Italian Soul, California Heart, Unexpected Depth
La Jolla · San Diego · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Marisi’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Ninety-three labels at an Italian restaurant in La Jolla could easily mean wall-to-wall Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico Riserva at airport-lounge prices. Marisi doesn't go that route. The list opens with a California sparkler from Santa Lucia Highlands and a grower Champagne from Bligny, and it only gets more interesting from there.
The Italian side of the list does the work it needs to — Vajra 'Albe' Barolo from Piedmont, Sammontana Chianti, a Coffele Recioto di Soave for dessert — but what keeps things lively is the willingness to dig into less-traveled Italian regions: Cirelli Trebbiano from Abruzzo, Marangona Turbiana from Lugana, and Madonia 'Neblina' Albana from Emilia-Romagna are exactly the kind of picks that separate a wine program with a point of view from one that just ticks boxes. The California contingent is equally considered, with Anthill Farms Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Presqu'ile Santa Barbara Chardonnay representing serious domestic producers rather than grocery-store fillers. Dessert wine coverage — Coffele Recioto, Rare Wine Co. Madeira, Quinta do Infantado Tawny Port, and the Castello di Verduno Barolo Chinato — is genuinely rare for a restaurant of this type and earns real credit.
The menu separates by-the-glass pours into sparkling, white, and red sections, which suggests a real program rather than an afterthought. Specific pour counts and prices aren't available from the sourced data, so we can't call it a by-the-glass hero just yet — but the presence of structured BTG categories on a 93-label list is a good sign that the options aren't limited to one white and one red.
The Bottom Line
Marisi earns its Wild Card badge by building a wine list that actually reflects curiosity about Italian wine rather than just the greatest hits. The dessert wine section alone puts it ahead of most Italian restaurants in San Diego. Pricing data wasn't available to us, and staff knowledge is an open question — but if you're the kind of person who gets excited about Albana from Emilia-Romagna or a Barolo Chinato to close the night, this list is worth your attention.
Little Italy · San Diego · Italian
Davanti Enoteca is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list does its job without doing anything remarkable. If you're heading here for the meatballs and Roman artichokes — and you should be — grab a bottle of something Italian, stay out of your own way, and enjoy the room. Just don't expect the wine program to be the reason you came.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Del Mar · San Diego · Italian
Davanti Enoteca Del Mar has done something quietly smart: built an Italian-forward wine list with real regional depth, made nearly all of it available by the glass, and priced it fairly across the board. It won't win awards for cellar depth or adventurousness, but if you want a Villa Matilde Falanghina or a Roero Arneis with your pasta without taking out a second mortgage, this is your spot. Send a friend here — just steer them toward the Italian whites.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steak and Seafood
Mastro's Ocean Club carries some excellent producers, but seven wines at a premium steakhouse is a list that gave up before it started. The Chateau Montelena and Stag's Leap bottles are worth ordering if the price is right, but we can't verify what you'll pay — and at a restaurant this upscale, that uncertainty rarely resolves in your favor. If wine is central to your evening, go somewhere that's put in the work.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown · San Diego · Hotel rooftop restaurant
Topside Terrace is selling a vibe and the wine list is an afterthought — functional, recognizable, and priced to extract rooftop tax from every pour. Come for the sunset, order a cocktail, and save the serious wine for dinner somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Little Italy · San Diego · Wine Bar + Bottle Shop
Vino Carta is exactly the kind of neighborhood wine bar San Diego needs more of — casual enough to drop into on a Tuesday, knowledgeable enough to actually teach you something. If natural wine and France are your compass headings, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
· San Diego · Steakhouse
STK San Diego is a vibe-first, wine-second operation — the list exists to support the scene, not the other way around. If wine is actually important to your evening, you can do better in San Diego without breaking a sweat.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Venice · Los Angeles · Italian
Felix Trattoria has the bones of a genuinely good wine destination — Italian-focused list, sommelier on staff, and a kitchen full of pasta that begs for a proper Nebbiolo or Vermentino alongside it. Markup reports lean steep for the neighborhood, so budget accordingly. We'd send a friend here for the full experience, but with a reminder to ask questions and not just grab the first recognizable label.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · Italian
Ciccio's wine list is a tight, opinionated thirteen-bottle argument for Italian varieties in Napa Valley, and it mostly wins. If you're eating Italian food and want something more interesting than the usual Napa Cab, this is exactly where you should be drinking — the Altamura Nebbiolo and Ciavolich Montepulciano alone are worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Glendale · Italian
Lil' Capo isn't a wine destination — it's a pizza destination with wine available, which is exactly what it should be. If you're grabbing a pie before a Westgate event and want something in a glass that won't embarrass the food, the Italian-leaning list does its job without asking too much of you or your wallet.
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.
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