Italy's Greatest Hits, Priced Honestly Enough
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 26, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Marisi’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Marisi reads like a love letter to the Italian peninsula — Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Veneto, all accounted for, with a few California ringers for the locals who haven't crossed over yet. It's polished and focused, the kind of list that signals the kitchen takes itself seriously. You won't find any surprises, but you also won't feel lost.
The anchor producers here are the real deal — Gaja Barbaresco, Ornellaia Bolgheri, Antinori Tignanello — these aren't names a restaurant throws on a list by accident. Dig a little deeper and you find genuinely interesting picks like Occhipinti's SP68 Bianco and COS Frappato, two Sicilian naturalists that feel out of place at a white-tablecloth spot in the best possible way. The Terlano 'Winkl' Sauvignon from Alto Adige shows someone on the buying side knows their northern Italian geography beyond just Pinot Grigio. The list does skew heavily toward red-leaning Italy, so if you're hunting for white Burgundy or grower Champagne, you'll come up short.
Estimates put the glass program somewhere between 10 and 16 options, which is a respectable spread for a restaurant of this size. The pricing runs $14–$22 a glass, which tracks with the bottle markups — not highway robbery, but you're paying for the room. We'd love to see more rotation here; the program feels like it was set once and left to run.
Produttori del Barbaresco 'Barbaresco' 2019 — $110
A 100% markup on a bottle retailing around $55 is about as fair as it gets for a name-brand Nebbiolo from one of Piedmont's most reliable co-ops. This is serious wine at a price that doesn't require a calculator.
Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba 'Pre-Phylloxera' 2019
Most tables at Marisi are ordering Barolo or Tignanello and completely ignoring this. Pre-phylloxera Barbera from Cogno — a producer obsessed with doing things the hard way — is the kind of wine that stops the table mid-conversation. Grab it before the regulars figure it out.
COS Frappato 2021
We love COS and we love Frappato, but $72 for a bottle retailing at $30 is a 140% markup on a light-bodied Sicilian red that is absolutely not built for that kind of premium. Order it by the glass if it's available, or save the bottle for a wine shop.
Terlano 'Winkl' Sauvignon Blanc Alto Adige 2021 + Burrata with seasonal accompaniments
The Winkl's alpine snap and citrus-herb edge cuts straight through the fat of fresh burrata without overwhelming whatever seasonal element is on the plate. It's the kind of pairing that makes the opener course the highlight of the meal.
The Bottom Line
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
· Chula Vista · American
Yard House Chula Vista's wine list is what happens when wine is an afterthought at a beer-forward chain — familiar labels, steep markups, and zero sense of discovery. If you're here for the 130+ beers on draft, you're in the right place; if you came for the wine, grab the Jean-Luc Colombo rosé and manage expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chula Vista · Italian
Little Italy Ristorante isn't coming here for the wine — and at these prices, that's probably fine if you just need something cold in a glass. But nine labels, no Italian depth to speak of, and a list that hasn't been curated so much as assembled means this is strictly a cocktail-first, wine-if-you-must situation. If wine matters to you even a little, the food might be worth the trip, but plan to drink elsewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chula Vista · Chula Vista · Hotel Lounge
The Den is a hotel bar doing the bare minimum on wine, and it shows. Order a cocktail, grab a beer, or pick up a bottle from the grocery store down the street before you check in.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chula Vista · Steakhouse Chain
The prices are fair but there's almost nothing to choose from — four labels is not a wine program, it's a placeholder. If wine matters to your dinner, this isn't your spot.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chula Vista · Steakhouse
Skip the wine list and order a cocktail or a beer — the wine program here is an afterthought dressed up in a long menu. If someone insists on a bottle, reach for the Rodney Strong and don't look too hard at the markup.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chula Vista · Italian Chain
Romano's Macaroni Grill isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes no attempt to pretend otherwise. Order a $4 house red, enjoy the pasta, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that earned it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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