Solid Italian anchor in a sea of mediocrity
Downtown · Colorado Springs · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Paravicini's reads like a greatest hits album you've heard a hundred times — recognizable names, safe picks, and nothing that's going to surprise you. It's a 60-100 bottle list that leans into its Italian identity without going very deep on it. You know exactly what you're getting before you even sit down.
The list splits its attention between Italy and California, which makes sense for the cuisine but limits the ceiling. Antinori shows up as the Italian anchor, which is a legitimate producer and a smart call — but you want more of that energy and less Meiomi. The California side leans heavily on commercial crowd-pleasers rather than anything with a sense of place or ambition. There are no real surprises here — no grower Champagnes sneaking in, no skin-contact Friulano, nothing from southern Italy's increasingly exciting producers.
Eight to fourteen options by the glass is a workable spread for a neighborhood Italian spot. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio will inevitably anchor the white side — it's fine, it's safe, and a lot of people will order it. We'd push for more rotation and at least one Italian red by the glass that isn't Chianti, but what's here covers the table.
Antinori Chianti Classico — null
Antinori is a name you can trust, and Chianti Classico is the right call with housemade pasta or chicken piccata. It's the most credible bottle on the list and the one most likely to actually match what you're eating.
Antinori Chianti Classico
In a list dominated by California comfort picks, the Antinori is doing the heavy lifting for Old World credibility. Most tables at a Colorado Springs Italian joint are reaching for the Meiomi — don't be that table.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Meiomi is a $13 retail bottle. At restaurant markup it becomes a value trap — you're paying a premium for something designed for mass-market grocery shelves, not a night out at an Italian bistro. Pass.
Antinori Chianti Classico + Housemade Pasta
Sangiovese and tomato-based pasta is one of the most intuitive combinations in Italian cooking — the wine's acidity cuts right through the sauce and the earthiness holds up to whatever's in the bowl.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Paravicini's won't blow your mind on the wine front, but it won't embarrass itself either. Grab the Antinori, order the pasta, and keep your expectations calibrated to what this list is trying to be.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wooster Square · New Haven · Italian
Tre Scalini is the rare neighborhood Italian that backs up a serious room with a serious wine list — 425 bottles, a sommelier, and real Italian depth all say someone's paying attention. Markups run steep on the prestige stuff, but value is absolutely findable if you know where to look.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Greene · Dayton · Italian
Bravo is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be — but Wednesday nights at the bar with $7 pours of Ruffino Chianti and a pasta dish is genuinely a decent night out in Beavercreek. Skip the wine list the other six nights unless you're okay paying chain markups for supermarket bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.