Best Wine Lists in Massachusetts

Masons is a reliable neighborhood steakhouse wine list that punches above its South Shore zip code — the Wine Spectator nod is deserved, even if the list plays it safe. Go in knowing what you want, order the Jordan with your steak, and you'll leave happy.

Lucca South Shore is doing something genuinely respectable: bringing a focused, well-curated Italian list to a part of Massachusetts that doesn't expect it. With Kate Ryan steering the program and the Wine Spectator credential backing it up, this is absolutely worth ordering a bottle over — not just a glass.

Old Yarmouth Inn is a reliable, well-kept wine program that earns its Wine Spectator badge by doing California right and doing it consistently. It's not the list you come to for adventure, but it's absolutely the list you trust on a winter night with a bowl of lobster bisque and nowhere else to be.

Sogno is doing something genuinely surprising for a neighborhood Italian in suburban Massachusetts — a focused, Italy-only list stocked with producers worth seeking out, at prices that don't feel punitive. Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence since 2023 is warranted; if you're anywhere near Woburn, this is worth the detour.

Smith & Wollensky Wellesley delivers a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse wine list that earns its Wine Spectator credentials without doing anything especially daring. If you want a great California Cab with your ribeye and don't need to be surprised, this is your room.

Coach Grill is a proper suburban steakhouse wine list — deep enough in California to satisfy the Cabernet crowd, smart enough to include Tignanello and real Burgundy for the table's one contrarian. Markup skews steep, but Richard Cheshul's presence as a sommelier gives you someone worth asking when you want to go off-script.

Blue Heron is the kind of reliable, well-intentioned wine program that earns its Wine Spectator badge without making a big show of it — fair prices, familiar names done right, and a list that matches the food. If you're in the Pioneer Valley and want a proper bottle with your duck breast, this is your spot.

The Red Lion Inn's wine list won't blow your mind, but it's honest, well-kept, and staffed by someone who actually knows what's on it — a genuinely rare thing for a destination inn. If you're making the trek to Stockbridge, this is a safe and often rewarding place to drink.

Post 1917 is a solid neighborhood steakhouse with a wine list that earns its Wine Spectator badge without necessarily exceeding it — the California anchors are reliable, the Italian picks give it some credibility, and the pricing is what it is for the format. Send a friend here if they want a proper steak-and-Cab night; just tell them to order the Barolo instead.

Daniella's earned its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the list backs it up — not flashy, but honest, well-stocked, and fairly priced for what you get. If you're in the North Shore and want a reliable Italian dinner with a bottle that actually deserves to be on the table, this is your spot.

Bosse Enoteca is the Wild Card in every sense — a legitimately serious Italian wine list operating out of a pickleball-adjacent mall restaurant in the suburbs of Boston. If you're in Natick and you care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.

The Company of the Cauldron earns its Wine Spectator nod — this is a focused, fairly priced list that understands its audience and the food it's serving. Not the most adventurous wine program on the island, but on a candlelit night in Nantucket with lobster in front of you, it more than does the job.