Breadsticks Win, The Wine Does Not
Miller Hill · Duluth · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Duluth’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here is exactly what you'd expect from a laminated insert tucked behind the appetizer section — it's a corporate document, not a wine program. Thirty-something options, most of them names you'd find at a gas station wine rack, priced like they belong at a steakhouse. There is no local flavor, no curiosity, no attempt to surprise you.
The list leans Italian in name but not in spirit — you get Roscato Rosso Dolce, Straccali Chianti, and Kris Pinot Grigio doing the heavy lifting, alongside domestic crowd-pleasers like Robert Mondavi Private Selection and Meiomi Pinot Noir. The most interesting bottle on the shelf is probably the Rocca delle Macie SaSyr, a Sangiovese-Syrah blend that at least suggests someone at corporate HQ once thought about structure. Gaps are everywhere: no skin-contact wines, no sparkling worth mentioning, no regional exploration beyond what's already in every chain Italian restaurant in America. This list was designed by a committee, approved by a focus group, and hasn't been reconsidered since.
You're looking at 10 to 15 pours ranging from $7 to $12 a glass, which sounds reasonable until you do the bottle math and realize the markup is already baked in hard. The pour selection mirrors the bottle list — safe, sweet-leaning, and largely interchangeable. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking, no compelling reason to stray from water.
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico — $29.25
At 83% markup it's the least egregious bottle on the list, and it's an actual wine from an actual producer with some structure — drink it with the pasta and pretend you're somewhere else.
Rocca delle Macie SaSyr (Sangiovese/Syrah)
Most tables here are ordering Roscato and calling it a night. The SaSyr is the only wine on this list that has genuine personality — dark fruit, some grip — and most people walk right past it.
Beringer Merlot
At $26.25 a bottle for something that retails at $9.99, you're paying a 163% markup on a wine that has no business being on any restaurant list, let alone at this price. Order literally anything else.
Straccali Chianti + Chicken Alfredo
Chianti's acidity cuts through the cream sauce better than anything sweet on this list — it won't blow your mind but it'll keep the dish from feeling like a brick.
❌ The Bottom Line
Come for the never-ending pasta bowl and the breadsticks; the wine program is an afterthought that charges you for the privilege of being ignored. If you want a real glass of wine with dinner, this is not your night.
Woodland · Duluth · Pizza, American Grill
Bulldog Pizza & Grill is a perfectly good neighborhood pizza spot that has no business being evaluated for its wine program, because there isn't really one. Drink the beer, enjoy the pizza, and save your wine curiosity for a different night.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Canal Park · Duluth · Casual Italian / American
Green Mill is a solid pizza-and-a-beer kind of place, and the wine list knows it — it's not trying to be anything more than a functional afterthought. Send a friend here for deep dish and a cold drink, not for the wine.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fitger's Complex · Duluth · Hotel Restaurant / American
Lake Avenue Café shouldn't have a wine list this interesting — and that's exactly why you should pay attention to it. If you're passing through Duluth or staying at Fitger's, make a Wednesday reservation and work the half-price list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Lincoln Park · Duluth · Thai
Thai by Thai isn't here to impress a wine crowd, and that's completely fine — at $7 a glass and $27 a bottle, this is a no-stress, just-drink-something spot where the food is the reason you came anyway. Order the Kung Fu Girl Riesling, get the Drunken Noodle, and stop overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Duluth · Indian
India Palace is a genuinely solid spot for Indian food in Duluth, but the wine program is collecting dust. Steep markups, a California-only list that ignores everything that actually works with spiced cuisine, and zero signs of anyone caring enough to change it — order a mango lassi and save the wine for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chester Park / East Hillside · Duluth · Farm-to-table American, vegetarian-friendly
Sara's Table is a genuinely great neighborhood cafe, and the wine list is perfectly functional — just don't come here hoping to discover something new. If you want wine that won't fight your meal and won't empty your wallet entirely, it does the job; if wine is the point of your evening, you'll want to look elsewhere in Duluth.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Georgetown · Georgetown · Italian
Tony and Luigi's isn't a wine destination — it's a neighborhood Italian joint with a safe, functional list and a genuinely useful Wednesday half-price bottle deal that makes the steep everyday markups a lot easier to swallow. Come for the lasagna, come on a Wednesday, and order the Chianti.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Historic 25th Street · Ogden · Italian
Rovali's isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. If you want honest Italian food with a fair pour at a fair price in Ogden, this is your spot.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Champaign · Champaign · Italian
Napoli's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is honest, the prices are fair, and the Italian bottles genuinely complement the food. Send a friend here for dinner without hesitation; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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