Solid Italian List, No Tricks Up Its Sleeve
Downtown · St. Paul · Italian (pizza, pasta, oysters) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Red Rabbit reads like someone actually put thought into it — there's Champagne from Bollinger and Laurent-Perrier sitting next to Vietti Arneis and Suavia Soave, which is a better opening lineup than most neighborhood Italian spots bother with. It's not trying to be a wine bar, but it's clearly not phoning it in either. The casual, buzzy room sets expectations low enough that the list consistently punches above them.
The list leans into its Italian identity where it counts — Vietti Arneis and Suavia Soave Classico are genuinely well-chosen anchors, and they hint at a buyer who knows the boot beyond Pinot Grigio and Chianti. France shows up meaningfully with Domaine Crochet Sancerre and a Condrieu, which is a bold call for a pizza-and-pasta crowd. California gets its due with Paul Hobbs Chardonnay and Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc — crowd-pleasing names, but respectable ones. The gaps are on the red side, where the Italian depth doesn't quite match the whites, and the list could use more Nebbiolo or southern Italian representation to back up the kitchen's flavor profile.
With an estimated 12–18 pours by the glass, there's enough rotation to keep a table occupied through multiple courses without doubling up. The $14 floor on glass pours is on the higher end for St. Paul, which stings a little given that the program skews toward approachable producers. Adelsheim Rosé and Château Minuty Rosé et Or are smart additions to the glass list — the Minuty especially gives the program a touch of Provence polish that plays well with oysters at the bar.
Suavia Soave Classico — null
Soave gets dismissed constantly, which is exactly why it shows up here as the value pick. Suavia is one of the benchmark producers in the appellation — this is textbook Garganega, mineral-driven and food-friendly, and it almost certainly costs less than the Sancerre two rows up while delivering equal or better pleasure with the pastas.
Vietti Arneis
Arneis is the kind of grape that makes people ask 'what is that?' in the best possible way. Vietti's version is clean, aromatic, and slightly nutty — it's a natural fit for wood-fired dishes and oysters, and most tables will walk right past it to order something they already know. Don't be that table.
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay
Paul Hobbs makes fine wine, but this is one of the most recognized names on a list at a casual Italian spot — and that recognition comes with a premium price tag baked in. You're paying for the label as much as the juice. The Argot Chardonnay sitting nearby almost certainly offers a better dollar-for-dollar return.
Château Minuty Rosé et Or + Fresh oysters
Minuty Rosé et Or is a Provence rosé with enough minerality and citrus tension to act as a de facto mignonette for briny oysters. It's the kind of pairing that makes a Tuesday night feel like a Thursday in Saint-Tropez, which is exactly the energy Red Rabbit's bar is going for.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Red Rabbit isn't a destination wine spot, but it's a reliable neighborhood Italian that respects wine enough to stock Bollinger and Soave Classico alongside the wood-fired pies. The markups keep it from climbing higher, but for a lively Grand Avenue dinner, the list does its job well.
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