Spanish fire, serious wine, Northwest D.C.
Washington · Spanish · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Xiquet by Danny Lledó’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Xiquet reads like a love letter to the Iberian Peninsula — Ribera del Duero heavyweights, Rioja gran reservas, and a few curveballs from Bierzo and Málaga that tell you someone here actually cares. It's not a massive list, but it's focused in a way that big sprawling books rarely are. You're here for Spanish wine, and they're not letting you forget it.
Spain dominates, as it should — Vega Sicilia Unico, Pingus, and Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita anchor the prestige end, while Raúl Pérez Ultreia from Bierzo and Telmo Rodríguez's Molino Real from Málaga show genuine curiosity beyond the headline appellations. France gets a respectable cameo with Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, and California shows up via Kistler Chardonnay, giving the list some familiar footing for guests who aren't ready to go full Iberian. The Portuguese nod — Niepoort Redoma from the Douro — is a smart bridge between the two peninsulas. Gaps exist: if you're hunting for natural wine or anything adventurous outside Spain and France, you'll come up empty.
Twelve to twenty pours is a generous window for a restaurant this focused, and the $14–$22 range keeps things accessible without feeling like you're drinking the bottom shelf. We'd expect the by-the-glass program to lean on the same Spanish backbone as the bottle list, which is exactly what you want when the kitchen is firing up paella and grilled squid. Rotation intel is thin, but with four sommeliers on staff, someone is paying attention.
CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva (Rioja) — $12–$250 range
CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva is one of Rioja's most consistent overperformers — classic structure, real aging, and a name that doesn't carry the trophy-wine markup of its neighbors on this list. In a room full of Vega Sicilia and Pingus, it's the bottle that quietly wins the night.
Telmo Rodríguez Molino Real (Málaga)
Málaga is one of Spain's most overlooked wine regions, and Molino Real is its finest ambassador — a sweet, oxidative Moscatel that most tables walk right past. If you're finishing dinner and want something that won't bore you, this is the move.
Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita (Priorat)
L'Ermita is genuinely one of Spain's great wines, but at a restaurant markup it's the kind of bottle that makes your credit card wince without giving you anything you couldn't get elsewhere at retail. Save it for a special occasion at a wine shop.
Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva (Rioja) + Paella
Prado Enea's earthy, slow-aged Tempranillo has the savory depth and dried-herb character to match the smoky, saffron-forward intensity of Xiquet's paella without competing with it. It's a classic Rioja-rice play that the kitchen was basically built for.
The Bottom Line
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.
· Washington · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is one of the more focused and honest Greek programs you'll find at a mid-to-high scale restaurant in D.C. The by-the-glass selection is wide, the pricing doesn't insult you, and the Greek variety depth is genuinely impressive. If you've been waiting for a reason to finally figure out what Xinomavro tastes like, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list is exactly what a national Brazilian steakhouse chain's wine list looks like: functional, familiar, and priced for margin rather than your benefit. The by-the-glass count is impressive on paper, but most of the options are labels you've seen at your grocery store for a fraction of what they're charging here. If you're coming for the meat — and you should be — stick to the Catena Malbec and enjoy the show.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Washington · Washington · Steak House
A 20-wine by-the-glass list with every pour between $14 and $30, split across four sparkling, six white, two rosé and eight red. With a steak, start with the $26 Clos Duval Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or the $22 Monte Antico Supremus; for the cheapest glass, take the $14 Dr. Loosen Riesling. Pour sizes aren't posted and the page is undated, so confirm today's wines. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown DC · Washington · Steakhouse
A steakhouse beverage menu with 30 wines by the glass and a bottle list that is mostly California, with some France, Italy and Portugal. Start with the $9/glass happy hour Bonanza Cabernet if you arrive in the window, or the Eroica Riesling, the only Riesling on the glass list, and ask for prices because regular wine prices aren't posted. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Georgetown · Washington · Seafood, Steakhouse
An unpriced list that is easier to read for what it offers than for what it costs. If you want Bordeaux, ask for the 2020 Margaux de Brane Cantenac, or look at the Brunello di Montalcino in Sommelier's Selections, and get the price before you commit. This unrated guide covers the posted Beverage Menu, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Latin, Vegetarian
A wide-ranging list with 14 wines by the glass from $17 to $95 and a bottle book that runs from $60 to $1,275. Start with the $17 Eichinger Grüner Veltliner or the $20 Pêcheur Trousseau, and ask for the Natural Wines section if you want something low-intervention. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
King · Portland · Spanish
A Spanish tapas-bar wine page with glass and bottle prices from 13/50 and a ten-sherry list. Start with the Pago del Cielo Celeste Verdejo at 13 a glass, try the chilled Vara y Pulgar Tintilla at 17 if you want something different, and order the Miquel Pons Cava with the croquetas. The page says the posted menu may differ from the restaurant's, so confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Spanish
A glass-focused, Spain-leaning wine menu with a full sherry section and no bottle list posted. Start with the $17 Valtravieso Crianza or the $25 La Vizcaína Mencía, and order the $12 Manzanilla Fina with the jamón if you want to see how the sherry list works. Confirm prices, since the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
Atlanta · Atlanta · Spanish
Buena Vida doesn't have the deepest list in Atlanta, but they've done real work curating twenty bottles that actually match the food and the spirit of the place — and with 18 pours available by the glass at fair prices, it's one of the more inviting wine setups on the tapas scene. Send your friends here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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.
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