Madison's Italian Neighborhood Joint Nails the Markup
University Avenue · Madison · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 31, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lombardino's reads like a love letter to Italy — and that's mostly a good thing. It's not trying to impress you with obscure natural producers or a cellar full of aged Barolo; it's just a honest, well-priced Italian list for a restaurant that takes its food seriously. What immediately stands out is how little they're marking things up.
The 75-120 bottle list stays firmly in Italian territory, covering the reliable hits: Soave, Gavi, Barbera d'Asti, Morellino di Scansano, Prosecco. Producers like Inama, Guido Berta, and Moris Farms are legitimate — these aren't supermarket fillers dressed up with Italian flags. The gaps show up when you look for depth outside of Northern and Central Italy, and there's little here for someone hunting an aged wine or something from the south. It plays a predictable game, but it plays it honestly.
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass is a solid number for a neighborhood Italian, and the selection tracks the bottle list — expect a Soave, a Gavi, a Barbera, maybe a Prosecco to start. Prices by the glass run reasonable, consistent with how fair the bottle markups are. Don't expect a rotating seasonal program; what's on the menu tonight is probably what was on it last month.
Guido Berta Barbera d'Asti 2021 — $24
At $24 a bottle with a retail of around $28, this is nearly cost pricing. Barbera d'Asti is the kind of food-friendly red — bright acidity, dark fruit, low tannin — that was made to sit across from a plate of housemade pasta, and Lombardino's is basically giving it away.
Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano 2022
Most tables at a place like this reach for Chianti on autopilot. Morellino di Scansano is Sangiovese from the Maremma coast — earthier, a little wilder, and often more interesting than the Chianti you were about to order. Most people skip right past it.
Bosca di Gica DOCG Prosecco
Prosecco by the bottle at a sit-down dinner rarely makes sense value-wise, and this one doesn't change the math. If you want bubbles at the start, get a glass. Adami NV is the better Prosecco name in the data anyway — if that's available, go there instead.
Inama Soave 2022 + Housemade pasta with a light cream or butter sauce
Inama makes one of the benchmark Soaves in the Veneto — it's got enough texture and minerality to stand up to a cream sauce without getting lost in it. At $16 a bottle, you can order two courses and not flinch at the check.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Lombardino's isn't going to win any awards for a daring or deep wine list, but the markups are genuinely rare for a sit-down restaurant — nearly at retail on several bottles — and the Italian focus makes sense for the food. If you're a neighbor, this is your place; if you're driving across town just for the wine list, temper your expectations.
South West Side / Arbor Gate · Madison · Contemporary American
Bonfyre is a reliable neighborhood grill that happens to have Wine Down Wednesday, and that promotion does more for this wine program than anything on the list itself. Come on a Wednesday, order the Riesling or the Malbec with your steak, and you'll leave happy — just don't expect the list to dazzle you on a Tuesday.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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Red Sushi isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the fortified and dessert options give it more credibility than most comparable spots downtown. Come for the sushi, stay for the Madeira.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Far West Side / Greenway Station · Madison · Casual Italian
Biaggi's is a chain, the markups are steep, and nobody on staff is going to geek out over Nebbiolo with you — but the Wine Wednesday promotion (50% off bottles $75 and under) genuinely changes the math. Come on a Wednesday, order a bottle of Santa Margherita or a Chianti Classico at half price, and you'll have a perfectly solid dinner without any regrets.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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Tempest is a reliable downtown option for wine with your oysters — the list has genuine highlights and the glass count is respectable, but the markups are steep and the program isn't pushing itself. Go for the Sancerre, go for the Riesling, and don't overthink it.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side / Junction Road · Madison · Wine Bar & Bistro
Eno Vino West is the dependable neighborhood wine bar Madison's west side needs — not flashy, not adventurous, but genuinely well-stocked and fairly priced. Show up on a Monday or Tuesday, grab a half-price bottle, and stop overthinking it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Near West Side / Monroe Street · Madison · Californian-style, veggie-forward American
Everly's list is more thoughtful than most neighborhood spots its size, with a few genuinely exciting bottles mixed in with the safe pours. We'd send a friend here for wine, but we'd tell them to go in with eyes open on the markup — you're paying a premium for the atmosphere as much as what's in the glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Westdale · Cedar Rapids · Italian-American
Olive Garden Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it never pretended to be, and that's fine. But if you're sitting down here, order the Chianti, skip the Mondavi Cab, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Topeka · Topeka · Italian-American
Olive Garden is not a wine destination and was never trying to be one — the list exists to move bottles, not to inspire anyone. Order the Il Grigio if you want something worth drinking, otherwise stick to the Chianti and save your wine energy for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Naperville · Naperville · Italian-American
Maggiano's Naperville is a reliable wine stop the same way a highway rest area is a reliable food stop — it works, no one's going out of their way for it, but you won't leave thirsty. If the table is ordering family-style and everyone needs a glass in hand, this list gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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