Breadsticks Win. The Wine Does Not.
Westdale · Cedar Rapids · Italian-American
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — 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 arrives as a laminated insert tucked inside a menu that's mostly focused on selling you a Never Ending Pasta Bowl. It reads exactly like what it is: a corporate document designed to move familiar labels at comfortable margins, not to make you think too hard about what's in your glass.
The list leans heavily on California workhorses — Meiomi, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Starborough — with a handful of branded Italian-ish options thrown in to justify the red-checkered tablecloth energy. There's no real depth here, no regional Italian exploration worth noting, and nothing that would make a curious wine drinker lean forward. The Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico is the lone bottle that has any business being on a list calling itself Italian. Everything else is grocery store shelf fodder dressed up in a breadstick basket.
You're looking at roughly 8–12 options by the glass, priced in the $8–$12 range, which sounds reasonable until you realize the bottles behind them retail for $11–$18. The rotation is national and static — don't expect anything seasonal or surprising to show up. Pour sizes are standard, and the glass program exists to keep things moving, not to give you an interesting drinking experience.
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG — $29.25
At an 83% markup over retail it's still steep by any honest measure, but it's the most legitimate wine on the list — a real DOCG Chianti from a Castellina-based producer with actual Italian bona fides. Relative to everything else here, it's the only bottle doing its job.
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG
Most tables at Olive Garden are ordering Meiomi or the house red without a second thought. This Chianti Classico sits quietly at the bottom of the list and is the only wine that actually connects to the Italian food heritage the restaurant keeps gesturing at. Order it and feel marginally better about your evening.
Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
A 153% markup on a $10.99 retail bottle is the clearest sign this list doesn't respect your wallet. This is a supermarket Cab that belongs in a $15 bin, not on a restaurant list at $27.75. It's not bad wine — it's just a bad deal, and there's no reason to order it here.
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG + Tour of Italy
The Chianti's acidity and light tannin structure cut through the lasagna's béchamel, hold up to the chicken parmigiana's tomato sauce, and don't get steamrolled by the fettuccine Alfredo. It's the one combination on this menu where the wine is actually doing something useful.
The Bottom Line
Olive Garden Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it never pretended to be, and that's fine. But if you're sitting down here, order the Chianti, skip the Mondavi Cab, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere that cares.
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Italian
Biaggi's isn't a wine destination, but the Italian-forward list does enough right that you can drink well if you know where to look. Stick to the Italian bottles, avoid the obvious crowd-pleasers, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Upscale Steakhouse / Fine Dining American
Midtown Reserve is doing more with wine than anyone in Cedar Rapids has a right to expect, with a list that actually has some range and genuine finds if you look past the house pours. The markups are real and the glass program plays it safe, but for a serious dinner in Iowa, this is absolutely where you want to be drinking.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
NewBo · Cedar Rapids · Steakhouse / Butcher Restaurant
Butcher's Block is a reliable steakhouse wine list that does exactly what it's supposed to — get Napa Cab on the table with a great piece of beef. It won't excite the adventurous drinker, and the markups sting a little, but if you're here for the meat, the wine will do its job.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Czech Village · Cedar Rapids · Pub food and American
Parlor City is a genuinely fun neighborhood pub, and the daily happy hour makes the wine situation tolerable — half-price Moscato d'Asti at 4pm is a perfectly fine life choice. But if wine is your priority tonight, this isn't your stop.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · American / Brewpub
Granite City is a perfectly fine place to drink a pint brewed on-site — that's genuinely the move here. The wine list exists as a formality, not an invitation, and the markups on grocery-store bottles aren't doing anyone any favors.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · Sports Bar
Buffalo Wild Wings Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it's a sports bar that technically serves wine the way a gas station technically sells food. Order a beer, enjoy the wings, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else in Cedar Rapids.
Grocery Store
Steep
Red Flag
MIA
Set & Forget
Hot Mess
Ocean Casino Resort · Atlantic City · Italian-American
Superfrico is a reliable wine program in a setting designed to get you to spend money — and it mostly delivers without being a total shakedown. Send a friend here for a fun night, not a wine education.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Broadway · Saratoga Springs · Italian-American
Come to Wheatfields for the house-made pasta — it earns its reputation. But the wine list is a lazy lineup of commercial brands at steep markups, and no one on staff is going to steer you toward anything interesting. Grab a glass of Prosecco during happy hour (50% off Monday through Friday, 3-7pm) and redirect your wine energy somewhere else in town.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Broadway · Idaho Falls · Italian-American
This is the wine list equivalent of unlimited breadsticks — comforting, familiar, and not something you'd brag about to anyone. Come for the pasta, order a cocktail, or bring your own bottle if they'll let you.
Crowd Pleasers
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
