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๐Ÿ”ฅThe Rager

Scarpetta Las Vegas

Italy's greatest hits, Strip-side

Las Vegas Strip ยท Las Vegas ยท Italian

date-nightold-world-focusdeep-cellarsplurge-worthy

Reviewed April 8, 2026

Wingman Metrics

List VarietyDeep & Eclectic
MarkupSteep
GlasswareVarietal Specific
StaffKnowledgeable & Friendly
Specials & DealsActive Program
Storage & TempProper

First Impression

The wine list at Scarpetta lands like a greatest-hits album for Italian wine nerds โ€” Gaja, Giacosa, Biondi-Santi, Sassicaia all accounted for before you've even ordered bread. Perched above the Strip inside the Cosmopolitan, this is a room that takes Italian wine as seriously as the kitchen takes its pasta. The physical list is heavy in both weight and ambition.

Selection Deep Dive

Piedmont and Tuscany are the unambiguous stars here, and Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence โ€” earned in 2025 โ€” reflects a list that earns it. Barolo alone spans Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, Borgogno's Cannubi, and Gaja, covering both traditional and modern camps without apology. Tuscany delivers the full Super Tuscan trifecta โ€” Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Ornellaia โ€” alongside serious Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Ciacci Piccolomini, and Chianti Classico from Castello di Ama and Fontodi for the value-seekers. The list runs 350-500 bottles deep, which means there's room to explore, though it is unambiguously Italy-forward โ€” if you came for Burgundy or California depth, recalibrate.

By the Glass

With 20-35 by-the-glass options ranging $15-$40, the BTG program is notably strong for a Vegas hotel restaurant. The range covers enough ground that you can work your way through Piedmont and Tuscany across a long dinner without committing to a full bottle. Wednesday's half-price wine night is genuinely rare in this price category โ€” a legitimate reason to plan your visit around a weeknight.

๐Ÿ’ฐBest Value

Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2020 โ€” $225

Vietti's Castiglione is a serious, cellar-worthy Barolo from one of the appellation's most consistent producers โ€” on a list where bottles climb fast toward $500 and beyond, $225 for this level of quality and pedigree is the move if your budget has a ceiling.

๐Ÿ’ŽHidden Gem

Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco

On a list dominated by trophy names and eye-watering price tags, Produttori del Barbaresco is the co-op that keeps overdelivering relative to its price. Most tables chase Gaja; the ones who know order Produttori and pocket the difference.

โ›”Skip This

Sassicaia 2019

At $750 a bottle, Sassicaia is priced for people who are expensing dinner. The wine is great โ€” it always is โ€” but the markup here puts it firmly in 'celebrating a merger' territory rather than 'this is worth it' territory. The same evening of Italian wine can be had for a third of the cost if you work the list intelligently.

๐Ÿฝ๏ธPerfect Pairing

Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili 2018 + Short rib agnolotti

Giacosa's Asili is all dried roses, iron, and earthy depth โ€” the Barbaresco equivalent of a power ballad. The braised richness of short rib agnolotti needs a wine with that kind of structure and acid to cut through it, and Asili delivers without overwhelming the pasta. It's an occasion bottle, but short rib agnolotti is an occasion dish.

๐ŸทHalf-Price Wine Night

Wednesday โ€” Half-price wine night on Wednesdays โ€” applies to bottles, making this one of the better mid-week value plays on the Strip for serious Italian wine.

๐Ÿ”ฅ The Bottom Line

Scarpetta is the real deal for Italian wine in Las Vegas โ€” deep list, credentialed staff, and a Wednesday half-price program that almost makes the Strip feel reasonable. The markups are Vegas-steep at the top end, but navigate smartly and you're drinking some of Italy's finest in a room that knows what it has.

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