Solid neighborhood red sauce, dependable pours
Lansdowne / Nicholasville Road · Lexington · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 4, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sutton's feels like it was built to complement the pasta and not cause any arguments. It's an Italian-leaning lineup that checks the expected boxes — Chianti, Pinot Grigio, a few California names — without venturing too far off the beaten path. Comfortable, familiar, and pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a relaxed neighborhood Italian joint.
The list runs 30 to 60 bottles deep, anchored by Italian workhorses from Tuscany and Veneto with a California bench for those who want something closer to home. Ruffino and Santa Margherita represent the Italian side — reliable commercial producers, nothing obscure — while the presence of Antinori's Tignanello is a genuine surprise and the most serious bottle on the menu. There's no real push into Piedmont's Barolo or Barbaresco territory, and the Veneto coverage beyond Pinot Grigio is thin. It's a list built for guests who want wine with dinner, not guests who came for the wine.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass is a respectable spread for a casual Italian spot, and you can expect the usual suspects — Pinot Grigio, Chianti, probably a California Cab or Merlot holding down the red side. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here; the glass list feels like it was set once and left to run. If you're ordering by the glass, stick to the Italian options and you won't go wrong.
Ruffino Chianti — $32
It's a crowd-pleaser Chianti that drinks cleanly alongside red sauce dishes without a markup that makes you wince. Nothing adventurous, but dependable and priced where it should be for what it is.
Antinori Tignanello
A Super Tuscan built on Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Tignanello is a legitimately great wine that most tables here will walk right past in favor of something familiar. If you're splitting a bottle and want the best thing on this list, this is it — full stop.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is the wine that launched a thousand markups. It's fine, it's inoffensive, and it costs more than it should everywhere it appears. You're paying for the brand recognition, not the wine.
Ruffino Chianti + Spaghetti with marinara
Chianti and tomato-based pasta is one of the least controversial calls in Italian dining — the wine's bright acidity and cherry fruit cut right through the sauce's sweetness and keep everything tasting fresh.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Sutton's isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly reasonable place to drink a bottle of Chianti while someone else handles the cooking. The Tignanello alone earns this list a second look if you know to ask for it.
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