Des Moines' Italian anchor pulls its weight
East Village · Des Moines · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lucca DSM’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lucca lands with the same confidence as the room — polished, deliberate, and clearly meant to signal that this is a serious dinner spot. At 110 labels with a heavy lean into Italy and France, it reads like someone actually thought about it. The price ceiling of $950 a bottle tells you who they're dressing for, but the floor at $40 keeps it from being completely out of reach.
Italy is the backbone here, which makes sense given the concept, and the French representation holds its own without feeling like an afterthought. The Medici Ermete 'Concerto' Lambrusco is a standout inclusion — a proper, serious Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna that most restaurants wouldn't bother with. The list skews toward crowd-pleasing California names like Caymus, Rombauer, and Silver Oak, which is safe but uninspiring territory. Gaps exist in the Southern Hemisphere and the list doesn't venture much into natural or orange wine territory, but for a mid-market Italian-American in Des Moines, the depth is genuinely respectable.
Twenty-seven by-the-glass options is a strong number — most restaurants half that size would stop at fifteen and call it done. The range spans sparkling through red, and the Particolare Sparkling Brut Rosé gives the glass program a nice entry-level Italian anchor. We'd like to see more rotation or staff-driven picks called out, but the breadth alone puts this ahead of most local competition.
Medici Ermete 'Concerto' Lambrusco — null
This is a benchmark Lambrusco from one of the region's top producers — structured, dry, and nothing like the sweet fizzy stuff your parents drank. If it's priced anywhere near the entry point of the bottle list, it's the move at a table full of Italian food.
Particolare Sparkling Brut Rosé
Most people walk past sparkling rosé on a wine list and head straight for the Cabernet. That's a mistake here. This is an approachable, food-friendly pour that works across the entire four-course format — start to finish.
Caymus Cabernet Napa Valley 2022
At $170 a bottle, you're paying a significant premium for one of the most over-ordered, over-allocated wines in America. Caymus is a reliable wine, but it's also everywhere, and you can do better for less on this same list.
Medici Ermete 'Concerto' Lambrusco + Italian dishes with North African-influenced spicing
The 'Concerto' has enough structure and acidity to cut through rich, spiced preparations, and its slight effervescence keeps the palate fresh across a multi-course meal. It's the kind of pairing that makes the food taste better and the wine taste better — that's the whole point.
The Bottom Line
Lucca's wine list is doing real work for Des Moines — more depth than you'd expect, anchored by smart Italian selections, undercut by steep pricing on the California classics. Come for the Lambrusco, skip the Caymus, and let the 27-glass program do the heavy lifting.
Downtown Des Moines · Des Moines · American, Regional
Proudfoot & Bird is the kind of place where the room earns a star the wine list can't quite match — solid enough for a business dinner or a date night in a stunning space, but don't come expecting to find something you've never heard of. If you're in Des Moines and want a dependable glass in a beautiful room, it works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Italian-American
Pasghetti's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for the pasta and the family-friendly Branson vibe, grab a Lambrusco and call it a night — but don't expect the wine program to be part of the reason you come back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Italian-American
The Rosa isn't trying to reinvent the wine list — it's trying to serve its room well, and largely succeeds. Twenty-five by-the-glass options with Italian producers mixed alongside California staples makes this one of the more thoughtful pours in Portsmouth. If you're after wine-bar ambition, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your gnocchi without any drama, The Rosa delivers.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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