Rome Called, D.C. Actually Picked Up
Washington · Washington · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Via Sophia reads like a love letter to the Italian peninsula — no token French bottles padding out the back pages, no California Cab hiding in the corner. This is an all-Italy program with real conviction, which in D.C.'s sea of safe, globally-scattered lists, already makes it a Wild Card worth noticing. Thomas Delasko's fingerprints are on this thing and it shows.
The list leans hard into the classics — Barolo from Piedmont, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone della Valpolicella, and Chianti Classico Riserva anchoring the reds with serious credibility. Sassicaia and Ornellaia make appearances for the Super Tuscan crowd, which tracks for a D.C. expense-account clientele without feeling like pandering. White wine isn't an afterthought either — Vermentino di Sardegna and Gavi di Gavi give the list some lighter, coastal Italian energy that matches the osteria vibe. At 150-250 bottles deep, there's enough range to reward a second visit without overwhelming a casual diner who just wants something good with their pappardelle.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a solid program — enough variety to work through the menu without committing to a bottle. The price range of $12–$22 per glass is reasonable for the 14th Street corridor, where restaurants regularly charge more for less interesting wine. We'd push the kitchen staff to ask Delasko to rotate the glass list more aggressively, because a static by-the-glass menu in an all-Italy program is a missed opportunity.
Vermentino di Sardegna — $12-$16/glass
Sardinian Vermentino is criminally underordered at Italian restaurants — it's bright, saline, and built for food. At the lower end of the glass price range, this is your move before the pasta arrives.
Gavi di Gavi
Most tables walk right past this Piedmontese white for the bigger reds, but Gavi di Gavi's crisp, mineral profile is genuinely great with lighter antipasto and branzino. It doesn't get the attention Barolo does, which means you'll find it at a friendlier price point.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is a great wine. It's also one of the most recognizable labels in Italy, which means restaurants price it accordingly. If you're paying for the name on a night out, there are better expressions of the same money elsewhere on this list.
Amarone della Valpolicella + Osso buco
Amarone's dense, dried-fruit richness and firm structure go toe-to-toe with braised veal shank without getting buried — both are big, slow, and built to last. This is the pairing that makes the whole osteria concept click.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Via Sophia is doing something genuinely focused in a city full of lists that try to please everyone — an all-Italy program with real depth, fair pricing, and a sommelier who actually cares. Send your friends here, tell them to ignore the Sassicaia, and order the Amarone.
· 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
Georgetown · Washington · French
Lutèce earns its Wine Spectator nod with a tightly curated French list that goes deeper than the cozy Georgetown bistro setting might suggest. The pricing skews steep once you move past the Loire and Alsace sections, but if you drink strategically — and let Chris point the way — this is a genuinely rewarding wine experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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
Washington · Washington · Seafood
Truluck's is a dependable, well-run wine program that earns its Wine Spectator nod without doing anything surprising — California loyalists and Napa Cab fans will be perfectly happy here. If you want adventure, bring your own recommendations; if you want reliable execution with your stone crab, this delivers.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Washington · Washington · American, European
The Pembroke is a reliable, well-run wine program that knows its audience and serves them well — just don't come expecting to discover anything new. If California classics in a beautiful room sound good to you, Philip Dunne and team have you covered.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Toledo / Reynolds Corner · Toledo · Italian
There's one reason to come here for wine: Thursday. Half-price bottles on a standing weekly basis is a genuinely good deal, especially on the Santa Margherita. Any other night, the markups are steep and the list doesn't justify them.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Toledo/Monroe Street · Toledo · Italian
Carrabba's Toledo isn't a destination for wine — but it's not an embarrassment either. The Ruffino Chianti Classico alone earns its keep, and if you stick to the Italian side of the list, you'll drink reasonably well without drama.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
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.