Neapolitan pies, Italian wine, zero pretense
Ballston · Arlington · Neapolitan Pizza · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Pupatella’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a casual Neapolitan pizza joint and expect a short, forgettable wine list — and then you notice the Lambrusco and a Super Tuscan sitting next to a house-label Montepulciano priced at $32 a bottle. It's not trying to be a wine bar, but it's clearly trying. That's more than most pizza places in this zip code can say.
Fourteen labels, all of them Italian or Italian-adjacent, and the list actually tracks with the food. The house-branded Pupatella wines — Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Pinot Grigio, and a Rosé — carry the load at $32 a bottle and give you a reliable, Italian-leaning anchor. Beyond that, the Origo Super Tuscan and Rigoletto Chianti cover the red bases, while the Saragat Vermentino and Collevento Sauvignon Blanc give white drinkers something with regional credibility. The Colombara Lambrusco is the standout choice that signals someone actually thought about this list. Gaps are real — no Campanian wines, no Falanghina or Aglianico to really lean into the Neapolitan identity — but for a pizza counter in Ballston, this is punching well above its weight class.
Every bottle on the list is also available by the glass, which means 14 options running $8 to $13.50 — genuinely useful flexibility for a weeknight dinner where not everyone wants a full bottle. The Cuvée Sparkling at $13.50 a glass is the top of the range, but the house Sangiovese and Montepulciano in the $9-$10 window are where the real value lives.
Pupatella Montepulciano — $32
A full bottle of a serviceable Italian red for $32 at a sit-down restaurant is increasingly rare. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's honest wine at an honest price, and it's exactly what Neapolitan pizza wants next to it.
Colombara Lambrusco
Most people see Lambrusco and flashback to the sweet grocery store stuff. The Colombara is the real deal — dry, fizzy, dark-fruited — and it's one of the most food-friendly pours on a pizza-heavy menu. Most tables will skip it. Don't be most tables.
Vite Colte Chardonnay Fosche
At $42 a bottle, it's the priciest white on the list, and Chardonnay and Neapolitan pizza is a pairing that requires more convincing than this menu provides. There are better choices here for less money.
Colombara Lambrusco + Margherita pizza
The Lambrusco's dry effervescence cuts through the fior di latte and brightens the San Marzano tomatoes in a way that a still red simply can't. It's the classic Italian instinct — bubbles with pizza — done right.
The Bottom Line
Pupatella isn't trying to be a destination wine program, and it doesn't need to be — it's a pizza place with a focused, fairly priced, Italian-centric list that actually makes sense with the food. Send a friend here for the pizza and tell them to order the Lambrusco.
Crystal City · Arlington · Wine Shop / Tasting Bar
Crystal City Wine Shop is the kind of low-key, staff-driven wine spot that most neighborhoods desperately want and rarely get — especially one with the nerve to stock Ukrainian bottles in the shadow of the Pentagon. We'd send a curious friend here without hesitation; just don't come in expecting a full restaurant experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Clarendon · Arlington · New American
CIRCA Clarendon isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend otherwise — but the all-BTG format, fair prices, and a few genuinely interesting whites make it a solid call when you want wine that works without overthinking it. Send a friend here, just steer them away from the Unshackled.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
Flight Wine Shop is doing something genuinely rare in the DC suburbs: a tightly curated, fairly priced bottle shop that treats obscure regions and natural producers as the main event, not a novelty section. If you're tired of the same ten wines and want a shop that will actually teach you something, this is your spot.
Deep & Eclectic
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Arlington · Wine Bar / Café
Oby Lee is not a destination for serious wine drinkers, but it is a genuinely fun, low-pressure spot where the prices are fair and the vibe is unapologetically playful. Send your friends who think they don't like wine — they'll order a mango slushy and have a great time.
Plays It Safe
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arlington · Arlington · Wine Bar
Screwtop is doing something genuinely unusual in the DC suburbs: a deep, eclectic by-the-glass list priced fairly and organized with actual personality. If you want to drink something you've never tried before in a low-pressure setting, this is exactly the place to send a friend.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Champagne Bar / Dessert
Beauty is a focused, unpretentious bubbles destination that punches above its novelty premise — the list is curated with real intent, the by-the-glass program is generous, and the prices don't punish you for showing up. If you've never thought to make a champagne bar your wine destination, this is a good place to rethink that.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Neapolitan Pizza
Cugino Forno isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the five-bottle list makes that abundantly clear. The prices are fair enough that you won't feel ripped off, but if wine matters to you on a night out, this is a BYOB situation — check their corkage policy.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Star / Lebanon Road · Frisco · Neapolitan Pizza
Cane Rosso Frisco isn't a wine destination, but the Tuesday and Wednesday half-price program turns a grocery-store-safe list into a genuinely compelling reason to show up mid-week. Come for the pizza, come back on a Tuesday, and don't overthink the wine.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown Frisco · Frisco · Neapolitan Pizza
For a beer-and-wine-only pizza spot in Frisco, this list has no business being this interesting — all-Italian, regionally diverse, and priced without ego. If you're eating Neapolitan pizza in North Dallas suburbs, you could do a lot worse than landing here with a glass of Falanghina.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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