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Rhode Island Monthly /  December 2006 /  Wine 101 /  The Short List

The Short List

Best Italian list (tie)

Mamma Luisa’s
It’s tough to say which is more impressive: owner Marco Trazzi’s list of more than 150 Italian wines or the number of extra bottles he keeps tucked away for recommendations and VIPs. You might even get a tale of the Italian countryside to go with your bottle.

Pane e Vino
With a wine list made up entirely of Italian varieties, you’ll find classics from Umbria, Abruzzo, Sicily and Piedmont. They’re even conscientious enough to let you know which grapes are used in their Super Tuscans. Mamma Luisa’s, 673 Thames Street, Newport, 848-5257;  Pane e Vino, 365 Atwells Avenue, Providence, 223-2230.

Best American List

Napa Valley Grille
Chain restaurants may not always merit praise, but they do have some advantages, and buying power is one of them. Napa Valley is dedicated to showcasing both large and small vineyards in the U.S., particularly in California and the Pacific Northwest. Buying in bulk allows them to snatch up some great boutique wines as well as offer bottles at affordable prices. Providence Place, Providence, 270-6272.

Best Eclectic List

Al Forno
This venerable favorite pleases both the aficionado and nontraditionalist. The heavily Italian list is polished but esoteric, substantial but still quirky. Customers can walk on the wild side with a 2003 Teroldego Rotaliano by Elisabetta Foradori (one of Italy’s premier female winemakers), but still revert back to a 2005 Brovia Roero Arneis from Piedmont for an everyday white. 577 South Main Street, Providence, 273-9760.

Best Luxury List

Castle Hill, The Mooring, 22 Bowen’s
With each of these Newport Harbor Cor-poration restaurants carrying more than 500 varieties (The Mooring stocks more than 900), you can toast with a 1997 Cristal for $300 or a 1988 Chateau Lynch-Bages Cabernet for a celebratory $450. As one wine expert says, these are lists “for people in the know and people in the dough.” Castle Hill, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, 849-3800; The Mooring, Sayer’s Wharf, Newport, 846-2260; 22 Bowen’s, 22 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, 841-8884.

Best Value List

The Little Inn
This small native son is a favorite among locals and wine professionals. Someone in the Russo family had foresight because they’ve got a vast array of older vintages for less than $40 and more recent labels for under $25. Glasses average just $6 for a generous nine-ounce pour. 103 Putnam Pike, Johnston, 231-0570.

The Fountain of Proof

Evidence shows a glass of wine a day may keep the doctor away.

Dry red wines (cabernet, petite syrah and pinot noir) are particularly high in flavanoids, which reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), upping good cholesterol (HDL) by as much as 20 percent and diminishing blood clotting.

Red wines also contain resveratrol and quercetin, which appear to boost the immune system, block cancer formation, decrease late-onset diabetes and, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, help reduce mental decline by as much as 20 percent.

White wine is not without benefits: studies show a glass of white wine a day can improve a person’s life-long lung function.

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