Osteria Celli
Italy in a Bottle, Florida on Your Plate
Fort Myers · Fort Myers · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Osteria Celli reads like a greatest hits of Italian wine — Antinori, Gaja, Mastroberardino all show up within the first few pages. It's organized, confident, and unambiguously Italian, which tracks perfectly with the osteria ethos. No distractions, no detours through Napa.
Selection Deep Dive
The list stays firmly planted in the Italian canon, with Tuscany and Piedmont doing most of the heavy lifting and solid representation from Southern Italy and Umbria rounding things out. You've got range here — from the crowd-pleasing Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio on the lighter end to the serious, age-worthy Gaja Barbaresco and Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco for the big-wine crowd. The Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino earns its spot as the marquee bottle, and Mastroberardino's Taurasi gives the south its due. The list is focused rather than exhaustive, but everything on it belongs.
By the Glass
With 10-16 options by the glass, there's enough to navigate a full meal without committing to a bottle — and for a restaurant leaning this Italian, that matters. We'd expect the Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio to anchor the white side, and hopefully something from Southern Italy or Umbria holding court on reds. Rotation and freshness of pours are the real question here; a list this tight can shine or suffer depending on how often those bottles get opened.
Mastroberardino Taurasi — null
Taurasi from Mastroberardino is one of the great underpriced categories in Italian wine — Aglianico at its most serious, from one of Campania's founding producers. If it's priced anywhere near fair on this list, it beats most of the Tuscan competition dollar for dollar on sheer complexity and cellar credibility.
Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco
Most diners at an Italian spot will default to Barolo or Brunello, but the Sagrantino di Montefalco from Arnaldo Caprai is the real conversation piece here. It's dense, tannic, and earthy in a way that demands attention — a grape that barely exists outside Umbria and a producer that basically defined the modern style. Most people walk right past it. They shouldn't.
Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
Banfi makes perfectly competent Brunello, but it's also one of the most widely distributed bottles on the market — easy to find at retail and routinely marked up steeply in restaurants. At a $$$-priced Italian spot, the markup on this one is likely doing the most work on the bill. There are better stories to tell on this list for the money.
Antinori Tignanello + Osso buco
Tignanello — Sangiovese with a backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc — has the structure and dark-fruit intensity to hold its own against the deep, braised richness of osso buco. The wine's acidity cuts through the fat, the tannins grip the meat, and the whole thing tastes like you planned it for a week.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Osteria Celli is a genuinely committed Italian wine list in a town that doesn't always demand one — focused, well-sourced, and worth exploring if you know what you're looking at. The markup keeps it from being a steal, but the selection earns the price of admission.
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