Italy on the Carolina Coast, Done Right
Mount Pleasant · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Savi Cucina + Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk in and immediately clock the towering glass-enclosed wine cellar — this is not a restaurant that treats wine as an afterthought. The upscale coastal Italian setting near Mount Pleasant Towne Centre hits the right notes: polished without being stuffy, ambitious without being intimidating. A 250-350 bottle list and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence on the wall tell you this place is playing for keeps.
The list leans hard into Italy, and that's exactly the right call — Piedmont and Tuscany anchor everything, with Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, and Chianti Classico Riserva giving the program real depth and range. Heavy hitters like Gaja, Antinori, Sassicaia, and Ornellaia show up, which means the cellar isn't just stocked with safe crowd-pleasers — there's genuine ambition here. California gets respectable coverage via Caymus and Stag's Leap, and France fills out the roster with Louis Jadot from Burgundy and a solid Bordeaux château selection. If there's a gap, it's that the non-Italian new world feels more like a courtesy seat than a passion project — but honestly, when you're doing Italian this well, that's a reasonable trade.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is a serious pour program, and at $10–$18 a glass it stays accessible without dumbing down the selection. The Super Tuscans wine flight is a standout move — it lets you work through the bold, Bordeaux-blended side of Tuscany without committing to a full bottle. Rotation appears to follow the seasons, which keeps things from going stale.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $12–$18 by the glass
Chianti Classico Riserva in a room full of Barolo and Brunello can feel like ordering the salad, but don't sleep on it — this is serious Tuscan Sangiovese at a fraction of the price of the cellar showstoppers, and it drinks beautifully alongside almost anything on the pasta menu.
Barbaresco (Piedmont)
Everyone reaches for the Barolo, but Barbaresco is Nebbiolo with a little more elegance and a little less patience required — and it tends to fly under the radar here while guests chase the bigger name. Worth asking the staff which producer is pouring best right now.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is reliable, recognizable, and almost certainly marked up to match that recognition. In a room full of Gaja and Ornellaia, spending your budget on a California Cab you can find at any steakhouse feels like a missed opportunity. Go Italian, stay Italian.
Brunello di Montalcino + House-made pasta
Brunello's structure and earthy Sangiovese depth are built for rich, slow-cooked Italian sauces — it cuts through fat, lifts the savory notes, and turns a plate of house-made pasta into something you'll actually remember. This is what the list is here for.
The Bottom Line
Savi is the rare suburban wine program that earns its accolades without apology — if you care about Italian wine, this is one of the better rooms in the Charleston area to drink it. Send your friends, and tell them to start with the Super Tuscans flight.
Brookhaven Town Center · Brookhaven · Italian
Mirko Pasta isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid neighborhood Italian that doesn't embarrass itself on the wine front — and Wednesday Wine Night gives you a real reason to show up mid-week. If you're after a glass of Montepulciano with your burrata at a fair price, this delivers. Just don't expect to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Vinings · Vinings · Italian
Crispina's wine list is doing more than it needs to for a Vinings pizza-and-pasta spot — the Italian white selection alone puts it ahead of most neighbors, and 23 by-the-glass options means you're never stuck ordering a bottle you don't want. Markup is fair across the board, and the $9–$13 glass range makes it easy to drink well without overthinking it. Send a friend here; just steer them toward the Falanghina.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Smyrna · Italian
Mezza Luna reads like a genuinely warm neighborhood Italian restaurant where the wine list exists to support a good dinner rather than headline it. We don't have enough menu detail to point you to specific bottles, but the Southern Italian regional focus is a promising sign that someone gave it more than five minutes of thought. Go for the lasagna and the atmosphere — and ask your server what they're excited about on the wine list. If they have an answer, you're in decent hands.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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