Five Bottles Does Not a Wine List Make
· San Diego · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed October 17, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Enoteca Adriano’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine menu at Enoteca Adriano — a place with 'enoteca' literally in the name — lists exactly five bottles. Five. For a concept that translates to 'wine shop,' that's not a statement of restraint, it's a gap between branding and execution wide enough to drive a forklift through.
The list leans Italian, which is at least appropriate: there's a Masseria Frattasi Caudium Aglianico from Campania, an Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, two Melini Chiantis (the Borghi d'Elsa and a standard bottling), and a Muraia Muraia rounding things out. The Melini duo is curious — two Chiantis from the same producer on a five-bottle list leaves almost no room for regional diversity. There's no white, no sparkling, no rosé that we can identify, which is a significant blind spot for a San Diego Italian spot where the weather alone calls for something crisp and cold. This isn't a curated short list — it reads like someone made five purchasing decisions and called it a program.
By-the-glass options are not documented, and with only five bottles on the list, any pour program would be extremely limited by default. We can't confirm what's available by the glass or at what price.
The Bottom Line
An 'enoteca' with five wines is a bit like a steakhouse with one cut. The Italian-focused selection is at least on-theme, and the Aglianico shows someone made at least one interesting call — but five bottles, no whites, and no visible by-the-glass program is hard to defend under any concept, let alone this one. If wine matters to your night out, look elsewhere in San Diego.
· San Diego · New American
Grant Grill is hotel wine — competent, crowd-pleasing, and priced accordingly. The sparkling selection punches above its weight, and the Maury Rancio is a genuine curveball worth ordering if you see it. If you're a serious wine drinker, manage expectations; if you just want a solid glass with dinner in a beautiful room, you'll be fine.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Village · San Diego · Charcuterie and Wine Bar
Le Charcuterie Bar earns its Wild Card badge not because the wine list is a known quantity — it isn't, at least not to us yet — but because the concept is doing something right in a city that doesn't lack for wine options. A charcuterie-first wine bar with a genuine neighborhood feel and an events calendar is exactly the kind of place that can quietly become someone's favorite. Get in there, ask questions, and report back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
San Diego · San Diego · Wine bar + global small plates
WetStone is doing something genuinely uncommon — building a short, globe-spanning list full of grapes and regions that most wine bars won't touch, and pricing it fairly enough that you can actually explore. Staff confidence is an unknown variable, and the lack of documented specials or events means you're mostly on your own to navigate it. But if you show up curious and willing to ask questions, this list will reward you.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Park · San Diego · Seafood-focused, gin and vermouth bar with Iberian/Spanish and Californian influences
A mostly Spanish and Portuguese wine sheet with a few California bottles, sparkling at the top, and two López de Heredia Riojas in the reds. Order the Monte Pio Albariño with the mussels escabeche, or the Maturana Blanca if you want something less obvious, and ask which number is the glass because the sheet doesn't say. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups. The restaurant labels its menu as an example from February 2026, so confirm current availability.
Del Mar · San Diego · Seasonal New American with Sushi Lounge
A fifteen-pour glass list sits on top of a very long bottle list that runs from Chablis and Jura Chardonnay to Burgundy Grand Crus and Napa Cabernet. For a glass, start with the Saint-Véran at $24 or the Vocal Pinot Noir at $28; for a bottle, look at the Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico 2022 at $70, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Little Italy · San Diego · Classic American Steakhouse
A very long bottle book with Napa Cabernet, Burgundy and Champagne at the high end, and a glass page that keeps still wines at $14 to $35. Start with the $35 Fantino Barolo by the glass, or a $160 Silver Oak with the ribeye, and confirm prices before you go. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Eugene · Italian
Excelsior Inn Ristorante has the bones of a solid wine destination — Italian-focused list, upscale setting, food that deserves a proper bottle — but we can't fully vouch for it until the wine program is better documented. If you're heading there for a special occasion, ask your server what's drinking well from the Italian side and what they're pouring locally from Oregon; a restaurant this thoughtful about atmosphere usually has at least one or two right answers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Locust Point · Baltimore · Italian
An Italian list that leads with Campania, then works region by region through the rest of Italy. Start with the La Passera Greco di Tufo at 50 for white or the Terredora Aglianico at 48 for red, and if you want Chianti, the Banfi Riserva is 45. Prices come from the wine list linked as "Wine List 24" and post no unit, so confirm what is available. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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