Canton Street's Italian wine anchor swings hard
Roswell · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Osteria Mattone’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list lands with the same energy as the room — warm brick walls, soft lighting, and an Italian focus that actually means something. This isn't a generic 'Chianti and Pinot Grigio' Italian spot; there's real intention here, from Barolo down to a well-chosen Sicilian red. Wine Spectator has handed them an Award of Excellence every year since 2014, and you can see why within the first few pages.
The list runs 150-250 bottles and stays almost entirely Italian, which is exactly the right call for a place named after a brick wall. Piedmont is treated seriously — Fontanafredda Barolo and Vietti Barbera d'Asti anchor the north — while Tuscany gets the full spread: Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone, and the crowd-pleasing Super Tuscans Sassicaia and Tignanello for when someone at the table wants to flex. The Alto Adige Pinot Grigio and Gavi di Gavi show they're paying attention to lighter Italian whites beyond the obvious. The one gap: if you're looking for something outside Italy, your options are slim, but honestly, lean in — that's the point.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a generous range for a neighborhood spot, priced $10–$18, and the selection skews Italian throughout. Expect to find at least one Chianti, a Prosecco, and a northern white or two in the rotation. Wednesday half-price wine night makes the glass program genuinely dangerous — $5–$9 pours of decent Italian juice is a hard deal to argue with.
Planeta La Segreta Il Rosso 2022 — $45
Planeta's La Segreta blend from Sicily — Nero d'Avola, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc — consistently retails around $14-16, so $45 is about average restaurant markup. But the wine itself punches well above its weight: dark fruit, a little spice, and enough structure to handle a full dinner. It's the move when you want something interesting without committing to a $95 Barolo.
Vietti Barbera d'Asti 2020
Most people scroll past Barbera because Barolo is right there on the list and feels more impressive to say out loud. Don't. Vietti is one of the benchmark Piedmont producers, and their Barbera d'Asti is all cherry and savory depth with brighter acidity than Barolo — which actually makes it better with pasta and short rib ravioli. At $65 it's the smartest Piedmont bottle on the list.
La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021
La Crema is a fine, widely-distributed Pinot Noir — you can find it at any grocery store for around $20-22. At $60 here you're paying triple retail for a wine that has no business being the wine you remember from a great Italian dinner. Order almost anything else.
Fontanafredda Barolo 2019 + Short rib ravioli
Barolo's high tannin and dried cherry character want something rich and meaty to push against — braised short rib stuffed into fresh pasta is exactly that. The 2019 vintage was warm in Piedmont, meaning the tannins are a touch rounder than usual, which makes it more accessible with dinner rather than something you need to cellar for a decade first.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles on Wednesdays — the single best reason to eat Italian on a weeknight in Roswell.
The Bottom Line
Osteria Mattone is the best Italian wine list in Roswell and probably the most honest one in the northern suburbs — deep enough on Italy to feel real, priced fairly enough that you won't wince at the check. Go on a Wednesday and you'll leave wondering why you ever pay full price for wine.
Alpharetta · Roswell · Steakhouse/Seafood
Ray's at Killer Creek is a reliable steakhouse wine program — not exciting, probably priced to favor the house, but functional and well-matched to the room it's serving. The Tuesday half-price wine night is the real move here: a polished steakhouse atmosphere with a Napa Cab at half the markup is a solid Tuesday in anyone's book. Go for the filet, drink on a Tuesday, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Roswell · Southern/New American
The Southern Porch isn't a destination wine list, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is worth something. Fair prices, full glass availability, and a room that makes you want to linger are a reasonable trade for a short, crowd-pleasing selection. Send a friend here if they want a glass of something easy with their pimento cheese; send a wine-obsessed friend somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Roswell · Southern/New American
The Mill Kitchen & Bar earns its Wild Card badge by doing something genuinely unexpected: running an Enomatic wine system with a structured flight program out of a Southern restaurant in the suburbs. The list is small and the markups are real, but the storage is handled right and the flight concept gives curious drinkers a low-commitment way to explore. If you're in Roswell and want more than a generic house pour, this is worth a detour — just budget accordingly.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
· Roswell · Wine bar/Bottle shop
Cork Haus Roswell is a genuine surprise in the suburban Atlanta wine landscape — a small, focused bottle shop with a buying philosophy that favors interesting over obvious. The natural wine and pét-nat selection alone makes it worth a detour. If you live anywhere near Roswell and you're tired of the same Napa Cab at every restaurant in town, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Roswell · Steakhouse
Little Alley Steak has built a genuinely impressive Champagne program — uncommon for a suburban steakhouse — and the depth from Collet up through Cristal gives serious wine drinkers something to work with. The markups are real and the still wine program doesn't match the ambition of the sparkling section, but if you're here to pop bottles with a ribeye, there are worse places to do it. Order the Crémant, save your money, and let someone else pay for the Veuve.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Roswell · Spanish/Wine Bar
Barcelona Wine Bar is doing something genuinely unusual for Roswell: running a 47-bottle all-by-the-glass program with real range, fair markups, and a clear Spanish identity that doesn't calcify into predictability. We don't have visibility into food menu specifics or service consistency, but on the wine list alone, this earns a visit. Come thirsty and order something you've never heard of.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Nino's wine list is exactly what it looks like: a dependable, crowd-pleasing selection built for guests who want something familiar with their chicken piccata. The pricing runs steep in places — Korbel at $50 is hard to defend — but the Italian whites, especially the Gavi options, show that someone put at least some thought into this. Send a friend here if they want a comfortable, no-surprises dinner; don't send them if they're hunting for value or discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Inman Park · Atlanta · Italian
Amore e Amore earns its stripes as a reliable neighborhood Italian spot where the atmosphere is the main event. If you're coming for a celebration dinner, you'll likely have a great time — just go in knowing the wine list hasn't been independently confirmed to be anything exceptional. Check the menu online before you go if wine is a priority, and when in doubt, ask your server what's Italian and under $60.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian
An Italian list dated 06.17.26 with 18 glass pours at 15 to 19 and full bottles from 60 to 970. Start with the Barbera d’Alba La Gemella at 15 a glass, or the Fontanavecchia Aglianico del Taburno from the chef’s Campania hometown at 17, and confirm prices because the list says they are subject to change. 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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