Rochester's Quiet Italian Wine Obsession
· Rochester · Italian and wine bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sorellina's Italian by Victoria's’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Forty glasses options on a 41-bottle list — that ratio alone tells you something. Sorellina's is clearly built around the glass pour experience, which in Rochester, Minnesota is not something you see every day. The Italian backbone is real, not decorative.
The list leans hard into central and northern Italy — three Chianti Classicos (Albola, Bossi, Castellare), Zenato Valpolicella, a Vietti Barbera, and a Tommasi Amarone anchoring the top end at $90. That's a coherent Italian narrative, not just wine words on a menu. They round it out with a few new world additions — Elouan and Cambria Pinots, an Opolo Zinfandel, a Dona Paula Malbec — which keeps the less adventurous diner in their comfort zone. The only real head-scratcher is the Fre lineup (non-alcoholic wines at the low end), which either signals a thoughtful inclusive approach or a gap-filler — probably both.
Almost everything on the list pours by the glass, which is genuinely rare and genuinely useful. Glass prices run from $6 for house pours up to $30 at the top, with most of the interesting Italian stuff landing in the $9–$15 range on glass. That kind of flexibility rewards the curious drinker who wants to try the Lini 910 Lambrusco before committing to a bottle.
Castello di Albola Chianti Classico — $30
A legitimate DOCG Chianti Classico at $30 a bottle is hard to argue with. Albola consistently punches above its price point — structured, food-friendly Sangiovese that most restaurants charge $50+ for. This is the move.
Lini 910 Rosso
Most people walk right past Lambrusco because they think it's sweet grocery store fizz. Lini 910 is the real deal — a serious Emilia-Romagna producer making dry, earthy, effervescent red that cuts through rich Italian food like a knife. At $34 a bottle it's one of the more interesting things on this list.
Castellare Chianti Classico
At $62, it's more than double the Albola and doesn't deliver double the wine. Castellare is a fine producer but this is a steep ask when you can walk two labels to the left and spend $30 on Albola or $42 on Bossi and drink just as well.
Vietti Barbera + Pasta with red sauce or braised meat
Vietti's Barbera is bright, acidic, and built for Italian food — it cuts through rich tomato-based sauces and plays well with braised proteins without overwhelming them. This is the kind of pairing that makes you feel like you figured something out.
The Bottom Line
Sorellina's is doing something genuinely interesting for Rochester — a by-the-glass-forward Italian list with actual producers worth caring about at prices that won't make you wince. Send your wine-curious friends here and let them graze.
· Rochester · New American
Bleu Duck Kitchen isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with its list than most restaurants in its zip code — and that Tuesday dinner-plus-bottle deal is legitimately one of the better mid-week moves in Rochester. Send a friend here if they want a real meal with real wine without a bill that requires a deep breath.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Rochester · Latin/Global Small Plates
Our Paladar's wine list is a small, well-edited card that takes its cues from the food and doesn't overstay its welcome. For Rochester, this is legitimately exciting — come for the small plates, stay because the Nebbiolo is actually on the menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Rochester · Brewpub/New American
Forager Brewery has no business having a wine list this interesting, and that's meant as a compliment. It's not deep enough to be a wine destination, but for Rochester, it's a legitimate wild card worth knowing about.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest / 55th Street · Rochester · Italian-American
Olive Garden's wine list exists to check a box, not elevate a meal — it's priced above its station and assembled without much curiosity. Order the Chianti, eat the breadsticks, and don't come here expecting the wine to be the point.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Apache Mall · Rochester · American
The Cheesecake Factory's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a high-volume mall chain: safe, recognizable, and marked up enough to make you wish you'd ordered a cocktail. Come for the Chicken Madeira, skip the wine hunt.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Rochester · American, Sushi
CRAVE isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent place to drink on a Monday when those bottle prices get cut in half. Show up any other night and you're paying full markup on a list that doesn't earn it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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