Bocce Balls and Cabs — Actually Worth Drinking
· Livermore · Italian / Sports Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Range Cafe at Campo di Bocce Livermore’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a bocce complex, you might brace for a wine list that treats Sutter Home as a flagship. Surprise: Range Cafe has put in some actual effort, with 51 labels and a legitimate by-the-glass program that goes well beyond the expected. It's still California Cabernet country through and through, but at least they're playing in the right ballpark.
The list is essentially a love letter to California Cabernet Sauvignon — Stag's Leap, Silver Oak, Caymus, BV George De Latour, Orin Swift Mercury Head — it's all here, stacked up like a Napa greatest hits playlist. Pinot Noir gets a respectable sidebar with Goldeneye, Testarossa, and McIntyre, and there's a token Zinfandel appearance via Integrity Old Vine. What's missing is any real adventure: no Italian reds to speak of for a restaurant billing itself as Italian, no skin-contact wines, no European depth, and very little south of the 40th parallel. If you love California reds, you're in good shape; if you want anything outside that lane, the list shrugs.
Twenty-five by-the-glass options is a genuinely generous pour program for a bocce bar in Livermore — most restaurants half that size offer a third as many pours. Glasses run $8 to $23, which gives you real range from entry-level to something worth sitting with. We'd love to see more rotation and experimentation, but the sheer count earns some credit.
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 — $55
Justin is a reliable Paso Robles name that punches above its shelf price, and at $55 it's the sweet spot on this list — not embarrassingly cheap, not a flex purchase. It drinks well in a casual setting and won't make you feel like you're overthinking it between bocce rounds.
Integrity Old Vine Zinfandel 2021
Everybody's ordering Cabs here, which means the lone Zinfandel gets completely ignored. Old vine Zin is one of California's most underrated grape stories — more complexity, more history, more character than a lot of the fruit-forward Cabs on this list. At $48, it's also one of the more reasonable bottles in the room.
Hess The Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
At $275 on a restaurant list, The Lion is priced like a trophy pour — but this isn't the venue for trophy pours. You're rolling bocce balls and eating Italian-American food, not celebrating a merger. The markup here is steep even by restaurant standards, and that money buys you a lot more experience elsewhere.
Testarossa Cuvee Los Gatos Pinot Noir 2020 + Wood-fired pizza
Testarossa's Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot has enough acidity and red fruit to cut through pizza grease and char without the tannin weight of a Cab fighting the tomato sauce. It's the kind of pairing that actually makes sense for the setting — bright, medium-bodied, and easy to pour a second glass of.
The Bottom Line
Range Cafe isn't destination wine drinking, but it's a better list than a bocce club has any business running — just don't come looking for adventure outside the California Cabernet universe. Order the Zin, skip the trophy bottles, and focus on the game.
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / Small Plates
Le Nocturne is a genuinely fun room with a French menu that deserves a better wine list than what the concept seems to prioritize — the atmosphere earns it Wild Card status because the potential is real, but until the wine program matches the culinary ambition, order a cocktail and come back when they figure it out. If you're going for wine, go informed and go with a bottle.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · New American / Gastropub
Rebel Kitchen's wine list doesn't rebel against anything — it's eleven safe bottles with steep markups in a region that's literally surrounded by wineries. Order a cocktail, which is clearly what they actually care about.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / New American
Black Cat is a Wild Card in the best way: it's a buzzy cocktail bar that actually thought about its wine program, sits in genuine wine country, and throws in a no-corkage Thursday deal that most full wine bars would never offer. We'd send a friend here — and we'd tell them to bring a bottle from down the road.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Livermore · Livermore · Greek & Mediterranean
Demitri's isn't a destination wine bar, but it's doing something genuine — pairing Greek imports with award-winning local Livermore producers in a setting that actually makes the wine feel connected to what's on your plate. Send a friend here if they think Livermore is just suburban sprawl; the wine list will surprise them.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Livermore · Livermore · Italian, Seafood, Grill
Strizzi's isn't a wine destination, but it does right by its neighborhood with local Livermore pours at fair prices. Send your friend here if they want a solid Italian dinner with a decent glass — just point them toward the Cab Franc.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Livermore · Livermore · Mexican
Blue Agave Club is first and foremost a tequila destination, but the wine list earns its place by betting on local Livermore producers and sneaking in a wild card or two. If you're eating here and skipping the wine entirely, you're missing a cheap way to drink well in wine country.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
