Grand Rapids' Italian wine shrine, no passport needed
Grand Rapids · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Noto's Old World Italian Dining’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
White linens, dark wood, fresh-cut flowers — Noto's looks the part before you even crack the list. Then you open it and realize this isn't just Italian restaurant cosplay: we're talking 300-plus bottles anchored hard in Piedmont, Tuscany, and the Veneto. For Grand Rapids, this thing is a genuine outlier.
The Italian depth here is real. Gaja representing Piedmont at its most serious, Antinori holding down the Super Tuscan flank, Allegrini and Bertani doing honest work for the Veneto — it reads like a greatest-hits of the Italian peninsula done by someone who actually cares. Barolo and Barbaresco get their own real estate on the list, Brunello di Montalcino shows up without apology, and Amarone della Valpolicella gets the Bertani treatment it deserves. Chianti Classico Riserva rounds out the mid-tier without feeling like an afterthought. The one gap: if you're hunting outside Italy, you're mostly on your own.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a serious program for a restaurant this size, and the range tracks the bottle list — Italian through and through, with enough variety to navigate a full dinner without repeating yourself. We'd love to see more rotation and a few curveballs, but what's here is solid and well-selected. Douglas Berg is on staff, so the pours aren't random.
Marchesi di Barolo Barolo — $80
Barolo from a reliable, old-school Piedmontese house in the $60-$150 window is exactly where Noto's list shines — you're getting a proper Nebbiolo experience without the Gaja price tag, and it drinks well above what it costs here.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella
Most people at an Italian restaurant default to Barolo or Chianti and sleep on Amarone entirely. Allegrini's version is a powerhouse — rich, structured, and built for a long dinner — and it tends to get overlooked in favor of the bigger Piedmont names on a list like this.
Gaja Barolo
Gaja is unimpeachable wine, but it's also one of the most aggressively marked-up names in any Italian list. You're paying a premium for the label recognition here, and frankly the Marchesi di Barolo at a fraction of the price gets you most of the same experience with a lot less damage to your wallet.
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella + Homemade gnocchi
Bertani Amarone is big, savory, and just slightly bitter at the finish — it cuts right through a rich, butter-sauced gnocchi and keeps the whole thing from feeling too heavy. It's the kind of pairing that makes you feel like you figured something out.
The Bottom Line
Noto's is the real deal — a proper Italian wine list in a mid-Michigan suburb, held together by a knowledgeable staff and a Best of Award of Excellence earned and re-earned since 2006. If you're within driving distance and care even a little about Italian wine, you owe yourself a reservation.
· Grand Rapids · Multi-concept American
The B.O.B. is built for a big night out, not a wine-focused one — and the list knows it. Grab the La Crema or take a flier on the Gamay, but don't come here expecting the wine program to be part of the entertainment.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Amway Grand Plaza · Grand Rapids · Spanish / Modern European
MDRD is a Wild Card because it earns its badge the hard way: a hotel rooftop in the Midwest has no business carrying Bodega Chacra or a thoughtful local Michigan Pinot, and yet here we are. Markups keep it from being a destination wine list, but if you're already up there for the views and the paella, there are worse ways to spend your glass pours.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · New American / Teaching Restaurant
A teaching restaurant that could embarrass a few actual restaurants on the wine front — fair prices, genuine producers, and a France-meets-Michigan list that has more intention behind it than most spots charging twice as much. Go in without expectations and leave genuinely impressed.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Fondue-focused American/Swiss-style chain
The Melting Pot's wine list is the dining equivalent of a reliable sedan — it gets you where you're going without any surprises, good or bad. Send a friend here for the experience, not the wine, but reassure them they won't be embarrassed by what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kentwood / Southeast · Grand Rapids · Upscale Casual American
Cooper's Hawk Kentwood is exactly what it is — a well-run chain winery restaurant with fair prices, a crowd-pleasing list, and staff that's enthusiastic if not deeply expert. Don't come here expecting to find your new favorite grower Champagne; do come here knowing you'll drink something decent without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Midtown · Grand Rapids · Gastro Pub / Contemporary American Comfort Food
The Friesian is a neighborhood pub that happens to have wine — and there's nothing wrong with that. Come on a Wednesday when glasses are half price, order the Tempranillo or the Malbec, and stop overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Lincoln · Italian
Lincoln Ristorante is doing something genuinely unusual: running a wine list in central Nebraska that would hold its own in most major American cities. The Italian focus is deep and well-curated, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the pricing — particularly on the reds — is fair enough that you won't feel punished for ordering well. If you're in Lincoln and you care about wine, this is the only room that answers that call.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jersey City · Jersey City · Italian
Il Tavolo isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a reliable Italian spot with fair pours, sensible pricing, and enough range to keep the table happy. If you're in Jersey City and want a glass of Chianti that won't cost you a car payment, this is a safe and honest bet.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · Italian
Sorellina has done something genuinely weird here — built an all-dessert-wine list and committed to it fully, with enough range and producer credibility to make it worth taking seriously. If you are coming here expecting a broad Italian bottle list to drink through dinner, adjust your expectations before you walk in. But if you want to spend an evening exploring Italian sweet wines poured by the glass at prices that do not insult you, this is one of the more interesting niche programs in the area.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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