Italy's Greatest Hits, King Street Edition
Charleston · Charleston · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Legami’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
The list opens like a love letter to Italy — Barolo, Brunello, Super Tuscans, all the right names in all the right places. It's the kind of wine program that tells you the restaurant takes itself seriously, and Hutch Lee's fingerprints are all over it. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2025, and honestly, that tracks.
The Italian backbone here is genuinely impressive: Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa holding down Barolo, Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri representing Brunello di Montalcino, and Sassicaia and Tignanello anchoring the Super Tuscan section like the headliners they are. France gets a respectable supporting role with Jadot and Drouhin Burgundies, and California shows up via Caymus and Jordan for the table that insists on Napa Cab with their pasta. The list runs 150-250 bottles deep, which is enough to reward exploration without overwhelming a normal person. The gap is anything outside the Italian-California-France triangle — if you want natural wine or something from the Southern Hemisphere, look elsewhere.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a solid range for an upscale Italian spot — enough to build a proper progression through a meal without committing to a full bottle on every course. We'd want to know how frequently the glass program rotates, and given that specials feel static here, we suspect the BTG list doesn't change much either. Still, if they're pouring even a fraction of the producers from the bottle list by the glass, you're in reasonable shape.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $45
Jordan consistently punches above its entry-level price point, and on a list where premium bottles climb fast, grabbing a reliable California Cab in the lower range of the price window is a smart move before the bill does the math for you.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables at an Italian restaurant go straight for the Barolo or Brunello, but Amarone — rich, dried-fruit-driven, and structurally massive — is exactly what you want with the Osso buco and almost nobody orders it. It's the list's most underplayed card.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere, and it's almost always marked up aggressively at restaurants that know their clientele will recognize the name. You're paying for the label recognition more than the wine at this point — the Jordan or any Italian red on this list will drink better for the money.
Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino + Osso buco
Brunello's high acidity and firm tannins are built to cut through the richness of braised veal shank, and Casanova di Neri brings enough fruit weight to match the depth of the dish without one overwhelming the other. This is the pairing that justifies the splurge.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Legami is doing the right things with wine on King Street — a serious Italian-led list, a knowledgeable sommelier in Hutch Lee, and enough depth to reward the curious. The markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're here for the Brunello and the house-made pasta, you're exactly where you should be.
· Charleston · Restaurant
Costa is doing something genuinely unusual — a dessert-only wine program with real depth and no obvious throwaways. We'd send a friend here for an after-dinner glass, especially if they've never been talked into a Brachetto or a Barolo Chinato before.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cannon Green · Charleston · American
Wild Common is a reliable, well-run wine program in a stunning Charleston setting — sommelier Joey Pearcy keeps things grounded and the pours are proper. If you're looking for discovery, you may want to hunt elsewhere; if you want a confident, classic bottle with a serious dinner, you're in good hands.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Charleston · Charleston · Seafood, Steakhouse
Marbled & Fin is doing the work — a real sommelier, a focused list, and bottles you actually want to drink with serious food. The markups are steep enough to sting, but if you know where to look (start with Argentina), you'll drink well on East Bay Street.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Charleston · Charleston · Southern American
Magnolias is a reliable night out if you love California wine and classic Southern cooking — the list is well-maintained, the producers are legit, and the setting earns its reputation. Just don't come here expecting adventure; this list is more comfort food than discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Charleston · Charleston · American
Zero Restaurant + Bar holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for good reason — this is one of the most serious wine programs in South Carolina, full stop. Yes, the big bottles are expensive, but there's real depth here beyond the trophy names, and with three sommeliers on the floor, you're in good hands.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Charleston · Charleston · Steak house
Halls Chophouse is unabashedly a California Cab steakhouse, and it plays that game at the highest level in Charleston — Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence didn't land here by accident. If you're coming in expecting adventure or value, recalibrate; but if you're here to eat a serious steak and drink a serious Napa red, Tom Weber's list will not let you down.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Midtown / Highway 50 · South Lake Tahoe · Italian
Izabella is a dependable wine play for a mountain-town Italian dinner — the glass selection is genuinely broad and the marquee bottles are there if you want them, but the markups are Tahoe-elevated and the list doesn't take many risks. Send your friends here for a solid Cab and a good meal, not a wine discovery.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Market Street · Portsmouth · Italian
Dolce Vita is a reliable neighborhood wine bar with enough Italian depth to satisfy anyone who came to drink well with their dinner. The markups on the California heavy-hitters are a soft deterrent, but lean Italian and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Portsmouth · Portsmouth · Italian
Massimo's is the kind of place that makes you wish you lived in Portsmouth just so you could work through this list one dinner at a time. The pricing is not shy, but for a collection that includes Gaja, Biondi Santi, and a 1994 Sassicaia, you're paying for access to something genuinely rare for northern New England.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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