Red-checkered comfort with honest Italian pours
Route 28 Corridor · Kingston · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Florentina Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Florentina is exactly what you'd expect from a warm, family-run trattoria on Ulster Avenue — short, Italian-focused, and priced to match the room. Nothing here is going to make a wine nerd's pulse quicken, but nothing is going to insult your wallet either. It's a list built for the food, not for the wine.
The list leans hard into Italy, which makes sense given the kitchen's focus, but the depth doesn't go much further than that single-sentence description. Chianti is the anchor — reliable, food-friendly, appropriate — and Castello di Gabbiano shows up as the carafe option, which tells you something about the ambition level here. With an estimated 20–40 bottles in total, you're not getting regional Italian exploration; you're getting crowd-pleasers that work with pizza and penne. There are no visible nods to southern Italy, Friuli, or anything that might surprise a guest who actually cares about the list.
Estimated five to eight pours by the glass, all Italian, all predictable. There's no evidence of a rotating program or any attempt to spotlight something beyond the usual suspects. It gets the job done for a weeknight dinner but don't come here hoping to work through something interesting glass by glass.
Castello di Gabbiano Chianti (carafe) — $20.95
A carafe of Castello di Gabbiano Chianti at this price point is genuinely fair — it's a recognizable, food-friendly Tuscan that holds up against the wood-fired pizza without breaking the bank. For a table sharing a pie and a pasta, this is the move.
Chianti (house pour)
Easy to dismiss as the default Italian-restaurant wine, but at La Florentina the Chianti is doing real work — its acidity cuts through the cheese and tomato of the brick oven pies in a way that a heavier red simply wouldn't. Sometimes the obvious choice is obvious for a reason.
Top-end bottles (reported ceiling ~$38)
At a trattoria operating at this price point and list depth, spending near the top of the bottle range gets you diminishing returns fast. The kitchen is pizza and pasta — save the splurge for a list that actually supports it.
Castello di Gabbiano Chianti + Wood-fired brick oven pizza
High-acid Sangiovese and char-blistered tomato-and-cheese pizza is one of the more reliable combinations in Italian-American dining. The wine's bright acidity matches the sauce, the tannins handle the crust, and the whole thing costs you less than $25.
✔️ The Bottom Line
La Florentina isn't a wine destination — it's a neighborhood Italian with a wine list that knows its lane and stays in it. Come for the pizza, order the Chianti carafe, and don't overthink it.
Route 28/Thruway Corridor · Kingston · Steakhouse
This is a chain wine list doing exactly what chain wine lists do: minimum effort, maximum familiarity, corporate pricing. Order the steak, grab a beer, or spring for the Chateau Ste. Michelle if you need something in a glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Route 28/Thruway Corridor · Kingston · Chain American Grill
You're not coming to Ruby Tuesday Kingston for the wine, and the list knows it. But if you show up on a Wednesday and grab a half-price bottle with dinner, it's hard to complain too loudly.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Midtown · Kingston · Japanese / Sushi
Sushi Makio's wine list is modest but functional, with honest pricing and a smart nod to Japanese wine options that most spots never bother with. We'd happily send a friend here for a low-key sushi night — just order the Yuzu Wine and leave the Cab alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lake Katrine/Kingston Periphery · Kingston · Italian
Reginato's food reputation is real and the kitchen clearly cares — the wine list does not return the favor. Order the pasta, drink the Chianti, and keep your expectations firmly earthbound.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Rondout Waterfront · Kingston · Italian
Savona's is a reliable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that mostly stays in its lane — nothing offensive, nothing thrilling, and markups that sting a little on the familiar names. Come on a Wednesday when the bottles are half price, order the Millbrook Tocai Friulano, and you'll have a genuinely good night on the Rondout waterfront.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Rondout Waterfront · Kingston · New American / Steak & Seafood
Ship to Shore is a reliable wine stop for a waterfront dinner — the list does the job, a few genuine gems are hiding in there, and the by-the-glass selection is more than adequate. Just watch the markup on the marquee bottles and order smart.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Novu Cucina's wine list punches well above its weight for an Atlanta Italian restaurant — Italian-focused, honestly priced, and deep enough by the glass to make a meal out of just exploring the whites. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Champagne.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Duval Street / Old Town · Key West · Italian
Antonia's punches above its Duval Street zip code — the list has genuine depth and a few standout bottles worth seeking out. Markup is real, so pick carefully, but this is the right place on this street to order a real bottle of wine.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wharf District · Morgantown · Italian
Oliverio's isn't a wine destination — it's a neighborhood Italian spot with honest prices and a list that covers the bases without any fuss. Send your friends here for dinner, not for the wine program, but at least they won't get gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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