New York

The Wilson won't blow any minds, but it won't embarrass you either — it's a dependable neighborhood list with fair prices and just enough range to get through dinner without overthinking it. Send a friend here for a casual weeknight bottle, not a wine-focused dinner.

Bobby Van's Park Avenue is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program that knows its audience and serves them well — just bring a corporate card, because the markups are as Midtown as the address. If you're here for a deal, look elsewhere; if you're here for a proper bottle of Cab with a serious steak, it delivers.

June is exactly what a neighborhood wine bar should be — unpretentious, well-sourced, and staffed by people who actually drink this stuff. If you're in Cobble Hill and you care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.

Don Angie is the rare restaurant where the wine list actually reinforces the kitchen's point of view. The markup stings a little, but the depth and sincerity of the Italian program makes it worth ordering something you've never heard of — which is exactly the right outcome.

Jua's wine list is the rare tasting menu companion that actually earns its keep — thoughtful French backbone, a few Jura wildcards, and staff that can guide you without talking down to you. Markup is real, but the curation justifies the seat at the table.

Frenchette has one of the most focused and genuinely exciting wine programs in Tribeca — deep on France, fair on price, and staffed by people who will steer you right. Yes, send a friend here for wine.

Estela is one of the few restaurants in New York where the wine list is genuinely worth your attention before you ever look at the food menu. The markups aren't gentle, but the curation is exceptional — send any serious wine drinker here without hesitation.

I Sodi isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's trying to be Florence, and the wine list serves that mission well. If you're a Tuscany obsessive, this is your place; if you want range or value, temper your expectations before you sit down.

Jean-Georges earns the Rager badge without argument — the list is vast, the cellar is real, and there are genuine discoveries buried in those thousand bottles if you know where to look. Yes, the markups will make you wince, but at this level you're paying for access to wines that simply don't show up elsewhere, and a sommelier team that can actually guide you through them.

Ruffian is the kind of wine bar that makes you resent every other wine bar in your life. Send every friend who drinks wine here immediately.

The Breslin isn't a wine destination, but it's smarter about wine than it has any obligation to be given its gastropub identity and hotel-bar foot traffic. If you're eating here — and you should be — the 2007 Crozes-Hermitage is your move.

Casa Mono is the rare restaurant where the wine list is as much a reason to go as the food. The markups sting on the high end, but the depth, the curation, and the staff who actually know this stuff make it one of the best Spanish wine experiences in New York.

Gallagher's is a dependable steakhouse wine list for people who already know what they want — which, in Midtown, is most of the room. Just avoid the marked-up Champagne and lean into the California Cabs, because that's what this place was built for.

Babbo is one of the best Italian wine lists in the country, full stop — but you will pay for the privilege, and the markups on prestige Barolo are not for the faint of heart. Send your friends here if they love Italy and have a credit card they're not afraid to use.

Gottino is the rare wine bar that actually commits to a point of view — all Italy, all the time, and not the obvious stuff. If you're willing to let the list take you somewhere unfamiliar, it almost always delivers.

Marea is the real thing — a destination wine list that rewards the curious, punishes no one for asking questions, and makes a strong case that Italian and Burgundian wines belong in the same conversation. The markups are what they are at this level in New York, but the quality of what's in the cellar and in the glass earns it.

Somm Time is what a wine bar looks like when a real sommelier builds the list and doesn't try to please everyone — over 200 bottles deep, fair prices, and a genuine point of view that makes every visit feel like a minor education. Send your wine-curious friends here immediately.

Gramercy Tavern is one of the few restaurants in New York where the wine list is as considered as the food — and yes, the markups are New York steep, but you're getting access to bottles and knowledge that justify the premium. Send every wine-curious friend here without hesitation.

Foul Witch is exactly the kind of wine list New York should have more of — adventurous, committed, and clearly built by people who drink this stuff at home. Send your most open-minded friend here and tell them to order whatever the staff recommends.

Bowery Meat Company is the rare steakhouse where the wine list actually deserves your attention — fair markups, a sommelier who clearly gives a damn, and enough range to keep things interesting beyond the obvious Napa pile. Send a friend here and tell them to ask about the Austrian whites.

Borgo looks like a white-tablecloth Italian and drinks like a downtown natural wine bar — that gap between expectation and reality is where all the fun is. Yes, send a friend here for wine, especially if they think they already know what an Italian restaurant list looks like.

Wildair is the real deal — a wine program with actual conviction, fair pricing that borders on generous, and a room that makes you want to order another bottle and stay. If you care about wine and you're in New York, this one belongs on your list.

Antica Bottega del Vino earns its stripes with a deep, Italy-first list, a knowledgeable floor team, and the kind of serious bottle selection you'd expect from a Verona institution. The markups will sting, but if you're here to drink well, you can — and a sommelier is actually in the building to help you do it.

