Italian Soul, Monday Bottles Worth Planning Around
West Plano · Plano · Italian (rustic and contemporary trattoria) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Princi Italia – Plano’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Princi Italia reads exactly how the room looks — warm, Italian-leaning, and put together with enough care to feel intentional. It's not a list that's going to make a wine nerd's jaw drop, but it's not the lazy afterthought you find at half the Italian spots in suburban Texas either. There's a clear focus on the boot, and for a West Plano trattoria, that's the right call.
The list skews heavily Italian, with Tuscany doing most of the heavy lifting — Chianti Classico, Super Tuscans, and Brunello-adjacent territory fill out the red side. Puglia gets a seat at the table with the Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo, and there's enough Piedmont representation (hello, Barolo) to keep things from feeling one-dimensional. The white side is thinner, leaning on workhorses like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio rather than anything that'll surprise you. Estimated 60-90 bottles total is respectable for the format — deep enough to reward exploration, not so deep you need a flashlight.
Twelve to eighteen by-the-glass options is a solid spread for a neighborhood trattoria, and the range appears to track the bottle list's Italian focus reasonably well. We'd like to see more adventurous pours — a Vermentino, a Cerasuolo — but what's here gets the job done for a Tuesday pasta night. No evidence of a serious glass rotation program, which keeps this from being a by-the-glass destination.
Marchesi di Barolo Tradizione Barolo — $110
At 100% markup over a $55 retail price, this is the only bottle on the list where Princi basically plays it straight. Every other bottle gets a harder squeeze. For a proper Barolo in a sit-down dining room, $110 is within the range of reasonable — and it's the closest thing to a fair deal on the list.
Brancaia Tre Toscana IGT
Most tables at an Italian trattoria will default to the Chianti Classico or ask the server what's good. Skip that instinct and go for the Brancaia Tre — a Sangiovese-Merlot-Cab blend that punches above its weight class. It's the most drinkable Super Tuscan on the list and at $68, it's the second-most fairly priced bottle here.
Mionetto Prosecco Brut NV
A 180% markup on a $15 retail bottle of Prosecco is the worst math on this list. Mionetto is a solid, widely available Prosecco — but at $42 a bottle, you're paying Champagne prices for a supermarket sparkling wine. Order a cocktail or upgrade to something with actual ambition.
Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo + Pappardelle Bolognese
Primitivo is basically Puglia's answer to Zinfandel — dark fruit, low acidity, big enough to stand up to a long-cooked meat ragù. The Torcicoda's weight and richness match the bolognese stride for stride without overwhelming it. It's the most instinctively correct match on the menu.
Monday — Half-price bottles on Mondays. Most bottles included; higher-end labels may be excluded. This is the single best reason to visit for wine — markups on this list make Monday the obvious night to come.
The Bottom Line
Princi Italia is a dependable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that mirrors that promise — Italian-focused, reasonably broad, and mostly overpriced except on Mondays, when half-price bottles make this a genuinely worthwhile stop. Come on a Monday, order the Barolo or the Brancaia, skip the Prosecco, and you'll leave happy.
· Plano · American Steakhouse Grille
What we have here is a six-bottle wine dinner roster masquerading as a wine program — and every one of those bottles comes from the same producer family. That's not a wine list, that's a sponsorship. Until Del Frisco's Grille Plano puts actual curation into its wine program, we'd suggest leaning into the cocktail menu instead.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Plano · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Plano isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend otherwise — but that all-day $6 happy hour on South American wines, anchored by solid producers like Alamos and Calina, gives the list a practical generosity that earns it some respect. If you're here for the churrasco experience, the Catena Malbec at $12 is your move. Wine enthusiasts should calibrate expectations accordingly, but nobody's walking away feeling gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Del Frisco's Plano delivers a wine list that does its job without doing anything exciting — it's competent, recognizable, and priced for a room where the company card is doing the heavy lifting. If you're here for the steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass you, the list handles that. If you're here to drink well on your own dime, the markup will sting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Legacy West · Plano · Italian
Taverna – Legacy West is a solid Italian restaurant with a wine program that reflects its roots in northern Italy — if you stick to the regional Italian selections, you're probably in good shape. We'd love more transparency on pricing and pour options before giving it a stronger endorsement, but for Legacy West, this clears the bar comfortably. Go for the branzino and ask your server what's drinking well from the Piedmont section.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · New American
The Mercury is a safe, competent wine list for a polished New American in Plano — you won't be stuck drinking something bad, but you probably won't discover anything new either. If you're here, the Allegrini Ripasso is worth the detour from the obvious picks, and we'd skip the Moët unless someone else is paying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Healthy New American
Flower Child's wine program exists in name only — six unnamed pours between $9 and $10 tell you exactly how much thought went into this. If you're here for the grain bowls and good vibes, great. If you want to drink wine with intention, you're in the wrong place. Order a sparkling water and move on.
Grocery Store
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
