Piedmont's Greatest Hits, One Glass at a Time
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Spinasse Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Spinasse Bar doesn't try to be everything to everyone — it commits hard to Piedmont and dares you to have a problem with that. It's a tight, focused list that reads like it was written by someone who actually spent time in the Langhe. Walk in expecting Bordeaux and Napa and you'll be lost; walk in curious about northern Italy and you'll be very, very happy.
Eighty to 120 labels sounds modest until you realize nearly every bottle earns its spot. Barolo and Barbaresco anchor the reds with serious Langhe representation, while Dolcetto d'Alba gives you an affordable entry point into the Piedmontese red universe. On the white side, Arneis shows up as a crisp, food-friendly option that most Seattle wine lists completely ignore. The one honest gap: if you want anything outside of Italy, you're at the wrong bar — and honestly, that's kind of the point.
Twelve pours by the glass is a generous number for a list this focused, running $12 to $20 a pour. The range covers the key Piedmontese styles — you can bounce from a light Dolcetto to a structured Nebbiolo without leaving your barstool. Moscato d'Asti makes a smart appearance for people who want something low-alcohol and sweet without it feeling like a consolation prize.
Dolcetto d'Alba — $12
At the low end of their glass pour pricing, Dolcetto d'Alba gives you a genuinely expressive, food-friendly Piedmontese red without asking you to commit to a full bottle of Barolo. It punches above its price point here and works with basically everything on the menu.
Arneis
Most people walk past it looking for a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, which is a shame. Arneis is a native Piedmontese white — nutty, floral, and dry — that handles the vitello tonnato and cured meats better than either of those crowd-pleasers would. It's the sleeper pick on this list.
Moscato d'Asti
It's well-made and correctly placed on the list, but at a wine bar anchored by serious Nebbiolo-based wines, ordering Moscato d'Asti feels like going to a steakhouse and ordering a salad. Save it for dessert at best — there are better ways to spend your glass pour budget here.
Barbaresco + tajarin al ragù
Tajarin is Piedmont's answer to tagliolini — thin, eggy, rich with slow-cooked meat ragù. Barbaresco, with its high-toned cherry fruit and firm tannin, cuts right through the richness and mirrors the regional logic of the dish. This is the combination that makes the whole concept of this place click.
The Bottom Line
Spinasse Bar is not trying to be a global wine destination — it's trying to be the best Piedmont-focused wine bar in Seattle, and it largely succeeds. If you're even slightly curious about northern Italian wine, this is exactly where you should be spending your Tuesday night.
Belltown · Seattle · Pizza
Belltown Pizza's wine list won't be the reason you come back, but it also won't be the reason you're annoyed. Fair prices, local representation, and just enough Italian to make sense — it does the job without making you think too hard.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastlake · Seattle · Italian
Serafina is a reliable Italian neighborhood spot with a wine list that matches its ambitions — cozy, competent, and a little expensive for what it is. Send a friend here for the pasta and Nebbiolo, but warn them to steer clear of the Prosecco markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · French / Northwest Seafood and Wine Bar
Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
Picolinos is the kind of neighborhood Italian where the wine list genuinely backs up the food, and that's rarer than it should be. Send your friends here if they want a proper Barolo with their osso buco without flying to Turin.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pike Place Market · Seattle · Italian-American with Northwest influence
The Pink Door is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great room — the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, and the wine program is good enough not to get in the way of a memorable evening. Just watch the markups, stick to the Italian bottles, and let the trapeze act do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Modern steakhouse with French-influenced Pacific Northwest cuisine
Bateau is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as what's on the butcher board. Markups keep it from being a total steal, but the depth, the staff, and the Pacific Northwest-first perspective make this one worth the splurge.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Scranton · Wine Bar
The Loft earns its Wild Card badge by doing something genuinely uncommon in Scranton: building a wine bar with a real point of view, even if the public-facing details don't yet let us verify every bottle or price. If you're in downtown Scranton and want wine over cocktails, this is your best legitimate option — just go in curious, ask the staff what's open, and be willing to try something you wouldn't normally order.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· San Jose · Wine Bar
Rootstock is doing something genuinely uncommon for San Jose: building a wine list with a real perspective, fair prices, and enough depth to reward repeat visits. The pét-nat and multi-vintage Reeve presence alone put it ahead of most dedicated wine bars in the Bay. If you care about what's in your glass, this place deserves your attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Telluride · Wine Bar
Communion is a focused, deliberate wine bar that built a short list with real intention — anchored on Leitz, punctuated by a standout Chave Selections white, and thoughtful enough to include non-alcoholic options alongside the serious stuff. We don't have pricing data to confirm value, and the list is compact enough that adventurous drinkers may want more range — but what's here is chosen with care. If you're in Telluride and want wine that someone actually thought about, this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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