Ristorante Del Porto
North Shore Italy, Done With Conviction
Covington · Covington · Farm to Table, Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 14, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walk into Del Porto and the wine list feels like it was curated by someone who actually eats Italian food — Piedmont and Tuscany front and center, California holding down the flank. For Covington, Louisiana, this is a serious effort, and it shows. The $35–$150 bottle range keeps things accessible without dumbing down the selection.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans hard into Italy, and that's the right call for a kitchen turning out housemade pasta and osso buco. Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino anchor the Piedmont and Tuscany sections, while Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia give the big-spenders something to chase. Chianti Classico Riserva fills the mid-range gap intelligently — you don't have to spend $100+ to drink well here. California gets a respectable showing with Napa Cab and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, which rounds out the list for guests who default to the New World. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, held since 2013, isn't just a wall decoration — the list earns it.
By the Glass
Twelve to twenty pours is a healthy glass program for a restaurant this size, and the $10–$18 range means you're not getting gouged for the privilege of trying before you commit to a bottle. We'd like to see more rotation to keep regulars engaged, but what's on offer covers the key bases — there's almost certainly a Chianti or similar Tuscan red in the mix that earns its place.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $45
Chianti Classico Riserva sitting in the $40s is a reliable sweet spot on Italian-focused lists — you get real structure and complexity without climbing into Brunello territory. It's the move with the housemade pasta.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Everyone at the table is reaching for the Barolo, and that's fair — but the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is quietly doing its job. It's a lighter, brighter option that works surprisingly well against Gulf fish preparations and doesn't demand your full attention the way a big Tuscan red does.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is a legitimate wine, full stop — but on a restaurant list it almost always carries a markup that makes the math hurt. At home it's a trophy; here it's an expensive way to impress someone who probably won't notice the difference from a $60 Super Tuscan alternative on the same list.
Brunello di Montalcino + Osso buco
Brunello's tannic backbone and earthy red fruit are built for braised meat. The osso buco's richness — collagen, marrow, slow-cooked depth — needs a wine with enough structure to stand up to it. This is the pairing the list was designed for.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Del Porto is the kind of reliable Italian wine list that makes a mid-size Louisiana town feel like it's punching above its weight. No fireworks, no gimmicks — just a well-considered list that respects the food and doesn't rob you on the way out.
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