Grappa Rochester
Browncroft's Italian anchor pulls its wine weight
Browncroft · Rochester · Contemporary Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 15, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Grappa arrives with a confident Italian backbone and a California ambition that outpaces most neighborhood spots in Rochester. It's not a one-trick-pony list of generic Pinot Grigios — though a couple of those do show up. The range from a $9 glass to a $550 bottle signals a restaurant trying to serve both the Tuesday pasta crowd and the Saturday splurge table.
Selection Deep Dive
The Italian side leans into approachable DOC territory — Borgo dei Mori Pinot Grigio from the Veneto, Casalini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo — solid, honest, unexciting. Where Grappa earns its name is the California column: Ridge Monte Bello 2020 and Opus One 2018 sitting on the same list as a $36 Montepulciano is a genuinely interesting choice for a neighborhood trattoria. The gap, though, is in Tuscany proper — no serious Chianti Classico, no Barolo, no Brunello — which feels like a miss for a restaurant wearing Italian on its sleeve. If you're hunting old-world depth beyond the Abruzzo, you're going to feel the absence.
By the Glass
Glass pours start at $8-$9, which is fair for Rochester, but the by-the-glass program appears to be a small, static selection rather than an evolving rotation. The Banfi 'Le Rime' Pinot Grigio likely anchors the white pours — it's a competent, crowd-friendly bottle that does its job without surprising anyone. We'd love to see a red by the glass with a little more ambition, but what's here is serviceable for the price.
Casalini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo DOC 2018 — $36
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo at this price point consistently overdelivers — earthy, food-friendly, with enough structure to hold up to red sauce and roasted proteins. It's the honest workhorse of the Italian wine world, and at this price it's the move for anyone not looking to blow $100+ on a Napa Cab.
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Red Blend 2020
Most diners at a neighborhood Italian spot are going to scroll right past Ridge Monte Bello on the way to the Opus One — which is a mistake. Monte Bello is one of California's most serious wines, a Santa Cruz Mountain Cab blend with a track record going back decades. It rewards patience at the table in a way that flash-label Napa bottles rarely do.
Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
At $550 on a restaurant list, you're paying a significant premium for a wine that retails around $350-$400. Opus One is a great bottle, but it's also the most over-ordered trophy wine in America — the kind of thing people buy to announce a purchase rather than to drink. The Monte Bello next to it is more interesting and almost certainly better value at this address.
Casalini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo DOC 2018 + House-made pasta with red sauce
Montepulciano and tomato-forward pasta is one of those combinations that exists for a reason — the wine's natural acidity and rustic red fruit cut through the sauce without competing with it. It's the kind of pairing that doesn't need explaining, it just works.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Grappa is a reliable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that punches above its zip code, anchored by some legit California pours alongside its Italian regulars. The markups get steep at the top end, but if you stick to the middle of the list, you'll drink well without the regret.
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