Italian Soul, Monday Bottles Worth Planning Around
West Plano · Plano · Italian (rustic and contemporary trattoria) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 25, 2026
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.
The Shops at Legacy · Plano · Pizzeria
Grimaldi's wine list is exactly what it needs to be for a pizzeria — recognizable, inoffensive, and Italian-leaning enough to feel intentional. Just don't expect anyone behind the counter to guide you through it, and steer clear of the California crowd-pleasers when the Tuscans are right there.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Seafood
Half Shells isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list knows it — but the seafood-friendly whites, honest pricing, and full by-the-glass program make it a perfectly decent place to drink if you're eating there anyway. Order the Albariño or the Vouvray, skip the Cakebread, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Italian
Palato is doing more with wine than anyone in its neighborhood is giving it credit for — the Enomatic system, the Italian label selection, and fair-to-reasonable pricing make this a genuine find in the Plano dining scene. If you're going for Italian food in the suburbs, this is where you want to drink.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Plano · Italian
Lombardi is a reliable dinner destination where the wine list does its job without embarrassing itself — or impressing you. Come for the handmade pasta and the room; just don't expect the list to steal the show.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Wine Bar
Corner Wines is a small list doing big things, especially if Greek varietals are your thing or you've been wanting to get into them. The value is real, the curation is genuine, and in Plano of all places, that earns some serious points.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Granite Park · Plano · European Bistro
Flamant is a genuinely nice place to drink wine in Plano — the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting, and the Iberian-French focus is a smart identity to build around. The list just needs more courage and more transparency to fully match the room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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