Old-School Italian with Safe Selections
Sarasota · Italian
Updated October 2026
Reviewed February 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Pietro's Italian Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Pietro's gives us the wine list you'd expect from a neighborhood Italian spot in Sarasota: familiar names, tourist-friendly pricing (read: marked up), and zero surprises. It's the kind of place where you know exactly what you're getting before you flip open the leather-bound menu.
The list skews heavily toward recognizable Italian producers—think Ruffino Chianti, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, and Cavit Pinot Noir. There's likely a token Super Tuscan in the $80-100 range and maybe a Barolo for the big spenders. California gets some real estate with Kendall-Jackson and maybe a Napa Cab. What's missing: anything adventurous, any small producers, any regional Italian gems that would actually transport you. This is the wine list equivalent of playing it safe on a first date.
The glass pour lineup sticks to the hits: a Pinot Grigio, a Chianti, maybe a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Pours are probably generous, which is the saving grace when you're paying $12-14 for wines that retail for $10. Rotation is minimal—these bottles are there until they're gone, then replaced with the same thing.
Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva — $48
If they're carrying it, this is your move—proper Sangiovese with age-worthiness at a price that won't make you wince too hard at the markup
Terredora Di Paolo Greco di Tufo
Southern Italian white that most diners skip for Pinot Grigio, but it's got texture, minerality, and actually tastes like Italy
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Marked up to $50+ for a bottle you can grab at Publix for $22—the definition of tourist trap pricing
Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d'Alba + Osso Buco
Barbera's bright acidity and red fruit cut through the richness of braised veal shank like it was designed for it—because it basically was
The Bottom Line
Pietro's isn't going to blow your mind with wine, but it'll get the job done if you order smart. Stick to mid-tier Italian reds, avoid the tourist traps, and you'll walk out happy enough.
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · Contemporary American
A one-page list that mixes Greek, Italian and French bottles with Cristal, Taittinger and Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, and posts many prices as two unlabeled numbers. Start with the Gai'a Assyrtiko (70 / 17) alongside the wood-fired octopus, or take the Les Girelles Picpoul (48 / 12) on a Tuesday, when the list says bottles at $99 and less are half off (bubbles and Champagne excluded). This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability and ask which number is the glass.
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · American
A 38-wine list that mixes French and California bottles and posts three Cabernet Francs among its reds. Start with the Charles Joguet Chinon at 68 or the Micro-Cosme red at 10 / 39, and ask which number is the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Siesta Key · Sarasota · Italian
A big, Italy-heavy list with a run of $38 house-label bottles and reds that climb to a $696 1993 Quintarelli. Order the $38 C.G. Vini Chianti or the $38 Argiolas Vermentino, and save the Quintarelli for a table that has confirmed it's in stock. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Siesta Drive and US 41 · Sarasota · Steakhouse
A steakhouse list built in two layers: 80 wines on the main list with 42 poured by the glass from $10 to $45, and a 20-wine Reserve list that runs $160 to $715. For a steak dinner, order the Calera by Duckhorn Pinot Noir at $17 a glass with the filet, or pick the $42 Réserve Mont-Redon if the table wants a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and prices should be confirmed.
Sarasota · Sarasota · American with winery focus
A winery-restaurant list built mostly on its own bottlings, with clear glass and bottle prices. Order bin 79 Chardonnay with Dana's Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, or try the $10.75 house Red, and confirm what is pouring in Sarasota. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menu, not service, storage or retail markups.
Siesta Key · Sarasota · American
Summer House posts a seven-page list whose biggest section is Cabernet Sauvignon and blends, with a 31-pour glass page priced from $13 to $38. Start with the $17 Decoy Cabernet by the glass, then buy the $70 bottle if the table likes it, or try the $29 Collefrisio Montepulciano Riserva for something off the Cabernet track. Confirm current availability and prices, since the restaurant says pricing, vintages and wines are subject to change; 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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