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🎲The Wild Card

Morcilla

Pittsburgh's Iberian wine obsession runs deep

Lawrenceville · Pittsburgh · Spanish · Visit Website ↗

old-world-focushidden-gemdate-nightnatural-wine

Reviewed March 23, 2026

Wingman Metrics

List VarietySmall but Thoughtful
MarkupFair
GlasswareBasic Stemmed
StaffKnowledgeable & Friendly
Specials & DealsSet & Forget
Storage & TempProper

First Impression

The wine list at Morcilla reads like someone actually cares — and not in a performative, leather-bound-menu way. It's focused, Iberian-forward, and confident enough to put a 2011 López de Heredia on the same page as an obscure Canary Islands white without blinking. This is a restaurant that chose a lane and went all in.

Selection Deep Dive

Forty-plus bottles anchored in Spain, with Portugal and Italy filling the flanks and a surprisingly welcome detour through the Finger Lakes. The Rioja section earns its keep — a '15 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 sitting next to the Viña Tondonia is the kind of pairing that makes you want to order both and argue about which is better. Catalunya and Priorat get their due, and the Canary Islands showing (Tajinaste's Listán Blanco) signals that whoever built this list is paying attention to the right corners of the wine world. There are gaps — no deep dive into Galicia, no Sherry program to speak of — but what's here is well-chosen, not filler.

By the Glass

We don't have a confirmed glass pour list or count, which is the one real frustration here. A sommelier-run Spanish program at this level should be pouring at least six to eight rotating options by the glass, and we'd expect the Cava and something from Rioja to anchor it. Until we can confirm the full pour list, consider this an invitation to go bottle-first.

💰Best Value

'19 Albet i Noya Pinot Noir — null

Albet i Noya is one of Catalunya's most respected organic producers, and their Pinot Noir consistently punches above its weight — ripe but structured, with none of the flabby fruit that sinks cheaper Iberian reds. If the price is honest, this is the move for anyone who defaults to French Pinot but doesn't want to pay for it.

💎Hidden Gem

'23 Bod. Tajinaste 'Blanco Seco' Listán Blanco, Islas Canarias

Listán Blanco grown on volcanic soils in the Canary Islands is one of the stranger, more compelling things happening in Spanish wine right now — saline, mineral, genuinely weird in the best way. Most people walk right past it. Don't.

Skip This

Garnatxa Cava Brut Rosé Reserva

Cava Brut Rosé is a fine enough category, but it's also the safe play that every Spanish restaurant leans on when they want something festive on the list without committing to anything interesting. Unless you're specifically in a bubbles mood, the bottle spend is better directed elsewhere on this list.

🍽️Perfect Pairing

'11 R. Lopez de Heredia 'Viña Tondonia Reserva' Tempranillo/Garnacha + Morcilla (blood sausage)

A twelve-year-old Tondonia Reserva brings oxidative, earthy depth — brick fruit, dried herbs, that signature López de Heredia grip — that stands up to the iron-rich intensity of blood sausage without drowning it. This is the wine the restaurant was named for, basically.

🎲 The Bottom Line

Morcilla isn't trying to be a wine bar, but the list reads like it was built by someone who wishes it were — in the best possible way. If you're in Pittsburgh and want to drink serious Spanish wine with your food, this is your spot.

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