Piedmont Royalty Meets Penn Quarter Power Lunch
Penn Quarter · Washington · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed RPM Italian’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at RPM Italian lands with authority — 350-plus selections anchored hard in Piedmont and Tuscany, exactly where an Italian-focused room should be planting its flag. It's not trying to be everything to everyone; it knows what it is and commits. Sarah Gaines is on staff as sommelier, which means there's an actual adult in the room making decisions about what goes on this list.
Piedmont is the obvious star: Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja all show up, which is a murderers' row of Barolo and Barbaresco producers that most DC restaurants can't touch. Tuscany holds its own with Biondi-Santi Brunello, Ornellaia, Tignanello, Sassicaia, and Masseto — the full Super Tuscan hall of fame, plus serious Chianti Classico from Antinori and Castello di Ama. California gets a solid supporting role with Kistler, Far Niente, and Opus One for the crowd that won't cross the Atlantic even on paper. The list has held a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2017, and when you see producers like Produttori del Barbaresco alongside Gaja, that credential makes complete sense.
With 20 to 35 options by the glass, RPM isn't just pouring the cheapest stuff they could negotiate — there's real range here, and the Wednesday half-price wine night means you can explore the list without committing to a full bottle at these price points. We'd want to know more about glass pour rotation, but with a working sommelier program you're generally not stuck with the same eight bottles for six months.
Barbaresco Rabajà Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 — $165
Produttori del Barbaresco is the cooperative that overdelivers every single vintage, and Rabajà is one of their top single-vineyard releases. At $165 in a room where Gaja is on the same page at multiples of that price, this is the smartest order on the Piedmont section — serious Nebbiolo from a serious producer without the flagship tax.
Brunello di Montalcino Col d'Orcia 2018
Col d'Orcia doesn't get the name recognition of Biondi-Santi, but it's a historic Montalcino estate making genuinely excellent Brunello at a fraction of the trophy-wine prices nearby on the list. The 2018 vintage in Montalcino is excellent, and most tables will scroll past this one chasing the famous labels. Their loss.
Super Tuscan Ornellaia 2020
Ornellaia is a great wine — nobody's arguing that. But at $450 a bottle in a restaurant setting, you're paying a stiff premium for a label that everyone already knows. Retail on the 2020 runs well under $200. If you want to flex on the Super Tuscan side of the list, you'll get more wine per dollar elsewhere.
Barolo Marcenasco Vietti 2019 + Bone-in Short Rib
Vietti's Marcenasco Barolo brings the structure and acid to cut through the braised-fat richness of the short rib, and Nebbiolo's natural savory edge plays directly into the deeply reduced meat flavors. This is the kind of pairing that makes you understand why Italian food and Italian wine evolved together.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night on Wednesdays — the single best reason to rearrange your week if you've been eyeing something further up the list.
The Bottom Line
RPM Italian is the real deal for Italian wine in DC — serious producers, a sommelier who clearly curated this list with intention, and Wednesday half-price night to soften the markup sting. Yes, markups run steep, but when the list is this good, you know exactly what you're paying for.
Washington · Washington · Seafood
Oceanaire is a safe, well-executed wine destination for California Chardonnay lovers who want reliable bottles with their seafood without too many surprises. Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence since 2017 is well-earned for what it is — just know this list was built for comfort, not adventure.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Georgetown · Washington · French
Lutèce is a strong place to explore French wine with a firm budget in mind. The posted list runs from a $64 Southern Rhône red to $600 Champagne, so tell Chris Ray what you want to spend and let that guide the conversation. Confirm prices and availability when you book or arrive.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington, DC · Washington · Steakhouse
STK DC is a vibe restaurant that treats wine as an accessory, not a feature. If you're here for the scene, the cocktails will serve you better than the list ever will.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Middle Eastern / North African
Maydan's wine list is one of the most geographically coherent and genuinely adventurous in Washington, DC — it matches the kitchen's ambition and then some. If you're willing to let go of the familiar, this is one of the best by-the-glass programs in the city for opening your eyes to what the wine world looks like beyond Europe.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Restaurant
Moon Rabbit's wine list is doing something rare: it's short enough to read in two minutes and interesting enough to talk about for twenty. If you care about well-chosen, adventurous bottles at prices that won't wreck your dinner bill, send your people here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Washington · Washington · Spanish
Xiquet is doing something genuinely rare in D.C. — a tightly edited, Spain-first wine program inside a room that actually earns it. Four sommeliers and a Wood Spectator Award of Excellence since 2023 confirm this isn't an accident; just know you're paying for the setting as much as the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
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
