Vancouver, WA's Most Interesting Glass of Wine
· Vancouver · Italian / Wine Shop · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Bottega Café Deli Wine Shop’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Seventeen pours, all available by the glass, all priced between $10 and $25 — that's not a wine list, that's a statement. La Bottega is a café-deli-wine-shop hybrid in Vancouver, Washington, which already makes it the most interesting thing in a five-mile radius. The list is compact but whoever built it clearly has opinions.
This is not a list assembled by a distributor rep with a quota to fill. You've got Dönnhoff Riesling Trocken from the Nahe, Arnot-Roberts Gamay from El Dorado, COS Frappato from Sicily, and Colombera & Garella from Piedmont — four wines that most restaurants in major cities don't bother with. The Italian representation is smart without being predictable: Caparzo Rosso di Montalcino and Bussola Valpolicella Ripasso anchor the classics, while the Frappato and the Piedmont Melascone add texture for anyone who's tired of Chianti. White wine selection leans European-leaning and food-friendly — Txakoli, Pouilly Fumé, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño — with California represented tastefully via Sandhi and Lieu Dit. The only gap is depth on the red side, but with 17 total pours, they're making every slot count.
The entire list is by the glass, which is either the best policy or a logistical headache depending on turnover — here it feels like the former. At $10 to $25 a pour, you can drink genuinely well without commitment anxiety. The Claude Beaufort Grand Cru Champagne at $25 a glass is the ceiling, and it's a legitimate ceiling.
Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Kamptal 2023 — $13/glass
Hirsch is a serious Austrian producer making structured, mineral Grüner at a level that usually costs more in a restaurant context. Thirteen dollars for this poured by the glass in a deli-wine-shop in Vancouver, WA is genuinely good value.
Arnot-Roberts Gamay El Dorado 2024
Arnot-Roberts is a cult California producer with a devoted following, and their Gamay from El Dorado County is one of the more interesting red options on any list it appears on. Most people at a café-deli will default to the Cab or the Ripasso — don't. This is the move.
Leitz Sparkling Rosé 'Eins Zwei Zero' Germany
Leitz's Eins Zwei Zero is a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé. Nothing wrong with it if that's what you're after, but at $10 a glass you can pour the Ameztoi Txakoli Rubentis and get something far more interesting with actual alcohol in it.
COS Frappato Sicily 2023 + Charcuterie or cured meat board
Frappato is light, bright, and slightly savory — it was basically engineered to run alongside cured meats and hard cheeses. At a deli-wine-shop with Italian provisions in the house, this is the obvious play.
The Bottom Line
La Bottega is a Wild Card in the best sense: a café-deli-wine-shop in a city not known for serious wine, pouring Arnot-Roberts and Dönnhoff by the glass at fair prices. If you're in Vancouver, WA and want a genuinely good pour with your lunch, this is your spot.
· Vancouver · Seafood / Steak
Line & Lure clears the casino restaurant bar by a comfortable margin — fair prices, a thoughtful white wine program, and a Royal Tokaji that earns genuine respect. We'd send a friend here for a pre-dinner glass without hesitation, as long as they stick to the whites.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vancouver · Latin / Contemporary
DOSALAS is a tequila bar with a wine list that's doing the minimum — decent regional picks, steep markups, and no real surprises. Drink the Albarino or the Tempranillo and save your wine ambitions for a dedicated wine spot.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vancouver · New American
The Hammond isn't a destination wine list, but it punches above its weight for a craft bar — especially if you love Pacific Northwest reds. Send a friend here, point them toward the Oregon section, and tell them to skip the cocktails.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vancouver · American / Wine Bar
Uptown Barrel Room isn't trying to be a destination wine list, and it doesn't need to be — it's a solid neighborhood wine bar with fair prices, good enough options, and the rare commitment to making everything available by the glass. Send a friend here for a casual weeknight pour without hesitation.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vancouver · Pacific Rim / Hawaiian
Tommy O's wine list isn't going to make you cancel your dinner reservation somewhere else, but it's an honest, no-nonsense selection that covers the basics at what appears to be reasonable prices. Send your friends here for the food and a decent pour — just don't expect to geek out over the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Proebstel / East Vancouver · Vancouver · Wine-Focused American Grill
Six Shooter is a Wild Card in the best sense — a rural estate bar where the wine list is short because they're making most of it themselves. If you want depth and variety, look elsewhere; if you want to drink local wine where it was grown, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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