Magdalena
Maryland Pride Meets Old World Ambition
Mount Vernon · Baltimore · Farm-to-Table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
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.
Selection Deep Dive
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.
By the Glass
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.
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