Tuscany and California show up strong here
Saratoga Springs · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Solevo Kitchen + Social’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list hits you like a greatest hits album — Tignanello, Sassicaia, Gaja Barbaresco all present and accounted for. It's a focused Italian-California lineup that fits the upscale-casual room perfectly. This is a wine program that knows its lane and mostly stays in it.
Tuscany anchors the list with heavy hitters: Antinori's Tignanello, Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia, and Castello Banfi's Brunello di Montalcino give the Italian side real credibility. California holds its own with Far Niente Chardonnay and Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon — crowd-pleasing names that regulars will recognize instantly. Gaja Barbaresco is the standout prestige pour, a nod to Piedmont that shows someone building this list has taste beyond the obvious. The gaps show up in the southern hemisphere and the Old World fringe — don't come here hunting Jura or Priorat.
Twelve to twenty options is a respectable by-the-glass spread for a Saratoga Springs Italian spot, and the $12–$18 range keeps things accessible without being cheap. We'd want to know more about the rotation — the list reads like it was built to stay, not evolve. If you're ordering by the glass, push the staff on what's freshest.
Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino — $90–$150
Brunello at this address is a serious pull — Banfi is a reliable, well-distributed producer and Brunello commands far more at white-tablecloth joints across town. If the markup holds relatively flat against retail, this is the bottle that earns the dinner.
Gaja Barbaresco
Most tables at a place like this order the Tignanello because they've heard of it. Gaja Barbaresco is the more interesting bottle — structured, age-worthy, and from one of Piedmont's defining producers. It's not cheap, but it's the pick for anyone who actually wants to drink something memorable.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere, and restaurants love marking it up because the name sells itself. You're almost certainly paying a significant premium over what you'd spend at a wine shop. Nothing wrong with the wine — there's just no reason to order it here when Sassicaia and Brunello are on the same list.
Antinori Tignanello + Braised Short Rib
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend has the structure and dark fruit to stand up to the richness of braised short rib without getting lost. It's the obvious choice, but obvious for a reason — this is the bottle that makes the dish feel like a whole night.
The Bottom Line
Solevo earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence on the strength of a well-curated Italian and California core — this is a reliable, crowd-smart list that occasionally punches above its weight. Markups are the weak spot, but if you know what to order, you'll drink well in Saratoga Springs.
Downtown · Saratoga Springs · Tuscan Italian
Forno Bistro isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair and functional one that respects your wallet — especially on Mondays when half-price bottles make a $30 Chianti feel like a genuine gift. Send your friends here for a fun dinner; just don't send the ones who want to talk about terroir.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Side / Route 50 Area · Saratoga Springs · Wine Bar and Bistro
If you're in Saratoga and want an honest, unpretentious look at what the Finger Lakes can do, Thirsty Owl earns the stop — especially on the patio in the warmer months. Just go in knowing this is a winery showcase, not a global wine bar, and you'll leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side / Route 29 · Saratoga Springs · Winery with American Fare / Wood-Fired Pizza
The Saratoga Winery is a legitimate Wild Card: a single-producer list of cold-hardy New York grapes served in an Adirondack tasting room with live music and wood-fired pizza. It's not a destination for serious wine exploration, but it's a genuinely fun, low-stakes way to drink something you've never tried before.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Downtown · Saratoga Springs · Upscale New American
15 Church has the bones of a genuinely good wine program — the range is there, the interesting picks exist — but the pricing is aggressive enough that you'll spend more time doing mental math than enjoying your glass. Stick to the Old World bottles and avoid anything with a recognizable California label.
Solid Range
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Race Course / Union Avenue · Saratoga Springs · American, trackside dining
Come for the races, stay for the atmosphere, but don't come here for the wine. If you need something in a glass to toast a winner, grab the Champagne and leave it at that.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Maple Avenue · Saratoga Springs · Jazz Bar / Cocktail Bar
Come to Nine Maple Avenue for the live jazz, the whiskey program, and the atmosphere — the wine list is a placeholder, not a reason to visit. If you're committed to ordering wine, grab the Château D'Esclans Rosé and enjoy the music.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's Lakeland is a place you drink wine at, not a place you go to drink wine. If you're here, order the cheapest bottle that sounds like Italy and focus on the food.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lansing · Italian
Carrabba's Lansing isn't a wine destination — it's a chain with a four-bottle list that skews heavily toward one California region and ignores everything Italian about the menu. Come for the pasta, skip the wine program, or catch one of their Paso Robles wine dinners if the timing works out.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Las Cruces · Italian
La Bella Vita's wine list won't make a wine geek's heart race, but it's fairly priced, almost entirely available by the glass, and leans into its Italian identity in the right places. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of Chianti without a lesson.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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