Sotto Sopra

Walking into Sotto Sopra's 19th-century Mount Vernon townhouse, the wine list feels like the room itself — tasteful, a little old-school, not trying too hard. It's an Italy-first list with a few international detours, and the prices are refreshingly honest for a white-tablecloth setting. Nothing here is going to blow your mind, but nothing is going to embarrass you either.

The list leans appropriately Italian — you'll find Piemonte, Toscana, Sardinia, and Trentino represented — though it stops well short of being a deep dive into the boot. The Poggio Concone Super Tuscan and the Lavignone Barbera D'Asti are solid anchors, giving the list some regional credibility beyond the usual Pinot Grigio-and-Chianti circuit. There's a smattering of international options — Provence rosé, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a Washington Cab — that feel like they're there to keep the table happy rather than make a statement. The bottle range of $52–$120 is accessible for the neighborhood and the vibe without feeling like they're leaving serious wine drinkers behind.

At least ten options by the glass in the $14–$15 range is genuinely good value for a reservation-only Italian spot in Baltimore. The glass pours cover the bases — bubbles, white, rosé, red — without much adventure, but the Cantina Santadi Vermentino and the Poggio Concone Super Tuscan by the glass are real standouts in that lineup. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here; this reads as a set-it-and-revisit-it-next-year kind of program.