Nashville's Italian Wine Anchor, No Debate
Nashville · Nashville · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Yolan’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Yolan lands with real weight — 400 to 600 bottles deep, anchored in Italy and France, with the kind of producer names that make you slow down and read twice. This isn't a restaurant that threw some Pinot Grigio and a Chianti on a laminated sheet and called it done. Sommelier Thomas Cheatham has built something that earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence without any asterisks.
Italy is the obvious backbone and it's stacked — Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa for Barolo, Biondi-Santi for Brunello, and a Super Tuscan section where Tignanello, Sassicaia, and Ornellaia all show up in the same room like they own the place. France keeps pace with Burgundy Premier and Grand Cru selections and Champagne heavyweights like Krug and Cristal. California and Barossa fill out the New World side without feeling like an afterthought. The gaps are small: if you're hunting deep-cut regional Italian — say, Etna or Campania — you may find the list thinner there than the headline names suggest.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is a serious program — that's not a wine list, that's a commitment. Pours range from $14 to $28, which gives you room to explore without immediately ordering a bottle. We'd want to know how frequently the selection rotates, but at this size, you're likely to find something worth drinking at almost every price point.
Tignanello (Antinori) — $600 range (bottle)
Tignanello at a restaurant with proper storage, proper stems, and a sommelier who actually knows what it is — that's the full context a wine like this deserves. Expensive, yes, but you're not paying a 4x markup just to drink it out of a tumbler next to a bread basket.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables at Yolan are locked onto the Barolo or Super Tuscans, which means Amarone sits there quietly waiting for someone to notice. Big, dried-fruit intensity, natural richness that holds up to the 55-day dry-aged strip steak without breaking a sweat.
Louis Roederer Cristal (Champagne)
Cristal is always going to carry a luxury tax at any restaurant, and here it's no different. If you want to open with bubbles, there are almost certainly better-value Champagne options on the list that won't crater your budget before the pasta course arrives.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + 55-day dry-aged strip steak
Conterno Barolo and aged beef is one of those combinations that feels almost unfairly good. The tannin structure in the wine meets the fat and char of the steak directly, and neither one backs down. Order it, let it breathe, and don't rush.
The Bottom Line
Yolan is the best wine program in Nashville and it's not particularly close — the depth, the producers, the staff, and the setting all show up at the same time. Yes, the markups sting, but you're not here to find a bargain; you're here to drink Barolo properly.
Downtown Nashville · Nashville · American, French
Gannons is a reliable, well-curated wine destination dressed in hotel restaurant clothing — the sommelier team knows the list, the glass pour selection is strong, and the Italian and French highlights give it more personality than the Napa-heavy surface suggests. The markups lean steep, but the execution earns its Wine Spectator badge. We'd send a friend here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Nashville · Nashville · Southern American, Steakhouse
Deacon's won't expand your wine horizons, but if California Cabernet with your steak is the plan — and in Nashville, it often is — Andrew Lizardo's program delivers with confidence. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is earned, even if the list plays it safe.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West End · Nashville · Seafood
Halls Catch is the right call for a Nashville seafood dinner when you want a wine list that won't embarrass you — just don't come looking for adventure outside the California zip codes. Send a friend here if they love Napa and know what they're ordering; send them somewhere else if they want to explore.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Green Hills · Nashville · Seafood, Steakhouse
Char is a dependable, well-executed steakhouse wine list that's built for crowd-pleasing, not adventuring — if California Cabernet is your comfort zone, you'll be happy here. Send a friend who wants a reliable pour with a prime cut; don't send the friend who just got back from a natural wine bar in Copenhagen.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
The Gulch · Nashville · American Seafood
Marsh House is carrying one of the most serious French-focused wine programs in Nashville, full stop — and the seafood menu is built like it was designed around the list. The markups sting and the staff isn't yet at the level of the cellar, but the bones here are exceptional enough to send anyone who cares about wine.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Nashville · Nashville · Steak house
Halls Chophouse is Nashville's answer to a serious California wine program — expert staff, deep Napa bench, and the kind of steakhouse atmosphere that makes a $150 bottle feel like the right call. The markups are real, but so is the experience.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
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.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
