Livermore's Downtown Secret Punches Above Its Weight
Downtown Livermore · Livermore · Southern Italian, Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Locanda Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Locanda Wine Bar, you get the feeling someone actually thought about this list — 100 labels and 30 by-the-glass options in a downtown Livermore strip is not a small swing. The Amalfi Coast aesthetic works in their favor, giving the space a reason to exist beyond just 'Italian restaurant with wine.' It sets expectations, and the list mostly meets them.
The list is a confident California-forward program with smart detours into Italy and a few European curveballs that show someone is paying attention. Local Livermore Valley producers like McGrail and Steven Kent anchor the list with genuine regional pride — the Steven Kent 2023 Cabernet Franc is the kind of pour you won't find at a chain restaurant two towns over. Italian coverage leans into Chianti and northern Italy (La Spinetta Barbaresco, Borgogno Barolo, Bertani Amarone), which tracks perfectly with the Southern Italian kitchen. The Friuli Sauvignon Blanc selections — both the Specogna 'Duality' and Via Di Romans Vieris — are genuinely surprising and suggest someone on the buying side has a passport. The weak spot is Burgundy: one Legros Santenay 1er Cru doesn't constitute a program, it's a placeholder.
Thirty by-the-glass options is a serious number, and the range runs from crowd-pleasing California Chardonnay to the Specogna Friuli Sauvignon Blanc — which is exactly the kind of pour that earns a wine bar credibility. Prices land between $11 and $25 a glass, which feels right for the market. We'd love to see the glass list rotate more aggressively to match the kitchen's seasonal specials, but as a static program, it holds up better than most.
Steven Kent 2023 Livermore Cabernet Franc — N/A – glass price not published
This is the local hero pick. Steven Kent is one of Livermore Valley's most serious producers, and Cab Franc from this region doesn't get nearly enough attention. If you're eating here and not ordering at least one glass of something from down the road, you're missing the point of the whole setup.
Specogna 'Duality' 2023 Friuli Sauvignon Blanc
Most people at this table are going to reach for the Twomey or the Illumination Sauvignon Blanc because the names are familiar. Don't. The Specogna is a northeastern Italian white that drinks with a completely different register — floral, mineral, and genuinely interesting in a way that California Sauv Blanc rarely is. Order it before someone else at the table does.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Napa Valley
At $195, you're paying a premium for a label that belongs on every wine list in America. Silver Oak retails around $80–$90 and is not a hard bottle to find. That's a markup that rewards the restaurant more than the guest. The McGrail 2022 Livermore Cabernet Sauvignon tells a better story for less money.
La Spinetta Barbaresco 2020 + House-made rigatoni
Barbaresco is Nebbiolo, and Nebbiolo is built for tomato-based, umami-rich Italian pasta. The La Spinetta is structured and tannic enough to cut through richness, and the acidity keeps your palate fresh through every bite. This is the pairing that makes the $125 price tag feel like it makes sense.
The Bottom Line
Locanda Wine Bar is doing real work in a wine region that deserves more credit, with a list that mixes local Livermore pride with Italian depth and the occasional European wildcard. The markups on trophy bottles are hard to ignore, but stick to the local producers and the Italian selections and you'll drink very well in downtown Livermore.
· Livermore · Wine lounge / live music
Almost Famous is a genuinely local wine lounge with a genuinely short list, and that's not a criticism — it's a commitment. If you live in the Livermore Valley and want to drink local without a lot of fuss, this is your spot. The pricing is honest, the wines are real, and the Cab Franc alone is worth a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Italian
Pasta's Trattoria won't blow any wine nerds away, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood Italian spot that takes its wine seriously enough to make dinner feel complete. If you're in Pleasanton and want a reliable glass with your risotto, you won't be disappointed.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Livermore · Italian / Sports Bar
Range Cafe isn't destination wine drinking, but it's a better list than a bocce club has any business running — just don't come looking for adventure outside the California Cabernet universe. Order the Zin, skip the trophy bottles, and focus on the game.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / Small Plates
Le Nocturne is a genuinely fun room with a French menu that deserves a better wine list than what the concept seems to prioritize — the atmosphere earns it Wild Card status because the potential is real, but until the wine program matches the culinary ambition, order a cocktail and come back when they figure it out. If you're going for wine, go informed and go with a bottle.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · New American / Gastropub
Rebel Kitchen's wine list doesn't rebel against anything — it's eleven safe bottles with steep markups in a region that's literally surrounded by wineries. Order a cocktail, which is clearly what they actually care about.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / New American
Black Cat is a Wild Card in the best way: it's a buzzy cocktail bar that actually thought about its wine program, sits in genuine wine country, and throws in a no-corkage Thursday deal that most full wine bars would never offer. We'd send a friend here — and we'd tell them to bring a bottle from down the road.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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