Winston-Salem's Thursday Night Wine Secret
Brookstown · Winston Salem · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 25, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Quanto Basta Italian Eatery & Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The name means 'enough' in Italian, and honestly, that's underselling it. Walking into this rustic Brookstown spot, the wine list reads like someone actually cares — Italian backbone, global wandering, and prices that don't make you wince. For Winston-Salem, this is a genuinely pleasant surprise.
The list runs 40 to 80 bottles with Italy doing the heavy lifting, and rightly so — Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, and Super Tuscans anchor the reds with real ambition. Whites don't get left behind: Vermentino di Sardegna and Falanghina bring some regional credibility that most Italian-American spots in this zip code wouldn't bother with. The global picks feel intentional rather than obligatory, filling gaps without padding the list. It's not the deepest cellar in the Carolinas, but it's curated, and that counts for a lot.
Eight to sixteen pours by the glass is a solid range for a wine bar this size — enough to keep things interesting without turning it into a storage problem. The selection rotates, which suggests someone is actually paying attention to what's moving and what's not. Thursday half-price nights make the glass program absurdly good value; ordering anything by the glass at full price before Thursday feels like leaving money on the table.
Vermentino di Sardegna — $
Sardinian Vermentino is one of the most underpriced white categories in Italian wine right now — crisp, saline, and built for food. At Quanto Basta's $$–$$$ price range, and especially on a Thursday, this is the smart pour.
Falanghina
Most tables here are reaching for the Barolo and sleeping on this Campanian white. Falanghina is mineral-driven, food-friendly, and interesting in a way that Pinot Grigio will never be. It's the bottle that tells you the list was built by someone with actual taste.
Super Tuscans
The Super Tuscans on this list are fine, but they're also the most likely to be marked up for name recognition. You're paying for the category's reputation, not necessarily what's in the glass. On a list with Brunello and Barolo available, the Super Tuscans are the safe, forgettable middle child.
Barolo + Rotisserie
Barolo's tannic structure and dried cherry depth need protein and fat to really open up — and Quanto Basta's rotisserie dishes give it exactly that. It's a classic Piemontese logic: big wine, roasted meat, everyone wins.
Thursday — Half-priced bottles of wine on Thursdays. Likely applies to most bottles on the list, though exact exclusions aren't clearly documented — worth asking when you arrive.
The Bottom Line
Quanto Basta punches above its weight for a mid-size Southern city Italian spot — the Italian-focused list is thoughtful, the prices are fair, and Thursday half-price bottles make it one of the best weekly wine deals in Winston-Salem. Come hungry, come on a Thursday, and order the Falanghina.
· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican
Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
The Caviste is doing something genuinely weird for Winston-Salem — a curated, Austria-only bottle shop with prices that should embarrass most restaurant wine lists. If you're even slightly curious about Grüner Veltliner or natural-leaning reds, this is a low-risk, high-reward detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Winery Tasting Room / Light Bites
Divine Llama is a fun, farm-genuine detour if you're exploring North Carolina wine country and want something local and unpretentious. Don't come for depth or discovery beyond the estate — come for the story, the setting, and a glass of Traminette you probably wouldn't have ordered anywhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Winston Salem · American Cafe
West End Cafe isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something decent without overpaying for it. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner and aren't looking to make an event out of it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Market
Little Pep is doing something genuinely uncommon for Winston-Salem: a short, confident, all-by-the-glass natural wine list with real producer cred and fair prices. Send a curious friend here; skip sending someone who wants a Napa Cab.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Small Plates
Manolo's is a genuine surprise for Winston-Salem — a focused, serious wine program that gives you by-the-glass access to bottles most restaurants lock behind full-bottle commitments. The markup is not subtle, but you're paying for curation and access, and if you pick smart, the experience delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.