Tavola Italian

Walking into Tavola, you half-expect a wine list that leans on Pinot Grigio and calls it a day — this is suburban South Carolina, after all. What you actually get is a tightly curated Italian list that punches well above its zip code, with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (2025) to back up the confidence. The Italian countryside aesthetic isn't just decoration; the wine program actually commits to the bit.

The list runs 80-120 bottles and stays almost entirely Italian, which in this case is a strength rather than a limitation. You've got Antinori Tignanello representing Tuscany's Super Tuscan wing, Banfi Brunello di Montalcino for the big-bottle-occasion crowd, and Gaja Barbaresco holding down Piedmont with serious credibility. Zenato's Amarone della Valpolicella rounds out the north, and the Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino gives budget-conscious drinkers a proper entry point into Tuscan terroir. There are gaps — no real exploration of southern Italy, no Sicilian or Campanian representation we can see — but what's here is coherent and well-chosen.

Ten to eighteen pours by the glass is a solid range for a restaurant of this size, and pricing sits between $8 and $16 — reasonable enough that you can work through a few without wincing at the bill. The Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva are predictable anchors, but they're crowd-pleasers that actually deliver in context. We'd love to see more rotation here, but what's on offer is consistent and drinkable.