Italy-First List With a Wednesday Lifeline
Siegen Lane / South Baton Rouge · Baton Rouge · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Contea Italiano Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You open the list at La Contea and it's immediately clear someone gave a damn about Italy — this isn't just Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico checked off a box. Over 160 labels with a real lean into Tuscany and Piedmont tells you the kitchen and the cellar are pointed in the same direction. The bad news lands fast, though: the pricing is not your friend.
The Italian depth here is genuinely impressive for a South Baton Rouge neighborhood spot. Piedmont gets serious treatment — Elvio Cogno's 'Bricco dei Merli' Barbera d'Alba and Villa Monsignore Barolo DOCG on the same list is not a coincidence, that's a curator with taste. Tuscany shows up strong too, with Dei's Rosso di Montepulciano and their Vino Nobile alongside Castello di Bolgheri's 'Varvàra' covering the coastal angle. The California section is thin and largely forgettable — Bogle and Josh Cellars feel like they wandered in from a hotel bar — but the Italian core more than compensates.
Eight to ten pours by the glass is a reasonable spread for a restaurant of this size, and the presence of the Planeta 'Cometa' Fiano and Poggio Anima 'Raphael' Rosato in that mix suggests the BTG program isn't just bottom-shelf filler. Glass pricing wasn't available on the list, so we can't vouch for the per-glass value — but given the bottle markup pattern, temper expectations. Wednesday changes everything (more on that below).
Elvio Cogno 'Bricco dei Merli' Barbera d'Alba — Bottle price not published
Cogno is a serious Barolo producer and this Barbera punches well above its tier — bright acidity, real structure, and a name most Baton Rouge tables won't recognize, which means it likely flies under the markup radar compared to the obvious crowd-pleasers on this list.
Planeta 'Cometa' Menfi Fiano
Planeta's Cometa is one of Sicily's most compelling white wines and a genuinely rare sight in Louisiana restaurants. Made entirely from Fiano — a grape most locals have never heard of — it's rich, textural, and interesting in ways that Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio simply isn't. Most tables will default to something safe and miss it entirely.
Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon California
A $38 bottle of Bogle is an insult to your wallet. This is a $12 grocery store wine marked up over 200%. There are actual Italian wines on this list made by producers who care — ordering Bogle here is like going to a great taqueria and ordering a hot dog.
Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano + Veal Parmigiana
Vino Nobile brings Sangiovese's natural acidity and earthy red fruit to cut through the richness of the breaded veal and marinara. Dei is a serious Montepulciano producer and this is a classic central Italian table combination — the kind of thing you'd eat in a trattoria outside Siena without thinking twice about it.
Wednesday — Wine Wednesday: 50% off all wines by the bottle, available all day Wednesday.
The Bottom Line
La Contea has a genuinely good Italian wine list that gets kneecapped by markups that would make a New York steakhouse blush — but Wine Wednesday at 50% off bottles flips the script completely and turns this into one of the best wine deals in Baton Rouge. Go on a Wednesday, order the Vino Nobile, and tell everyone.
Jefferson / Airline · Baton Rouge · Barbecue and Seafood
BRQ is a solid neighborhood restaurant with a wine list that knows its audience — approachable, inoffensive, and honestly fine for what it is. Hit it on a Wednesday, grab the seasonal rosé or a bottle of The Prisoner at half price, and you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown Baton Rouge · Baton Rouge · Italian
The Little Village isn't your wine destination, but Tuesday happy hour from 5–7 PM flips this into a genuinely good deal — half-price bottles on a $40–$140 list changes the math entirely. Come for the veal, order early, and let Tuesday do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
South Baton Rouge / Airline Highway · Baton Rouge · Italian
The Little Village Airline is not a destination for wine — it's a destination for lasagna, and the wine list knows it. Come on a Wednesday, order a bottle of La Crema at half price, and you'll leave happy enough.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Mid City / Perkins Road Overpass · Baton Rouge · Cajun and Creole Seafood
Parrain's is a legitimately great seafood spot that simply doesn't care about wine, and the list proves it. Order the étouffée, have a beer or a cocktail, and save your wine enthusiasm for somewhere that's earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Baton Rouge / Airline Highway · Baton Rouge · Cajun and Creole Seafood
Don's Seafood is a Baton Rouge institution for a reason — the crawfish étouffée earns its reputation and the charbroiled oysters are worth the drive. The wine list, however, is pure afterthought: grocery store brands at gouge-tier markups with zero program investment. Order the Abita, order a cocktail, order anything but the wine.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Baton Rouge / Perkins Rowe · Baton Rouge · Contemporary Southern, Louisiana Comfort Food, Creole/Cajun
SoLou isn't a wine destination, but it's a genuinely reliable place to drink well alongside some of the best Southern comfort food in Baton Rouge. The draft wine program and smart glass selection make it easy to order confidently — and that's more than most spots in this city offer.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
