Motorcycle Vibes, Surprisingly Serious Wine List
Totem Lake · Kirkland · Italian, Pizza, Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cafe Veloce’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a motorcycle-themed pizza joint in Totem Lake, you're not expecting to see Franciacorta, Barolo, and Leonetti on the same list — but here we are. The list is short at 19 labels, but whoever built it was paying attention. This isn't a wine program that happened by accident.
Cafe Veloce keeps a tight focus on Italian and Pacific Northwest bottles, which is exactly right for what the kitchen is doing. On the Italian side you get proper regional spread — Pieropan Soave, Di Majo Norante Falanghina, Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico, La Fiera Montepulciano — rather than just a wall of Pinot Grigio and Chianti. The Washington and Oregon representation is equally considered: Kiona Cab from Red Mountain, Novelty Hill Syrah, Soléna Grand Cuvée Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. The deeper bottle list adds genuine ambition — Carpineto Brunello di Montalcino, La Spinetta Barolo, Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir, and Leonetti across multiple varietals. The one gap is a lack of aged whites or anything really challenging on the lighter end, but for a neighborhood pizza spot, the list punches well above its weight class.
Eleven by-the-glass pours is a solid count for a room this size. Anchored by approachable entry points like the Arona Sauvignon Blanc and Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio, the program steps up with the Soléna Grand Cuvée Pinot Noir and even a sparkling option in the Wilridge Sparkling Rosé of Nebbiolo — which is not something you find at most pizza joints anywhere. Happy Hour knocks $2 off featured glass pours daily until 5pm, which is a low-key win for the afternoon crowd.
Soléna 'Grand Cuvée' Pinot Noir 2023, Willamette Valley — $11/glass, $42/bottle
Soléna makes genuinely good Willamette Pinot — this isn't filler juice. At $11 a glass in a sit-down restaurant, you're getting real Oregon terroir for the price of a craft beer at a sports bar. Order the bottle and split it.
Wilridge Sparkling Rosé of Nebbiolo 2021
Most people scroll right past anything that isn't Champagne or Prosecco on a sparkling list. That's a mistake here. Wilridge is a Washington winery making a sparkling Rosé from Nebbiolo — a genuinely unusual choice that shows real creativity from whoever put this list together. Order it before the table next to you does.
Veuve Clicquot Brut NV
At $109 a bottle, you're paying a significant premium for a label everyone recognizes. There's nothing wrong with Veuve, but the Antica Fratta Franciacorta Brut NV at $47 is a far more interesting bottle and you'd be ahead by $62. The Clicquot is here for the table that wants to celebrate without thinking too hard.
Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico 2022, Tuscany + Margherita wood-fired pizza
Chianti Classico and wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza is not a novel idea — it's a classic for a reason. The Sangiovese's bright acidity cuts through the cheese, the tomatoey fruit matches the sauce, and the whole thing tastes like you made a very good decision. Sometimes the obvious call is the right one.
The Bottom Line
Cafe Veloce is the rare neighborhood pizza spot where the wine list actually rewards curiosity — Italian regionality, solid Pacific Northwest representation, and a few genuinely surprising bottles tucked in. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Veuve.
Kirkland · Kirkland · Dessert & Champagne Bar
Lady Yum Kirkland earns its Wild Card badge not for wine depth but for sheer conceptual commitment — pairing handcrafted macarons with Champagne in a boutique lakeside setting is a legitimate move that most restaurants wouldn't dare. If you show up expecting a serious wine program, you'll leave underwhelmed; if you show up for a fun afternoon of bubbles and raspberry champagne macarons, you'll have exactly a good time.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Italian
The headline here is the Vino e Vita Wednesday program: Il Fornaio Insiders get half off all bottles all day, which can turn a steep markup into a genuinely fair deal. Without a verified bottle list, we can't send you in with a specific target, but if you're a regular or planning ahead, signing up for Insiders and booking a Wednesday table is the move. Otherwise, it's a reliable neighborhood Italian — not a wine destination, but not an embarrassment either.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Italian lakeside
Como isn't trying to be a wine bar, but it's wine list punches well above its weight for a lakeside Italian in the suburbs — fair pricing, genuine Italian depth, and a few local picks that earn their spot. Yes, send a friend here for wine.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · Wine bar & small plates
The Melody Lynne Vineyard is doing something genuinely unusual — a fully estate-only wine bar with real varietal ambition and prices that don't punish curiosity. It's not the deepest list in Washington, but it might be the most specific, and specific is underrated.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · American café & wine bar
Mia is a neighborhood wine bar that earns its stripes by championing a hyperlocal producer alongside an accessible, well-priced lineup — the 425 Cellars section alone makes it worth a stop if you're in Kirkland. The Wild Card badge is there for a reason: on paper this list looks ordinary, but the local angle and nearly unlimited by-the-glass flexibility make it quietly one of the better casual wine spots on the Eastside.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kirkland · French Brasserie
Le Grand is doing something genuinely thoughtful inside a tight 21-bottle format — the bubbly selection alone beats most full-sized lists in the area, and the pricing stays honest throughout. Send a friend here, tell them to skip the Rombauer, and work their way through the glass pours.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Boardwalk (Resorts) · Atlantic City · Italian, Pizza, Wine Bar
Cielo is a decent enough wine stop if you need a break from the slot machines and want something that feels like an actual wine bar. The list plays it safe and the markups are what they are — but for the Boardwalk, it clears the bar.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Devine Street Corridor · Columbia · Italian, Pizza, Wine Bar
Il Giorgione is doing something genuinely uncommon in Columbia — a focused, Italy-only wine list at a neighborhood pizza place with fair pricing and actual regional ambition. If you live nearby, this is your wine bar; if you don't, it's worth the drive.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Broad Ripple · Indianapolis · Italian, Pizza, Wine Bar
Diavola is the kind of neighborhood wine bar Indianapolis deserves more of — thoughtful enough to have a sommelier, honest enough to keep prices fair, and smart enough to run half-price bottles on Wednesdays. It's not a destination wine list, but for a pizza-and-pasta dinner, this is exactly where we want to be drinking.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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