The Classics Are Here, Playing It Safe
Uptown · Columbus · Italian Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mabella's reads like a greatest-hits album you've heard a hundred times — Caymus, Rombauer, Meiomi, Santa Margherita. It's the kind of list that won't confuse anyone but won't surprise them either. For a warm, brick-walled Italian steakhouse in Columbus, Georgia, it gets the job done.
The list runs 40 to 60 bottles, leaning hard on California and Italy — which honestly tracks for the format. You've got Napa Cab country covered with Caymus leading the charge, and the Italian side leans on recognizable names like Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. What's missing is any real depth: no Barolo, no Brunello, no Super Tuscans, no small producers doing interesting things. This is a list built for people who already know what they want, not for anyone looking to discover something new.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass at $10–$18 is a reasonable spread for a steakhouse of this size. Expect the usual suspects — Meiomi Pinot Noir, Rombauer Chardonnay, and likely the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio making an appearance. There's no evidence of rotation or a thoughtful by-the-glass program; it feels more like a static menu than a living, breathing selection.
Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico — $40–$50
One of the most food-friendly bottles on the list and the best actual match for the Italian side of the menu. Ricasoli is Chianti royalty — the real deal — and in a list full of California blockbusters, this is where the money is better spent.
Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico
Most tables here are ordering Caymus or Rombauer without a second thought. The Ricasoli Chianti Classico is the wine that actually belongs on this menu — high-acid, cherry-driven Sangiovese that cuts through red sauce and plays nicely with a ribeye. It's getting overlooked every night.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Caymus is a fine wine, but it's also one of the most aggressively marked-up bottles in American restaurants. You're paying a significant premium for a label people recognize, not for something that punches above its price point. At steakhouse markups, you can do better elsewhere on this list.
Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico + House-made pasta with red sauce
Sangiovese and tomato-based pasta is one of those combinations that exists for a reason — the wine's acidity mirrors the acidity in the sauce, neither one drowning out the other. It's the most Italian thing you can order at a place called Mabella's, and the Ricasoli is the right bottle to do it with.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Mabella's is a reliable dinner-out option in Columbus with a wine list that plays it completely safe — familiar names, steep markups, no real adventure. If you know what you like and you like Caymus, you'll be comfortable here; if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of the kitchen, keep your expectations in check.
North Columbus / Whittlesey Boulevard · Columbus · Modern American
Ivory & Oak is a reliable wine stop in a city that isn't exactly crawling with serious lists — the room is great, the pours are familiar, and the markup is the main thing holding it back from something better. Go for the steak, order the Merlot, and don't expect to be challenged.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · Hotel Restaurant
If you're stuck at the DoubleTree and the flight is delayed, Houlihan's will keep you fed and adequately watered — but don't mistake that for a wine program worth seeking out. Order the Etude Pinot or the Malbec, skip the sangria, and manage your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · American Bar & Grill
This is airport-adjacent chain wine, full stop — familiar labels at inflated prices for a captive audience that mostly wants something cold and wet after traveling. Order a cocktail instead, or hit the hotel bar and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Uptown · Columbus · Pub
The Rail Pub is not here to advance your wine education, and that's fine — it's a pub, it sells beer, and the wine list exists as an afterthought for the table that didn't want beer. Order the J. Lohr if you need a glass of something real; otherwise, get a pint and stop looking at the wine menu.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Columbus · Upscale American Sports Bar
The Office is a solid sports bar with a real food program, but the wine list is an afterthought at best — two house pours do not constitute a program. Come for the pork chops and live music, order a cocktail or a beer, and don't expect anyone on staff to talk you through a vintage.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Columbus · Columbus · American and Tex-Mex chain restaurant
Chili's Columbus is not a wine destination — it's a margarita destination that happens to stock two anonymous house wines for guests who forgot to order a cocktail. Drink accordingly.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Amarillo · Amarillo · Italian Steakhouse
Toscana is doing the most with wine in a city that doesn't ask much of its restaurants on that front. The markups sting and the list plays it relatively safe, but if you're eating in Downtown Amarillo and want a real wine experience, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Dewitt · Syracuse · Italian Steakhouse
The pricing is honest and the happy hour is a genuine deal, but a restaurant called Delmonico's Italian SteakHouse deserves a wine list with more than grocery store standbys and zero Italian representation. Order the MacMurray Pinot, enjoy your steak, and don't overthink it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Scarsdale · Scarsdale · Italian Steakhouse
One Rare earned its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and you can see why — the Italian-California combo is executed with genuine care, and the Barolo and Super Tuscan selections give the list some real teeth. Just know you're paying Westchester upscale prices for mostly Westchester upscale tastes, so point yourself toward the Italian half of the list and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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