Italy's Greatest Hits, Played Perfectly
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed La Connessa’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Connessa arrives with the same confidence as the room itself — polished, intentional, and a little bit showstopping. This is not a list assembled by someone who Googled 'popular Italian wines'; this is a list built by people who actually care about Barolo vintages and know the difference between a Gaja and a grocery store Barbaresco. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2024, and one look at the book tells you why.
The Italian side of this list is the main event — Piedmont and Tuscany dominate, and they do it well. Barolo and Barbaresco from producers like Gaja sit alongside Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico Riserva, while the Super Tuscan shelf brings out the heavyweights: Sassicaia and Ornellaia make appearances for those looking to spend up. California holds its own with Napa Cabernet and Sonoma/Russian River Pinot Noir, anchored by Ridge Vineyards as a reliable flag-bearer. The list runs 300-500 bottles deep, which means there's real discovery here beyond the obvious picks — this isn't a greatest-hits-only situation.
With 12-20 pours running $12-$25 a glass, the by-the-glass program is genuinely useful and not just an afterthought. The range appears to track the bottle list's strengths, meaning you can expect Italian and California options that actually reflect the restaurant's identity rather than generic filler. It's the kind of program where you could build a great dinner purely on glass pours without feeling shortchanged.
Ridge Vineyards California — $45-$65
Ridge consistently overdelivers for the price point, and on a list that skews toward prestige Piedmont and trophy Tuscans, it's the California pick that gives you the most bang without trying too hard. Approachable enough for the table skeptic, serious enough for anyone who knows what they're drinking.
Chianti Classico Riserva
Everyone's eyes go straight to the Barolo and the Sassicaia, which means the Chianti Classico Riserva on this list gets slept on. Sangiovese from the Classico zone done right is one of Italy's great food wines, and at a fraction of the big names' prices, it's the quiet achiever of the list.
Sassicaia
The wine is genuinely great — no argument there. But Super Tuscans at restaurants like this carry restaurant markup on top of an already premium price tag, and you're paying for the name as much as the wine. Unless someone else is signing the check, there are smarter moves on this list.
Barbaresco (Piedmont) + Chicken Liver Mousse
Barbaresco's earthy depth and firm tannin structure cut right through the richness of the mousse without overwhelming it. Piedmont and offal have been doing this together for centuries — La Connessa just gives you a very pretty room to enjoy it in.
The Bottom Line
La Connessa is the real deal — a serious Italian wine program in a gorgeous space, backed by a knowledgeable team and a list deep enough to reward repeat visits. The markups will sting on the prestige bottles, but if you navigate with intention, there's a genuinely excellent wine dinner waiting for you here.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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