Finger Lakes loyalty meets Burgundy ambition
South Wedge · Rochester · Farm-to-table American · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lento Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Lento is refreshingly unpretentious — no padded pagecount, no dusty prestige bottles propping up the margins. What you get instead is a tight, deliberate curation anchored by two clear obsessions: Burgundy and the Finger Lakes. For a neighborhood farm-to-table spot tucked into Village Gate, that's a genuinely interesting editorial stance.
The Finger Lakes presence is real and committed, with Heart & Hand showing up across multiple varietals — Riesling, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a white blend — which tells you someone at Lento actually believes in the region rather than just checking a local-sourcing box. On the French side, the Arnaud Dubreuil selections punch well above the restaurant's price tier: a Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc and an Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru Les Paulands are not bottles you stumble across on a 40-label list in Rochester. The Jaffelin Crémant de Bourgogne as a sparkling option is a smart, affordable alternative to Champagne that fits the casual-but-thoughtful vibe perfectly. The list won't satisfy anyone looking for breadth across the globe, but depth-of-conviction lists like this often drink better than a lazy 120-label sprawl.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass in the $10–$16 range keeps things accessible without feeling like a race to the bottom. With Heart & Hand represented in multiple styles and a Crémant available by the glass, there's genuine variety here — not just a Chardonnay-Cab-rosé triangle. A rotating selection would elevate this further, but what's here is solid for the price point.
Heart & Hand Dry Riesling 2023 — $10-$16/glass
Finger Lakes Riesling at this price, from a producer that actually knows what they're doing with the grape, is a steal. It's the wine that makes you feel smart for ordering it.
Heart & Hand Aligote 2023
Aligoté is Burgundy's other white grape — undersung, crisp, and genuinely interesting — and Heart & Hand is one of the few Finger Lakes producers bothering with it. Most tables will walk right past it and order Chardonnay. Don't be most tables.
Arnaud Dubreuil Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Paulands 2021
It's a legitimately good bottle and we respect the ambition of putting it on here. But a 2021 Premier Cru that's only a couple of years old needs more time, and at restaurant markup it's hard to justify drinking it now when it won't be showing its best. Come back in five years.
Arnaud Dubreuil Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc 2023 + Pan Seared Red Snapper
White Burgundy — even village-level — brings enough texture and minerality to stand up to a properly seared fish without bulldozing it. This is the kind of pairing that makes a Tuesday dinner feel like a real occasion.
The Bottom Line
Lento isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the list punches well above its weight for a South Wedge farm-to-table spot — especially if you lean into the Finger Lakes selections or take a shot on the Burgundies. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Downtown · Rochester · American Steakhouse
CHAR makes it easy to try Finger Lakes wine alongside the steakhouse standards. Our move is Hosmer Cabernet Franc at $16/glass, with Panizzi Vernaccia at $14 for anyone leaning white. Check the per-ounce pricing before ordering a Coravin pour.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Neighborhood of the Arts · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French inspiration
Avvino is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up, not an afterthought. If you're in Rochester and you care about drinking well, this is your room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Brighton / Monroe Ave · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French influences
Avvino is the kind of wine-forward neighborhood restaurant Rochester deserves more of — nearly 200 bottles, a sommelier, and a standing half-price Wednesday that makes a solid splurge genuinely accessible. It's not reinventing the wine list, but it's doing the right things consistently enough that we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Village Gate / NOTA · Rochester · Farm-to-Table / New American
Lento isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its list is thoughtful enough that it kind of becomes one by accident — especially if you care about Finger Lakes wines in their natural habitat. Send your friends here, let them order the Duck Confit, and point them toward the Cab Franc.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pittsford · Rochester · Refined Seasonal American with Wood-Fired Pizzas
jojo Pittsford is the kind of wine program that makes you want to cancel your dinner reservation somewhere else. For a bistro in suburban Rochester, this list is genuinely exciting — send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
East Avenue / Winton · Rochester · Traditional Italian
Ristorante Lucano is a reliable Italian dinner with a wine list that doesn't embarrass itself — Italy-focused, anchored by classics, a bit overpriced but not offensively so. Send a friend here for a date night with the instruction to order the Barolo and not overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Leawood · Overland Park · Farm-to-table American
Rye Leawood is a Wild Card in the best sense — it's a brunch-centric farm-to-table spot that somehow assembled a thoughtful, geographically curious wine list in a market that usually plays it very safe. Send your friends here, steer them past the cocktail-adjacent glass pours, and point them at the Cava or the Hito rosé.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Evanston · Evanston · Farm-to-table American
Farmhouse Evanston is a dependable neighborhood wine list that earns its keep without ever showing off. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass with a good burger — just don't send them if they're hunting for something to talk about.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Shirlington · Arlington · Farm-to-table American
Copperwood Tavern isn't a wine destination, but it earns its keep as a reliable neighborhood option — especially on Wednesdays, when the half-price bottle program briefly makes it one of the better value plays in Arlington. Come for the short rib, stay for the deal.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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