Solid Italian list, no surprises, no regrets
Arrowhead Towne Center · Glendale · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed North Italia’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at North Italia Arrowhead reads exactly like you'd expect from a polished chain Italian — Italy leads, California fills in the gaps, and nothing is going to surprise you. It's competent and approachable, which honestly isn't a bad thing when you're sitting down to a bowl of handmade pasta on a Tuesday night. The pricing is refreshingly honest for an Arizona strip mall restaurant, and that counts for a lot.
The list leans predictably on Italian workhorses — Pinot Grigio, Chianti Classico, Prosecco, and a Super Tuscan red blend carry the Italian column, while California Cabernet holds down the New World side. There's nothing adventurous here: no natural wine, no obscure southern Italian grape varieties, no skin-contact anything. What you get is a tightly curated crowd-pleaser list that covers the table without challenging it. Gaps are obvious — no Barolo, no Amarone, no Rosé worth mentioning — but for a neighborhood Italian doing handmade pasta at $18-$28 an entrée, it does the job.
The by-the-glass program covers the basics: Italian Pinot Grigio and Prosecco anchor the white and sparkling side, with a California Cab presumably holding the red flag. Glass pours run $11-$18, which is fair for Glendale without being a steal. Don't expect a rotating selection or anything seasonal — what's on the list is what's on the list.
Italian Pinot Grigio (house glass pour) — $12
At $12 a glass on a wine that retails around $13 a bottle, you're not getting gouged — you're practically getting a fair deal by restaurant standards. It's a low-risk order that delivers exactly what you want with a light pasta dish.
Chianti Classico
Most people at North Italia reach for the Super Tuscan or the California Cab without a second thought, but the Chianti Classico is the smarter order. It's the wine that actually belongs on the table with handmade pasta, and it tends to be priced below the flashier bottles on Italian lists like this one.
Super Tuscan red blend
At $68 a bottle on a wine that retails around $28, you're paying a 2.4x markup — not criminal, but the Super Tuscan label does a lot of heavy lifting here. It sounds impressive, it photographs well, and you'll probably enjoy it, but you're paying for the name more than the juice. The Chianti Classico does the same work for less.
Chianti Classico + Handmade pasta (e.g., cacio e pepe or a red sauce pasta)
Chianti Classico's bright acidity and savory cherry character were basically engineered by centuries of Italian tradition to cut through rich pasta sauces and complement the wheat-forward bite of fresh pasta. It's the combination that makes sense here, and you don't need to overthink it.
The Bottom Line
North Italia Arrowhead won't blow any minds on the wine front, but it won't embarrass you either — the pricing is fair, the Italian focus is appropriate, and the Chianti Classico with a pasta dish is a genuinely good night out. Send a friend here for dinner with no hesitation; just don't send a wine geek looking for discovery.
VAI Resort · Glendale · Rooftop Bar / Small Plates
Amara Rooftop is a place you go for the view and a cocktail — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a resort price tag. If wine is your thing, drink something fun downstairs and come up here for the sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
VAI Resort · Glendale · Mediterranean / New American
Cala isn't where you go to have your wine mind blown, but it's a competent, Mediterranean-focused list with enough range to drink well through dinner — and the Tignanello alone is reason enough to look past the resort pricing tax. Send a friend here knowing they'll be fine; just steer them away from the Santa Margherita.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westgate Entertainment District · Glendale · American gastropub / bar & grill
Bar Louie Westgate is a perfectly fine place to drink beer and watch a game — the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved seems to know it. If wine is your thing, order a cocktail and come back to the wine conversation at a different restaurant.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westgate Entertainment District · Glendale · Japanese & Sushi
Kabuki Westgate is a fun spot for sushi and cocktails on a Cardinals game night — just don't come for the wine list. Order a sake flight instead and save yourself the markup.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Glendale · Glendale · Pizza, American Gastropub
Desert Rose is a genuinely fun neighborhood spot with a patio worth sitting on — just don't come here for the wine list. Order a craft beer or a cocktail, enjoy the pizza, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that earned it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arrowhead Ranch / Union Hills · Glendale · Wine Bar
Turquoise Wine Bar is the kind of place that earns its Wild Card badge honestly — not by being weird for weird's sake, but by curating a genuinely curious list in a zip code that didn't ask for one. Send your wine-curious friends here; they'll leave with something new to talk about.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
