Breadsticks Win, Wine List Does Not
Golden Mile · Frederick · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Frederick’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Olive Garden Frederick is exactly what you'd expect from a chain that treats wine as an afterthought — a laminated insert tucked behind the pasta specials. It's short, safe, and built entirely around names your aunt already knows. There's nothing here that will surprise you, and that's precisely the problem.
Twenty-five wines sounds reasonable until you realize nearly all of them are supermarket staples in restaurant clothing. The Italian representation leans hard on Ruffino Chianti and a couple of Pinot Grigios, while California fills the rest of the card with crowd-pleasing brands like Meiomi and Kendall-Jackson. There's no real regional depth, no small producers, nothing from southern Italy, nothing from Piedmont or the Veneto beyond the obvious. The list hasn't been curated so much as assembled from a corporate approved-vendor sheet.
Ten pours by the glass at $7–$12 is the core of what's on offer, and the range is essentially a greatest hits of grocery store wine. The pricing is where things get uncomfortable — Ecco Domani and Meiomi retail for under $15 a bottle, so even the lower end of the glass pricing starts to feel like a squeeze. Rotation appears nonexistent; this is a static list with no seasonal movement.
Ruffino Chianti — $8
It's not exciting, but Ruffino Chianti is a legitimate Sangiovese with enough acidity to cut through a cream sauce. At the lower end of the glass price range, it's the most honest wine on the menu — at least it tastes like the country it claims to represent.
Roscato Rosso Dolce
Most people ordering this probably don't realize it's a semi-sweet red, but if you're sharing a table with someone who finds dry wine 'too bitter,' this is your peace treaty. It's not serious wine, but it's a better fit for the sweet-leaning dishes on this menu than a lot of the drier options here.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita retails around $20–$22 a bottle and has coasted on its reputation for decades. At chain restaurant markup, you're paying a significant premium for a wine that stopped being interesting sometime around 2005. Grab the Ecco Domani if you need a Pinot Grigio fix and spend the difference on dessert.
Ruffino Chianti + Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Sangiovese's natural acidity and moderate tannin do actual work against the fat and richness of a baked five-cheese pasta. It's not a revelatory pairing, but it's the most functionally sound combination on the menu — the wine cuts through where most others on this list would just disappear.
The Bottom Line
If you're here for the Chicken Alfredo and unlimited breadsticks, that's a completely defensible life choice — but the wine list is not a reason to come. Order the Chianti, keep it to one glass, and let the food carry the evening.
· Frederick · American Tavern
The Urbana Lodge isn't trying to be a wine destination and it knows it — but the pricing is honest, the by-the-glass selection is genuinely broad, and the Boordy Riesling alone earns it a second look. Bring someone who wants a glass of something familiar and won't complain about the lack of a Côtes du Rhône.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Frederick · Italian / Wine Bar
Vesuvius is doing something genuinely unusual: a flat $8-a-glass format with a list full of Southern Italian varietals most diners have never tried. It's not a deep cellar or a fine dining program, but the value-to-curiosity ratio here is almost unfair.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Frederick · Frederick · Wine Bar
If you've never had Black Ankle and you're anywhere near Frederick, this is the easiest yes we can give you — a rare chance to taste one of Maryland's genuinely great producers in a focused, unpretentious setting. The single-producer format is a limitation, but when the producer is this good, it barely matters.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Westview / Buckeystown Pike · Frederick · Peruvian
Mayta's isn't a wine destination, but Wine Down Wednesday makes it a genuinely fun, affordable place to eat and drink well enough. Come for the Lomo Saltado, grab the Malbec at half price, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Route 85 corridor · Frederick · Japanese
Miyako's wine list exists to check a box, and it does that — nothing more. Order the sake, order a cocktail, or make peace with a Canyon Road pour and focus on the hibachi show.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Frederick · Frederick · Mediterranean / Meze
Ayse is the kind of place that surprises you — a Frederick meze lounge with a genuinely considered Italian-leaning wine list that punches above its weight class, even if markups and a static program hold it back from true greatness. Send a friend here, but tell them to skip the Amarone and ask for the Moschofilero.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Kansas City · Kansas City · Italian-American
A glass list that fits an Italian menu: 24 wines from $8 to $13, with Barolo, Amarone and Brunello available by the bottle. Start with the $8 Capasoldo Pinot Grigio, or the $13 Banfi Chianti Riserva if you are ordering the Veal Parmigiana, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Old Mill District · Bend · Italian-American
This is a pasta-house list with a wide Italian and Oregon spread: bottles start at $36 and 14 wines come by the glass. Start with the Pastini Rosso at $9.25 for 6oz or the La Quercia Montepulciano at $10, and save Elk Cove ($60) for when you want to splurge on a Willamette Pinot. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list is undated, so confirm what is available.
Brady Street · Milwaukee · Italian-American
A friendly, easy list for a pasta-and-pizza room: 19 pours by the glass from $7 to $13, plus bottles from $36 to $90. Start with the $7 Wollersheim Prairie Fumé, or get the $10 Banfi Chianti Superiore with a bowl of Pomodoro, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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