Wine Wednesday Can't Save This List
South Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls · Casual Italian Chain · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Johnny Carino's arrives looking exactly like what it is: a chain restaurant's afterthought, laminated somewhere between the kids' menu and the dessert page. Fifteen to twenty-five bottles, almost all of them names you'd recognize from a gas station cooler. The only thing that makes you pause is the Wine Wednesday sign by the door.
California and Italian-American crowd-pleasers dominate from start to finish — Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, and Coppola Rosso are the headliners, which tells you everything you need to know about the ambition level here. There's no regional depth, no interesting producers, and zero reason to explore beyond the first page. Italy shows up in name only — this is really just a California chain list with a few Italian labels bolted on for thematic consistency. If you came hoping for a Barolo or even a decent Nero d'Avola to go with your lasagna, keep walking.
Six to ten pours available, all hovering around $7.99 a glass regardless of what's in the glass — which should tell you the program isn't exactly curated. The house Cab, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Grigio form the predictable four corners of this list, with a sweet wine rounding things out for the dessert crowd. Rotation appears to be essentially nonexistent; what's on tonight is what's been on for the last two years.
Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio — $7.99/glass
It's not exciting, but Ecco Domani is a clean, inoffensive Pinot Grigio that at least tastes like what it says on the label. On a Wednesday at half price per bottle, it's the most defensible pour on the menu — light, easy, and unlikely to disappoint.
Coppola Rosso
Most people at Carino's are defaulting to the house Cab, but the Coppola Rosso is a meaningfully better bottle from a recognizable name. It's an Italian-style blend with more personality than anything else in this zip code of the wine list, and it actually makes sense alongside the pasta.
House Sweet Wine (by the glass)
At $7.99 a glass for what is essentially a Moscato-tier pour that retails for the same price per bottle, this is the worst value math on the list — roughly 300% markup for something you could pick up at Hy-Vee on the way home.
Coppola Rosso + Johnny's Fresh-Baked Lasagna
The Rosso's soft tannins and light red fruit don't fight with the rich meat sauce and cheese layers in the lasagna the way a heavier Cab would. It's not a revelation, but it's the closest thing to an intentional pairing this list has to offer.
Wednesday — Wine Wednesday — half-price bottles from the wine menu, typically 4:00 PM to close, dine-in only. Select bottles apply.
❌ The Bottom Line
Johnny Carino's wine program exists to sell you something while you wait for your pasta, not to make you think about what you're drinking. Come for the lasagna, order water, and if it's Wednesday — maybe grab a bottle of Coppola at half price and call it a win.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.