Wine Spectator hardware, a sommelier forged at The Modern, and Italy from Friuli to Sicily
Roswell · Atlanta · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed February 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Osteria Mattone holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since opening in 2013 and backs it up with roughly 180 selections and 1,500 bottles on site. Wine director Daniel Pernice trained at Danny Meyer's The Modern in New York during its James Beard Outstanding Wine Program run. He came home to Roswell and built the Italian wine list this city did not know it needed. If you care about Italian wine, this is a destination.
The list covers Italy from Friuli to Sicily with the kind of depth that makes you forget you are OTP. Piedmont is properly represented with GD Vajra Albe Barolo anchoring the premium tier. Friuli shows up via Ronchi di Cialla Ribolla Gialla — a varietal most Roswell diners have never encountered. Tuscany delivers Chianti Classico Riserva and Antinori blends. Puglia, Abruzzo, Sardinia, and Campania all get their moments. Pernice champions lesser-known Italian regions with real conviction, and a Sommelier's Thoughts sidebar on the menu helps guests navigate unfamiliar territory. Smart Champagne and New World picks round out the edges without diluting the Italian core.
Twenty-two wines by the glass priced from $13 to $25 span sparkling, white, rosé, and red with genuine range. The $25 GD Vajra Barolo by the glass is the crown jewel — you rarely see Barolo poured by the glass outside of major cities. Whites run from a $13 Centopassi Giato Bianco to a $17 Hess Panthera Chardonnay. The Aperitivo Happy Hour drops select glasses to $9 during the first two hours at the bar daily, making this one of the best wine happy hours in metro Atlanta.
Li Veli Orion Primitivo — $14/glass
Puglia's answer to old-vine Zinfandel at a price that makes zero sense for the quality. Rich, ripe, and loaded with dark cherry. Order this with any red-sauce pasta and feel like you just outsmarted the menu.
Ronchi di Cialla Ribolla Gialla
A $16 glass of Friulian white that most Americans cannot pronounce and fewer have tasted. Floral, textured, and built for the restaurant's seafood antipasti. This is Pernice showing you what Italian white wine can be beyond Pinot Grigio.
Hess Panthera Chardonnay
A fine California Chardonnay but you did not come to Osteria Mattone to drink Russian River Valley. At $17 a glass you are in range of the Bramito della Sala from Umbria or the Sardinian Vermentino, both of which tell a better story at this table.
Tinazzi Valpolicella Ripasso + Tagliolini Bolognese
Pernice calls Ripasso the bridge wine for American drinkers exploring Italian reds and he is right. The dried-grape richness and gentle tannin of the Ripasso meet the slow-simmered Bolognese with the kind of harmony that makes you stop talking and just eat. This is the pairing that converts people.
Daily — Aperitivo Happy Hour at the bar — first two hours feature select glasses
🔥 The Bottom Line
Osteria Mattone is not just the best Italian wine program in Roswell — it is one of the best suburban Italian wine programs in the Southeast. The Wine Spectator hardware is earned, the sommelier has a pedigree that would play in Manhattan, and the by-the-glass program lets you explore Italy one pour at a time without breaking the bank. Roswell's wine identity starts here.
West Midtown · Atlanta · Alpine / European
Avize is doing something genuinely rare in Atlanta: building a short wine list with actual conviction, pointed straight at the corners of Europe that deserve more attention. If you eat here and don't order something you've never heard of, you're doing it wrong.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Contemporary American
By George is a fine place to drink wine if you know what you're walking into — a curated-but-safe list built for a stylish crowd that wants rosé and bubbles without friction. Come for the Crémant and the Tavel; don't expect to find anything that'll make you rethink your relationship with wine.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Gastropub / Rooftop
Nine Mile Station isn't a destination for wine nerds, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something cold and recognizable while the Atlanta skyline does the heavy lifting. Come for the view, drink the Crémant, ignore the Rombauer.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Wine Bar
Vin Atl is doing something most Atlanta wine bars aren't: curating a short list with genuine intention instead of padding it with safe bets. At these prices, it's worth a stop even if you only come for one bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Rooftop Bar / Small Plates
St. Julep is a place to drink wine, not a place to drink well. If you're here for the skyline and the scene, pour the rosé and enjoy it — just don't come expecting the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
BeltLine · Atlanta · Cocktail Bar with Kitchen
The James Room is a cocktail bar first and a wine destination never — but the list is competent enough to get you through a bottle without frustration. Come for the atmosphere, order the Cava or the Sancerre, and let the cocktail menu handle the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Toledo / Reynolds Corner · Toledo · Italian
There's one reason to come here for wine: Thursday. Half-price bottles on a standing weekly basis is a genuinely good deal, especially on the Santa Margherita. Any other night, the markups are steep and the list doesn't justify them.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Toledo/Monroe Street · Toledo · Italian
Carrabba's Toledo isn't a destination for wine — but it's not an embarrassment either. The Ruffino Chianti Classico alone earns its keep, and if you stick to the Italian side of the list, you'll drink reasonably well without drama.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
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.