Tuscany runs deep in South Florida
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Trattoria Romana arrives with the kind of heft that makes you want to cancel your plans and stay longer. Italy is clearly the religion here — Tuscany in particular — and the list has been earning Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence since 2012, which is not something a lazy program pulls off. You know immediately this is a room that takes wine seriously.
The Italian spine is exceptional: Brunello di Montalcino from both Banfi and Biondi-Santi, Barolo from Gaja and Ceretto, Amarone from Masi and Zenato, and a Super Tuscan section anchored by Tignanello and Sassicaia. This isn't a list that just drops famous names for show — the range within each region gives you real choices at multiple price points. California gets its due with Caymus and Silver Oak holding down the American side for the guests who didn't get the Italian memo. The one gap: if you're hunting outside Italy and California, you'll find slim pickings.
With 20-35 options by the glass, Trattoria Romana is legitimately generous for a restaurant of this style — most Italian spots in this zip code pour you four reds and call it a day. The glass program skews Italian, which is exactly right for the room. We'd push staff to rotate more aggressively and feature some of the stronger producers from the bottle list.
Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella — $90
Zenato punches well above its positioning in the Amarone category — rich, structured, and cellar-worthy without the Masi price premium. At a list price that doesn't make you wince, it's the move on a table that wants something serious.
Ceretto Barolo
Everyone's eyes go straight to Gaja, which is fair — Gaja is Gaja. But Ceretto delivers classic Barolo character with less fanfare and a more approachable price point. Most tables skip right past it and that's their loss.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles in American restaurants, full stop. You're in an Italian trattoria with Sassicaia and Tignanello on the list — ordering Caymus here is like going to a great ramen shop and ordering the grilled cheese.
Antinori Tignanello + Osso Buco
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend has the structure to stand up to braised veal shank and the dark fruit to complement the gremolata without steamrolling it. This is the pairing you come back for.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Trattoria Romana is the real deal for Italian wine in South Florida — a 300-plus bottle list with genuine depth in Tuscany and a pedigree that's earned, not purchased. Markup runs steep and there's no dedicated sommelier to guide you through it, but the bones of this program are excellent enough that we'd send anyone here who takes Barolo and Brunello seriously.
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · American
Chops Lobster Bar is exactly what it promises: a well-run, California-focused list in a clubby setting where the wine program supports the food rather than competes with it. Send your Cab-loving friends without hesitation; just remind them to skip the trophy bottles and drink the Jordan instead.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · French
La Nouvelle Maison is a dependable French list in a polished setting — it's not going to change your wine life, but it will serve you well if you let the French classics do their job. Send a friend here who loves Bordeaux and doesn't want any surprises.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · Italian
Casa D'Angelo is the real deal — a destination wine list anchored in Italian excellence with the staff and setting to back it up. The markups lean steep, but when the Barolo lineup reads like a greatest-hits of Piedmont, you already know what you signed up for.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Boca Raton · Boca Raton · American Steakhouse
Abe & Louie's is Boca Raton's best argument for the classic American steakhouse wine program — deep in California, credible in Italy and France, and carrying a Wine Spectator pedigree that's earned. The markups will sting and there's no sommelier to help you navigate, but if you know what you want and you want it big and bold, this list delivers.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Provo · Provo · Italian
La Dolce Vita earns its stripes as a dependable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving. It's not a destination wine program, but in Provo, it's one of the better options on the table — and that house pour at $4 a glass is almost disarmingly honest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Odessa Retail Corridor · Odessa · Italian
The wine list at Olive Garden Odessa does exactly what Olive Garden's wine list is supposed to do — it's inoffensive, familiar, and gets out of the way of the breadsticks. If you're here for a serious glass of wine, you're in the wrong zip code.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's isn't where you go to discover wine, but it's where you go to drink something decent without getting ripped off. Send a friend here if they want a familiar Italian night with a glass that makes sense — just steer them toward the Italian side of the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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