The All-Italian Deep Dive Baltimore Deserves
Harbor East · Baltimore · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cinghiale’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list lands on the table and you immediately know this place is serious. All Italian, all the time — and not in a checkered-tablecloth, house-Chianti kind of way. This is a proper enoteca that has clearly put in the work to build one of the most comprehensive Italian lists on the East Coast.
Cinghiale doesn't dabble — it goes all in on Italy from top to bottom. The Piedmont section alone could anchor a wine bar: Giacomo Conterno, Vietti, and Bruno Giacosa cover Barolo, while Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco handle Barbaresco with real range across styles and vintages. Tuscany holds its own with Biondi-Santi and Il Poggione on Brunello, plus Sassicaia and Tignanello for the Super Tuscan crowd. Whites don't get short-changed either — Vermentino, Verdicchio, Soave, and northern Italian Pinot Grigio round things out and give the list genuine breadth beyond the red-heavy usual suspects.
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is genuinely generous for a list this focused, and the rotating selection means there's usually something worth exploring beyond the safe pours. The Zardetto Prosecco by the glass at $8 is an easy opener. Staff know what's on the board and can actually talk you through it — rare enough to be worth mentioning.
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco — Under $50
Produttori is one of the great cooperatives in all of Italy — Barbaresco at this quality level rarely shows up on a restaurant list without a painful markup. Catching it on the short list under $50 is the kind of find that makes Tuesday feel like a celebration.
Verdicchio
Most tables at Cinghiale are zeroed in on Barolo before they sit down, which means the central Italian whites get ignored. A good Verdicchio has serious texture and a saline, almost bitter finish that cuts through rich pasta dishes better than any Pinot Grigio ever will. Don't sleep on it.
Sassicaia
Look, it's a great wine — we're not disputing that. But Sassicaia is on every Italian-adjacent list in the country, it's priced accordingly, and you're at a restaurant with Giacomo Conterno Barolo on the menu. Spending that money on a Super Tuscan trophy wine here feels like ordering a burger at a sushi counter.
Amarone della Valpolicella + Braised wild boar (cinghiale)
The restaurant is literally named after the dish, so yes, you should order it. Amarone's dried-fruit intensity and iron-fisted tannins meet the rich, gamey braise head-on — neither backs down, both get better. This is the pairing that justifies the whole evening.
Tuesday — 50% off all bottles of wine in the Enoteca + Bar during both Lunch and Dinner
🔥 The Bottom Line
Cinghiale is the rare Italian restaurant where the wine list is the actual reason to go — the food just makes it better. If you care at all about Italian wine, show up on a Tuesday and drink things you won't find anywhere else in Baltimore.
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True Chesapeake is a Wild Card in the best possible sense — a working waterfront oyster spot with a Wine Spectator-recognized list helmed by a sommelier who clearly cares. Go for the oysters, stay for the Weinbach, and don't skip the Muscadet.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Horseshoe Casino · Baltimore · Steak house, European
Gordon Ramsay Steak isn't going to surprise you, but it delivers a solid, award-backed California-and-France wine list in a setting where you'd half-expect to be handed a laminated card with three options. For a casino steakhouse in Baltimore, that's genuinely worth something.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Harbor East · Baltimore · Steak House
The Ruxton is the rare steakhouse where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up, not just a formality next to the beef. Send a friend here, tell them to skip the Caymus, and let Patrick Owens point them somewhere better.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Baltimore · Baltimore · American
Bygone is the kind of wine list that makes Baltimore dinner reservations worth planning around. The markups are real, but the depth, the sommelier, and the setting make this one of the better places to spend money on a serious bottle on the East Coast.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Little Italy · Baltimore · Italian
La Tavola isn't a wine destination, but it earns its keep as a solid neighborhood Italian with a list that at least respects where the kitchen is coming from. Order the Vermentino, enjoy the Shrimp & Calamari, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mount Vernon · Baltimore · Afghan
The Helmand isn't a wine destination, but it's a Wild Card worth betting on — a 30-year-old Afghan institution that's put enough thought into its list to make the right bottle genuinely accessible. Go for the Cigare Volant, order the lamb, and enjoy the fact that this place still exists.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fairhaven · Bellingham · Italian
Mambo Italiano isn't a destination wine list, but it's an honest one — fair prices, genuine Italian representation, and a few bottles worth seeking out. Send your friends here for a casual Tuesday pasta night and tell them to order the Cannonau.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bellwether / Waterfront · Bellingham · Italian
Lombardi's is doing wine right for what it is: a waterfront Italian spot that wants you to drink well without making you work for it. It's not a destination list, but it's an honest one — fair prices, solid range, and enough Washington representation to feel local.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Lawrence · Lawrence · Italian
Basil Leaf isn't a wine destination, but with half-price bottle nights on Thursdays and Sundays and markups that are genuinely fair, it's the rare neighborhood Italian where you won't resent your wine bill. Order the Chianti, get the pasta, come back on Sunday.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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