Downtown Wilmington's honest Italian wine anchor
Downtown Second Street · Wilmington · Italian (Abruzzese-inspired, house-made pasta) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 15, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Tarantelli's walks in dressed like the room — warm, unpretentious, and clearly Italian at heart. It's not trying to impress you with obscure natural producers or a 200-label cellar book, and that's fine. What it is doing is making sure the wine matches the food, which is exactly the right instinct for a pasta-forward trattoria on a downtown corner.
The list runs 40 to 70 labels deep and stays almost entirely in Italy, with Tuscany and Abruzzo doing the heavy lifting — which makes sense given the kitchen's Abruzzese roots. You'll find Chianti Classico DOCG and a Super Tuscan-style IGT Toscana red blend at the upper end, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo holding down the central Italian reds, and Pinot Grigio and Prosecco covering the lighter end of the spectrum. A handful of California bottles round out the list for guests who aren't ready to commit to the old world, but the Italian spine is where the real attention has been paid. The gaps are predictable — no Southern Italian representation, no skin-contact whites, nothing from Campania or Sicily — but for a neighborhood trattoria this focused, it doesn't feel like an oversight so much as a choice.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass at $9 to $13 is genuinely reasonable for a sit-down Italian spot in 2024, especially downtown. Prosecco leads the sparkling side, Pinot Grigio anchors the whites, and the red selection leans on central and northern Italian options that actually match what's coming out of the kitchen. The rotation doesn't appear to change much seasonally, but the prices are fair enough that you're not being punished for ordering a second glass.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo — $38
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is reliably one of Italy's best QPR bottles — dark, rustic, food-friendly — and at this price point in a restaurant setting, it's about as honest a deal as you'll find. It's also the most thematically correct bottle on the list for a restaurant built around Abruzzese cooking.
IGT Toscana Super Tuscan-style red blend
Most tables at Tarantelli's are going straight for the Chianti, which is fine, but the Super Tuscan blend sitting at the higher end of the bottle list is where the list shows a little ambition. These Sangiovese-forward blends with Cabernet or Merlot backing tend to be structured, age-worthy, and more complex than anything else in this price range on the list — worth the step up.
Prosecco by the glass
Prosecco as a BTG pour is fine for a toast, but at most restaurants it's the lowest-margin, highest-markup item on the list and Tarantelli's is no exception. If you want bubbles, you're better off grabbing a bottle — or skipping it and going straight to a glass of Pinot Grigio with your opener.
Chianti Classico DOCG + Lasagna Bolognese
Chianti Classico's high acidity and Sangiovese tannins are built for exactly this — cutting through the richness of a meat ragu layered into pasta. It's the most classically correct pairing on the menu and it works because both the wine and the dish are doing the same thing: leaning into savory, earthy, unapologetically Italian flavors.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Tarantelli's wine list is a solid, Italy-focused companion to food that deserves it — fair prices, logical pours, and no real duds. It won't blow your mind, but it'll make your Osso Buco taste better, and that's the whole job.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.