Italy's Greatest Hits, Done Right
Richmond · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Azzurro’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list lands with confident Italian conviction — this isn't a kitchen-sink wine program trying to cover every region on the map. You get the sense immediately that someone made deliberate choices here, and almost every one of them points south and east across the Atlantic.
Azzurro keeps its focus tight: this is an Italian list, full stop, and it's better for it. You'll find the marquee names — Gaja Barbaresco and Antinori Tignanello sit at the top end, doing what prestige bottles do — but the more interesting action is in the southern reaches, with Feudi di San Gregorio representing Campania and Planeta's Etna Rosso bringing volcanic Sicilian energy to the table. The depth across regions like Piedmont, Campania, and Sicily is genuinely solid for a neighborhood spot. The gap is everywhere else: if you want Burgundy, Rioja, or anything from the New World, you're at the wrong restaurant.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a healthy pour count for a room this size, and the selection tracks the bottle list — expect Italian whites and reds with occasional regional surprises. Rotation isn't aggressive, so don't expect something new every visit. What's there is competent, and you won't be stuck choosing between generic Pinot Grigio and basic Chianti.
Planeta Etna Rosso — $N/A
Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of an active volcano is one of the most compelling red wine stories in Italy right now, and Planeta does it well. This is a wine that would command serious attention on any list — finding it here in a neighborhood Italian is the move.
Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo
Most tables will reach for something familiar, but Greco di Tufo from Feudi di San Gregorio is a Campanian white with real structure and a mineral snap that holds its own against anything from the north. Most diners walk right past it. Don't.
Antinori Tignanello
Tignanello is a legitimate icon and nobody's disputing that — but it's also one of the most widely distributed, heavily allocated bottles in Italian wine, which means restaurant markups on it are almost always punishing. You're paying for the name. The Etna Rosso will give you more surprise per dollar.
Gaja Barbaresco + House-made pasta
Barbaresco's signature tannin structure and dried cherry intensity need something with weight and fat to soften the edges — a rich house-made pasta with a braised meat ragu does exactly that. Gaja's version in particular has enough fruit forward lift to make every bite feel deliberate.
The Bottom Line
Azzurro isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its focused Italian list punches above its weight for a neighborhood spot in Richmond. The pricing requires some navigation, but the right bottles are here if you know where to look.
· Richmond · Steakhouse
Perry's is a perfectly competent wine stop for steakhouse purposes — you'll find something to drink, the by-the-glass selection is broad, and nobody's going home unhappy. But if you care about value or discovery, this list won't challenge you, and the markup on recognizable names is a quiet tax on your loyalty to the brand.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scott's Addition · Richmond · American, Seafood
Lillian is the rare spot where the wine list is more ambitious than the address suggests — a focused, France-and-Italy-forward program with legit producers, a knowledgeable floor lead, and bottle prices that don't feel punitive. Send a friend here, tell them to sit at the counter, order oysters, and ask PJ what's open.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Carytown · Richmond · American, Seasonal
Shagbark is the real deal — a legitimately serious wine program attached to a kitchen that can back it up, priced fairly enough that you'll actually want to explore. If you're in Richmond and you care about what's in your glass, this is the room you should be in.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Richmond · Richmond · Indian, Vegetarian
Lehja is doing something genuinely unusual — building a serious, award-winning wine program inside a spice-forward Indian restaurant in suburban Virginia — and pulling it off. Send your wine-curious friends here and watch them recalibrate their expectations.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Rocketts Landing · Richmond · American, Steakhouse, Seafood, Contemporary
The Boathouse is a reliable choice if you time it right — hit that 4–6pm happy hour and suddenly the steep markups become a non-issue. Outside of that window, you're paying a premium for the view as much as the wine, which is fine as long as you go in knowing that.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Museum District · Richmond · Cafe, American
Garnett's is a neighborhood sandwich shop with zero pretension and a wine program that quietly overachieves — especially if you lean into the Date Night Special. Send your friends here when they say they can't afford a nice dinner.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Laredo · Italian
Johnny Carino's Laredo isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here, go on a Sunday or Wednesday, grab that half-price Albertoni, and keep your expectations parked firmly at 'Italian chain in Laredo.'
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Toledo · Italian
Rosie's is doing what a neighborhood Italian restaurant should do with its wine list — keeping prices honest, leaning into Italian varietals, and giving you enough by-the-glass options that everyone at the table finds something. It's not pushing any boundaries, but it's not trying to either, and that's perfectly fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Gilbert · Gilbert · Italian
North Italia Gilbert is a chain that does the bare minimum of interesting things — and sometimes that's exactly what you need on a Tuesday in Gilbert. The Italian regional whites are the real reason to open this list; everything else is serviceable.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
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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