Des Moines' Italian anchor pulls its weight
East Village · Des Moines · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 12, 2026 · How we review
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
· Hartford · Italian-American
Carbone's Hartford punches above its weight on Italian whites and Champagne — the Greco di Tufo, the Etna Bianco, and the Suavia 'Massifitti' are exactly the kind of picks that separate a real wine list from a prop. Markup runs steep in spots (that Livio Felluga isn't doing anyone favors), and the by-the-glass program leaves some of the best bottles stranded on the bottle-only list. Come for the Italian-American classics, bring a table of four, and split something interesting from the whites.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Kansas City · Kansas City · Italian-American
A glass list that fits an Italian menu: 24 wines from $8 to $13, with Barolo, Amarone and Brunello available by the bottle. Start with the $8 Capasoldo Pinot Grigio, or the $13 Banfi Chianti Riserva if you are ordering the Veal Parmigiana, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Old Mill District · Bend · Italian-American
This is a pasta-house list with a wide Italian and Oregon spread: bottles start at $36 and 14 wines come by the glass. Start with the Pastini Rosso at $9.25 for 6oz or the La Quercia Montepulciano at $10, and save Elk Cove ($60) for when you want to splurge on a Willamette Pinot. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list is undated, so confirm what is available.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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