Red Sauce, Red Wine, No Complaints
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 29, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Best Italian on Elks Plaza’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Thirteen labels isn't a wine list — it's a wine suggestion. But for a casual red-sauce spot in tourist-heavy Gatlinburg, the list is honest about what it is: a short, approachable menu built for people who want something decent with their pasta without overthinking it. No pretense, no cellar brag.
The list splits its attention between Italy and California, which tracks for the cuisine. On the Italian side you get the Straccali Chianti in its classic basket bottle, a Fratelli Ponte Barbera d'Asti, and the Donna Laura Cabernet-Sangiovese blend — nothing rare, but all recognizable and food-friendly. California gets the heavy hitters: Caymus Cab in a 1-liter format and Austin Hope, both clear nods to the Smoky Mountains crowd that skews toward big, approachable reds. The Ferrari-Carano Pinot Grigio covers white wine duty adequately. There are real gaps — no Nebbiolo, no Vermentino, nothing from Southern Italy — but this list isn't pretending to be Enoteca Pinchiorri.
Eight pours by the glass at $8–$12 is a reasonable spread for the format, and the pricing is refreshingly not punishing. The Roscato Rosso Sweet Red will move volume here — the Gatlinburg tourist trade loves a soft, low-tannin red — but the Fratelli Ponte Barbera d'Asti is the quietly better glass if you're eating anything with tomato sauce. No obvious rotation or seasonal swaps in sight.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml — $58
Austin Hope retails around $35–$40, so the markup here is real but not egregious for a restaurant. It's a plush, full-bodied Paso Robles Cab that outdrinks its price point on most menus — and at $58 in a tourist-zone Italian spot, you're still doing reasonably well.
Fratelli Ponte Barbera d'Asti
Everyone around you is ordering the Caymus or the Roscato sweet red, and that's a shame. Barbera has the bright acidity and dark fruit that makes it one of the best food wines on the planet, and it's criminally underordered. With a bowl of pasta in tomato sauce, it's the right call every time.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 1L
At $125 for the liter format, you're paying for the brand recognition more than anything else. Caymus has coasted on its reputation for years while the quality case for it has gotten thinner. That's a lot of money on a wine list this size — order the Austin Hope and put the difference toward dessert.
Straccali Chianti Basket + Pizza
Chianti and pizza is not a revolutionary thought, but it's correct. The Straccali is a simple, food-forward Sangiovese with enough acidity to cut through cheese and enough earthiness to complement a tomato-forward sauce. Sometimes the classic answer is the right answer.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cherry Street · Gatlinburg · Winery
This isn't a destination for serious wine drinkers, and it knows that — Smoky Mountain Winery is a cheerful, unpretentious regional stop that delivers exactly what it promises. If you're in Gatlinburg and curious about Tennessee fruit wines, this is the place; if you're hunting for a serious cellar, keep driving.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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