Boston's Italian Wine Obsession Done Right
Back Bay · Boston · Contemporary Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sorellina lands on the table like a small novel — 300-plus selections dense with Piedmontese heavyweights, aged Burgundy, and bottles you don't expect to see outside of a private cellar. This is not a list assembled by someone who Googled 'popular Italian wines.' Somebody here actually cares, deeply, and it shows from page one.
Northern Italy is the beating heart of this list — Gaja Barbaresco in multiple vintages and vineyard sites, Roagna Barbarescos, Nino Negri Sfursat from Valtellina, and Travaligni's Gattinara make this one of the more serious Italian programs in New England. The French side holds its own with a 2003 Château d'Yquem and Champagne representation from Bollinger and Billecart-Salmon. California gets a seat at the table too — Silver Oak Alexander Valley 2019 and the Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard 2011 are the kind of bottles that tell you the list isn't just Euro-centric snobbery. The one gap worth noting: if you're hunting for value-forward everyday drinkers, you're in the wrong room — this list skews collectible and expensive.
Six Coravin selections is a genuinely smart move for a list this ambitious — it means you can actually drink a serious wine by the glass without the restaurant having to sacrifice a full bottle. We don't have the exact current pour list, but with a cellar stocked like this, the Coravin program is worth asking about before you default to anything off the bottle list. The staff knows what's currently on tap, so just ask.
Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV — $200
At a restaurant billing at this level, $200 for Bollinger is closer to fair than you'd expect — it's one of the most consistent non-vintage Champagnes made, and in a Back Bay dining room this polished, it's the move for a celebration bottle that won't make you wince at checkout.
Nino Negri Sfursat
Sfursat is Valtellina's answer to Amarone — dried Nebbiolo grapes, concentrated and complex — and it gets almost zero attention compared to Barolo or Barbaresco. Most people walk right past it. Don't. It's one of Italy's more compelling big reds and Nino Negri is the benchmark producer.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley 2019
At $265 a bottle, you're paying a hefty premium for a wine that retails around $70-80. Silver Oak is a crowd-pleaser with a loyal following, but in a room full of rare Piedmontese and aged French bottles, this is the safe, expensive choice that doesn't earn its price tag relative to what else is on offer here.
Gattinara by Travaligni + Braised Short Rib
Gattinara is Nebbiolo at its most structured and earthy — it's got the acidity and tannin to cut through the richness of braised short rib and enough depth to match the weight of the dish without drowning it. This is the kind of pairing that makes the food taste better and vice versa.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Sorellina is the kind of wine program that makes you annoyed Boston doesn't talk about it more — deep Italian cellar, a sommelier who actually knows the list, and Coravin pours that let you drink seriously without committing to a $300 bottle. The markups are real, but for a special occasion in Back Bay, this is where you go.
Seaport District · Boston · Greek
Trade is doing something genuinely rare in Boston: taking Greek wine seriously and giving diners the tools to explore it without a lecture. If you're eating anywhere near the Seaport and curious about what's actually in your glass, this is the move.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Financial District · Boston · American Steakhouse
The Vermilion Club isn't trying to reinvent the steakhouse wine list, and it doesn't need to — the California depth is real, the execution is consistent, and it delivers exactly what a power-lunch crowd in the Financial District wants. Just know what you're walking into: this is Cab country, the markups are steakhouse-standard steep, and adventurous wine drinkers should calibrate expectations accordingly.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Post Office Square · Boston · Cuban
Mariel earns its Wine Spectator credential by being genuinely thoughtful about a list that could have easily phoned it in. If you're in Boston's Financial District and want something more interesting than another steakhouse Cab Franc, this is exactly the kind of wild card worth having in your back pocket.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Back Bay · Boston · Seafood
Atlantic Fish is a reliable, well-run wine program in a room that takes its seafood seriously — Greg Bergeron keeps the white Burgundy and Italian whites sharp and the BTG list honest. Markups will sting on the big bottles, but if you navigate toward the value end of the list, you'll drink very well.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lovejoy Wharf · Boston · American, Seasonal
Alcove isn't a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely solid one with fair prices and enough depth to reward the curious drinker. If you're coming for the view and the lobster risotto, you'll leave happy on the wine front too — and that's more than most waterfront spots in Boston can say.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beacon Hill · Boston · American, Small Plates
1928 Beacon Hill is exactly what a Beacon Hill neighborhood spot should be on wine — honest, Italy-forward, and priced fairly enough that you won't feel the sting. It's not a destination list, but it's a very good reason not to skip the wine.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Browncroft · Rochester · Contemporary Italian
Grappa is a reliable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that punches above its zip code, anchored by some legit California pours alongside its Italian regulars. The markups get steep at the top end, but if you stick to the middle of the list, you'll drink well without the regret.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Arts District · St. Petersburg · Contemporary Italian
Il Ritorno plays it safe with an Italy-only list that covers the bases but doesn't push boundaries. Solid neighborhood spot for handmade pasta and a bottle of something familiar, but don't expect wine discoveries.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Stemless Casual
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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