Italian Neighborhood Gem With a Wednesday Secret
Park Avenue · Rochester · Italian
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olio & Ivy’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Olio & Ivy lands with the comfortable warmth of a neighborhood Italian spot that actually cares about its wine list — at least regionally. The focus on Italy, Finger Lakes, Sicily, Tuscany, and Piedmont signals real intention, even if the execution leans toward crowd-pleasing labels over genuine discovery.
The regional anchoring is the strongest thing going here — Italian and Finger Lakes wines are a smart pairing for Rochester, and leaning into Sicily, Tuscany, and Piedmont gives the list some backbone. The problem is the bottles we can verify skew heavily toward big American commercial names: Cakebread, La Crema, Meiomi, Duckhorn. That's not a wine list with a point of view, that's a wine list with a distributor. We'd love to see the Italian side carry more of the load and push past the safe harbor of familiar labels.
We don't have a confirmed glass pour count or rotation, which is frustrating for a restaurant that markets itself on its wine program. What we can say is that with a list leaning this commercial, the by-the-glass program is unlikely to surprise you — but Wednesday changes the math entirely, which we'll get to.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley 2021 — $65
At 71% over retail, this is the most fairly priced bottle we can verify on the list. It's a crowd-pleaser, sure, but it's a well-made one — and on a Wednesday, that $65 becomes $32.50, which is a genuinely good deal for Napa Chardonnay.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2021
Most people overlook Washington State on an Italian restaurant list, and that works in your favor. At $42 it's the lowest price point on the verified list, and Ste. Michelle's Columbia Valley Cab punches well above its weight — structured, dark-fruited, and a better match for a rich pasta or wood-fired meat than most people expect.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2023
A 100% markup on a bottle you can grab at any grocery store for $18 is a tough ask. Kim Crawford is fine wine — nobody's saying otherwise — but there's no reason to pay $36 for it at a restaurant when the list presumably has more interesting Italian whites at similar prices.
La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2022 + Wood-fired pizza
La Crema's Sonoma Coast Pinot is bright and acid-forward with enough red fruit to hold up to tomato sauce and char from the wood fire without overpowering the pizza. It's a safe call that actually works.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine all day and night every Wednesday.
The Bottom Line
Olio & Ivy is a genuinely pleasant neighborhood Italian spot with a wine list that leans too commercial for its own good — but Wednesday half-price bottles all day long makes almost any bottle worth ordering. Go on a Wednesday, order Italian if they have it, and enjoy Park Avenue.
Village Gate / NOTA · Rochester · Farm-to-Table / New American
Lento isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its list is thoughtful enough that it kind of becomes one by accident — especially if you care about Finger Lakes wines in their natural habitat. Send your friends here, let them order the Duck Confit, and point them toward the Cab Franc.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pittsford · Rochester · Refined Seasonal American with Wood-Fired Pizzas
jojo Pittsford is the kind of wine program that makes you want to cancel your dinner reservation somewhere else. For a bistro in suburban Rochester, this list is genuinely exciting — send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
East Avenue / Winton · Rochester · Traditional Italian
Ristorante Lucano is a reliable Italian dinner with a wine list that doesn't embarrass itself — Italy-focused, anchored by classics, a bit overpriced but not offensively so. Send a friend here for a date night with the instruction to order the Barolo and not overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pittsford Plaza · Rochester · Sushi and Japanese-inspired contemporary dining
Next Door is a Wild Card in the best sense: a grocery chain's restaurant with genuine wine ambition and a beverage program that earns more than a dismissive eye-roll. The markups will sting and the by-the-glass program needs more visibility, but the bones are here — and the wine pairing dinners featuring Château d'Yquem prove someone in the building actually cares.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Corn Hill · Rochester · Wine Bar / New American
Flight is exactly what Rochester needed and didn't know it had — a real wine program in an unexpected zip code, with Wednesday half-price bottles that make an already fair list even easier to love. Send your wine-curious friends here before it gets too crowded to get a table.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Neighborhood of the Arts · Rochester · Urban winery tasting room with small plates and charcuterie
Living Roots is one of Rochester's more original wine experiences — a dual-continent estate poured by people who actually know what they're talking about, at prices that don't punish curiosity. If you want a broad global list, go somewhere else; if you want a focused, well-executed tasting room with a genuine story, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· 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
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