Red-sauce comfort with a fortified wine obsession
Freemason · Norfolk · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Leone's’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
Walk into Leone's on Freemason Street and the wine list reads like someone's Italian grandmother raided an Asti enoteca — heavy on fortified and dessert wines in a way you absolutely do not expect from a neighborhood red-sauce joint in Norfolk. It's not a deep list by any stretch, but there's a clear point of view here, and that's more than most places this size can claim.
The list runs somewhere between 40 and 70 bottles and leans hard into Italian varietals, which fits the room. What makes it interesting is the back end: a genuine dessert and fortified section featuring Cocchi Barolo Chinato, Pellegrino Marsala Superiore Dolce, and a range of Ports from Fonseca (10-year Tawny) and Prime's (Ruby and 20-year Tawny). That's a legitimately curated selection for a place serving pasta in coastal Virginia. The everyday table wine side of things is more conventional — crowd-pleasing Italian picks without a lot of adventurous depth — but the fortified corner alone earns this list a second look.
Six by-the-glass options is lean, and happy hour drops house pours to $5, which is a genuinely good deal if you're just looking for something to sip alongside the bread basket. The glass list doesn't push into the interesting fortified territory, which is a missed opportunity — imagine a Barolo Chinato by the glass as a digestivo option.
Prime's Ruby Port — null
Ruby Port at an Italian-American dinner spot is chronically underordered, which means Leone's isn't pricing it like a trophy. It's an honest, fruit-forward pour that works hard alongside tiramisu and costs you almost nothing to find out.
Cocchi Barolo Chinato
Most people have never heard of Barolo Chinato, and the ones who have are usually hunting for it at specialty bars. It's a bittersweet, aromatic digestivo made from Barolo wine and a mix of herbs and spices — think Campari's more sophisticated older sibling. Finding it on a list in Norfolk is genuinely surprising. Order it after dinner.
House wine by the glass (non-happy-hour)
Outside of happy hour, the house pours don't have enough specificity to justify their standard price. If you're not catching the $5 happy hour window, move past the house option and put your money toward the Marsala or Port selection — that's where Leone's actually has something to say.
Pellegrino Marsala Superiore Dolce + Tiramisu
Marsala is literally in the tiramisu recipe, so this is less a pairing and more a full circle moment. The Pellegrino's dried fruit and caramel notes echo what's already in the dessert without competing. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel like you figured something out, even though it's been obvious since forever.
The Bottom Line
Leone's is not a wine destination, but that fortified and dessert wine section punches well above its weight for a neighborhood Italian-American spot — and the $5 happy hour pours make it an easy, low-stakes place to drink well on a weeknight. Send your friends here if they think they don't like Port.
Downtown Norfolk · Norfolk · American
Mermaid Winery is a genuine wine destination that happens to be in Norfolk — and yes, that still surprises us a little. The pricing leans steep and the staff isn't running a Master Sommelier class, but the list is deep where it counts and Wednesday half-price night is one of the better wine deals in the region.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Virginia Beach · Norfolk · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Virginia Beach won't surprise you on wine, and a few markups are hard to forgive, but the depth is real and the by-the-glass program is better than most steakhouses at this price point. If you're here for a special occasion steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass the meal, you'll find it — just avoid the house pours and do a little homework first.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Norfolk · Norfolk · Gourmet Market & Wine Shop
Taste Unlimited is a gourmet market that quietly outclasses most sit-down restaurants on wine curation and blows them out completely on price. If you're in Norfolk and haven't figured out that this is also a wine stop, you've been leaving money on the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Governors Pointe · Norfolk · Southern American
Vintage Tavern has no business having a wine list this serious in a suburb of Norfolk — and we mean that as a high compliment. The markups take some of the shine off, but a sommelier on staff, 400 bottles, and a genuine Virginia section make this the best wine destination for miles around.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Norfolk · French
Todd Jurich's Bistro is the most serious wine list in Norfolk, full stop — but you'll pay for that seriousness, especially on the French side. Go for the sommelier's guidance, order the Barboursville, and enjoy the fact that a room this focused on wine exists in downtown Norfolk at all.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Ghent · Norfolk · New American
Varia is doing something genuinely rare in a mid-sized market — building a wine program that would hold its own in Chicago or D.C. The markup isn't always charitable, but the depth, the cruvinet by-the-glass program, and the evident expertise on staff make this one worth the trip across town.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Ocean Casino Resort · Atlantic City · Italian-American
Superfrico is a reliable wine program in a setting designed to get you to spend money — and it mostly delivers without being a total shakedown. Send a friend here for a fun night, not a wine education.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Broadway · Saratoga Springs · Italian-American
Come to Wheatfields for the house-made pasta — it earns its reputation. But the wine list is a lazy lineup of commercial brands at steep markups, and no one on staff is going to steer you toward anything interesting. Grab a glass of Prosecco during happy hour (50% off Monday through Friday, 3-7pm) and redirect your wine energy somewhere else in town.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Broadway · Idaho Falls · Italian-American
This is the wine list equivalent of unlimited breadsticks — comforting, familiar, and not something you'd brag about to anyone. Come for the pasta, order a cocktail, or bring your own bottle if they'll let you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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