Darkroom

Fourteen bottles, all by the glass — Darkroom isn't trying to be a cellar-deep temple to wine, and that's exactly why it works. The list reads like someone with actual taste curated it over a long weekend, not a committee trying to please everyone. You're not getting a Napa Cab-heavy snoozefest here; you're getting a Madiran from Southwest France and a Priorat Blanc sitting next to a Slovenian Pinot Noir.

For a 14-label list, the geographic ambition here is genuinely impressive — Spain, Burgundy, Alsace, the Loire, the Central Coast, and Slovenia all show up. The whites lead with confidence: a Koff & Steinmetz Grand Cru Riesling from the Pfersigberg, a Raoul Gautherin Chablis, and a Mas Doix Priorat Blanc signal that whoever built this list knows their way around a map. Reds are tighter but deliberate — the Tenute Sella Nebbiolo from Coste della Sesia is a nod to Alto Piemonte before it was fashionable, and the Vignobles Marie Maria Madiran is the kind of Tannat-driven pour that has no business being this interesting at $65. The one gap: no skin-contact or orange wine despite the category being listed, which feels like a tease.

Everything on the list is available by the glass, which is either a bold move or a logistical headache depending on turnover — at 14 selections ranging from $16 to $25 a glass, the ask is fair enough that you can afford to experiment. The Jaume Giro i Giro Cava Rosat Reserva as a sparkling option by the glass alone earns goodwill; too many wine bars default to Prosecco and call it a day. No noted rotation program, so what you see is what you get until the menu refreshes.