Norfolk's Old-World Italian Anchor Delivers
Ghent · Norfolk · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 25, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Aldo's feels like someone froze a great Italian-American dining room in amber — white tablecloths, warm lighting, the whole deal. The wine list matches: serious Italian backbone with enough California crowd-pleasers to keep everyone at the table happy. There's a sommelier on staff, which you'll feel immediately when someone actually approaches the table knowing what they're talking about.
The Italian coverage is where Aldo's earns its keep — you're getting Barbaresco from Ceretto, Amarone from Tenuta Masi, and a Sassicaia from Bolgheri sitting at the top of the list. That's not a random Italian grocery store grab-bag, that's a wine director with a point of view. California shows up in force too, with Caymus, Decoy, and Cakebread filling out the approachable middle. France is mostly ceremonial — Dom Pérignon for the proposals and anniversaries — but the Italian depth is enough to forgive the gaps.
Eighteen by-the-glass options is a solid number for a white-tablecloth Italian spot — you're not stuck choosing between house red and house white. The range spans Villa Sandi Prosecco on the low end up through Meiomi Pinot Noir for the crowd-pleasers, with pricing between $6 and $16 a glass. We'd love to see the BTG list rotate more aggressively, but what's here is functional and honestly priced relative to the bottle markups.
Ken Wright Pinot Noir Willamette Valley — $58
At 45% over retail, this is the closest thing to a fair deal on the entire bottle list. Ken Wright is serious Oregon Pinot from a producer who actually farms the vineyard — and $58 for this quality is reasonable by any restaurant standard, let alone at a white-tablecloth Italian.
Ceretto 'Asij' Barbaresco
Most tables at Aldo's are going to order the Caymus or the Meiomi without a second thought. Meanwhile, Ceretto's 'Asij' Barbaresco is sitting there — Nebbiolo from one of Piemonte's top producers, the kind of wine that actually belongs at an Italian dinner table. If you're eating veal or braised anything, this is the move.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Veneto
At $62 for a bottle you can find at any grocery store for $25, this is a 148% markup on a wine that's fine but never exciting. Santa Margherita is a brand that coasts on name recognition, and Aldo's is charging accordingly. Order literally anything else.
Tenuta Masi Amarone + Veal dishes
Amarone is big, dense, and built for exactly this moment — a rich veal braise or a veal chop needs something with the structure and depth to stand up to it. Masi is one of the founding houses of Amarone and this isn't a coincidence that it's on the list at an Italian spot with serious veal on the menu.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Aldo's is the kind of Italian restaurant that actually cares about what's in the bottle, with Italian producer depth that most Norfolk restaurants won't come close to matching. The markups are aggressive across the board — stick to the Ken Wright or go straight for the Ceretto and don't look back.
Downtown Norfolk · Norfolk · American
Mermaid Winery is a genuine wine destination that happens to be in Norfolk — and yes, that still surprises us a little. The pricing leans steep and the staff isn't running a Master Sommelier class, but the list is deep where it counts and Wednesday half-price night is one of the better wine deals in the region.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Virginia Beach · Norfolk · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Virginia Beach won't surprise you on wine, and a few markups are hard to forgive, but the depth is real and the by-the-glass program is better than most steakhouses at this price point. If you're here for a special occasion steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass the meal, you'll find it — just avoid the house pours and do a little homework first.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Norfolk · Norfolk · Gourmet Market & Wine Shop
Taste Unlimited is a gourmet market that quietly outclasses most sit-down restaurants on wine curation and blows them out completely on price. If you're in Norfolk and haven't figured out that this is also a wine stop, you've been leaving money on the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Governors Pointe · Norfolk · Southern American
Vintage Tavern has no business having a wine list this serious in a suburb of Norfolk — and we mean that as a high compliment. The markups take some of the shine off, but a sommelier on staff, 400 bottles, and a genuine Virginia section make this the best wine destination for miles around.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Norfolk · French
Todd Jurich's Bistro is the most serious wine list in Norfolk, full stop — but you'll pay for that seriousness, especially on the French side. Go for the sommelier's guidance, order the Barboursville, and enjoy the fact that a room this focused on wine exists in downtown Norfolk at all.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Ghent · Norfolk · New American
Varia is doing something genuinely rare in a mid-sized market — building a wine program that would hold its own in Chicago or D.C. The markup isn't always charitable, but the depth, the cruvinet by-the-glass program, and the evident expertise on staff make this one worth the trip across town.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wooster Square · New Haven · Italian
Tre Scalini is the rare neighborhood Italian that backs up a serious room with a serious wine list — 425 bottles, a sommelier, and real Italian depth all say someone's paying attention. Markups run steep on the prestige stuff, but value is absolutely findable if you know where to look.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Greene · Dayton · Italian
Bravo is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be — but Wednesday nights at the bar with $7 pours of Ruffino Chianti and a pasta dish is genuinely a decent night out in Beavercreek. Skip the wine list the other six nights unless you're okay paying chain markups for supermarket bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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