Sweet Linda is a cocktail bar that accidentally — or very intentionally — built one of the more interesting small wine lists in the East Village. The pricing is fair to the point of being embarrassing, and the selections reward anyone willing to venture past the Champagne section.

Claud is the real deal — an 800-bottle cellar with a rotating shortlist, a staff that clearly knows what's in it, and a downtown bistro format that makes the whole experience feel accessible rather than precious. The markups are steep and that's the one gripe, but when the list is this good, most people will pay it.

Café Carmellini is the real deal — a wine program that matches the ambition of the room and then some, with staff who can actually navigate 2,000 bottles without breaking a sweat. The markups are steep, but this is the list you bring someone to impress, and it delivers.

Il Buco has one of the most compelling Italian wine lists in New York City — deep, principled, and staffed by people who actually care. The markup is real, so budget accordingly, but this is a room worth splurging in.

Il Gattopardo is the rare Midtown restaurant where the wine list actually earns the price of admission — if you're serious about Italian wine, this is a pilgrimage worth making. Pricing is steep, as expected at this address, but the depth and curation are the real thing.

Penny is the rare seafood counter where the wine list is the reason to go, not an afterthought. If you're anywhere near the East Village and you care even a little about what's in your glass, make the reservation.

Place des Fêtes is the kind of wine bar that makes you resent every other wine bar for not trying harder. Send your friends here, especially the ones who say they don't know much about wine — this list will change that.

142 Sullivan is a cocktail bar first and a wine destination never, but the eight bottles they've chosen show enough personality to make wine a legitimate option for someone who wants to skip the craft cocktail queue. If your crew is split between wine and cocktails, this place won't leave either side unhappy.

The Four Horsemen is the rare restaurant where the wine list is reason enough to make the reservation. Send your friends here — but tell them to let the staff guide the pour.

Norma is a wine list with a clear point of view and the producers to back it up, but the markups are steep enough to take some of the joy out of it. Come for the Sicilian focus and the COS orange wine, just go in knowing your wallet is going to feel the island's heat.

Parcelle is doing something genuinely rare: a 500-bottle list with fair markups, a sommelier who isn't performing for you, and a room that doesn't make you feel like you need a reservation three weeks out. Send your friends here — especially the ones who think they don't like wine yet.

Bar Florine is the kind of place that makes you question why more wine bars don't just commit to a point of view and go. The list is adventurous without being pretentious, the markup on the Musar aside, pricing is fair, and the staff clearly gives a damn — yes, we'd send a friend here, especially one who thinks they don't like wine.

Cote has built a wine program that treats its list as seriously as its beef program — deep, specific, and staffed by people who can actually help you navigate it. If you're eating here and not drinking something interesting, that's entirely on you.

Ilili is the rare restaurant where the wine list actually teaches you something — specifically that Lebanon makes serious wine and you've been sleeping on it. With fair markups, a sommelier who clearly cares, and 470 bottles anchored by one of New York's best Lebanese selections, this is absolutely worth a detour.

Eleven Madison Park's wine list is the real deal — 3,000 bottles deep, priced with more restraint than you'd expect for a three-Michelin-star room, and backed by a team that treats the list as seriously as the kitchen treats the food. If you're going to spend serious money on a wine dinner anywhere in New York, this is the benchmark.

Koloman is the rare New York restaurant where the wine list actually matches what's happening on the plate — if you're eating Austrian-inflected food and drinking Grüner Veltliner or Alsatian Riesling, you're doing exactly what this place was designed for. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.

Sogno Toscano is a genuinely solid Italian wine destination if you're in midtown and willing to pay midtown prices. The sommelier is real, the cellar is serious, and the list earns its focus — just don't expect any surprises, and watch the markup on the headline bottles.

Le Bernardin's wine program is one of the most serious in New York, full stop — the depth is real, the staff clearly knows what's in those bottles, and the glassware is exactly what you'd want holding it. The markups are steep and there are no deals to be found, but if you're eating here, you already made your peace with that.

With Others is the kind of wine bar that makes you feel like you're in on something — a list this adventurous, at prices that don't punish curiosity, inside a candlelit room in Williamsburg with a garden out back. Send your most open-minded friends here and let the list do the talking.

This is one of the best wine bar lists in New York City, full stop — deep, smart, priced below retail in several spots, and run by people who genuinely know what they're talking about. Send every wine-curious friend here immediately.

Stars is the kind of place that makes you feel like you stumbled onto a secret, which is exactly how a great wine list should feel. The markup at the top end is real, but the depth of the list and the $88-and-under commitment mean there's serious drinking to be done at almost every budget.