Locanda Wine Bar

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.