Caffé Gelato
Italian Comfort, California Cameos, Twenty Years Strong
Newark · Newark · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walk into Caffé Gelato on a Wednesday night and the amber lighting and candles do a lot of the heavy lifting — this place wants you to relax, and the wine list follows suit. It's not trying to impress you with esoteric Georgian skin-contact pours; it's trying to make sure your Chianti arrives before the pasta gets cold. That said, there's more going on here than the cozy-neighborhood-Italian-spot vibe would suggest.
Selection Deep Dive
The list clocks in at 100-150 bottles with a clear double focus: Italy and California, which tracks with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've held since 2005. On the Italian side, you've got Antinori Chianti Classico and Ruffino Brunello di Montalcino anchoring Tuscany, with Gaja Barbaresco representing Piedmont at the serious end of the spectrum — that's not a name that appears on lazy lists. California gets a respectable showing via Caymus and Stag's Leap Cabernets and Jordan for those who want something a touch more elegant. The gaps are real — no southern Italian representation we can spot, and Burgundy fans are on their own — but within its lane, the list is curated rather than dumped.
By the Glass
Ten to sixteen by-the-glass options is a healthy pour count for a restaurant of this size, and the $8-$14 price range is fair for Delaware dining in 2024. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio will predictably anchor the white side — it's a crowd-pleaser for a reason — but we'd want to see more rotation and adventurous pours before calling this a by-the-glass destination.
Banfi Rosso di Montalcino — $30s
Rosso di Montalcino is the little brother to Brunello — same Sangiovese grape, same Montalcino terroir, fraction of the price and ready to drink now. At Caffé Gelato's entry-level pricing this is the bottle you order when you want to drink well without doing math at the table.
Gaja Barbaresco
Most tables here are ordering the Caymus without a second thought, which means the Gaja Barbaresco sits quietly on this list being deeply underappreciated. Angelo Gaja is one of the most important producers in Piedmont — full stop — and finding his Barbaresco on a Newark, Delaware neighborhood Italian spot is genuinely surprising. Worth the splurge.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
It's fine. It has always been fine. But Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the most marked-up 'safe choice' on wine lists across the entire country, and you can almost certainly do better here for the same money. Order the Banfi instead.
Antinori Chianti Classico + House-crafted pasta
This is the pairing that basically writes itself — Sangiovese's bright acidity and cherry fruit were engineered by centuries of Italian cooking to cut through tomato-based pasta sauces and complement fresh pasta. Antinori has been making Chianti Classico since 1385, which means they've had some time to get it right.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Caffé Gelato is the kind of place that earns its Wine Spectator Award the quiet way — consistent, honest, well-chosen, no gimmicks. Send a friend here if they want a solid Italian bottle without the downtown-restaurant price anxiety.
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