Tucson's Italian anchor, bottle-deep in the boot
Foothills / Skyline · Tucson · Upscale Northern Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed June 19, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Vivace Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Vivace arrives looking exactly like the room feels — white tablecloths, candlelight, occasion energy. It's a focused Italian program, built for the crowd that's celebrating something and already knows what Barolo is. Nothing here is trying to surprise you, and that's mostly fine.
The list leans hard into Northern Italy's greatest hits: Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone, and a respectable Super Tuscan section anchored by names like Sassicaia and Tignanello. If you want to drink well within that lane, you absolutely can. The whites are predictable — Gavi di Gavi and Alto Adige Pinot Grigio show up doing exactly what guests expect them to do — but there's almost no exploration outside Italy and very little love for obscure producers or emerging regions. The 150-250 bottle count sounds impressive until you realize it's largely variations on the same theme.
With 12-20 options by the glass, there's a reasonable spread for a white-tablecloth Italian spot, though the rotation doesn't appear to change much or often. Expect the usual suspects — a Pinot Grigio, something Tuscan in red — without much adventure. It's functional, not inspired.
Gavi di Gavi — $12–$16/glass
Sharp, clean, food-friendly Italian white that punches above what most people expect at this price point. Works hard with the lighter pasta preparations and doesn't ask much of you.
Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige
Most people skip Italian whites entirely here and go straight for the big reds, but Alto Adige Pinot Grigio is a completely different animal from the grocery-store stuff — alpine, minerally, and structured enough to carry a whole meal. Worth ordering a bottle.
Sassicaia
Look, Sassicaia is great wine. But at a restaurant with steep markups, you're paying two to three times what you'd pay at retail for a bottle you could easily find elsewhere. Save the Sassicaia for a wine shop and put that money toward something you can't easily source on your own.
Barbaresco + Veal scaloppine
Barbaresco's Nebbiolo grape has the structure and savory depth to stand up to veal without bullying it. The earthy, rose-petal character of a good Barbaresco flatters the delicate protein in a way Barolo — which is bigger and more tannic — sometimes can't.
The Bottom Line
Vivace is the wine list you'd expect at a reliable, decades-old Italian special-occasion spot — safe, Italy-focused, and priced for the occasion rather than the drinker. Go for the Barbaresco, skip the trophy bottles, and enjoy the mountain view.
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Seis Kitchen is almost certainly doing great things with food, but the wine program is essentially nonexistent — three unnamed pours at bare-minimum prices with zero information to guide a choice. Come for the tacos, order a beer or a margarita, and don't look at the wine list.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Catalina Foothills · Tucson · New American
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Tucson · Beer & Wine Bar
Broadway Beer & Wine Bar earns a Lazy List badge not because the wines are bad, but because the list represents zero effort beyond calling an Edgefield distributor. If you're here for beer, you're probably fine — but if you came for wine variety, keep walking.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Tucson · Bar with Wine
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
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