Gola Osteria

You're in a converted historic building on a side street in Ithaca, and then the wine list lands and you do a double take. This isn't a tourist-trap Italian spot leaning on Chianti and Pinot Grigio — this is a genuinely considered Italian wine program with obscure southern Italian grapes and a respectful nod to the Finger Lakes out back. For a college town osteria, the ambition here is real.

The list runs the Italian boot from top to bottom — Friuli whites like the Friulano from Luisa Isonzo del Friuli sit alongside Sicilian Grillo from Mozia, a proper Pallagrello Bianco from Le Sèrole (Campania, not exactly a crowd-pleaser grape), and a Cococciola from Ferzo that you'd be hard-pressed to find at most wine bars in New York City. On the red side, Gabbas Cannonau di Sardegna, Cesanese del Piglio from Corte del Papi, and Susumaniello from Masseria Li Veli show a kitchen that actually understands regional Italian food culture. The anchors — Barolo from G.D. Vajra and Brunello di Montalcino from both San Felice and Donatella — add serious depth at the top end without being the whole story. The Finger Lakes inclusions, Forge Cellars Dry Riesling and Bellwether Pinot Noir, aren't afterthoughts; they're genuinely good producers who belong in this company.

The by-the-glass program runs roughly 10–14 options at $10–$12, which is honest pricing for what's on offer in this market. The specials list rotates in seasonal pours, so what's available on a Tuesday in October won't be the same as a Friday in March — that's a feature, not a bug, but call ahead if you're chasing something specific. The range suggests they're actually pouring from the interesting parts of the bottle list rather than defaulting to filler.