Best Wine Lists in Virginia

Tastings of Charlottesville

Downtown · Charlottesville · Wine Bar / French-Leaning Bistro

The Wild Card

Tastings is a genuine wine-first room in a city that punches above its weight in food and drink — if you want a knowledgeable hand guiding your dinner rather than a generic list to navigate alone, this is the move. Not flashy, but built for people who actually care.

Second Street American Bistro

· Newport News · American Bistro

The Wild Card

This isn't a wine list in the traditional sense — it's a producer showcase, and Second Street leans into it with a multi-course dinner format. If you're into Napa and trust the Spoto brand, it's a worthwhile evening; if you wanted options, you're out of luck.

Carrabba's Italian Grill – Newport News

· Newport News · Italian

The Lazy List

Carrabba's wine list does exactly what a chain wine list does: it keeps people comfortable and keeps margins high. If you're here for a business dinner or a family birthday, order the TerraMare house pour and move on — but don't come here expecting wine to be part of the experience.

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen – Newport News

· Newport News · American

The Lazy List

Cheddar's is a casual comfort-food chain, and the wine list reflects exactly that level of ambition — none. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine conversation for somewhere that wants to have it.

Crystal City Wine Shop

Crystal City · Arlington · Wine Shop / Tasting Bar

The Wild Card

Crystal City Wine Shop is the kind of low-key, staff-driven wine spot that most neighborhoods desperately want and rarely get — especially one with the nerve to stock Ukrainian bottles in the shadow of the Pentagon. We'd send a curious friend here without hesitation; just don't come in expecting a full restaurant experience.

The Jolly Grape

· Roanoke · Wine Shop / Wine Bar

The Lazy List

The Jolly Grape has a brand that promises more than five bottles, three of which are the same grape from the same region. Until the list grows up to match the name, order the Peyrassol and call it a night.

Bloom Restaurant & Wine Bar

· Roanoke · Seasonal Small Plates / Wine Bar

The Reliable

Bloom is a genuinely wine-forward neighborhood spot in a city that doesn't have many of them — that alone earns it some goodwill. We'd want more list transparency before calling it a destination, but it's an easy yes for a date night in Roanoke.

Montano's

· Roanoke · American / Deli & Grill

The Lazy List

Montano's wine list is inoffensive, modestly priced, and almost entirely forgettable — a functional afterthought at a spot where food and atmosphere are clearly the point. If you need wine, the Albariño is your move; otherwise, this is a beer-and-cocktails kind of place.

Table 50

· Roanoke · Fine Dining / New American

The Reliable

Table 50 does more with 68 labels than most fine dining rooms do with twice as many — the fortified wine section alone earns it a second look. If you're eating in Roanoke and care about what's in your glass, this is where you go.

Luce Secondo

· Chesapeake · Italian, Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Luce Secondo is doing something genuinely unexpected in Chesapeake: building a sparkling-focused Italian wine list with real depth and fair prices. If you care about bubbles beyond Prosecco and Champagne, you owe this place a visit.

CIRCA at Clarendon

Clarendon · Arlington · New American

The Reliable

CIRCA Clarendon isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend otherwise — but the all-BTG format, fair prices, and a few genuinely interesting whites make it a solid call when you want wine that works without overthinking it. Send a friend here, just steer them away from the Unshackled.

Chima Steakhouse

· Tysons Corner · Brazilian Steakhouse

The Lazy List

Chima is a great place to eat a lot of meat. It is not a great place to drink wine — five Napa Cabs at $89 flat is a placeholder, not a program. Order the caipirinha and save the wine for somewhere that cares.