New Haven

Viñas is punching well above its weight class for a downtown wine bar, and the Chilean-focused list is genuinely worth your attention. If you care about South American wine at all, this is the most interesting pour in New Haven right now.

Miso is a sushi restaurant first and a wine destination never — but the Monday half-price bottle program and a well-placed Riesling keep it from falling into Lazy List territory. Come for the food, drink the Riesling, and show up on a Monday if you can.

Kamakura Sushi is a solid neighborhood sushi spot and you should absolutely go — just order sake, beer, or a soft drink and leave the wine list alone. The wine program exists in name only, and no amount of goodwill toward the kitchen changes that.

Shell & Bones is a reliable wine destination by New Haven waterfront standards — solid list, a sommelier on staff, and a happy hour that rewards the early arrivals. The markup stings a bit at full price, but the setting forgives a lot.

Heirloom is a hotel restaurant that quietly decided fortified and dessert wines were worth caring about, and that instinct alone makes it worth a detour. Don't come for a deep red wine list — come for the Tawnies, the Ben Rye, and the Madeira, and let the kitchen take care of the rest.

Skappo Merkato earns its Wild Card badge by doing something rare: committing fully to a region most restaurants ignore and making it work. If you're eating here anyway, skip the cocktail and let someone walk you through the Umbrian side of the list.

Shell & Bones is a reliable wine stop for a waterfront dinner — wide selection, solid glass pour count, and a Wine Spectator nod that isn't undeserved. Markups are on the steeper side, so stick to the happy hour window and let the raw bar do the heavy lifting.

Geronimo is first and foremost a tequila bar, and you should absolutely drink tequila here. But if you want wine, the list is smart enough to reward you — especially if you order the Albariño and skip the obvious stuff.

Olives and Oil is a solid neighborhood Italian with a wine list that does its job without breaking a sweat — or breaking new ground. Send a friend here for a fun night out; just tell them to order the Montepulciano and not to expect a deep cellar.

Shell & Bones built a tight, seafood-smart wine list that rewards the curious drinker, though the markups mean you'll feel it at checkout. Come for the oysters, order the Chiquet, and don't waste your money on the mini Moët.

Elm City Social is a great spot for cocktails, a rooftop, and fried chicken and waffles — the wine list is an afterthought, and it knows it. If you're coming here for wine, recalibrate; if you're coming here for a good time and happen to want a glass of something red, the Killka will do the job.

Olea isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the right things — a focused Iberian list, fair prices, and pours that actually make sense with the food. Send a friend here and tell them to start with the Albariño.

Shell & Bones shouldn't have a wine list this interesting, and that's exactly what makes it worth paying attention to. The markups sting on a few bottles but the half-bottle program and deep glass pour selection make it easy to drink well without committing to a full splurge.

Harvest is a dependable, well-stocked wine program for a business dinner or date night near Yale — just don't expect to discover anything new. If you're ordering the Veuve, you're paying for the logo; if you're ordering the Merry Edwards or the Broglia, you're getting your money's worth.

Tre Scalini is the rare neighborhood Italian that backs up a serious room with a serious wine list — 425 bottles, a sommelier, and real Italian depth all say someone's paying attention. Markups run steep on the prestige stuff, but value is absolutely findable if you know where to look.

L'Orcio isn't a destination wine list, but it's an honest one — fair prices, a few genuinely good Italian bottles, and a vibe that doesn't ask you to take the wine more seriously than the company. Order the Barbera, get the pasta, and leave happy.

Union League Cafe is a genuinely lovely room serving serious French food, and its wine program is an embarrassment to both. Come for the duck, order the Beaujolais, and try not to think about what this list could be.

Harvest is a perfectly fine place to drink wine near Yale — the room is good, the food gets solid reviews, and nothing on the list is actively bad. But 'wine bar' is doing some heavy lifting here; what's on offer is more neighborhood restaurant with a wine menu than a destination for anyone who actually cares about what's in their glass.

ZINC is exactly what New Haven needs more of — a reliable wine program that respects the guest without gouging them, anchored by a farm-to-table menu that gives the bottles something to work with. Send a friend here for a date night and tell them to skip the Meiomi.

Shell & Bones isn't a wine destination, but the list is honest, fairly priced, and smarter than the average seafood house. If you're eating oysters on New Haven Harbor, you could do a lot worse than what's on this card.

Barcelona Wine Bar is doing something most casual tapas spots don't bother with — building a real, opinionated Spanish wine program that rewards curious drinkers. The no-sommelier situation keeps the ceiling a bit lower than it could be, but the list itself earns the trip.