Italian firepower with a fountain view
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · Italian
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lago by Julian Serrano’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lago lands with serious weight — 400 to 600 bottles anchored in Italy, France, and California, sitting inside one of the most visually dramatic dining rooms on the Strip. Julian Serrano's lakeside Italian concept gets a wine program that actually matches the ambition of the setting. This isn't a hotel restaurant that phoned in a wine list; someone here genuinely cares.
Italy is the backbone and it's built right — Barolo from Gaja, Giacomo Conterno, and Bruno Giacosa means you're looking at the full spectrum from modern to traditional Piedmont, and Brunello coverage through Biondi-Santi and Banfi rounds out the Tuscan side with proper pedigree. The Super Tuscan contingent with Sassicaia and Tignanello gives the list some crowd-pleasing horsepower without feeling lazy about it. Burgundy leans on reliable négociants like Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin — solid, if not particularly adventurous — and the California bench with Opus One, Caymus, and Stag's Leap checks the expected boxes for a Strip audience. The list earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, held since 2016, without question.
Around 20 to 35 options by the glass ranging from $12 to $30 gives you real range without forcing a bottle commitment. That upper end of $30 a glass suggests they're pouring something worth drinking, not just cycling through commodity pours. No evidence of a meaningful rotation program, which is a missed opportunity given the depth of the cellar.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella — $45–$90 (bottle range estimate)
Amarone on a Las Vegas Strip list is almost always marked up into the stratosphere, but Allegrini is a producer that justifies the entry point — ripe, structured, and genuinely Veronese without the eye-watering price tag of Dal Forno Romano sitting right next to it on the list.
Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables at Lago walk past Dal Forno and go straight for the Barolos or the Napa Cabs. That's a mistake. Dal Forno makes some of the most intense, cellar-worthy Amarone produced anywhere, and if the vintage is right, this is the kind of bottle that makes a dinner memorable rather than just expensive.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is on every wine list in America and marked up accordingly. In a room with Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Biondi-Santi Brunello available, drinking Caymus at Strip prices is just leaving money on the table for worse wine.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Osso Buco
Traditional Barolo and braised veal shank is one of the most time-tested combinations in Italian cooking — the wine's tannin structure and dried cherry depth cut through the richness of the braise while the acidity keeps the whole thing from feeling heavy. At Lago, with a fountain view and a proper glass, this is the move.
The Bottom Line
Lago is as good as a hotel Italian wine program gets on the Strip — deep Italian cellar, credentialed sommeliers, and a setting that makes the steep markups sting a little less. Send your friends here if they want to drink serious Barolo over handmade pasta with the Bellagio fountains going off in the background.
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · American, Italian
Alexxa's is a Strip restaurant doing Strip things — great location, recognizable bottles, pricing that reflects the real estate. If you're here for fountain views and a glass of Cakebread, you'll be genuinely happy; if you're hunting for value or adventure, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · French, Mediterranean
LPM is a legitimate wine destination by Las Vegas Strip standards — the Burgundy-forward list has real bones, sommelier Karla Poeschel keeps it credible, and a newly minted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence confirms this isn't just hotel filler. Markups are what they are in this zip code, but the quality is there if you spend wisely.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Las Vegas · Las Vegas · Italian
La Strega is doing something genuinely unusual for a Las Vegas neighborhood Italian: serving serious wine at prices that don't require an expense account, backed by a sommelier who knows what she's doing. Tuesday half-price wine night is not a gimmick — it's a reason to rearrange your week.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · Italian
Caramella is a better wine stop than its lounge-y Strip pedigree would suggest — the Italian selections alone make it worth a serious look. The Thursday half-price night is the real unlock; that's when this list goes from steep to genuinely exciting.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
The Strip · Las Vegas · Spanish
é is a Wild Card in the most literal sense — a nine-seat secret room inside a casino that takes Spanish wine more seriously than most dedicated wine bars. If you're eating here, you're already spending money; lean into the list and let Chris So point you somewhere unexpected.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Strip · Las Vegas · Japanese
Wakuda isn't a wine destination in the way a dedicated wine bar is, but it's doing something genuinely interesting — pairing a focused, high-quality California-and-Burgundy list with Japanese cuisine that actually rewards that combination. If you're eating here, drink the wine; Luis Guillen knows what he's doing.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· 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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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