Red-Sauce Comfort With an Italian Wine Backbone
Albany · Albany · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 18, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Grappa '72 reads like a well-intentioned Italian-American restaurant that actually did its homework — Italian regions are front and center, and the prices don't make you wince. It's not trying to be a wine destination, but it's not phoning it in either. For a corporate-park Italian spot in Albany, this is a better starting point than most.
About 30–35 bottles span Italy pretty capably — Tuscany shows up with Nozzole Chianti Riserva and Luiano Sangiovese, Umbria gets a nod via Rubesco and Bigi Orvieto, and there's even a Sella Mosca Cannonau from Sardinia that most suburban Italian lists wouldn't bother with. The non-Italian side leans on familiar California names like Hahn Estate, Hess Collection, and J. Lohr, plus a Graff Riesling Kabinett for anyone feeling adventurous. There are some real standouts hiding in here — the Tramin Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige and Borgo Conventi Pinot Grigio Collio are a cut above the usual Italian-American wine list filler. The gaps are real — no Barolo, no Brunello, no Amarone — but for the restaurant's price point and audience, the Italian coverage is more thoughtful than it needs to be.
Eighteen pours by the glass is a genuinely strong number for a neighborhood Italian spot, and the $8–$13 range keeps things accessible. The glass program pulls from both sides of the list — you can pour a Dei Feudi Falanghina or a Rubesco Sangiovese by the glass, which is a small but real win. Rotation appears minimal based on the static website menu, so don't expect seasonal surprises.
Hahn Estate Chardonnay — $10
Retails around $18, so you're getting a decent California Chardonnay at barely above grocery store pricing. Not a complex wine, but for a glass of Chard with chicken parmigiana, it absolutely delivers the goods.
Tramin Pinot Bianco Alto Adige
Most people at this table are ordering Pinot Grigio on autopilot, but Tramin's Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige is a quietly serious producer making a crisper, more textured white than anything else on this list. It's the kind of wine that makes you stop mid-bite and ask what you just ordered.
Beringer White Zinfandel
At $8 a glass it's technically fairly priced, but this is a pink sugar water placeholder that has no business being on a list that's otherwise trying to celebrate Italian wine culture. Order anything else.
Nozzole Chianti Riserva + Chicken Parmigiana
Sangiovese's natural acidity cuts through the tomato sauce and the richness of the melted cheese without fighting the dish — it's doing what Chianti was born to do. The Riserva weight means it doesn't get lost next to the fried cutlet.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Grappa '72 punches above its corporate-park weight class with fair markups, a genuinely Italian-leaning list, and enough by-the-glass variety to reward the curious. It won't wow a wine obsessive, but it'll take good care of everyone else at the table.
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Albany · Albany · Modern American fine dining with Indonesian accents
Yono's is the best wine program in Albany and it's not particularly close — a thousand-label cellar, a sommelier who knows it, and a room built for the occasion. The markups are real and the by-the-glass list plays it safer than the cellar deserves, but if you're willing to lean on the staff and spend a little, this is one of the more serious wine experiences in upstate New York.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Toledo / Reynolds Corner · Toledo · Italian
There's one reason to come here for wine: Thursday. Half-price bottles on a standing weekly basis is a genuinely good deal, especially on the Santa Margherita. Any other night, the markups are steep and the list doesn't justify them.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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Carrabba's Toledo isn't a destination for wine — but it's not an embarrassment either. The Ruffino Chianti Classico alone earns its keep, and if you stick to the Italian side of the list, you'll drink reasonably well without drama.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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