Terza Ristorante
Rochester's Italian anchor actually knows wine
Rochester · Rochester · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 16, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
When you open the list at Terza, the Italy-first philosophy is immediate and unapologetic — Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, all present and accounted for. California shows up as a credible supporting cast rather than an afterthought. For Rochester, Minnesota, this is legitimately impressive work.
Selection Deep Dive
The Italian backbone is the real draw here: Barolo from Piedmont, Brunello di Montalcino, and the Super Tuscan heavy-hitters Sassicaia and Tignanello all make appearances, which tells you someone actually curated this thing. Amarone della Valpolicella rounds out a serious northern Italian presence that you won't find at most restaurants in a mid-sized Midwest city. California pulls its weight on the other side of the ledger with Napa Cabernet and Napa/Sonoma Chardonnay — familiar territory executed without apology. The gaps are in the natural wine and Old World-outside-Italy space, but within its lane, this list delivers.
By the Glass
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a healthy program — enough that you can actually explore the list over a meal rather than committing to a bottle blind. We'd expect a rotating Italian anchor or two among the pours given the list's focus, which keeps the by-the-glass experience honest. No structured rotation or featured pours program appears to be in place, so what you see is likely what you get visit to visit.
Amarone della Valpolicella — $80
Amarone is one of Italy's most labor-intensive wines to produce, and finding it in a fair price window at a non-wine-bar restaurant is a minor miracle. If it lands under $100 here, you're getting real value on a wine that commands serious money elsewhere.
Brunello di Montalcino
Most tables at Terza are probably gravitating toward the Super Tuscans because the names are recognizable, but the Brunello is where the real depth lives — longer aging, more complexity, and a Sangiovese purity that Sassicaia and Tignanello don't deliver.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
You're in an Italian restaurant with legitimate Barolo and Brunello on the list. Ordering California Cab here is like going to a great ramen shop and ordering fried rice — the kitchen didn't build this wine program to showcase Napa, and the markup on name-brand Napa bottles rarely favors the diner.
Barolo + Fresh pasta
Barolo's high acidity and firm tannins are built for rich, slow-cooked meat ragù or butter-forward fresh pasta — the kind of pairing that's been working in Piedmont for centuries. At Terza, this is the most honest expression of what the wine program is actually here to do.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Terza is the rare Midwest Italian spot where the wine list actually earns the cuisine on the menu — the Italian selections are serious, the pricing is fair, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (held since 2016) isn't just wall decoration. If you're eating pasta in Rochester, this is where you want to be drinking.
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