Trattoria La Festa

Antinori Bramito del Cervo Chardonnay — $50

Antinori's Bramito is made from Chardonnay grown in Umbria's Castello della Sala estate — one of Italy's most respected white wine producers. At $50 in a Vermont mountain town, it's not cheap, but it's the one bottle on this list where you're actually getting a wine with serious pedigree and a producer that knows what they're doing. Everything else is a bigger leap of faith.

Orvieto Classico DOC

Most people ordering Italian food in Vermont aren't thinking about Orvieto, but they should be. This central Umbrian white — crisp, mineral, slightly nutty — is exactly what you want cutting through a cream-sauced pasta or a plate of fried calamari. It's the kind of regional pairing that makes sense on a menu like this, and it's almost certainly the least-ordered bottle at the table.

Perrier-Jouët Brut NV

At $105, the Perrier-Jouët is the top of the list in both price and aspiration — but this is a casual trattoria in a ski town, not a special-occasion Champagne bar. Perrier-Jouët Brut is a perfectly fine Champagne, but it retails for around $40-45, which makes this a steep pour for what you're getting. If you want bubbles, the $11 Prosecco at the door does the job without the guilt.

Orvieto Classico DOC + Lobster Ravioli

Orvieto Classico's bright acidity and subtle mineral edge are made for delicate seafood pasta. The wine won't fight the lobster filling, it'll lift it — cutting through any richness in the sauce while keeping the sweet shellfish flavor front and center. It's the kind of pairing that feels obvious once you've done it.