Grocery Store Shelf Dressed Up Italian
· Biloxi · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Salute Italian Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Salute arrives looking like it was curated by whoever restocks the end-cap at your local supermarket. Nineteen bottles, every single one available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize it's the same nineteen bottles doing double duty as the entire program. There's no depth here — just a flat row of familiar labels that most people already have opinions about before they even sit down.
The list reads like a greatest hits of mass-market American and Italian imports: Josh Cellars, Meiomi, 19 Crimes, Kendall Jackson, La Crema — producers who spend more on marketing than viticulture. The one nod toward actual Italian identity is the Banfi Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. and the Carpineto Sangiovese, both decent enough but hardly adventurous for a restaurant flying the Italian flag. There are no grower producers, no regional Italian curiosities, no Vermentino, no Nero d'Avola, nothing that would hint at someone on staff actually caring about wine. The Riunite Lambrusco is either a charming throwback or an admission that nobody thought too hard about this — we're going with the latter.
All 19 bottles are poured by the glass, priced between $6 and $13 per pour. That flexibility is appreciated, but when the glass options are this predictable, the freedom to choose doesn't feel like much of a gift. There's no rotation, no seasonal addition, nothing that changes the conversation week to week.
Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc — $28
It's the lowest-effort pick on the list to recommend, but at $28 a bottle it's the most honest value here — a clean, citrusy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that does exactly what it says and doesn't pretend to be more.
Banfi Chianti Classico D.O.C.G.
In a list dominated by California mass-market bottles, the Banfi Chianti Classico is the only wine that actually reflects the cuisine on the menu. It's a straightforward Sangiovese-based Chianti from a reliable Tuscan producer — nothing revelatory, but a legitimate Italian red that earns its place on an Italian restaurant's table in a way that 19 Crimes definitely does not.
La Crema Pinot Noir
At $52 a bottle, La Crema is the most expensive wine on the list and also the worst deal. This is a supermarket Pinot Noir that retails around $20. The markup here is aggressive enough to make you question what else the kitchen is doing to your wallet.
Carpineto Sangiovese + Pasta with red sauce
Without verified dish names from the menu, we're working with the obvious — but it's obvious for a reason. A Sangiovese next to a tomato-based pasta is a textbook match, high-acid wine cutting through the sauce, and at $36 the Carpineto is the most thematically appropriate bottle on a list that too often forgets it's in an Italian restaurant.
The Bottom Line
Salute's wine list is a placeholder, not a program — safe brands, steep markups on the top end, and zero sense that anyone consulted an Italian wine map before printing the menu. Order the Chianti, skip the La Crema, and don't expect the staff to steer you anywhere interesting.
· Biloxi · Steakhouse
The Rackhouse is a reliable dinner out on the Mississippi Gulf Coast — great for a steak and a bottle of something crowd-pleasing, less ideal if you're chasing anything interesting in the glass. Send your friends here for the vibe and the beef; just go in with modest expectations on the wine front.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Casino District · Biloxi · Steakhouse/American
Bull's is a reliable casino steakhouse wine list — not adventurous, not cheap, but staffed by someone who cares and stocked with bottles that hold up. Send a friend here if they're already at the casino; don't drive to Biloxi just for the wine.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Golden Nugget Casino / East Biloxi · Biloxi · Seafood / American
This is a theme restaurant inside a casino — wine is an afterthought and the list proves it. Order a frozen cocktail, enjoy the Forrest Gump trivia cards, and save your serious wine drinking for literally anywhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Popps Ferry / North Biloxi · Biloxi · Steakhouse
Outback Biloxi's wine list is a corporate artifact — predictable, overmarked, and built for people who aren't really thinking about wine. If you're here for the steak, order the La Crema or Penfolds and move on; just don't come expecting anything more than that.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Popps Ferry / North Biloxi · Biloxi · Italian-American Chain
Olive Garden's wine list exists to check a box, not to make you a better drinker. Grab the Chateau Ste. Michelle if you want something worth finishing, but honestly — nobody's coming here for the wine, and the list knows it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Lake / North Biloxi · Biloxi · American Breakfast & Brunch
The Toasted Yolk is a solid breakfast spot that has no business being reviewed for its wine program — and that's really the point. Come for the omelets, order a mimosa if they've got one, and don't expect the wine list to do any heavy lifting.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Italian
Ciatti's isn't going to make anyone's wine pilgrimage list, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood Italian with fair prices, a thoughtful white wine program, and a local Wisconsin producer on the list. Send a friend here for dinner and they won't be stuck drinking swill.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Harrisburg · Italian
Momo's is a pizzeria with a wine list that would embarrass some Italian restaurants with actual tablecloths — fair prices, real producers, and the uncommon generosity of offering everything by the glass. If you're in Harrisburg and want a good bottle with your pie, this is where you go.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Coeur d'Alene · Italian
Tony's on the Lake is a solid wine list in a beautiful room — not a destination for serious wine hunting, but a reliable companion to a good Italian meal with a lake view. If you're going on a Thursday, pay attention to what's on special before you sit down.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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