Trophy Bottles, Tuscan Soul, Boca Price Tags
Central Boca · Boca Raton · Modern Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Novello Restaurant & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Novello lands with real ambition — 155 labels, a serious Italian backbone, and a Napa trophy case that tells you exactly who's eating here. It's a flex list, no question, but whether you're paying for the wine or the zip code depends entirely on what you order.
The Italian side earns its keep: Piedmont shows up with Gaja's 'Sori Tildin' Barbaresco and 'Sperss' Barolo, both from the legendary 2001 vintage, and the Super Tuscan row is stacked with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Ornellaia. Dal Forno Romano's 2008 Amarone is the kind of wine that makes you forgive a lot of other sins on a list. Napa gets equal real estate — Opus One, Schrader, Hundred Acre, Joseph Phelps Insignia — which reads more like a steakhouse wish list than a neighborhood Italian spot, but the Boca crowd clearly wants options. What's missing is the mid-tier: there's a gap between the approachable entry-level bottles and the big-ticket stuff that leaves budget-conscious drinkers with fewer interesting choices than they deserve.
Fifteen to twenty-five pours is a generous program on paper, and the $14–$28 range suggests they're not just dumping leftover bottles into the by-the-glass rotation. That said, with no confirmed rotation schedule or featured pours, this reads as a static program — what you see is what you get, week after week. Ask your server what's open and drinking well right now; that's your best move.
Marchesi Antinori 'Tignanello' Bolgheri 2016 — Bottle
Tignanello is one of the most recognizable Super Tuscans in the world, and the 2016 is drinking beautifully right now — Sangiovese-led with Cabernet muscle underneath. If the markup here is anywhere near reasonable, it's the most satisfying bottle on the list for the money, especially alongside a plate of pasta or the branzino.
Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella 2008
Most tables at a place like this are scanning for Napa or Tuscany and completely bypass the Veneto. That's a mistake. Dal Forno Romano makes some of the most intense, age-worthy Amarone produced anywhere, and the 2008 vintage has had plenty of time to open up. It's a big, brooding wine that will absolutely steal the show next to a braised meat dish or the richest pasta on the menu — and it's the kind of bottle you don't find everywhere.
Hundred Acre 'Kayli Morgan' Howell Mountain 2015
Hundred Acre is a cult Napa Cab with a cult Napa price, and in a restaurant setting you're paying a serious premium on top of an already inflated retail cost. It's a fine wine, but you're buying the label as much as what's in the bottle — and at a modern Italian restaurant, a Howell Mountain Cabernet is fighting the food more than it's working with it. Save this one for the steakhouse.
Tenuta San Guido 'Sassicaia' Bolgheri 2015 + Italian-inspired steak or chop
Sassicaia is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grown on the Tuscan coast — structured, cedar-forward, and built for red meat. A properly cooked steak or veal chop gives the wine something to push against, and the 2015 vintage has just enough age to show some complexity without needing more time in the cellar. It's the one bottle on this list that earns its price tag at the table.
The Bottom Line
Novello is a genuinely good wine list for Boca Raton — Italian-focused, with real depth at the top end — but the markups and the static glass program hold it back from being truly exciting. Go for the Amarone or the Super Tuscans; skip the Napa cult bottles unless someone else is paying.
· Boca Raton · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Boca Raton isn't a destination wine list, but it's a functional and fairly priced one that does its job without embarrassing the restaurant. If you're here for the steak, the wine program won't let you down — just know what you're walking into.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Boca Raton is a dependable choice if you want a proper glass of Napa Cab with your dry-aged ribeye and aren't going to sweat the markup. Just don't come here expecting discovery — this list is built for comfort, not adventure.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Boca Raton · Seafood
Send a friend here for the fish, not the wine. If you care at all about what's in your glass, pre-game at a wine bar down the street and just order water with dinner.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · New American / Health-focused
Farmer's Table isn't a wine destination, but the by-the-glass program is genuinely strong and the pricing is fair enough that you won't feel punished for ordering a second pour. Send a friend here? Yes — especially if they're already going for the food.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Italian
Josephine's is the kind of place where the wine list exists to complement a very good meal, not to be the reason you showed up — and that's fine, because it does its job without embarrassing itself. Send a friend here for a date night, just tell them to skip the obvious Napa Cab and dig a little deeper.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Italian
Armando's has a wine list that actually reflects the food it's serving — Italian-centric, solid by the glass, and wide enough to satisfy most tables. The markups are South Florida standard (read: steep), but the selection quality keeps this squarely in reliable territory.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alpharetta · Alpharetta · Modern Italian
Colletta's wine list punches well above its suburban strip-mall expectations — an all-Italian program with genuine depth in whites and a sparkling section worth lingering over. The markup is honest, the by-the-glass count is generous, and the producers skew toward the interesting rather than the obvious. If you're eating here, skip the red and let the white Italian side of the list do the work.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New Haven · Modern Italian
Casanova's wine list is doing the quiet work well — Italian-forward, fairly priced, and broader than its 55-label count suggests. Send a friend here knowing they won't get gouged and won't be bored.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northside / Downtown edge · Iowa City · Modern Italian
Basta isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't need to be — it's a fun downtown Italian spot with a reliable-enough list and one of the best recurring happy hour deals in Iowa City. Show up between 4 and 6, drink the Soave, eat the pizza, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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