Italian Firepower Meets Potomac Views
Georgetown · Washington · Italian, Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Fiola Mare arrives like a statement — thick, deliberate, and unapologetically Italian at its core. You're sitting on the Georgetown waterfront with Potomac light bouncing off the room, and the list in your hands backs up every bit of that setting. This is a serious program that knows exactly what it is.
Four hundred to six hundred selections anchored in Tuscany and Piedmont, and the names on these pages are not messing around — Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, Solaia, Tignanello, Brunello from Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri, Barolo from Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa, Barbaresco from Gaja. That's not a wine list, that's a greatest hits of Italian viticulture. California gets a real seat at the table too, with Caymus Special Selection and Kistler Chardonnay rounding things out, and Burgundy shows up in force — including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti for those with the appetite and the budget. The gaps are few; if you can't find something to love here, you're not looking hard enough.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a genuinely strong program, with glasses running $18 to $45 — that top end reflects some real quality being opened. The presence of a dedicated sommelier team (Megumi Awaya, Will Moriarity, and Luca Pasquinelli) means the by-the-glass list isn't an afterthought; these are curated pours, not just whatever needs to move. We'd lean on the staff here — tell them what you're eating and let them work.
Tignanello (Antinori) — $180
Tignanello is one of the benchmarks of Super Tuscan winemaking, and at a place like Fiola Mare it tends to be marked up more reasonably than the true trophy bottles. You're getting Antinori craftsmanship, Sangiovese backbone with Cabernet structure, and a wine that genuinely complements the kitchen's seafood-forward menu without overwhelming it.
Gaja Langhe Chardonnay
Everyone clocks the Gaja Barbaresco and moves on. The Gaja Langhe Chardonnay is the sleeper — Angelo Gaja making white Burgundy-adjacent Chardonnay in Piedmont, with the kind of precision and tension that makes it sing alongside scallops or branzino. Most tables walk right past it chasing the reds.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection
Caymus Special Selection is a perfectly fine wine in the right context, but at these prices in a restaurant of this caliber, it's the one bottle on the list that feels like it wandered in from a steakhouse three zip codes away. The Italian and French options at similar price points are simply doing more interesting work.
Brunello di Montalcino (Casanova di Neri) + Branzino
Hear us out — a Brunello with fish. Giacomo Neri's Casanova di Neri is elegant enough, with bright acidity and fine-grained tannins, that it doesn't bulldoze the delicate branzino. You get the earthy depth of Sangiovese Grosso playing against the clean, coastal flavors of the fish, and the result is exactly the kind of unexpected pairing that a room full of sommeliers should be steering you toward.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Fiola Mare has earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence repeatedly and honestly — this is one of the strongest Italian-focused lists in D.C., staffed by people who actually know what's on it. Pricing is not for the faint of heart, but if you're already booking a table here, you came to play.
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Maydan's wine list is one of the most geographically coherent and genuinely adventurous in Washington, DC — it matches the kitchen's ambition and then some. If you're willing to let go of the familiar, this is one of the best by-the-glass programs in the city for opening your eyes to what the wine world looks like beyond Europe.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Restaurant
Moon Rabbit's wine list is doing something rare: it's short enough to read in two minutes and interesting enough to talk about for twenty. If you care about well-chosen, adventurous bottles at prices that won't wreck your dinner bill, send your people here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Georgetown · Washington · French
Lutèce earns its Wine Spectator nod with a tightly curated French list that goes deeper than the cozy Georgetown bistro setting might suggest. The pricing skews steep once you move past the Loire and Alsace sections, but if you drink strategically — and let Chris point the way — this is a genuinely rewarding wine experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Spanish
Xiquet is doing something genuinely rare in D.C. — a tightly edited, Spain-first wine program inside a room that actually earns it. Four sommeliers and a Wood Spectator Award of Excellence since 2023 confirm this isn't an accident; just know you're paying for the setting as much as the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Italian
Via Sophia is doing something genuinely focused in a city full of lists that try to please everyone — an all-Italy program with real depth, fair pricing, and a sommelier who actually cares. Send your friends here, tell them to ignore the Sassicaia, and order the Amarone.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · Seafood
Truluck's is a dependable, well-run wine program that earns its Wine Spectator nod without doing anything surprising — California loyalists and Napa Cab fans will be perfectly happy here. If you want adventure, bring your own recommendations; if you want reliable execution with your stone crab, this delivers.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Anthem/Seven Hills · Henderson · Italian, Seafood
Ventano is a reliable date-night option when you want a wine that sounds impressive to your table without requiring anyone to think too hard. The list won't challenge you, but it won't embarrass you either — just watch the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lamar · Austin · Italian, Seafood
A neighborhood Italian spot with a better wine list than it has any obligation to have — and Wednesday half-price wine night is one of the better deals in Austin. Come for the pasta, stay for the Barolo.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Jersey City · Jersey City · Italian, Seafood
Battello is a reliable destination for Italian wine done with genuine care — Carmine's Piedmont and Tuscany selections show real knowledge, even if the pricing on the prestige bottles requires deep pockets. Come for the Barbaresco and the view, skip the trophy bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.