Virginia's Bubble Obsession Nobody Told You About
· Chesapeake · Italian, Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Luce Secondo’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at Luce Secondo and immediately do a double take — this is not the predictable Pinot Grigio-and-Chianti Italian restaurant list you were bracing for. The sparkling section alone has more ambition than most restaurants' entire programs. Chesapeake, Virginia is not exactly a wine destination, which makes this list feel like finding a record shop in an airport.
The list runs 64 labels with a clear editorial point of view: Italian bubbles are the star, and they've gone deep. Franciacorta shows up in force — Contadi Castaldi, Ca' del Bosco's '44th Edizione', Baron Pizzini's Saten — alongside a sparkling Greco di Tufo from Bambinuto and a Nebbiolo Metodo Classico from Parusso that most Italian wine nerds would lose their minds over. The Champagne selection is compact but respectable, with Gatinois Grand Cru and A.R. Lenoble alongside the requisite Veuve Clicquot. The white and red Italian table wine sections round things out, though they feel slightly less developed compared to the sparkling program, which is clearly where the passion lives.
Eleven by-the-glass options at $10–$16 is a solid spread for a market like Chesapeake, and the fact that there's any rotating bubble program at all puts this ahead of the pack. We'd like to see more of the interesting Italian sparkling labels make it into the glass pour rotation, since right now the adventurous stuff mostly lives on the bottle list. Still, the pricing keeps things approachable.
Calatroni Sague de Guida Dell'Oltrepo Pavese 2021 — $38
Oltrepo Pavese is one of Italy's most underrated sparkling regions, and at $38 a bottle you're getting a serious, terroir-driven expression that would run you $50+ anywhere that knows what it's doing. This is the move if you want to impress your table without anyone knowing you're being cheap.
Parusso Nebbiolo Metodo Classico Brut
Most people scanning this list will scroll past it without a second thought. That's a mistake. Parusso is a serious Barolo producer, and their Nebbiolo turned into a traditional-method sparkling wine is a genuinely rare thing — structured, earthy, unlike anything else on the table. Order it before anyone figures out what it is.
Veuve Clicquot "Yellow Label" Brut
At $100, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is priced exactly where you'd expect it — which is to say, you're paying for the name. With A.R. Lenoble Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs sitting right next to it for $115, there's a genuinely better bottle within arm's reach. The Clicquot is fine. It's just the safe, recognizable choice on a list that rewards curiosity.
Bambinuto "Cur" Sparkling Greco di Tufo Brut 2012 + Seafood-based pasta or crudo
Greco di Tufo has a saline minerality and citrus backbone that cuts right through olive oil and brightens delicate seafood. In sparkling form from Bambinuto, it adds texture without weight — exactly what you want against a plate of briny, rich Italian coastal cooking.
The Bottom Line
Luce Secondo is doing something genuinely unexpected in Chesapeake: building a sparkling-focused Italian wine list with real depth and fair prices. If you care about bubbles beyond Prosecco and Champagne, you owe this place a visit.
Shore Drive · Chesapeake · Urban Winery, Restaurant
Mermaid Winery earns its Wild Card badge by being better than it has any obligation to be — a house-wine winery destination that quietly stocks Paul Anheuser, Folk Machine, and Vinum Cellars Chenin Blanc alongside its own labels. For Chesapeake, this list punches well above its weight class.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chesapeake · Wine Bar, New American
Press 626 has the bones of a wine bar concept and the wine list of a casual Italian chain — the prices are shockingly approachable, but six anonymous bottles do not a wine destination make. Come for the $6 pours if you're in the neighborhood, but don't reroute your evening around it.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Greenbrier · Chesapeake · Italian
Varia is the kind of Italian wine bar that earns a reliable night out — the list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either, and the atmosphere does a lot of the heavy lifting. If you're in Chesapeake looking for a proper bottle with dinner and a little romance, this is your move.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Great Bridge · Chesapeake · Steakhouse
This is a wine list by default, not by design. If you're coming to Great Bridge Steakhouse for the wine, recalibrate — order a cocktail or call ahead with a bottle and ask about corkage.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Greenbrier · Chesapeake · Mexican
Abuelo's wine list is an afterthought dressed up as a menu section — four grocery-store labels at restaurant prices in a mall dining room. Come for the margaritas, stay for the margaritas, and let wine night happen somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Greenbrier · Chesapeake · Modern American
Yard House Chesapeake is exactly what it is: a polished chain bar with a wine list built for broad appeal, not wine nerds. Show up on a Monday, grab a half-price bottle of Meiomi or La Crema, and enjoy the vibe without overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Pearl Street · Boulder · Italian, Wine Bar
Postino Boulder is not the deepest list in town, but it might be the most honestly priced and genuinely fun wine experience on Pearl Street. Send your friends here, especially if they want to drink well without doing homework.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Norfolk · Norfolk · Italian, Wine Bar
Waters Edge is doing something genuinely unusual — a house-label winery with real variety, honest prices, and a room that punches well above its zip code. If you go in expecting a traditional wine list you'll be confused; if you go in curious, you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Norfolk · Norfolk · Italian, Wine Bar
Waters Edge is doing something genuinely interesting at prices that make it hard to say no — a winery-bistro concept with a broad, accessible list and pours that won't empty your wallet before the entrée arrives. Send a friend here, but tell them to skip the flavored sparklers and go straight for the Nebbiolo.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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