New York

Huso is the real deal — a Tribeca dining room where the wine list is as considered as the cooking, led by a sommelier who clearly knows the difference between curation and accumulation. Send your most wine-serious friends here without hesitation.

Point Seven isn't a wildcard because it's weird — it's a wildcard because finding this level of Burgundy curation inside a Midtown office tower is genuinely unexpected. Send your friends here if they want to drink seriously and don't mind paying for it.

l'abeille is playing at a level most Tribeca restaurants aren't even attempting — a focused, deeply sourced French list with three knowledgeable sommeliers on staff and the glassware to match. The markups will test your commitment, but if Burgundy is your religion, this is one of the better places to practice it in New York.

Valbella at The Park is the rare Midtown restaurant where the wine list justifies the real estate. Sommelier Florjan Toska is running a tight, credible program — markups are steep because this is 42nd Street, but the depth and provenance are genuine, and the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence is earned.

Union Square Cafe has been a New York institution for decades, and the wine program is one of the genuine reasons to keep coming back. A deep, well-curated list, a staff that actually knows it, and pricing that doesn't feel punitive — yes, send your friends here for wine.

Torrisi is the rare restaurant where the wine list is genuinely as ambitious as the kitchen, and Monday's half-price bottle program makes it one of the best wine nights in the city. Go hungry, go thirsty, and for the love of everything, go on a Monday.

The Polo Bar's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a room this well-dressed — ambitious, California-and-Bordeaux-heavy, and priced for people who don't flinch at the bill. The Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence is well-earned, and if someone else is buying, this is one of the great wine lists in Midtown Manhattan.

The Noortwyck is a Best of Award of Excellence winner that earns it — Marshall Miller has built a France-first list that rewards curious drinkers and serious collectors in equal measure. The markups are real, but so is the quality, and there aren't many places in New York where you can eat a great burger while drinking Chave.

The Lobster Club is the rare place where a Best of Award of Excellence feels earned rather than inherited — a 500-bottle list built with genuine conviction, backed by knowledgeable staff, in one of New York's most iconic rooms. Markups are real and the room is expensive, but if you're going to spend money on wine in this city, this is one of the better places to do it.

The Lambs Club is one of Midtown's better arguments for actually ordering wine at dinner — the list is deep, the setting earns it, and the Wine Spectator nod is deserved. Just go in knowing the pricing reflects the address, and steer toward the Burgundy and Italian sections where the real value lives.

The Clocktower is what happens when a hotel actually invests in wine instead of just stocking it — a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2023 that feels genuinely earned. Send your most France-obsessed friend here and tell them to skip the Pétrus.

Terroir is exactly what a wine bar should be — encyclopedic without being intimidating, staffed by people who know their stuff, and priced in a way that rewards curiosity. Send your friends here. Send yourself here.

Temple Court is the real thing — a hotel restaurant that actually earned its wine credentials rather than just hiring a consultant to populate a PDF. If Burgundy is your religion, this is a legitimate pilgrimage stop in lower Manhattan.

Sushi Noz is running one of the most intentional wine programs in New York — not the biggest, not the cheapest, but absolutely one of the best when it comes to matching world-class wine to world-class fish. Send your friends here, but tell them to budget for both.

Strip House is a proper steakhouse wine program — deep in the places it matters, priced steep but without apology, and holding a well-earned Wine Spectator credential. If you're coming for a celebratory ribeye and a serious bottle of California Cab, this is your room.

Sartiano's is the real deal — a SoHo Italian with a wine program that earns its Best of Award of Excellence rather than just framing it on the wall. The markups sting at the top end, but Robert Cook and a list this deep make it worth every penny for a serious wine dinner.

Saint Urban is earning its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence the right way — a deep, serious list run by people who actually know it. The markup on the marquee bottles will sting, but if you navigate toward the Rhône and Italy, you'll eat and drink very well on East 20th Street.

Saga is a serious wine destination wearing a fine-dining restaurant as its disguise — the cellar punches at grand cru level and the views make the steep markup sting a little less. Send your most wine-obsessed friend here and tell them to order the duck.

Riverpark is doing real wine program work in a neighborhood that doesn't demand it, and that counts for something. Bring your budget — this list rewards people willing to spend — but the depth and credibility here make it worth the trip east.

Rezdôra is the rare restaurant where the wine list genuinely earns its reputation — deep on the producers that matter, staffed by people who can talk you through it, and adventurous enough to reward curious drinkers willing to go beyond Barolo. Yes, you'll pay Manhattan prices, but you're getting Manhattan's best Italian wine program in return.

Restaurant Marc Forgione earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence every year since 2015, and the list holds up — old world obsession, serious producers, and the kind of depth that rewards people who actually read the back pages. Just know you're paying New York prices and come with a strategy.

Portale is the real deal — a 400-plus bottle Italian list curated with genuine knowledge, housed in a room that earns it. Yes, you'll pay for the privilege, but if Italy is your thing, this is one of the better places in New York to drink it properly.

Piccola Cucina Estiatorio is the rare SoHo restaurant where the wine list actually has a point of view — and that view is firmly planted on the slopes of Etna. If Sicily is your thing, or you want it to become your thing, this list is worth the trip.

Peak earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence the hard way — with a list that could hold its own at any serious fine dining room in the city, backed by a sommelier team that clearly means business. The markups are real, but so is everything else here; if you're celebrating something worth celebrating, this is where you do it.

Pastis is the rare NYC brasserie where the wine list actually matches the ambiance — serious French depth, recognizable producers, and enough range to reward a curious drinker. The markups sting a little, but when you're sitting under those globe lights with a glass of Weinbach, it's hard to argue.

One White Street holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for good reason — a four-person sommelier team, a cellar full of genuine legends, and a room that makes drinking well feel like the whole point. The markups will sting on the trophy bottles, but there's enough range here that smart ordering rewards you every time.

Oceans earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence with a list that's genuinely deep and expertly stewarded by sommelier Brian Lieder — the markups sting a little, but the quality and range justify the trip. Send a friend here if they want to drink seriously alongside some of the best seafood in the city.

Noreetuh is the rare casual neighborhood spot that genuinely earns its wine credibility — it's a taco joint logic applied to Hawaiian food and German Riesling, and it absolutely works. If you care about white wine, especially German whites, this is a destination, not an afterthought.

Nerai is the rare Midtown Greek restaurant that takes its wine list as seriously as its food, with a Greek selection deep enough to reward actual curiosity. The markups run steep as you'd expect in this zip code, but the depth and the Best of Award of Excellence pedigree make this worth the trip — just steer toward the Hellenic side of the book and leave Opus One for someone else.

Nama earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and you'll feel exactly why the moment you open the list. The markup is real and the occasion needs to match, but for a proper celebration dinner where the wine is as serious as the food, this is one of the better rooms in the city.