Forty-Four Pours Deep and Counting
· Annapolis · Italian / Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Tuscan Kitchen & Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Forty-four wines by the glass is not a typo — that's the kind of number that makes you do a double-take when you open the menu. The list skews Italian in spirit but pulls in California heavyweights and even a local Maryland Riesling, which tells you this place is trying to be something for everyone. It largely succeeds.
The 69-label list is organized by style and moves through sparkling, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio on the white side before getting into reds — and the breadth within each category is the real story here. You've got Antinori showing up twice (the Tormaresca Chardonnay from Puglia and the Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio), which signals the kitchen has an Italian backbone, while Cakebread, Girard Artistry, and Honig anchor the California prestige end. The Boordy Riesling from Maryland is a genuinely interesting local inclusion that most places in the region wouldn't bother with. Where the list loses steam is in mid-tier depth — there's a noticeable jump from everyday pours to the $30 cellar reserve options, with not much interesting happening in between.
Forty-four by-the-glass options is legitimately impressive for an Italian restaurant, and the price spread from $7 to $30 means you can do a proper exploration without committing to a bottle. The cellar reserve pours — Cakebread Chardonnay and the Napa Cabs from Girard and Honig at $30 each — give the program real ambition at the top end. Rotation appears limited; this reads like a steady, curated list rather than something that changes with the seasons.
Antinori / Tormaresca Chardonnay, Puglia — $8/glass
Eight dollars for an Antinori-backed Chardonnay is a genuine win. Tormaresca is a serious southern Italian producer and this pour punches well above its price point — it's the move when you want quality without touching the double-digit tier.
Boordy Riesling, Maryland
Most people walk right past the local option and head straight for the German or Californian bottles. Don't. Boordy is Maryland's most established winery and their Riesling is a real expression of the Mid-Atlantic terroir — at $8 a glass, it's also the most interesting conversation starter on the list.
Mark West Chardonnay, California
At $9 a glass, it's not highway robbery, but Mark West is a mass-market brand you've seen at every grocery store from here to Seattle. With the Antinori Tormaresca a dollar cheaper and the Beckon Central Coast just a dollar more, there's no reason to settle for this one.
Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio, Tuscany + Carpaccio
The restaurant's namesake dish — thin-sliced beef or fish, dressed lightly — needs something crisp and mineral that won't bulldoze it. The Banfi San Angelo is a clean, precise Pinot Grigio from Tuscany that has enough structure to cut through the richness without competing with the delicate flavors.
The Bottom Line
Tuscan Kitchen & Wine Bar is doing more with a wine list than most Italian spots in Annapolis, and the 44-glass program alone makes it worth visiting when you want options without committing to a bottle. It's not a destination for wine nerds, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood pick that won't let you down.
Eastport · Annapolis · American pub fare
Davis' Pub is a great place to drink — just not wine. The list is inoffensive and priced fairly, but it exists as an afterthought in a place where the real action is cold drafts and steamed crabs. Order the Brancott if you must, then pivot to beer.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Spa Creek · Annapolis · Seafood / Steak
Chart House Annapolis is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great setting — you'll drink well enough, but you're paying for the view as much as the pour. Go in with eyes open on the markup and lean on the California stalwarts that earned their spots here.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Towne Centre Area · Annapolis · Wine Bar / Mediterranean
Smashing Grapes is quietly one of the better wine programs in the mid-Atlantic, operating in a market that doesn't always demand it — which makes it even more impressive. Send a friend here, absolutely, and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Upper Main Street · Annapolis · Wine Bar / Bistro
Red Red Wine Bar is a genuinely fun, accessible spot if you go in knowing what it is: a bubbly-forward wine bar built for socializing and sharing flights, not deep-dive cellar exploration. Send your friend here for a casual night out — just don't send them expecting a sprawling wine list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Church Circle · Annapolis · Tavern / Afternoon Tea
Reynolds Tavern is the kind of Wild Card that earns its badge by being completely sincere — a 275-year-old tavern that stocks Vieux Télégraphe and Maryland Albariño without making a big deal about it. If you're in Annapolis and skipping wine here in favor of a generic hotel bar down the street, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastport · Annapolis · Seafood / Raw Bar
Blackwall Hitch isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable spot to drink something decent without getting gouged — especially during happy hour. Send a friend here if they want a glass on the water, not if they're chasing something to talk about.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Frederick · Italian / Wine Bar
Vesuvius is doing something genuinely unusual: a flat $8-a-glass format with a list full of Southern Italian varietals most diners have never tried. It's not a deep cellar or a fine dining program, but the value-to-curiosity ratio here is almost unfair.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Everett · Everett · Italian / Wine Bar
Luca is the kind of reliable Italian date-night spot that Everett needed — the wine program is Italy-focused and food-friendly, even if it doesn't take many risks. Send your parents here for their anniversary; save your deep-dive wine nerding for a dedicated wine bar.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Everett Marina · Everett · Italian / Wine Bar
Lombardi's is doing something genuinely unexpected for a marina-side Italian in Everett — a deep, glass-for-glass Washington-meets-Italy red wine program that earns a second look. The pricing leans steep on the high end, but the range and ambition make it worth navigating.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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