Italy's Greatest Hits, Cellar-Deep and Serious
Nob Hill · San Francisco · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Acquerello’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Acquerello lands in your hands like a small novel — 2,000-plus selections, organized with the kind of care that tells you someone here actually cares. This is a Grand Award list that earned it, not one that coasts on the credential. The Piedmont and Tuscany sections alone could occupy a serious drinker for an entire evening just reading.
Piedmont is the undisputed anchor: Giacomo Conterno Monfortino, Bruno Giacosa Falletto, Bartolo Mascarello, Gaja Barbaresco — the murderers' row of Nebbiolo is all present and accounted for. Tuscany runs just as deep, with Biondi-Santi Brunello, Sassicaia, Solaia, and Fontodi's Flaccianello holding down the Sangiovese and Super Tuscan flanks. California isn't an afterthought either — Ridge Monte Bello and Harlan Estate give domestic drinkers something worth the detour. Champagne rounds it out with Krug and Salon on the shelf, which signals that whoever built this list wasn't cutting corners anywhere.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 15 to 25 options and rotates with the kind of intention you'd expect from a sommelier like Anka Batsukh, who clearly isn't just spinning bottles on autopilot. Don't expect pours from the trophy shelf here — that's what the bottle list is for — but the glass options give you a legitimate on-ramp to the cellar's personality. If you're undecided, ask Anka; that's not a throwaway suggestion.
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015 — $325
In a room where Screaming Eagle clocks in at $2,800 and Monfortino hits $950, a bottle of Dom Pérignon 2015 at $325 is practically the house deal. It's still a splurge in the real world, but relative to the company it's keeping on this list, it's one of the more reasonable ways to drink at this level.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2020
Everyone at the table is scanning for Conterno and Giacosa, and Vietti gets overlooked as a result. That's a mistake. The Castiglione is Vietti's most accessible Barolo and at $225 it's one of the few ways you drink serious Piedmont at this address without committing to a mortgage payment.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
At $2,800 a bottle, you're not paying for the wine — you're paying for the story you get to tell. Screaming Eagle is a status pour dressed up as a wine selection. With Ridge Monte Bello 2018 sitting on the same list at $420, there's simply no argument for going there.
Fontodi Flaccianello 2019 + Cappellacci with Pumpkin and Amaretto
Flaccianello is pure Sangiovese grown to its absolute ceiling — savory, iron-edged, with enough acid to cut through the richness of the pumpkin filling while the wine's dark fruit plays off the amaretto's bittersweet note. It's the kind of pairing that feels inevitable once you've had it.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — one of the best reasons to eat out on a Monday in San Francisco. Same serious list, half the bottle price.
The Bottom Line
Acquerello is the real thing — a serious Italian wine program in a room that takes both the food and the bottle equally seriously. The markups will sting if you're not prepared, but Monday's half-price night is one of the best deals in San Francisco dining, full stop.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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