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.
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Nick's is a genuine find — an old-school Italian spot in wine country that actually backs up the setting with a list worth digging into. If you're doing a Willamette Valley trip and want one dinner where the wine list matches the ambition of the food, this is your room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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