Wife and the Somm Earns a 2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Wife and the Somm has earned a 2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, putting the Glassell Park restaurant on the magazine's global list of destinations for wine. Wine Spectator announced this year's Restaurant Awards on June 23, and the honor lands at a room that has spent the last few years quietly building one of the more ambitious by-the-glass programs on the Eastside.

The Award of Excellence is the entry tier of a program Wine Spectator launched in 1981, and the criteria are narrower than the name suggests. A list has to carry at least 75 selections and show a clear thematic match to the kitchen in both style and price. It is a test of coherence more than volume, which is the harder thing to pull off at a neighborhood restaurant that is not trying to be a cellar showcase.

Courtesy Wife and the Somm

What the Coravin Program Actually Does

The more distinctive piece of the program is the Coravin list, which is among the largest in Southern California. The device draws wine out through the cork without pulling it, so a restaurant can pour a single glass of something rare without committing the rest of the bottle to a short clock. In practice that turns a highly allocated wine into one pour rather than a whole-bottle decision, and it lets a guest run a side-by-side comparison that would otherwise take a table of six to justify.

That is co-owner and sommelier Chris Lucchese, who credited the restaurant's team and its regulars for the recognition and framed the Coravin list as the thing that lets guests find remarkable wines one glass at a time.

A Field of 4,012 Restaurants

Wine Spectator recognized 4,012 restaurants worldwide this year across its three tiers: 2,083 at the Award of Excellence level, 1,830 at Best of Award of Excellence, and 99 Grand Awards. Winners came from all 50 states and 87 countries and territories, with Egypt appearing in the program for the first time. Chairman and CEO Marvin R. Shanken framed the class around a shifting market, pointing to diners who have grown more selective about when and what they drink and to restaurants answering with more creative lists.

Courtesy Wife and the Somm

Who Runs Wife and the Somm

Christy and Chris Lucchese are the wife and the somm of the name. Neither came up through hospitality. Both spent their careers in the film industry before buying the ivy-covered building on Verdugo Road, opening it first as a wine shop and growing it into the restaurant that stands there now. Chris is certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers. Chef Frank Ryan Saporito runs the kitchen, where the menu is seasonal and ingredient-driven and built to be shared across a front courtyard, a main dining room, and a back patio.

What We Have Our Eyes On

The bluefin tuna tartare, which has followed the restaurant since its early days. The Coravin pours, which are the argument for sitting at the bar instead of a table. And whatever is open by the glass on a given night, since that is where an award-winning list does its actual work.

Hours and Reservations

Wife and the Somm is at 3416 Verdugo Road in Glassell Park. Dinner runs Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Brunch is served Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are available at wifeandthesomm.com or by phone at 323-739-0058.

We covered the restaurant's Simplicity of Summer supper series earlier this month. The award caps a strong stretch for Los Angeles dining that also produced a banner night at the 2026 James Beard Awards and a run of new wine-forward openings, including Vignette in Studio City.