Solid neighborhood red sauce, dependable pours
Lansdowne / Nicholasville Road · Lexington · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed June 4, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Sutton's Italian Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sutton's feels like it was built to complement the pasta and not cause any arguments. It's an Italian-leaning lineup that checks the expected boxes — Chianti, Pinot Grigio, a few California names — without venturing too far off the beaten path. Comfortable, familiar, and pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a relaxed neighborhood Italian joint.
The list runs 30 to 60 bottles deep, anchored by Italian workhorses from Tuscany and Veneto with a California bench for those who want something closer to home. Ruffino and Santa Margherita represent the Italian side — reliable commercial producers, nothing obscure — while the presence of Antinori's Tignanello is a genuine surprise and the most serious bottle on the menu. There's no real push into Piedmont's Barolo or Barbaresco territory, and the Veneto coverage beyond Pinot Grigio is thin. It's a list built for guests who want wine with dinner, not guests who came for the wine.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass is a respectable spread for a casual Italian spot, and you can expect the usual suspects — Pinot Grigio, Chianti, probably a California Cab or Merlot holding down the red side. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here; the glass list feels like it was set once and left to run. If you're ordering by the glass, stick to the Italian options and you won't go wrong.
Ruffino Chianti — $32
It's a crowd-pleaser Chianti that drinks cleanly alongside red sauce dishes without a markup that makes you wince. Nothing adventurous, but dependable and priced where it should be for what it is.
Antinori Tignanello
A Super Tuscan built on Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Tignanello is a legitimately great wine that most tables here will walk right past in favor of something familiar. If you're splitting a bottle and want the best thing on this list, this is it — full stop.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is the wine that launched a thousand markups. It's fine, it's inoffensive, and it costs more than it should everywhere it appears. You're paying for the brand recognition, not the wine.
Ruffino Chianti + Spaghetti with marinara
Chianti and tomato-based pasta is one of the least controversial calls in Italian dining — the wine's bright acidity and cherry fruit cut right through the sauce's sweetness and keep everything tasting fresh.
The Bottom Line
Sutton's isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly reasonable place to drink a bottle of Chianti while someone else handles the cooking. The Tignanello alone earns this list a second look if you know to ask for it.
South Lexington / Harrodsburg Road · Lexington · Italian, Contemporary Italian, Seafood
Giuseppe's isn't a wine destination, but Monday night half-price bottles make it one of the better value plays in Lexington — show up then, lean on the seafood, and you'll leave happy. Any other night, the markups ask a lot and the list doesn't ask you to think very hard.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown / Gratz Park · Lexington · New American / Southern
Jonathan at Gratz Park is the kind of reliable wine room you'd expect from a historic inn with a real sommelier — competent, well-stocked, and leaning safe. Pricing is on the steeper side and the list won't surprise you, but in Lexington, this is still one of the better places to order a full bottle with dinner.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Palomar / Harrodsburg Road · Lexington · Italian, Seasonal American-Influenced
Bella Notte isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable neighborhood spot with one genuinely smart move: Thursday half-price bottles turn a steep list into a real value play. Go on a Thursday, order the Decoy Cab with a wood-grilled steak, and you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Lexington · Italian
ItalX is a dependable Italian wine list for a night out downtown — not exciting, but not embarrassing either. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well enough, as long as they steer toward the Italian reds and away from the obvious tourist traps.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Summit at Fritz Farm · Lexington · New American / Southern
33 Staves is a perfectly competent hotel wine list in a city where nobody's really coming for the wine. Drink it for what it is, keep your expectations calibrated, and save the serious bottle hunting for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Lexington · Contemporary American
Lockbox is the wine list of a restaurant that cares about wine but hasn't fully committed to obsessing over it — solid producers, a bit steep on price, and playing it safe where it could take chances. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well; just tell them to skip the rosé and go straight for the Jadot.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Hartford · Italian-American
Carbone's Hartford punches above its weight on Italian whites and Champagne — the Greco di Tufo, the Etna Bianco, and the Suavia 'Massifitti' are exactly the kind of picks that separate a real wine list from a prop. Markup runs steep in spots (that Livio Felluga isn't doing anyone favors), and the by-the-glass program leaves some of the best bottles stranded on the bottle-only list. Come for the Italian-American classics, bring a table of four, and split something interesting from the whites.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Kansas City · Kansas City · Italian-American
A glass list that fits an Italian menu: 24 wines from $8 to $13, with Barolo, Amarone and Brunello available by the bottle. Start with the $8 Capasoldo Pinot Grigio, or the $13 Banfi Chianti Riserva if you are ordering the Veal Parmigiana, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Old Mill District · Bend · Italian-American
This is a pasta-house list with a wide Italian and Oregon spread: bottles start at $36 and 14 wines come by the glass. Start with the Pastini Rosso at $9.25 for 6oz or the La Quercia Montepulciano at $10, and save Elk Cove ($60) for when you want to splurge on a Willamette Pinot. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list is undated, so confirm what is available.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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