Italian Comfort With a Casino Wine Safety Net
Downtown Reno · Reno · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Strada - Reno Eldorado Resort Casino’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 list opens with a split personality: some genuinely serious Italian bottles — Barolo, Brunello, Amarone — sitting alongside Beringer White Zinfandel and Dark Horse Pinot Grigio like they ended up at the wrong table. It's a casino restaurant wine list, which means the ceiling is respectable but the floor is pretty scuffed. At $44-$60 a plate, you'd hope for more intentionality in how the wine program is curated.
The Italian side of the list is where La Strada earns its keep — Chianti Classico Riserva, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, and Amarone give the list genuine depth for a Northern Italian kitchen, and they're the right call for what's coming out of that kitchen. The California side leans heavily on brand-name crowd pleasers: Sonoma-Cutrer, Santa Margherita, Charles Krug — competent but uninspiring. The gap between the serious Italian bottles and the grocery-store-tier glass pours is wide enough to drive a Fiat through. If you're here for the pasta, stay on the Italian side of the list.
At least four whites pour by the glass starting around $9, which sounds accessible until you see Dark Horse Pinot Grigio and Beringer White Zinfandel in the rotation. The glass program reads like it was set up to move volume, not to complement the menu. There's no obvious rotation happening here — this feels firmly Set & Forget.
Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay — $36
If priced near the bottom of the bottle range, Sonoma-Cutrer is one of California's most consistent Chardonnays and a genuine step up from the glass pours — rich enough to hold up to cream sauces without going full butter-bomb.
Chianti Classico Riserva
Most people at a casino Italian spot are ordering Cab or Pinot Grigio on autopilot. The Chianti Classico Riserva is the local hero here — earthy, structured, built for tomato-braised anything, and almost certainly underordered.
Beringer White Zinfandel
We respect the hustle, but not here, not at these entree prices. At a $50 pasta dinner, this is a mismatch — and at casino markup, you're paying restaurant prices for a $7 grocery store bottle.
Barolo + Mushroom Ravioli
Barolo's earthy, tar-and-roses profile locks in with the deep umami of mushroom filling in a way that makes both the wine and the dish taste more expensive than they are. It's the one pairing on this menu that feels like the list was actually designed with food in mind.
The Bottom Line
La Strada isn't a wine destination, but if you stick to the Italian bottles and avoid the glass pours, you can drink well enough to match the food. Just know you're paying casino premiums for the privilege.
Downtown / Casino Row · Reno · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Reno is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program inside a casino resort — competent glassware, proper storage, and a sommelier who knows the list cold. Just don't come here looking for discovery; come here knowing exactly what you want and prepared to pay full freight for it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Reno · American small plates, tapas-style, steakhouse-influenced
Sierra St. Kitchen punches above its weight for downtown Reno — the list has real producers, genuine range, and a sommelier keeping it honest. Just know the markups are real, and steer toward the Old World and Pacific Northwest bottles where the value hides.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · Italian – Tuscan & Coastal
Calafuria isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be the right wine list for this restaurant, and it mostly succeeds. Send your friends here if they want something Italian that doesn't feel phoned in; just don't expect fireworks beyond the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Reno · Reno · Health-focused American café with organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo options
Great Full Gardens isn't a wine destination and it doesn't pretend to be — but for a health-focused café in Northwest Reno, the glass prices are honest and the pours are solid enough to enjoy alongside the food. Send a friend here for lunch, just don't tell them to order the Chardonnay.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · New American / Fine Dining
LuLou's wine list won't win any awards, but it won't ruin your dinner either — and in a city where restaurant wine programs often feel like an afterthought, that counts for something. Send a friend here for a solid meal with a bottle of Jordan; just don't expect to discover anything new.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Eldorado Resort Casino · Reno · Californian / Steakhouse
Roxy isn't a destination wine program — it's a competent casino steakhouse list with the right bottles for the room. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Jordan at half price, and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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