Cincinnati's Italian anchor with serious cellar cred
Over-the-Rhine · Cincinnati · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Nicola's Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at Nicola's and it's immediately clear this place takes Italy seriously — not just Chianti-and-call-it-a-day seriously, but Barolo-Brunello-Amarone seriously. Two hundred to three hundred labels deep in a historic Over-the-Rhine dining room tells you everything about the restaurant's priorities. This is a room that respects the grape.
The list is anchored in the Italian north and center — Piedmont and Tuscany carry the weight, and they carry it well. Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino anchor the reds, and the presence of Amarone della Valpolicella signals a genuine love of the peninsula rather than a highlight-reel approach. A 200-300 bottle list for a Cincinnati neighborhood restaurant is genuinely impressive, and with a sommelier on staff, there's actual curatorial intent behind it — this isn't a list assembled by a distributor rep on autopilot. The gaps are probably in the south (Sicily, Campania) and anything non-Italian, but at Nicola's, that's almost beside the point.
Fifteen to twenty by-the-glass options is a solid pour program for a fine-dining Italian spot — enough that you're not just choosing between a Pinot Grigio and a sad Merlot. Whether the rotation turns over to reflect seasonal or producer changes isn't clear from the outside, but the depth of the bottle list suggests the glass pours aren't afterthoughts. Ask your server what's open; a place with this cellar usually has something good breathing.
Barolo — null
We can't pin a specific price without menu access, but Barolo at a restaurant with proper storage, a trained sommelier, and this level of Italian focus is where your money is most honestly spent. You're paying for context here, and the context is right.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables at a place like this default to Barolo or Brunello and sleep on the Amarone. It's a bigger, richer wine — dried grapes, serious concentration — and in a $$$-$$$$ room with proper storage, it's going to show well. Don't skip it just because it sounds unfamiliar.
House pour by the glass
At a restaurant in this price tier with a list this deep, the entry-level glass pour is almost always the worst value on the menu. Step up one tier on the glass list or just commit to a bottle — you're already at Nicola's, don't half-measures it.
Brunello di Montalcino + Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
Brunello's Sangiovese backbone — bright acidity, firm tannins, earthy depth — cuts right through the richness of a slow-cooked meat ragu without trampling it. It's the most classically Italian pairing on the menu and for good reason: they were built for each other.
The Bottom Line
Nicola's is the kind of Italian restaurant that makes a strong case for skipping your usual Cab and actually learning something new about Italian wine — with a sommelier on hand and a list this deep, you're in good hands. Markups will sting at the higher end, but the foundation is solid and the commitment is real.
Newport (Greater Cincinnati Riverfront) · Cincinnati · Seafood
Chart House delivers exactly what it promises: a reliable, unadventurous wine list in a spectacular waterfront setting. Come for the view and the lobster bisque — just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cincinnati · Wine Bar
Ripple is punching well above its Cincinnati zip code with a sparkling-forward list that's genuinely thoughtful and mostly fairly priced. If you love bubbles in all their forms, this is your spot — and even if you don't walk in that way, you might walk out converted.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Cincinnati · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Cincinnati is a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse list that delivers exactly what it promises — big California reds, proper storage, and a bottle for every budget above $50. Just don't come expecting discovery; come expecting execution.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Over-the-Rhine · Cincinnati · Tapas / Mediterranean-inspired small plates
Abigail Street is a Wild Card because nobody walks into a tapas spot in OTR expecting Lebanese orange wines and Champagne from Bollinger — but here we are. The markup math on the tap program stings, but the top half of this list is doing real work and earns a recommendation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North / Kenwood area · Cincinnati · New American / Grill & Wine Bar
Seasons 52 Cincinnati is a chain wine program that punches above its weight class on volume and actually tries — Monday half-price bottles are a legitimate reason to show up on a specific night. Just go in knowing this is a crowd-pleaser list, not a discovery list, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Mason · Cincinnati · West Coast–style American (brunch-focused cafe)
Maplewood Mason isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is fair, accessible, and has just enough personality (Stolpman, Jezebel Blanc) to keep it from being totally forgettable. If you're here for brunch, grab a glass and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
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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