Italy's Greatest Hits, Served On Melrose
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Osteria Mozza’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Osteria Mozza lands on the table like a small Italian novel — dense, serious, and clearly written by someone who cares deeply about the peninsula. This isn't a list curated to please; it's a list curated to educate, challenge, and occasionally stun. Nancy Silverton's kitchen gets all the press, but the wine program earns its own headline.
Six to eight hundred selections anchored almost entirely in Italy — and that's not a limitation, it's a thesis statement. Piedmont alone could occupy an entire evening: Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja covering Barolo and Barbaresco across multiple vintages. Tuscany keeps pace with Biondi-Santi and Soldera representing Brunello at its most serious, Sassicaia and Ornellaia flying the Super Tuscan flag, and Fontodi and Isole e Olena doing honest work in Chianti Classico. The Friulian whites — Livio Felluga, Marco Felluga — are a quiet flex for anyone paying attention to the northern reaches of the boot.
Around twenty to thirty options by the glass with prices running $16 to $40, which is aggressive but in line with the room's ambitions. The selection rotates with enough Italian regional depth that you're not stuck choosing between Pinot Grigio and Chianti like it's 2003. A knowledgeable floor team — Josh Wibbenmeyer, Melissa Kunde, and Erika Parjus among them — can actually walk you through what's worth pouring tonight.
Fontodi Chianti Classico — $65
On a list that trends toward triple-digit Barolos and Brunellos, Fontodi's Chianti Classico is where the list quietly over-delivers — serious Sangiovese from one of the appellation's benchmark estates, at a price that doesn't require a conversation with your accountant.
Livio Felluga Friulian White
Everyone's chasing the Barolo section and missing the Friulian whites entirely. Livio Felluga makes some of the most food-friendly, texturally compelling whites in Italy, and on a list this meat-and-pasta-forward, they're the smartest order in the room.
Sassicaia
A great wine — no argument there — but Sassicaia is the most recognized Super Tuscan on the planet, and restaurant markup on icon bottles at this tier is reliably punishing. You're paying for the name as much as the wine. Dig deeper into the list and your money works harder.
Dal Forno Romano Amarone + Beef tagliata
Dal Forno's Amarone is a massive, concentrated wine that needs something with equal structural weight to meet it — the beef tagliata's char and richness are exactly that match. It's a big call, but this is the kind of pairing this list was built for.
The Bottom Line
Osteria Mozza holds a Best of Award of Excellence for good reason — this is one of the most coherent, deeply sourced Italian wine programs in Los Angeles, staffed by people who actually know what's on the list. The markup stings, but when the wines are this good and this carefully chosen, you're paying for access to a serious cellar, not just a restaurant wine list.
· Los Angeles · California small plates
If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood
Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse
Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café
Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta
Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · French tasting menu
Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Lincoln · Italian
Lincoln Ristorante is doing something genuinely unusual: running a wine list in central Nebraska that would hold its own in most major American cities. The Italian focus is deep and well-curated, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the pricing — particularly on the reds — is fair enough that you won't feel punished for ordering well. If you're in Lincoln and you care about wine, this is the only room that answers that call.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jersey City · Jersey City · Italian
Il Tavolo isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a reliable Italian spot with fair pours, sensible pricing, and enough range to keep the table happy. If you're in Jersey City and want a glass of Chianti that won't cost you a car payment, this is a safe and honest bet.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · Italian
Sorellina has done something genuinely weird here — built an all-dessert-wine list and committed to it fully, with enough range and producer credibility to make it worth taking seriously. If you are coming here expecting a broad Italian bottle list to drink through dinner, adjust your expectations before you walk in. But if you want to spend an evening exploring Italian sweet wines poured by the glass at prices that do not insult you, this is one of the more interesting niche programs in the area.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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