Tuscany in Texas, Monday Nights Are Magic
Austin · Italian
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Siena Restaurant Toscano’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Siena reads like a love letter to Italy with a California postscript — and that's not a bad thing. You open it expecting a watered-down Italian-American crowd-pleaser situation and instead find Tignanello, Gaja, and Brunello producers worth taking seriously. The Tuscan villa setting — warm brick, dim lighting, Hill Country patio — actually earns the wine list it's serving.
The Italian spine here is the real deal: Antinori Tignanello, Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido, Brunello from Banfi and Poggio Antico, Barolo from Gaja and Ceretto — this is a list that knows its lane and stays in it. The California section adds familiar names like Caymus, Ridge, Jordan, and Duckhorn, which keeps date-night fence-sitters happy without diluting the Italian identity. At 150–250 bottles, it's not a deep cellar operation, but the curation is intentional enough that you're not scrolling past filler. The gap is anything beyond Italy and California — there's essentially no France, no Spain, no natural wine curiosity — but given the concept, that's forgivable.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a healthy range for a neighborhood Italian spot, and the fact that they hold a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2016 suggests the BTG program isn't just house plonk. We'd push staff on what's rotating versus what's been open since last Thursday — that's the real question with any BTG program at this price point.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2019 — $145
Vietti is one of the most reliable names in Barolo, and the Castiglione is their approachable entry point into the appellation — structured, complex, built for a long evening. At $145 in a restaurant context, it's not cheap, but relative to what Gaja is asking on the same list, it's the smart play.
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
Banfi gets all the name recognition but Poggio Antico is the producer worth seeking out — smaller, more focused, and consistently making Brunello that punches above its profile. Most tables here will reach for what they recognize and walk right past it.
Opus One 2019
At $595 a bottle, you're paying for a brand name that stopped surprising anyone around 2010. It's a technically fine wine in a restaurant that has no business context for it — this is a Tuscan place. There are multiple bottles on this same list that will drink better with the food and cost a third of the price.
Antinori Tignanello 2019 + Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Tignanello is the blueprint Super Tuscan — Sangiovese backbone with Cabernet structure — and it was essentially made for a giant, char-edged Florentine steak. The wine's dark fruit and firm tannins stand up to the beef without bullying it. Yes, $285 is a commitment. This is the commitment worth making.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — the best reason to eat Italian on a weeknight in Austin.
The Bottom Line
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.
· Austin · Steakhouse
Perry's is a competent steakhouse wine program that won't embarrass you, but it won't thrill you either. The by-the-glass breadth is the real story here — 37 options gives you room to explore without committing to a bottle. Just don't come expecting adventurous picks or fair markups across the board; come expecting a list that gets the job done for a celebratory dinner without too much fuss.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Austin · Seafood Steakhouse
Truluck's Austin runs a by-the-glass program that genuinely outperforms what most standalone seafood houses manage, with producers like Markus Molitor and Drouhin-Vaudon sitting next to the expected California lineup. Pricing is fair without being flashy. If you're eating seafood and want to drink well without committing to a bottle, this list has you covered — just work through the whites and bubbles and don't let the Napa trophy bottles at the top drain your wallet.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Austin · Upscale American Seafood and Steakhouse
Eddie V's is a reliable wine destination in the sense that a well-pressed suit is reliable — it won't let you down, but it won't make anyone's year-end list either. If you're on a date, celebrating something, or just need a wine program that won't embarrass you in front of a client, this is a safe and comfortable call. Just don't expect to find anything that makes you pull out your phone to take a note.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Austin · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Austin is not a destination wine list, but it's a legitimately fair one — South American focus, honest prices, and a couple of genuine steals hiding in plain sight. If you're here for the espeto corrido experience, grab a VIK blend at $30 and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· 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
Austin · Austin · American, Italian
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.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
· Billings · Italian
Ciao Mambo has assembled an Italian wine list that would hold up at a serious restaurant in a much larger market — Vietti Barolo, Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco, and a Valle d'Aosta oddity on the same list in Billings is genuinely impressive. Without pricing or glass program data we can't call it a Rager, but if you're passing through Montana and want a real bottle of Nebbiolo with your pasta, this is your move.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vinings · Vinings · Italian
Cotto is doing more with a 51-bottle list than most Italian restaurants do with twice as many labels — the Italian whites alone make this worth a visit for anyone tired of the same old Pinot Grigio rut. The markup is fair, the by-the-glass program is genuinely generous, and the presence of bottles like the Bocale Trebbiano Spoletino signals real intent. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Santa Margherita and work their way through the Vermentinos instead.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Tavola Trattoria's wine program is five bottles deep and priced without apology — $101 for a Saracco Moscato is the kind of markup that makes you consider ordering water and going wine shopping after dinner. The list has no still wines at all, which is a strange call for an Italian restaurant. Order a cocktail or ask if they have a corkage policy, because this wine list isn't doing you any favors.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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