Italy's Greatest Hits, Square Edition
Downtown Square · Bentonville · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Tavola Trattoria’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Tavola lands with more confidence than you'd expect from a trattoria on an Arkansas town square. It's Italia front to back — no detours into California Cabs or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which we respect. The focus feels intentional, not accidental.
Thirty to fifty bottles deep, all roads lead to the Boot. You've got the Italian canon covered: Barolo up north, Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany, Chianti Classico for the middle ground, and Amarone della Valpolicella for when dinner gets serious. The light end is handled by Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, which is the right call — it's a crowd pleaser that at least comes from the right place. What's missing is any real off-the-beaten-path Italian stuff — no Etna Rosso, no Vermentino, no Aglianico — so don't come looking for adventure, come looking for the classics done properly.
Ten to sixteen pours by the glass is a genuinely solid number for a restaurant this size in this market. If the rotation tracks the bottle list, you're likely looking at a Pinot Grigio, a Chianti, and a few bigger reds by the pour. We'd love to see more turnover and experimentation here, but for Bentonville on a Tuesday night, this does the job.
Chianti Classico — $-unknown-
Chianti Classico is the workhorse of this list — food-friendly, acidic enough to cut through pasta and red sauce, and almost always priced fairly when a restaurant leans Italian. It's the move for anyone who wants something real without overthinking it.
Pinot Grigio delle Venezie
Most people reach past Pinot Grigio on principle, assuming it'll be thin and forgettable. But Venezie-designated Pinot Grigio has actual bones — a little more texture and Alpine crispness than the generic stuff. On a warm Bentonville evening with a balcony seat, this is quietly the right glass.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Amarone is a big, expensive, demanding wine — and unless they're storing it right and the markup is in check, it's a risky order at a mid-market trattoria. At $20-$30 entree prices, the Amarone likely feels out of place with the food and the wallet. Save it for somewhere that makes it the centerpiece.
Brunello di Montalcino + Pasta with braised meat ragu
Brunello is built for exactly this — the wine's tannins and earthy depth need something slow-cooked and rich to make sense. A braised meat ragu gives it something to push against, and the Italian-on-Italian logic just works.
The Bottom Line
Tavola Trattoria isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it has enough going on — solid Italian depth, fair pricing, reasonable glass options — to earn your business on a date night in Bentonville. Stick to the classics and let the balcony do the rest.
West Walnut / Retail corridor · Bentonville · Seafood and American
Bonefish Grill Rogers is not a wine destination, but it's not a disaster either — the list is safe, the glass pours are plentiful, and you won't feel cheated if you stick to the by-the-glass options. Send a friend here for the Bang Bang Shrimp; tell them to manage their wine expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Rainbow Curve / I-49 Corridor · Bentonville · Italian
The Bertani Amarone and Col d'Orcia Brunello sitting on this list are like finding a Rolex in a vending machine — impressive that they exist, but the surrounding context makes the whole thing feel absurd. Come for the pasta, drink the Chianti Classico, and lower your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Bentonville · Bentonville · Steakhouse / BBQ
Fred's Hickory Inn is worth the trip for the smoke and the history — the wine list is not the reason you come. Order the barbecue, drink whatever's cold, and save the serious bottle for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Crystal Bridges Museum Area · Bentonville · Modern American Comfort / High South
Eleven is a museum restaurant that knows its audience and plays to it — the wine list is competent, slightly overpriced, and will keep almost everyone happy without exciting anyone. Come for the view and the tasting menu events; just don't expect the wine program to match the art on the walls.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
8th Street Market / Arts District · Bentonville · Café / Multi-concept
This is not a wine destination — it's a coffee bar attached to an art space that happens to have a short, thoughtful wine list. If you're doing the Momentary and want a glass while you wander the galleries, you'll drink better here than the setting suggests.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bentonville / 8th Street Market Area · Bentonville · American Café
Table at the Station is a Wild Card because no one expects a Sancerre and a Zuccardi Malbec at a Bentonville burger café — and yet here we are. It's not a wine destination, but it's a wine list that clearly has a pulse, and that's worth celebrating.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lansing · Italian
Carrabba's Lansing isn't a wine destination — it's a chain with a four-bottle list that skews heavily toward one California region and ignores everything Italian about the menu. Come for the pasta, skip the wine program, or catch one of their Paso Robles wine dinners if the timing works out.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Las Cruces · Italian
La Bella Vita's wine list won't make a wine geek's heart race, but it's fairly priced, almost entirely available by the glass, and leans into its Italian identity in the right places. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of Chianti without a lesson.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Cafe Sapori's wine list is a reliable Italian-leaning companion — not adventurous, not cheap, but curated enough that the right picks reward you. Skip the Whispering Angel, dig into the Tuscans, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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