Ithaca's Italian secret with serious wine cred
East State Street / East Hill · Ithaca · Italian (Tuscan-inspired, inventive Italian) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Gola Osteria’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
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.
Forge Cellars Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes) — $12/glass (est.)
Forge Cellars is one of the Finger Lakes' most serious Riesling producers, working with Burgundy-trained winemakers and estate fruit from Seneca Lake. Getting this in a glass at osteria prices, a short drive from the vineyard itself, is exactly the kind of local value that doesn't exist anywhere else.
Cococciola Ferzo
Cococciola is an ancient Abruzzo white grape that almost nobody outside of Italy bothers to import — it's bright, saline, and has a citrusy tension that makes it one of the most food-friendly wines on the table. Most people will walk right past it for the Pinot Grigio. Don't be most people.
Pinot Grigio Torre di Luna
Torre di Luna is a commercial bulk brand that shows up on lists like this as an easy sell to guests who just want 'something light and Italian.' It's fine. It's also the least interesting bottle on a list that's actively trying to be better than that. Order literally anything else.
Cesanese del Piglio DOCG Corte del Papi + Seasonal house-made tagliatelle
Cesanese is Rome's best-kept red wine secret — earthy, a little wild, with dark cherry and a rustic edge that mirrors the richness of handmade pasta without bulldozing it the way a heavier Tuscan red would. It's the kind of pairing that feels accidental until you realize the list was built by someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
The Bottom Line
Gola is punching well above its weight class for an Ithaca side street — the Italian regional depth here would hold up at a serious wine bar in any major city. If you're driving through the Finger Lakes and think you're just stopping for dinner, plan to stay a while.
· Ithaca · Southwestern / New American
Agava's wine program is essentially a placeholder — no producers named, no prices published, no apparent effort to connect the Southwestern-leaning menu to anything interesting in the glass. Ithaca sits in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country, making this omission especially puzzling. Order a cocktail, or bring your own bottle if corkage is an option.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Hotel bar / seasonal restaurant
For a hotel bar in wine country, this list punches above its category — the Finger Lakes producers are legitimate, the Saperavi alone is worth a detour, and the overall curation signals actual effort. Pricing at a lakeside inn will likely sting, and without confirmed by-the-glass options or staff expertise, you may need to advocate for yourself. Come ready to order by the bottle, pick something local, and enjoy the view.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · New American
The Rook is swinging for something more interesting than its size suggests, and the range of regions and styles — Txakoline, Verdicchio, Barolo rosé, orange Garnacha — earns genuine respect for a 12-bottle list. Pricing skews steep at the top end, and the lack of any documented reds from classic regions is a real hole. If you're an adventurous drinker who's tired of the same wine list at every New American spot, this is worth exploring — just go in knowing you'll probably land in the $45–$56 range to find the value.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Brasserie / New American
Simeon's wine list does its job without breaking a sweat — it's approachable, reasonably priced, and quietly proud of the Finger Lakes producers it stocks. The by-the-glass selection is the real strength here; if you're in Ithaca and want to explore local wine without committing to a bottle, this is a perfectly decent place to do it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Northern Italian
Mercato is a well-regarded local staple with the right regional instincts — Italian roots, Finger Lakes ambition, and a warm room that earns its reservations. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a solid bottle of wine with dinner, but we'd tell them to ask questions at the table, because we can't yet confirm the specifics behind the list. Worth a visit; worth a deeper look once a full wine list is in hand.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Hill / Elmira Road corridor · Ithaca · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse Ithaca is not a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — the list is short, the producers are supermarket-tier, and the markups on house pours are quietly aggressive. Come for the bread and the steak; if you need wine, order one glass and make peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
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