Maryland Pride Meets Old World Ambition
Mount Vernon · Baltimore · Farm-to-Table · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Magdalena’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Magdalena inside The Ivy Hotel, you immediately sense that someone actually cares about this list — it's not just a binder of Cabs and Chardonnays thrown together to fill a legal requirement. The local Maryland angle is front and center, which is either a bold move or a gamble depending on your faith in Mid-Atlantic viticulture. We're betting on bold.
The list leans into regional identity with producers like Philosophy Winery representing Maryland, while The Wine Collective partnership signals a broader curatorial ambition beyond just local cheerleading. Classic selections round things out — you'll find Sauternes, Port, and Spanish whites like the Avancia Godello from Valdeorras sitting alongside the home-state options. The range isn't enormous, but it's clearly edited by someone with a point of view rather than assembled by committee. Gaps exist — we'd love to see more depth in Burgundy and the Rhône — but what's here hangs together.
The glass program shows real range for a hotel restaurant: you've got a Chilean Pinot Noir, a California Tibouren Rosé, a Spanish Godello, and dessert pours including two Tawny Ports and a 2005 Sauternes. That Sauternes by the glass at $25 is genuinely rare and worth noting. We don't have a full BTG count, but what we can see suggests the pours are curated, not just default.
Pinot Noir Laberinto Cenizas Maule Valley Chile 2022 — $10
At $10 a glass, this is the most straightforward value on the list — retails around $20, so the markup is relatively tame by hotel restaurant standards. Maule Valley Pinot tends to be earthy and food-friendly, which fits the farm-to-table menu well.
Chateau Guiraud 1er Cru Sauternes 2005
A Premier Cru Sauternes from a great vintage, available by the glass at $25. Most people scroll right past dessert wine on a menu, which is their loss — this is one of the more serious pours in the building and a legitimate splurge that's still priced under what you'd expect at a hotel of this caliber.
Graham's 10 Year Tawny Port
At $15 a glass against a $35 retail price, you're paying a 133% markup on a Port that's widely available and easy to find. It's not a bad wine — Graham's is reliable — but the Delaforce Tawny next to it gets you essentially the same experience for $12. Hard to justify the extra $3 here.
Godello Avancia Cuveé De O Valdeorras Spain 2023 + Seasonal locally sourced small plates
Godello from Valdeorras is bright, mineral, and textural — exactly what you want against the kind of delicate, produce-forward small plates that anchor Magdalena's menu. It won't fight the food, and it's interesting enough to carry the conversation on its own.
The Bottom Line
Magdalena is doing something genuinely worthwhile in Baltimore's hotel dining scene — a wine program with local conviction and enough classic range to keep skeptics interested. The markups are real and the list is compact, but a sommelier who cares and a Sauternes by the glass go a long way.
Sparks · Baltimore · French-inspired with Mid-Atlantic seasonal ingredients
Explore the glass list before committing to a bottle: $12 Crémant and $17 Chinon give you two clear starting points. Prices and six-ounce servings come from the posted list checked in September 2026. Confirm availability; this menu guide doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
· Baltimore · American
Give the international and local sections a look before defaulting to Burgundy. Sula at $70 and Old Westminster at $90 offer different budget options. These are posted bottle prices, not guaranteed stock; confirm availability. This menu guide doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
Mount Vernon · Baltimore · Northern Italian
Try Lavignone at $14 a glass or compare a $52 bottle if everyone wants the same red. Sotto Sopra makes that budget decision straightforward. Prices come from the posted menu checked in September 2026; availability can change, and this guide doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
· Baltimore · Italian
Facci's wine list is a quiet overachiever: all-Italian, regionally adventurous, and priced without greed. If you want to drink something you've never heard of and pay a fair price for it, this is your spot.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Clipper Mill · Baltimore · American, Farm to Table
True Chesapeake is a Wild Card in the best possible sense — a working waterfront oyster spot with a Wine Spectator-recognized list helmed by a sommelier who clearly cares. Go for the oysters, stay for the Weinbach, and don't skip the Muscadet.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Horseshoe Casino · Baltimore · Steak house, European
Gordon Ramsay Steak isn't going to surprise you, but it delivers a solid, award-backed California-and-France wine list in a setting where you'd half-expect to be handed a laminated card with three options. For a casino steakhouse in Baltimore, that's genuinely worth something.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Durango · Farm-to-Table
Farm & Vine Bistro isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be. The all-by-the-glass format keeps things democratic, markups are fair across the board, and a few genuinely well-chosen bottles — the Dr. Loosen, the Volver, the Belle Glos — give wine-curious diners something to actually think about. If you're in Durango and want a solid glass without overthinking it, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Yakima · Yakima · Farm-to-Table
Rooted is doing something genuinely worthwhile: a tight, local-first wine list that treats Washington producers with the same respect the kitchen gives its farmers. It's not a destination wine program, but for a quick dinner in Yakima, this is exactly the list you'd want in front of you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Outskirts / Semi-Rural · Brownsville · Farm-to-Table
This is a one-winery list that somehow avoids feeling like a gift shop menu — the variety selection is genuinely adventurous and the price ceiling stays sane. If you're curious about what Texas wine can actually do, this is a low-risk place to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
