Unlimited Breadsticks, Limited Wine Ambition
Columbia Center / N Columbia Center Blvd · Kennewick · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Kennewick’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives tucked inside a laminated folder next to the dessert menu, and that tells you everything. Twenty-something bottles, almost all Italian or Californian, skewing heavily toward names you'd find at a grocery store end cap. There's no pretense here — and honestly, no effort either.
The list leans on workhorse Italian producers like Cavit, Ecco Domani, and Ruffino — brands built for volume, not conversation. You'll find a Dario Bigi Orvieto Classico that's actually a decent representation of central Italy, but it sits alongside the kind of mass-market Pinot Grigio that has done more damage to Italian wine's reputation than anything else. California gets a nod with the Il Briccone Pinot Noir, but don't expect anything that challenges or surprises. The list plays it safe at every turn, with zero regional exploration beyond the obvious and no sign that anyone curated this with any particular diner in mind.
Eight to twelve pours by the glass, running $8–$15, which sounds reasonable until you realize these are bottles retailing for $8–$12 at your nearest Total Wine. The rotation doesn't rotate — what's on the menu today is what was on the menu six months ago. You're paying chain-restaurant markup for supermarket wine in a stemmed glass, which is at least better than stemless.
Dario Bigi Orvieto Classico — $9
Of everything on this list, the Orvieto is the one bottle that actually reflects where it comes from. Crisp, dry, and honest — it's the most legitimate Italian wine on the menu and probably the lowest-profile pick at the table.
Dario Bigi Orvieto Classico
Nobody at Olive Garden is ordering Orvieto. They're all getting the Pinot Grigio out of habit. That's a mistake. This is a wine with actual regional identity, and it quietly outperforms everything around it on this list.
Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
This is a $9 retail bottle showing up at chain markup prices. It's watery, it's anonymous, and it's the default order for people who aren't paying attention. You can do better — even on this list.
Ruffino Chianti + Lasagna Classico
Chianti and red-sauce pasta is not a revelation, but it works because it works. The Ruffino has enough acidity to cut through the richness of the meat and béchamel, and it's the one moment on this list where the wine and food actually make sense together.
❌ The Bottom Line
Olive Garden Kennewick is not a wine destination — it's a place you drink whatever keeps the breadsticks company. If someone in your group is serious about wine, order the Orvieto and manage your expectations; everyone else should probably just get the Sangria.
Columbia Center area · Kennewick · Steakhouse
Outback's wine list exists to check a box, not to elevate your dinner. If you're in Kennewick and want to actually drink well with your steak, you're a short drive from some of Washington's best wine country — don't let this list be your introduction to it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Columbia Center / N Columbia Center Blvd · Kennewick · Seafood
Red Lobster's wine list exists to give you something to drink while you wait for the Cheddar Bay Biscuits — and that's about as far as its ambition goes. Order the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, enjoy the biscuits, and don't look at the list too hard.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Kennewick · Kennewick · Pub / Gastropub
The Crown Pub is a genuine wild card — a Columbia Basin pub that somehow assembled a credible New Zealand sparkling and Central Otago program worth talking about. The markups aren't a gift, but the list has a real identity, and that counts for a lot in a market where most wine lists are an afterthought.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Columbia Park / Columbia River Waterfront · Kennewick · American Steak and Seafood
Cedars is a solid neighborhood anchor that leans on its Columbia Valley backyard without really exploring it — the wine list is dependable but leaves you wishing they'd push even 10% harder into the region's real depth. Send a friend here for a good steak and a glass of local Cab, not for a wine-first experience.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Columbia Center / W Canal Dr corridor · Kennewick · Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria)
Boiada is doing something genuinely interesting for a Brazilian steakhouse in Eastern Washington — leaning hard into local wines, running a real winemaker dinner program, and pricing fairly enough that you don't feel like the wine list is the second hustle. If you're in the Tri-Cities and eating rodízio, you could do a lot worse than a bottle of Col Solare on a Wednesday at half price.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Kennewick Suburbs · Kennewick · Deli
This isn't a wine destination — it's a neighborhood deli that happens to stock some genuinely solid Washington bottles at prices that would make a restaurant wine director weep. If you're in Kennewick and need a bottle tonight, you could do a lot worse than walking out of here with a Tamarack or a Kiona.
Plays It Safe
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miller Hill · Duluth · Italian
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.
Plays It Safe
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
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