Boca Raton

Chops Lobster Bar is exactly what it promises: a well-run, California-focused list in a clubby setting where the wine program supports the food rather than competes with it. Send your Cab-loving friends without hesitation; just remind them to skip the trophy bottles and drink the Jordan instead.

La Nouvelle Maison is a dependable French list in a polished setting — it's not going to change your wine life, but it will serve you well if you let the French classics do their job. Send a friend here who loves Bordeaux and doesn't want any surprises.

Trattoria Romana is the real deal for Italian wine in South Florida — a 300-plus bottle list with genuine depth in Tuscany and a pedigree that's earned, not purchased. Markup runs steep and there's no dedicated sommelier to guide you through it, but the bones of this program are excellent enough that we'd send anyone here who takes Barolo and Brunello seriously.

Casa D'Angelo is the real deal — a destination wine list anchored in Italian excellence with the staff and setting to back it up. The markups lean steep, but when the Barolo lineup reads like a greatest-hits of Piedmont, you already know what you signed up for.

Abe & Louie's is Boca Raton's best argument for the classic American steakhouse wine program — deep in California, credible in Italy and France, and carrying a Wine Spectator pedigree that's earned. The markups will sting and there's no sommelier to help you navigate, but if you know what you want and you want it big and bold, this list delivers.