Great Room, Wine List Needs Work
Back Bay · Boston · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Piattini’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Piattini on Newbury Street, the Italian enoteca energy is real — small plates, warm lighting, the whole thing. Then you open the wine list and it starts strong: 100-plus bottles, heavy Italian focus, some serious names scattered throughout. But flip a few pages and the cracks show fast.
The Italian backbone here is genuinely solid — Antinori Solaia, Brunello di Montalcino from Colombini, Barolo from Ca'Viola, and Allegrini Amarone give the list real credibility at the top end. The problem is the middle and entry tiers, which lean on grocery-store stalwarts like Josh Cellars Chardonnay and Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon — bottles you can grab at Stop & Shop for $14 and $18, respectively, being sold here for $46 and $59. The Italian house pours are similarly thin: La Vis Pinot Grigio and Zonin Prosecco are fine in their place, but not at 200% markup. There's a real list hiding here behind the budget filler; it just needs a tighter edit.
Twenty-plus options by the glass is a legitimately good number for a neighborhood Italian spot, and the range covers the usual suspects — whites, reds, bubbles, rosé. What's missing is any sense of rotation or curation; this reads like a static list that hasn't been touched in a while. At $10–$17 a glass, you're paying mid-tier Boston prices for entry-level pours.
Barolo Ca'Viola — $N/A — bottle
If you're going to spend money here, spend it on this. Ca'Viola makes real Barolo — not a trophy bottle, but the kind of producer who actually gives a damn about Nebbiolo. It's the most honest pour on the list relative to what you're getting in the glass.
Brunello di Montalcino Colombini
Colombini (Donatella Cinelli Colombini) is a name most people scroll past because they don't recognize it, but this is a respected Montalcino producer making age-worthy Brunello. On a list that otherwise leans safe, this is the bottle worth hunting down.
Chardonnay Josh Cellars Craftsman 2023
At $46 a bottle, you're paying nearly 3.5x retail for a $14 grocery store Chardonnay. Josh Cellars is fine at a backyard barbecue. It has no business commanding $46 on a restaurant wine list that's supposedly celebrating Italian culture.
Amarone Allegrini + Piattini small plates (cured meats and aged cheeses)
Allegrini's Amarone is a big, raisined, serious red that needs something equally rich to stand up to it. A spread of cured meats and hard cheeses from the piattini selection gives it the fat and salt it wants — and turns a few small plates into an actual moment.
The Bottom Line
Piattini has the bones of a great Italian wine bar — the right address, the right vibe, a few genuinely exciting bottles — but the markup on entry-level pours and the reliance on supermarket brands undercut the whole thing. Go for the Brunello or the Barolo, skip everything else under $50.
· Boston · Steakhouse
The Palm Boston's wine list reads like someone handed a natural wine buyer a steakhouse budget and said 'do something interesting' — and they did, with six well-chosen bottles at prices that won't wreck your evening. It's too small to call it a destination for wine, but it's too good to ignore if you're already here for dinner. Ask about what's available by the glass and go straight for the Crochet Sancerre.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Seaport · Boston · Upscale American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a reliable date-night or business-dinner destination in the Seaport, and the wine program is functional enough to get the job done — but markup at this category of steakhouse tends to run steep, and the list probably isn't going to surprise you. If you're here for the Prime ribeye, order a glass of whatever Cab is open and don't overthink it; if you're here specifically to drink well, we'd want to see the actual list before making promises.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary American with International Influences
Ramsay's Kitchen is a reliable wine stop in the sense that you won't be embarrassed — the sommelier is there, the glassware is fine, and the list covers the bases. But at Back Bay price points with a celebrity premium baked in, you're paying for the room as much as the bottle. Go in with a food-first mindset, lean on the sommelier for guidance, and temper expectations on getting a steal.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North End · Boston · Italian, Steakhouse
A broad list with 29 glass pours, Italian and American bottle sections, and a From the Vault section that goes well into four figures. Start with the 2021 Mauro Molino Barolo at $26 a glass or the Batasiolo Gavi di Gavi at $15, and confirm vintages, since the list says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Seafood
A 12-page wine book that runs from $12 glasses to a $945 Opus One, with six- and nine-ounce pours for the still wines by the glass. Start with the $12 six-ounce Foral Alvarinho, or order the $59 Sur Lie Muscadet by the bottle, and confirm vintages before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary Italian
An Italian-led list with bottles into the thousands and a glass page that gives you a way in. Order the $33 Giacosa Fratelli Barolo 2019 by the glass, or step up to a Coravin pour like the $54 Patrizia Cencioni Brunello di Montalcino 2018, and confirm prices before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
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.
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