Serious Italian Bottles, Supermarket Markup Problem
Reno · Reno · Italian
Reviewed April 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sharkey's arrives looking like it means business — 80 labels anchored by Piedmont and Tuscany, with Barolo and Super Tuscans sharing real estate on the same page. It's the kind of list that makes you sit up a little straighter. Then you spot the entry-level bottles and the math gets uncomfortable fast.
The Italian focus is sharp and committed: Vietti Barolo, Ceretto Barolo, Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, and Ornellaia are the headliners, and they're legitimate. If you're here for a Piedmont or Super Tuscan deep dive, Sharkey's can actually deliver. The problem is what's propping up the lower end of the list — grocery-store staples like Josh Cellars and Kendall Jackson priced like they're aged in gold barrels. Those bottles drag down what is otherwise a curated, Italy-first program that deserves better company.
Ten options by the glass with a $11–$20 price window gives you something to work with, but the research doesn't reveal what's actually rotating through those pours. Given the bottle list skews Italian, there's reason to hope the glass program follows suit — but without confirmed BTG selections, order cautiously and ask the sommelier what's open.
Ceretto Barolo — $150
At the top of the price range, yes — but Ceretto is a legitimate Barolo producer with serious pedigree, and if the markup here is in line with the rest of the list rather than inflated beyond reason, this is where your money actually goes somewhere. Order this over anything with a grocery-store label.
Vietti Barolo
Vietti is one of Barolo's most respected names — structured, age-worthy, and still underappreciated by diners who don't know Piedmont. Most tables at Sharkey's will walk right past it for something they recognize. Don't be that table.
La Perlina Moscato
Retails for $10 and shows up here at $36. That's a 260% markup on a bottle you can grab at a gas station. There is no world in which this is the right call when Ornellaia is on the same list.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia + Short Rib Ravioli
Sassicaia is Cabernet-dominant, structured, and built for braised red meat. The Short Rib Ravioli is exactly the kind of rich, slow-cooked dish that needs a wine with backbone and enough tannin to stand up to it. This is the splurge pairing that actually earns its price tag.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Sharkey's has the bones of a genuinely good Italian wine list — the top shelf is real, the sommelier knows their stuff, and the regional focus is tight. But the entry-level markup is a tax on anyone who isn't ordering the prestige bottles, and there's no half-price night or rotating specials to soften the blow. Go for the Barolo, skip the bottom third.
Downtown / Casino Row · Reno · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Reno is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program inside a casino resort — competent glassware, proper storage, and a sommelier who knows the list cold. Just don't come here looking for discovery; come here knowing exactly what you want and prepared to pay full freight for it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Reno · American small plates, tapas-style, steakhouse-influenced
Sierra St. Kitchen punches above its weight for downtown Reno — the list has real producers, genuine range, and a sommelier keeping it honest. Just know the markups are real, and steer toward the Old World and Pacific Northwest bottles where the value hides.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · Italian – Tuscan & Coastal
Calafuria isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be the right wine list for this restaurant, and it mostly succeeds. Send your friends here if they want something Italian that doesn't feel phoned in; just don't expect fireworks beyond the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Reno · Reno · Health-focused American café with organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo options
Great Full Gardens isn't a wine destination and it doesn't pretend to be — but for a health-focused café in Northwest Reno, the glass prices are honest and the pours are solid enough to enjoy alongside the food. Send a friend here for lunch, just don't tell them to order the Chardonnay.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · New American / Fine Dining
LuLou's wine list won't win any awards, but it won't ruin your dinner either — and in a city where restaurant wine programs often feel like an afterthought, that counts for something. Send a friend here for a solid meal with a bottle of Jordan; just don't expect to discover anything new.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Eldorado Resort Casino · Reno · Californian / Steakhouse
Roxy isn't a destination wine program — it's a competent casino steakhouse list with the right bottles for the room. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Jordan at half price, and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Provo · Provo · Italian
La Dolce Vita earns its stripes as a dependable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving. It's not a destination wine program, but in Provo, it's one of the better options on the table — and that house pour at $4 a glass is almost disarmingly honest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Odessa Retail Corridor · Odessa · Italian
The wine list at Olive Garden Odessa does exactly what Olive Garden's wine list is supposed to do — it's inoffensive, familiar, and gets out of the way of the breadsticks. If you're here for a serious glass of wine, you're in the wrong zip code.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's isn't where you go to discover wine, but it's where you go to drink something decent without getting ripped off. Send a friend here if they want a familiar Italian night with a glass that makes sense — just steer them toward the Italian side of the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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