Italy front to back, no apologies, and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence on the wall to back it up.
This is a serious Italian list packed into a room that feels more like a neighborhood grand café than a wine destination. Barolo heavyweights like Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa anchor the Piedmont section, while Brunello gets its due with Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri showing up alongside the prestige Super Tuscans — Sassicaia, Tignanello — that every Italian list needs but many can't actually source. The list doesn't wander much beyond Italy's borders, and it doesn't need to. Whites are functional rather than inspired — Pinot Grigio and Soave cover the bases — but if you're here drinking white, you might be in the wrong room.
A solid 12-20 glass pours keep things accessible without feeling like an afterthought. We'd expect the program to cycle through regional Italian options across the spectrum, though the by-the-glass rotation doesn't appear to change aggressively. It's enough to make a satisfying night without committing to a bottle.
Braida Barbera d'Asti — $40
Barbera rarely gets the respect it deserves, and Braida is the producer that makes the strongest case for it. At the entry end of this list's price range, it's a smart, food-friendly pour that punches well above its bracket next to the big Barolo names sitting nearby.
Castello di Ama Chianti Classico
Most people scan past Chianti Classico when Brunello and Barolo are on the same page, which is exactly the mistake. Castello di Ama is a benchmark producer and this is the kind of wine that makes the whole table look smart without destroying the bill.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is a legitimate great wine — no argument there — but on a restaurant list it almost always carries the kind of markup that makes you feel the price tag more than the wine. You can drink better per dollar three times over on this same list.
Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella + Lasagna
Dal Forno's Amarone is dense, concentrated, and built for exactly the kind of rich, slow-cooked meat and cheese situation that Felina's lasagna delivers. This is a full-commitment pairing — the kind you remember.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Felina is a genuine Italian wine list in a state where that's rarer than it should be — if you go in knowing to skip the trophy bottles and hunt the mid-list, you'll eat and drink very well. Send your friends who think New Jersey doesn't do wine.
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.