Nashville's Italian Wine Anchor, No Debate
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 →
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.
Nashville · Nashville · Steakhouse
STK Nashville is a nightclub that serves steaks and has a wine list to match the energy — loud, familiar, and not particularly interested in your education. Come for the scene, order the bottle that sounds good to you, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Nashville · American Grille
Del Frisco's Grille Nashville is coasting hard on brand recognition with a wine list that a decent gastropub would be embarrassed by. Swing by for happy hour, grab a $10 pour, and don't expect anyone to help you think about what you're drinking.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
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
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
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.
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