Jersey Strip Mall Hiding a Serious Italian Cellar
Clifton · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You pull into a strip mall in Clifton and somehow walk into a wine bar with Giacomo Conterno and Dal Forno Romano on the list — that's the Spuntino experience in a nutshell. The exposed brick and dim lighting do a lot of heavy lifting, but the wine list is what earns the credibility. Wine Spectator has had them pegged as a Best of Award of Excellence since 2022, and one look at the cellar confirms they're not coasting on it.
The list runs 200-350 bottles with serious Italian depth at its core — Barolo from Bruno Giacosa and Giacomo Conterno, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri, and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia anchoring the prestige end. Chianti Classico Riserva gets proper representation via Antinori and Felsina, and Amarone lovers have both Allegrini and the more intense Dal Forno Romano to choose from. California shows up with Kistler and Far Niente for Chardonnay and Caymus and Jordan holding down the Napa Cab corner. France is the thinnest pillar — Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin are reliable Burgundy names but this isn't the list you come to for a deep Côte de Nuits dive.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a generous program, and for an Italian tapas concept it makes total sense — you want to hop around the table, you want to hop around the wine list. Wednesday's half-price wine night turns an already reasonable by-the-glass program into a genuinely great deal. We'd love to see more rotation and adventurous picks in the glass program to match the ambition of the bottle list, but what's here gets the job done.
Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico 2021 — $52
Antinori is a name people trust, and Peppoli is a genuinely well-made Chianti Classico from one of Tuscany's most consistent producers. At $52 in a restaurant with this level of Italian focus, it's a fair pour — and it's the kind of bottle that makes the whole table happy without anyone wincing at the check.
Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva
Everyone gravitates toward the Barolos and Super Tuscans, which means the Felsina Riserva gets overlooked. Felsina is one of the best addresses in Chianti Classico — structured, complex, built to age — and it almost always gets passed over in favor of flashier names. Don't be that person.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2022
At $46 a bottle, you're paying mostly for the brand recognition. Santa Margherita put Pinot Grigio on American menus in the 1980s and has been living on that reputation ever since. With a list this strong, there are far more interesting pours for the same money — including the Rombi Pinot Grigio at $42 if you need your Grigio fix.
Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino + Short Rib Sliders
Brunello is built for braised, rich, slow-cooked beef — and short ribs are about as braised and slow-cooked as it gets. Casanova di Neri brings dark fruit and serious structure that cuts through the fat and mirrors the depth of the meat. It's the kind of pairing that makes you sit back and quietly appreciate how good dinner can be.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to wine list selections and makes an already reasonable by-the-glass program genuinely hard to beat.
The Bottom Line
A strip mall address you'll never hold against it — Spuntino punches well above its zip code with a deep Italian cellar, fair prices, and a half-price Wednesday that should be on your weekly calendar. Send your friends here; just make sure they book ahead.
· Chula Vista · Italian
Little Italy Ristorante isn't coming here for the wine — and at these prices, that's probably fine if you just need something cold in a glass. But nine labels, no Italian depth to speak of, and a list that hasn't been curated so much as assembled means this is strictly a cocktail-first, wine-if-you-must situation. If wine matters to you even a little, the food might be worth the trip, but plan to drink elsewhere.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chandler · Italian
Floridino's wine list does the minimum required to call itself a wine list — fair prices on uninspiring labels, zero rotation, and a by-the-glass program that's really just the entire list. If you want something to wash down a slice, the Folonari Chianti or Sassoregale are your best moves. But no one is driving to Chandler for the wine program here.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · Italian
Angelo's built a short, focused, all-Italian by-the-glass list and priced it fairly — that's a genuinely uncommon combination in the suburbs. We don't have enough intel on the food menu or staff to give it a full Rager endorsement, but the wine program alone earns a detour. If you're eating Italian in Bellevue and want something better than the usual suspects, this list rewards the curious.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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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