Italy-only list in a Colorado sleeper town
Union Avenue Historic District · Pueblo · Authentic Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into La Forchetta da Massi, you half expect a Chianti house wine and a shrug — instead, the list makes a quiet statement: this is an Italian restaurant that actually knows its Italian wine. Twenty-five to fifty bottles, all Italian, no filler from Napa or New Zealand trying to crash the party. For Pueblo, Colorado, that kind of discipline is genuinely surprising.
The list stays firmly planted in the boot — and it earns the focus. You've got Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino anchoring the reds, which signals someone here understands that great Italian food deserves great Italian wine, not just serviceable table pours. Chianti Classico rounds out the Tuscan side nicely, and there's a Pinot Grigio delle Venezie keeping the whites honest and food-friendly. The range isn't enormous, but it's cohesive — every bottle feels like it belongs, which is more than you can say for most wine lists twice this size.
Six to ten options by the glass is a respectable spread for a spot this size, and the selections track the bottle list's Italian-only identity. Expect the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie to show up here as the easy white pour, alongside at least one Tuscan red. Rotation doesn't appear to be aggressive, so don't expect a weekly surprise, but what's there is reliable.
Pinot Grigio delle Venezie — $10–$13/glass
Clean, high-acid, dry — exactly what you want cutting through rich pasta or risotto. At this price in a sit-down Italian restaurant, it's doing its job without making you wince at the check.
Chianti Classico
Most people here are eyeing the Barolo, but the Chianti Classico is the smarter order with the homemade pasta. It's lighter on the wallet, higher on drinkability right now, and Sangiovese with handmade tagliatelle is one of those combinations that just makes sense.
Brunello di Montalcino
We love Brunello. But at a mid-range Italian bistro without a dedicated cellar program or a staff team fluent in proper serving windows, a wine this serious — and this expensive — is likely to underperform. Save it for somewhere set up to do it justice.
Barolo + Homemade Tagliatelle
Barolo's tannins and acidity are built for meat-based pasta — if the tagliatelle comes with a braised ragu, this is a no-brainer. The wine holds its own against rich, slow-cooked sauce and makes both the food and the bottle taste better than they would alone.
🎲 The Bottom Line
La Forchetta da Massi is exactly the kind of place the Wild Card badge was made for — a quiet, chef-driven Italian spot in a mid-sized Colorado city that's built an all-Italian wine list with genuine intention. It's not a deep cellar, but it's honest, focused, and worth seeking out if you're anywhere near Pueblo.
North Side / Mall Area · Pueblo · Burger Restaurant
Red Robin is a burger chain and makes no apologies for it — the wine program exists only because it has to, and it shows at every level from selection to markup. Order a craft beer from their actual solid tap list and save the wine for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Highway 50 / North Side · Pueblo · Seafood Chain
The wine program at Red Lobster Pueblo is not a wine program — it's a shelf of familiar labels selected by a committee in a boardroom somewhere. Drink the Matua with your shrimp, accept that this is a Cheddar Bay Biscuit establishment, and save the real wine for dinner somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northern Pueblo · Pueblo · Steakhouse
Chop is a perfectly decent steakhouse wine list in a city that isn't exactly drowning in options — nothing on here will blow your mind, but nothing will ruin your night either. Show up on a Wednesday and drink the Lapis Luna Zinfandel at half price while you eat your steak, and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · American / Cocktail Bar
1129 is a genuinely fun riverwalk spot for burgers, green chile, and cocktails — but the wine program is essentially decorative. Order a cocktail, eat the empanadas, and save the wine nights for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · Upscale Steakhouse
Twenty One Steak is the best wine program in Pueblo, which is a real thing worth saying out loud. The markups sting and the list plays it safe, but there are genuinely good bottles here if you know where to look — and for a special night on the riverwalk, it delivers.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East End · Portland · Authentic Italian
Solo Italiano isn't building the deepest Italian list in New England, but it's one of the most purposeful — and in a market full of lazy, overpriced wine cards, that counts for a lot. Go for the Etna Rosso, order the branzino, and don't let anyone talk you into the Brunello unless they're buying.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lark Street · Albany · Authentic Italian
La Perla is a reliable wine stop for a romantic dinner in the Albany area — nothing on the list will blow your mind, but the Amarone value and solid European range mean you won't be stuck drinking something forgettable. Send a friend here if they want candlelight and a decent bottle; just don't send a wine nerd expecting discovery.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wauwatosa · Milwaukee · Authentic Italian
Bartolotta is the best Italian wine list in Milwaukee and it's not particularly close — a sommelier-driven, Italy-only program with genuine depth in all the right regions. Markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're sitting down for the four-course Un Viaggio in Italia, spending real money on a Barolo or Brunello is exactly what this room was built for.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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