Italian-Forward and Honest in the Suburbs
Forrestal Village · Princeton · Italian / Mediterranean
Reviewed July 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Tre Piani’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list announces itself as proudly Italian and doesn't apologize for it. At 60–80 bottles with a glass program that tops out at $20, this is a wine list built for people who want to eat well without doing mental math all night. Forrestal Village isn't exactly a wine destination, but Tre Piani is doing its part.
The regional focus is tight and makes sense for the kitchen: Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, and Sicily anchor the Italian side, with California filling in as a crowd-pleasing safety valve. You'll find Chianti Classico and Super Tuscans for the Sangiovese crowd, and Barolo or Barbaresco for anyone willing to spend a little more and wait a little longer for their glass to open up. The Franciacorta is a smart inclusion — it's Italy's answer to Champagne and most people still walk right past it. Prosecco shows up too, which keeps the accessible end covered without feeling lazy.
Twelve pours by the glass is a respectable number for a neighborhood Italian spot, and the $12–$20 range means you can drink well without defaulting to the cheapest option out of self-defense. We'd want to know how often those pours rotate, but for a suburban restaurant wine bar hybrid, this is above average.
Chianti Classico (by the glass) — $14
Chianti Classico by the glass in the $12–$15 range is one of the more reliable value moves in Italian dining — you get real structure, food-friendly acidity, and a wine with a sense of place, not just a label.
Franciacorta (Italian sparkling)
Nobody orders this when Prosecco is on the list, which is a shame. Franciacorta is made méthode traditionnelle — the same way Champagne is — and it deserves more attention than it gets at casual Italian spots. Order it while everyone else is ignoring it.
Prosecco
Prosecco is fine, but when Franciacorta is sitting right there on the same list, ordering Prosecco feels like settling. Save it for brunch somewhere else.
Barolo or Barbaresco (by the bottle) + All-you-can-eat mussels in marinara with country Italian bread
A structured Nebbiolo from Piedmont and a bowl of briny, tomato-broth mussels is the kind of combination that makes you wonder why you ever order anything else. The wine's acidity and tannin cut right through the richness and hold up against the marinara without flinching.
Monday — Historically, Tre Bar (the attached bar side) offered half-price wines by the glass from 4 to 6:30 PM every Monday, alongside an all-you-can-eat mussels special. Confirm current availability before you show up.
The Bottom Line
Tre Piani is exactly what a neighborhood Italian wine bar should be: honest, Italian-leaning, and priced for people who actually live nearby. It's not going to change your relationship with wine, but it's a reliable call when you want a decent Barolo and a bowl of mussels on a Monday.
· Princeton · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Princeton delivers a competent, corporately assembled wine program that covers the bases without taking any real swings. Markups are steep across the board — this is not the place to drop serious money on a bottle — but the all-by-the-glass format and the Trimbach and Catena Zapata picks give you room to drink well if you choose carefully. Come for the steak; drink strategically.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Palmer Square · Princeton · Italian / Pizza & Wine Bar
Teresa's has the bones of something genuinely good — a wine-bar concept in a charming Princeton setting, with an Italian-leaning list and the kind of casual-but-intentional vibe that makes you want to linger over a second glass. We'd call it a Wild Card because the setup is promising and the concept is right, but without a fully sourced list in hand, we're betting on potential as much as proof. Worth a walk-in to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Wine Shop with Tastings
Princeton Corkscrew is doing something genuinely useful: shop-floor pricing on a focused, mostly Old World list that punishes nobody for wanting to drink well without a restaurant markup. The Dubreuil-Fontaine Beaune Premier Cru at $67.50 and the Tardieu-Laurent Rhône Blanc at $19 both represent the kind of value that makes a wine list worth paying attention to. If you're in Princeton and care about what's in your glass, this deserves a stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / American
Metro North's wine program is honest, approachable, and priced fairly for what it is — a crowd-pleasing list that gets out of the way and lets you eat dinner. If you're looking for discovery or depth, you won't find it here, but if you want a glass of something reliable at a fair price, the Nebbiolo and the Rosso di Montalcino are quietly doing the real work on this list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Farm-to-Table / New American
Brick Farm Tavern has no business having a wine list this interesting, and that's exactly the point. The markups are real — this isn't a value destination — but the curation earns genuine respect, especially with the local Unionville pours and the Slovenian Rebula Brut as curveballs. If you're driving out to Princeton for the farm-to-table experience anyway, the wine list is a legitimate reason not to skip it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Italian / Pizza
LaScala's Fire Princeton offers a functional, crowd-friendly wine list that does the job without making any bold moves. The by-the-glass selection is genuinely broad and pricing stays reasonable at the lower end, but markups on recognizable names like Kim Crawford and Veuve Clicquot are steep enough to notice. Send a friend here for a casual pizza night — just point them toward the Vermentino or the Prosecco and away from the big-name bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · Italian / Mediterranean
For a tourist-heavy Italian restaurant in Sedona, Cucina Rustica's wine list is a genuine overachiever — 30 by-the-glass options, fair pricing, and actual producer-level thinking across the card. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Moët gimmick, order the Chianti Classico Riserva, and enjoy the view.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · Italian / Mediterranean
Nuovo is a reliable date-night pick on Shrewsbury Street with an Italian-leaning wine list that won't embarrass itself, but won't surprise you either. Order something from the Veneto, enjoy the room, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Oakland · Italian / Mediterranean
Bellanico isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's trying to be the best possible ending to a meal, and the wine list reflects exactly that. If you're into the Italian after-dinner tradition, this list is a small treasure worth seeking out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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