Italian Country Cooking With a Serious Cellar
Simpsonville · Simpsonville · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
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.
Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino — $30-$40
Rosso di Montalcino is Brunello's younger sibling — same Sangiovese Grosso grape from the same hill, just released earlier and priced lower. It's a back-door into serious Tuscan wine without the serious Brunello price tag, and at Tavola's bottle range it's the smartest order on the list.
Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables in a place like this gravitate toward Chianti or Pinot Grigio and never look north toward Valpolicella. That's a mistake. Zenato's Amarone is a rich, concentrated wine made from partially dried grapes — it's a completely different experience from anything else on this list, and most diners walk right past it.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
It's fine. It's always fine. But Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the wine equivalent of ordering a plain burger at a steakhouse — you're at a restaurant with Gaja Barbaresco on the list, and you're drinking the wine your aunt brings to Thanksgiving. Aim higher.
Antinori Tignanello + Filet Mignon
Tignanello is a Sangiovese-Cabernet blend with enough structure and dark fruit to stand up to beef without overwhelming it. A filet's tenderness and clean, beefy flavor lets the wine do the talking — this is the kind of pairing that makes a Tuesday night feel like a special occasion.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Tavola is doing something genuinely surprising for Simpsonville — building a focused, Italy-serious wine list in a market that would happily settle for far less. No sommelier on staff and no wine events to speak of, but the list itself earns the Wine Spectator nod and gives you real reasons to order a bottle.
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