Breadsticks Win. Wine Does Not.
Multiple Plano corridors · Plano · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Plano’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 as a laminated insert tucked behind the pasta options, which tells you everything you need to know about the priority hierarchy here. Thirty-eight labels sounds ambitious until you realize most of them are built for the guest who just wants something red and inoffensive with their Tour of Italy. There's a Bertani Amarone and a Col d'Orcia Brunello lurking at the back, which is either a pleasant surprise or a hostage situation depending on how you look at it.
The list leans Italian, which at least makes geographic sense — you'll find Prosecco, Tuscan reds, and Veneto representation including that Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella. But the bulk of the real estate belongs to house pours and recognizable crowd-pleasers like Cabit Cabernet, the kind of wine that exists primarily to be inoffensive. The Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino is a legitimately serious bottle that has no business sitting on the same list as unlimited breadstick promotions, and the markup on top-end bottles running $65–$100 means you're paying chain-restaurant rent on wines that deserve a better neighborhood. There are no real deep-cuts, no interesting grower Proseccos, no small-production anything — just a safe, predictable roster that won't offend and won't excite.
Thirty-five by-the-glass options is a staggering number for a chain that also sells Never Ending Pasta, but quantity is doing a lot of work here that quality is not. The Zonin Prosecco shows up as the sparkling option, which is fine for a Tuesday but nothing to plan around. The $2.50 upcharge for a 9 oz pour is a reasonable move if you want more glass without committing to a bottle — just don't expect the pour to be temperature-controlled.
Zonin Prosecco — N/A — glass price not fully verified
It's not a complex Prosecco, but it's the most honest thing on the list — light, fizzy, and it actually works with the fried calamari without asking too much of anyone.
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella
Nobody comes to Olive Garden for Amarone, which is exactly why you should order it if you're going anyway. Bertani is a legitimate Veneto producer and the Amarone is a real wine — dried-grape-concentrated, structured, and worth exploring even if the surroundings are a little fluorescent.
Cabit Cabernet
This is the wine equivalent of the house salad — it exists, it's there, but you're paying chain markup on a bottle you could grab at a grocery store for a fraction of the price. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing right about the value.
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella + Lasagna Classico
Amarone's richness and dried-fruit depth can actually stand up to the meat and cheese weight of the Lasagna Classico without getting lost. It's an absurdly overqualified pairing for the setting, but sometimes that's the point.
The Bottom Line
The Col d'Orcia Brunello and Bertani Amarone suggest someone, somewhere, tried — but the surrounding list is chain-restaurant autopilot and the markups don't reward your loyalty. Order the breadsticks, nurse the Amarone, and keep your expectations exactly where the laminated menu set them.
· Plano · American Steakhouse Grille
What we have here is a six-bottle wine dinner roster masquerading as a wine program — and every one of those bottles comes from the same producer family. That's not a wine list, that's a sponsorship. Until Del Frisco's Grille Plano puts actual curation into its wine program, we'd suggest leaning into the cocktail menu instead.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Plano · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Plano isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend otherwise — but that all-day $6 happy hour on South American wines, anchored by solid producers like Alamos and Calina, gives the list a practical generosity that earns it some respect. If you're here for the churrasco experience, the Catena Malbec at $12 is your move. Wine enthusiasts should calibrate expectations accordingly, but nobody's walking away feeling gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Del Frisco's Plano delivers a wine list that does its job without doing anything exciting — it's competent, recognizable, and priced for a room where the company card is doing the heavy lifting. If you're here for the steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass you, the list handles that. If you're here to drink well on your own dime, the markup will sting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Legacy West · Plano · Italian
Taverna – Legacy West is a solid Italian restaurant with a wine program that reflects its roots in northern Italy — if you stick to the regional Italian selections, you're probably in good shape. We'd love more transparency on pricing and pour options before giving it a stronger endorsement, but for Legacy West, this clears the bar comfortably. Go for the branzino and ask your server what's drinking well from the Piedmont section.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · New American
The Mercury is a safe, competent wine list for a polished New American in Plano — you won't be stuck drinking something bad, but you probably won't discover anything new either. If you're here, the Allegrini Ripasso is worth the detour from the obvious picks, and we'd skip the Moët unless someone else is paying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Healthy New American
Flower Child's wine program exists in name only — six unnamed pours between $9 and $10 tell you exactly how much thought went into this. If you're here for the grain bowls and good vibes, great. If you want to drink wine with intention, you're in the wrong place. Order a sparkling water and move on.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hartford · Italian-American
Carbone's Hartford punches above its weight on Italian whites and Champagne — the Greco di Tufo, the Etna Bianco, and the Suavia 'Massifitti' are exactly the kind of picks that separate a real wine list from a prop. Markup runs steep in spots (that Livio Felluga isn't doing anyone favors), and the by-the-glass program leaves some of the best bottles stranded on the bottle-only list. Come for the Italian-American classics, bring a table of four, and split something interesting from the whites.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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