Sestina Bentonville

Walking into Sestina's wine list, the first thing you notice is the sparkling-heavy opener — this place has a thing for bubbles, and they're not shy about it. Twenty-six labels isn't a lot to work with, but whoever built this list clearly had a point of view. It skews Italian with purpose, and that alone puts it ahead of most upscale spots in Arkansas.

The list is structured around sparkling, rosé, Italian whites, and a handful of worldly whites — and it holds together surprisingly well for its size. The sparkling section alone spans Prosecco (Jeio by Bisol, Nino Franco Rustico), Franciacorta (Ca' del Bosco Cuvée Prestige), Champagne (Veuve, Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blanc, Laurent-Perrier Rosé), and California (Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc 2022 and the serious J. Schram Brut Noir 2015). On the white side, they're leaning into Italian grapes that most Bentonville diners won't recognize — Falanghina from Feudi di San Gregorio, Arneis from Cerreto, Etna Bianco from Terre dei Miti — which is either gutsy or foolish depending on whether the staff can sell them. The gap here is red wine: we don't see any reds on the current list beyond the Lambrusco, which is a notable omission for an Italian restaurant.

By-the-glass details aren't publicly listed, which is a miss — a list this small lives or dies by its pour program. If they're rotating even four or five of these through the glass, the Falanghina and Nino Franco Rustico would be standout options worth asking about. We'd push the staff to tell you what's open before committing to a bottle.