Supper Club Cool With Serious Italian Bones
Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · May 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sammie's’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — 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 Sammie's, you get the retro supper club fantasy — dim lighting, clubby energy, the kind of room where a Barolo feels right at home. The wine list matches the mood: Italian-leaning, serious about Piedmont and Tuscany, with a focus that tells you someone here actually cares. This isn't a restaurant that slapped a QR code on a generic PDF and called it a wine program.
The list leans hard into northern and central Italy, and that's exactly where it earns its stripes. Piedmont is the clear anchor — you'll find Produttori del Barbaresco, Vietti, G.D. Vajra, Bruno Giacosa, and Giacomo Conterno all sharing space on the same list, which is genuinely impressive for an Austin restaurant that also serves meatballs. Tuscany shows up strong too, with Tignanello and Gaja's Ca'Marcanda 'Promis' giving the Super Tuscan side some real credibility. The gaps are real — the New World largely doesn't exist here, and if you're hunting a Burgundy or a Champagne deep cut, you may be disappointed — but that's a choice, not an oversight.
By-the-glass specifics aren't fully documented, but with a dedicated sommelier in Jenny Rader and a Best of Award of Excellence on the wall, we'd expect a rotating, thoughtful pour program rather than a static house-wine situation. If Monday's half-price wine night extends to bottles, that changes the calculus entirely — show up early and ask.
Marchesi Antinori Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2021 — $95
Il Bruciato is the little brother to Guado al Tasso proper, a coastal Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah that punches well above its station. At $95 on a list where Tignanello runs $285, this is where you get the Antinori pedigree without the premium tax.
Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d'Alba 2020
Most people at this table are going straight for the Barolo, and honestly, fair enough. But Giacosa's Nebbiolo d'Alba at $110 is one of the best entry points into what this producer does — all the perfume and structure you're chasing, ready to drink tonight rather than needing a decade in your cellar.
Tignanello 2019
Tignanello is a great wine. It's also one of the most over-ordered bottles in Italian-American restaurants nationwide, which means the markup is baked into the reputation. At $285, you're paying for the name recognition as much as what's in the glass. The Il Bruciato does similar work for a third of the price.
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 2018 + Veal Piccata
Barbaresco's bright acidity and dried cherry character cut right through the lemon-butter sauce in the piccata without bullying the veal. Produttori's cooperative Barbaresco is the reliable, classically structured version of this wine — no oak bomb, no extraction games — and that restraint is exactly what you want next to a delicate protein.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday
🎲 The Bottom Line
Sammie's is a genuinely fun room with a wine list that's earned its Wine Spectator hardware — the Italian depth is real, the sommelier knows her stuff, and Monday half-price bottles might be the best deal in Austin. Just go in knowing the markups lean steep, and let Jenny point you toward the plays that aren't on the tourist track.
· Austin · Steakhouse
ALC Steaks plays it safe and plays it competently — this is a wine list that serves the room without challenging it. If you know what you're looking for, there are smart picks buried in here; if you don't, you'll still drink fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Austin · Austin · Latin Steakhouse
Ciclo is a reliable, well-run California-centric wine program that does exactly what it says on the menu — it just charges you for the privilege. If you're here for the steakhouse experience and want a Cab that won't embarrass you, Joe Pena's list delivers. Just don't expect to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Austin · Austin · Italian
68 Degrees is doing something genuinely rare in Austin: an Italian wine list with real depth, honest pricing, and a Wednesday deal that should be on your calendar. We'd send anyone here who wants to drink well without a fight.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
East Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Birdie's has no business being this good at wine for a neighborhood spot on East 12th — and that's the highest compliment we can give it. Send your friends here, tell them to order Burgundy, and let them figure out on their own that this place is a wild card worth knowing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Austin · Austin · Italian
Siena's wine list is a genuine Italian-focused program with some serious names and a half-price Monday that should be on every Austin wine drinker's calendar. Markups run steep at the high end, but the bones are good enough that we'd send a friend — especially on a Monday.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
South Lamar · Austin · Italian, Seafood
A neighborhood Italian spot with a better wine list than it has any obligation to have — and Wednesday half-price wine night is one of the better deals in Austin. Come for the pasta, stay for the Barolo.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · American, Italian
Alexxa's is a Strip restaurant doing Strip things — great location, recognizable bottles, pricing that reflects the real estate. If you're here for fountain views and a glass of Cakebread, you'll be genuinely happy; if you're hunting for value or adventure, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Houston · Houston · American, Italian
Milton's is the kind of neighborhood trattoria that surprises you — the room says casual pasta night, the wine list quietly whispers Biondi-Santi. If you care about Italian wine and you're in Houston, it's worth a reservation just to explore the bottle list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Deer Valley · Park City · American, Italian
Cena is a genuine Italian wine destination wearing a ski resort disguise — the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence it's held since 2011 is earned, not decorative. Budget for steep markups on the high end, find your value in the mid-range Italian reds, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.