Rome Called, D.C. Actually Picked Up
Washington · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Via Sophia’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 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 · 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
Buckhead · Atlanta · Italian
Cucina Baci earns its place as a reliable neighborhood Italian — the kind of spot where the wine list won't blow your mind but it won't embarrass you either. If you're going for the pizza, the pasta, and the warm room energy, order something Italian and red and let the evening do the work. We'd want a full look at the list before calling it anything more than that.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· 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
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