Virginia Beach's Italian anchor earns its reputation
Laskin Road Corridor · Virginia Beach · Italian, Steakhouse, Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed March 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Aldo's comes in with the confidence of a restaurant that knows its audience: classic Italian-American fine dining, candles on the table, and a wine list that skews heavily toward crowd-pleasing California Cabs and Italian staples. It's not trying to surprise you, and it doesn't. What you see is exactly what you get — a well-curated selection for a room full of people celebrating anniversaries and closing deals.
The list clocks in around 75–125 bottles, with a dual focus on Italy and California that makes sense for the cuisine but leaves almost no room for anything adventurous. You'll find reliable Italian names like Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva anchoring the Italian side, while California leans predictably on big Napa Cabs. There's nothing here that'll make a wine nerd's eyes light up, but the classics are executed without embarrassment. The gaps are obvious — no real exploration of Southern Italy, nothing from Piedmont's second tier, and the New World stops at California as if Oregon doesn't exist.
With 12–18 pours available, the by-the-glass program is one of the more generous in the Virginia Beach fine dining scene — you're not stuck choosing between two reds and a Chardonnay. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio almost certainly anchors the white side, which is fine but tells you exactly where the ambition ceiling is. Rotation appears limited; this feels like a list that gets refreshed annually, not seasonally.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva — null
In a list that leans toward Napa pricing, the Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva is the move. It's a food wine built for pasta and red sauce — exactly what you came here for — and it won't light your wallet on fire the way the California heavy-hitters will.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva
Most tables at Aldo's are reaching for the Caymus out of habit, but the Chianti Classico Riserva is the smarter order. Sangiovese's natural acidity cuts through butter and cream in a way Cabernet never will, and it's genuinely built for Italian food. The room sleeps on it every night.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine — but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles in America's restaurant industry. You're paying a premium for name recognition at a fine dining margin on top of an already-inflated wholesale price. Unless someone else is signing the check, there are better ways to spend that money on this list.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva + Cape Henry Crabmeat Cappellini
Chianti Classico's bright acidity and earthy cherry notes give the delicate crab enough contrast without steamrolling it — something a big Napa Cab would absolutely do. The tomato-forward elements in the cappellini are made for Sangiovese. This is the pairing the menu is quietly begging you to order.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Aldo's is a reliable anchor in Virginia Beach's fine dining scene — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass anyone either. Stick to the Italian side of the list, avoid the celebrity Napa bottles, and you'll leave happy.
Virginia Beach · Virginia Beach · American, Seafood
Tautog's has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2002, and the list earns it — reliably stocked, fairly priced, and well-matched to a serious seafood kitchen. It's not the list you come to Virginia Beach specifically to drink from, but it's absolutely the list you're glad is there when the scallops arrive.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia Beach · Virginia Beach · Indian
Masala Bites is exactly the kind of Wild Card that earns its stripes — a well-considered wine list in a place you'd never think to look for one. Send your friends who claim wine doesn't work with Indian food; the Riesling will change their minds.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia Beach · Virginia Beach · American, Seafood
Becca is doing something genuinely uncommon for Virginia Beach: a real wine program with a credentialed sommelier, fair pricing, and a Virginia section that respects the state's best producers. If you're eating on the oceanfront and want a serious bottle, this is the only address that matters.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Virginia Beach · Virginia Beach · Asian, Sushi
Orion's Roof earned its Wine Spectator badge — the list is genuinely ambitious for what is, let's be honest, a rooftop sushi bar on the Virginia Beach boardwalk. The markups keep this from being a full Rager, but if you order smart, the view and the wine can absolutely justify the trip.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia Beach · Virginia Beach · American, Seafood
Eurasia Cafe is doing something genuinely better than its zip code requires, and the Wine Spectator hardware is earned. If you're in Virginia Beach and you care about what's in your glass, this is where you go.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Oceanfront · Virginia Beach · Coastal American Bar & Restaurant
The Atlantic Social is punching well above its weight class for a Virginia Beach oceanfront spot — the list has genuine ambition and some real finds. Markup inconsistencies hold it back from a higher tier, but if you're willing to hunt, there's better wine here than anyone is expecting.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Amarillo · Amarillo · Italian, Steakhouse, Seafood
Mac Joe's is the wild card of the Texas Panhandle — a 450-label list in a Tuscan-themed Italian joint in Amarillo is not something anyone sees coming. The pricing leans steep and the selection plays it safe with California royalty, but the sheer ambition here earns genuine respect.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Warwick · Providence · Italian, Steakhouse, Seafood
Tavolo is the rare suburban restaurant where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up — not just an afterthought to the menu. Come on a Tuesday, order a Brunello, get the osso buco, and tell your big-city friends to calm down.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Downtown Albany · Albany · Italian, Steakhouse, Seafood
Delmonico's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and to its credit, it doesn't pretend to be — the list is safe, the markups are fair, and the Tommasi Amarone gives you one genuinely good reason to order a bottle. Send a friend here for dinner knowing the wine won't disappoint, just don't expect it to impress anyone either.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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