Lolita
Tiny Room, Big Wine Ambitions
Old Port · Portland · Mediterranean
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into Lolita, you immediately clock the wood-fired grill and the wine on display — this is not a restaurant that treats its list as an afterthought. Thirty seats total, sommelier on staff, and a list built around grower Champagne and Northern Rhône heavyweights? In Portland, Maine? We're paying attention.
Selection Deep Dive
Eighty-plus labels is a serious number for a room this small, and the curation earns every bottle. The list leans hard into Spain and the Mediterranean — think Bodegas Lan Rioja Crianza as your entry point, Planeta Cometa Fiano from Sicily as your wildcard white — while also pulling in serious French names like Domaine des Hautes de Sanziers Chenin Blanc from Saumur and Aubry Brut for those who want grower fizz with their jamon. The crown jewel is René Rostaing's La Landonne, a Côte-Rôtie that has absolutely no business sitting on a 30-seat restaurant list in Maine. There are some gaps — the new-world side is thin — but the intentionality here is obvious.
By the Glass
With an estimated 12–16 pours by the glass, this program punches well above its weight for a room that could easily phone it in with six house wines. Glasses reportedly start at $11, which at a place stocking grower Champagne and Sicilian Fiano is genuinely fair. One weekly Tapas Night features wines not on the regular list — often Spanish — which tells you the team is actively nerding out, not just running down inventory.
Bodegas Lan Rioja Crianza 2011 — $11
Retails around $15 and they're pouring it by the glass at $11 — that math almost never works in a restaurant's favor. Solid Tempranillo with the kind of earthy, dried-cherry backbone that makes grilled meat taste even better. Drink two.
Domaine des Hautes de Sanziers Chenin Blanc (Saumur)
Most people at a wood-fired grill spot reach for red, and that's exactly why you should order this. Saumur Chenin Blanc has enough acidity and grip to cut through charcuterie and hold its own against the smokier plates — and it's the kind of wine that makes you look smart without trying.
René Rostaing La Landonne Côte-Rôtie
This is a genuinely great wine — we're not questioning that. But La Landonne is a collector bottle, and without knowing the markup or provenance here, you're taking a risk. Save it for a dedicated Rhône night somewhere you can give it the attention it deserves. Here, order something you can actually relax with.
Planeta Cometa Fiano + Jamon Serrano
The Cometa is a rich, textured Sicilian white with enough body to stand up to cured meat and enough brightness to keep the salt from flattening everything. Fiano and cured pork is a match that's been working in southern Italy for centuries — Lolita just found the Maine version.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Lolita is the kind of wine program that makes you genuinely excited to eat in a 30-seat room — a sommelier-driven list with real range, absurdly fair pricing, and the occasional off-menu Spanish pour to keep things interesting. Yes, send your friends here for wine.
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