400 Italian Labels and Four Decades of Proof
Buckhead · Atlanta · Italian Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Grotta’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
La Grotta stocks over 400 labels with an Italian focus that goes well beyond Chianti and Pinot Grigio. The list digs into Piedmont with serious Barolo and Barbaresco depth, covers Tuscany with Super Tuscans and Brunello, and ventures into southern Italian regions that most Atlanta restaurants ignore entirely. If you want to drink Italian wine with Italian food in Atlanta, there is La Grotta and there is everywhere else.
Open since the early 1980s, La Grotta is Atlanta's Italian fine dining anchor. The Buckhead location has the kind of old-world warmth that cannot be manufactured. Handmade pasta, veal, and seafood preparations that have been refined over four decades. The service staff has been here long enough to know which wines age well in this cellar and which are drinking perfectly right now.
Skip the familiar and ask the staff to guide you into the southern Italian section. Sicily, Campania, and Puglia produce wines that pair brilliantly with La Grotta's menu and cost significantly less than the Piedmont selections. The by-the-glass options rotate and often feature wines the buyer is excited about, which is always a good sign.
The Bottom Line
La Grotta is the deepest Italian wine program in Atlanta. 400+ labels, four decades of expertise, and a staff that knows every corner of the list. If Italian wine is your thing, this is mandatory.
· Atlanta · Modern Latin
Botanico isn't trying to out-depth the wine bars — it's building a short, intentional list that mirrors its Modern Latin identity, and mostly it works. The by-the-glass availability is excellent, the producers are genuinely interesting, and the Vale de Bomfim and Monte Xanic chenin blanc alone are worth the detour. Markups keep this from being a steal, but if you're here for the food and want a wine that actually makes sense with it, you won't be left stranded.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Italian
Cucina Baci earns its place as a reliable neighborhood Italian — the kind of spot where the wine list won't blow your mind but it won't embarrass you either. If you're going for the pizza, the pasta, and the warm room energy, order something Italian and red and let the evening do the work. We'd want a full look at the list before calling it anything more than that.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American / Tasting Menu
Choose your courses, then choose your glasses. Bacchanalia's posted pairings give you concrete options: Carl Loewen Riesling at $24 with crab, or Ca' La Bionda Ripasso at $27 with duck. Ask which suggestions match tonight's menu before committing to the wine bill.
Midtown · Atlanta · Southern European
Start with the $14 Vostinic-Klasnic Ikons if you want to explore beyond familiar grapes, or the $16 chilled La Galoche Gamay if that's your lane. Lyla Lila's posted glass list makes trying something different a one-glass decision, not a whole-bottle commitment.
· Atlanta · New American
Siren has a wine list that punches above its weight in a few key areas — particularly the by-the-glass whites and the Champagne bottle program — but the markup structure means you're spending real money to access it. If you're the kind of diner who wants to order Furmint on a Tuesday night in Atlanta, this is one of the few places that makes that possible, and that alone earns it a spot on the shortlist.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Regional Italian
Make Monday your bottle night at Indaco: half off bottles priced up to $100, then $50 off above that. Ask for the current bottle list before choosing; the discount has a ceiling, even if your wine budget doesn't.
Santa Ana · Santa Ana · Italian Fine Dining
An Italian fine dining room with an Enoteca in its name serving five all-California wines and one glass pour is a contradiction we can't talk our way around. Skip the wine, order a Negroni, and hope the food earns the room's ambitions.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Shreveport · Italian Fine Dining
Chianti Restaurant is almost certainly the right call for a dressed-up dinner in Shreveport, but we can't give the wine list a real endorsement without more to work with. Come for the lamb chops and veal; approach the wine list with open eyes and a willingness to ask questions.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Boca Raton · Boca Raton · Italian Fine Dining
Novello is the best Italian wine list in Boca Raton you're likely to find, and the BTG program alone is worth the trip. Just go in knowing the markups reflect the zip code, not a bargain hunter's paradise.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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