Italy by the glass, Princeton by the plate
Downtown Princeton · Princeton · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Mezzaluna’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 Mezzaluna reads exactly like the restaurant looks — white tablecloths, safe choices, nothing to alarm the regulars. It's Italy top to bottom, which makes sense, and the list is tidy enough that you won't spend twenty minutes decoding it. What you won't find is much surprise.
Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the list, with Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino representing the prestige tier and Chianti Classico Riserva doing the heavy lifting in the middle. Veneto gets a nod via Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo gives you the only real value play from southern Italy. The list won't win points for adventurousness — no Etna Rosso, no Vermentino, nothing from Campania or Friuli — but if you want a straightforward Italian red to go with your fettuccine, it delivers.
The by-the-glass program sits somewhere in the 10-to-20 range and leans predictable — expect the Pinot Grigio, probably a Chianti, and a token red for the table. Rotation appears minimal, which means you're likely looking at the same pours month to month. Fine for a weeknight dinner, not the place you're coming to explore glass by glass.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo — $45
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the workhorse of this list — medium-bodied, earthy, built for pasta and red sauce. It's the bottle that drinks above its price bracket and doesn't pretend to be something it's not. Order it before they price it like Barolo.
Chianti Classico Riserva
Everyone reaches for the Barolo, but the Chianti Classico Riserva is doing more work per dollar on this list. It has the structure to handle veal and the acidity to cut through rich cream sauces — and it doesn't require a 30-minute wait to open up.
Brunello di Montalcino
Brunello is a magnificent wine — but at a Princeton trattoria with markup baked in, you're paying restaurant prices for a bottle that needs five more years in your cellar anyway. Unless it's a special occasion and you're splitting it with the table, the math doesn't work.
Barolo + Chicken Marsala
Marsala's savory, mushroomy depth finds a real match in Barolo's tar-and-rose structure. The wine's tannins cut through the richness without bullying the dish, and both are Italian enough that the pairing feels inevitable rather than clever.
The Bottom Line
La Mezzaluna isn't where you go to discover wine — it's where you go to drink something Italian and not think too hard about it. That's a perfectly valid reason to visit, as long as you know what you're signing up for.
Route 1 / MarketFair area · Princeton · Seafood / Steakhouse
Eddie V's Princeton is a reliable, well-run wine program that excels on its own terms — California-focused, sommelier-staffed, and properly stored — but it won't challenge your palate or your loyalty to the coasts. Send your California Cab-loving friends here without hesitation; send the natural wine crowd somewhere else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Greater Princeton Area / Hamilton · Princeton · French-Inspired Contemporary American
Rat's is a destination restaurant that takes its wine program seriously — 900 bottles, a sommelier on staff, and a reserve list with actual depth earn it that much. The markups are real and you'll feel them, but if you time it right with happy hour, this is one of the better wine experiences in the Princeton orbit.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Witherspoon Corridor · Princeton · Artisanal wood-fired pizza, Italian
Nomad Princeton earns its reputation on the pizza, not the pour — and that's fine, but know what you're walking into. If the wine matters to you, bring a bottle and pay the corkage, or stick to whatever Thomas Henry has on tap.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Forrestal Village / Route 1 · Princeton · Steakhouse, American, Seafood
Salt Creek Grille isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a reliable steakhouse with a California-heavy list that gets the job done at a slight premium. Send a friend here if they want a comfortable, familiar bottle with a solid meal; don't send them if they're hoping for something to talk about on the drive home.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Route 1 / MarketFair · Princeton · New American / Wine Bar
Seasons 52 Princeton is a reliable wine stop for anyone who wants a wide-open by-the-glass menu, fair pricing, and zero surprises — in a good way and a bad way. Send a friend here if they're still figuring out what they like; send a wine nerd somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Forrestal Village · Princeton · Italian / Mediterranean
Tre Piani is exactly what a neighborhood Italian wine bar should be: honest, Italian-leaning, and priced for people who actually live nearby. It's not going to change your relationship with wine, but it's a reliable call when you want a decent Barolo and a bowl of mussels on a Monday.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Duluth · Italian
Va Bene is presumably doing something right in the kitchen, but the wine list is a two-item afterthought that tells you this place doesn't take wine seriously. Order a glass, enjoy your pasta, and don't expect anything more.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Italian
Palato is doing more with wine than anyone in its neighborhood is giving it credit for — the Enomatic system, the Italian label selection, and fair-to-reasonable pricing make this a genuine find in the Plano dining scene. If you're going for Italian food in the suburbs, this is where you want to drink.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Boca Raton · Italian
Josephine's is the kind of place where the wine list exists to complement a very good meal, not to be the reason you showed up — and that's fine, because it does its job without embarrassing itself. Send a friend here for a date night, just tell them to skip the obvious Napa Cab and dig a little deeper.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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