Webster Groves Goes Full Italian, No Apologies
Webster Groves · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Madrina’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to walk into Webster Groves and find Sassicaia and Ornellaia sitting on the same list. Madrina's wine program announces itself like a confident Italian-American grandmother — this is how we do things here, and we're not sorry about it. The focus is tight, the intent is clear, and for a neighborhood spot, it earns genuine respect.
The list runs 100 to 150 bottles deep and barely glances outside Italy's borders, which is exactly the right call for what Madrina is doing. Piedmont gets proper treatment with Barolo producers represented, Tuscany shows up with Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, and a Super Tuscan contingent that includes Sassicaia and Ornellaia — names that take a list from neighborhood-solid to genuinely serious. Friuli Pinot Grigio covers the lighter end without being lazy about it. The gap is obvious if you're a Burgundy or Rhône person, but that's not who this list is talking to.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass at $10 to $18 is a respectable range, and the pricing doesn't punish you for drinking well in smaller quantities. We'd like to see more rotation and a clearer sense of what's featured week to week, but for a spot that's only been earning its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2024, the glass program is already doing real work.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $45
Riserva-level Chianti at the lower end of this list's bottle range is where the value lives — structured enough to stand up to the steak, priced like they actually want you to order it.
Pinot Grigio from Friuli
Most people skip Pinot Grigio because they've been burned by the flat, flavorless stuff. Friuli is a different conversation entirely — mineral, textured, and worth the order before anyone at the table even looks at the reds.
Sassicaia
Look, Sassicaia is a great wine. It's also one of the most recognizable names on any Italian list, which means restaurants can charge what they want for it. At a neighborhood spot without a dedicated sommelier guiding the cellar program, the markup on trophy bottles like this rarely reflects the service experience around it. Drink the Brunello instead.
Amarone della Valpolicella + Steak
Amarone is dense, dark, and built for exactly this moment — the dried-grape concentration cuts through fat and char in a way that lighter reds simply can't. It's a big call for a neighborhood Italian spot, but Madrina earns it.
The Bottom Line
Madrina is the kind of Italian-American room that takes its wine seriously without making you feel like you need a passport to order. If you're anywhere near Webster Groves and want a legitimate Italian bottle at a price that doesn't sting, this is your move.
· Overland Park · Italian
Brio Overland Park's wine list is a functional, crowd-pleasing program that won't offend anyone and won't excite anyone either. If you're here for a work dinner or a low-stakes birthday, you'll find something drinkable — just go in with measured expectations and maybe steer toward the Italian bottles before defaulting to the California heavyweights.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · New Haven · Italian
Villa Lulu is a genuinely appealing Italian restaurant with food worth showing up for — Branzino Puttanesca and Squid Ink Linguini are the kind of dishes that deserve a decent Sicilian white alongside them. The wine program has the right regional bones, but until they put a real list online, we're recommending the restaurant with a side of cautious optimism on the wine. Ask your server what's on by the glass, and keep an eye out for that half-price wine promotion if it's still running — unconfirmed, but worth asking about.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Fresno · Italian
Oggi Caffe is a solid neighborhood Italian restaurant where the wine list does its job without doing anything particularly interesting. The Napa-Tuscany focus is predictable but dependable, and at a $25–$45 entree range the bottle prices are likely to feel steep relative to what you're getting. Go for the homemade pasta and the atmosphere — and if wine matters to you, ask what's open by the glass before committing to a bottle.
Plays It Safe
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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