Burgundy and black truffle dumplings, together at last
Midtown · New York · Asian · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 53’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at 53 lands like a first-class upgrade you weren't expecting — 400 to 600 bottles anchored in France and California, sitting inside a rotating art installation next to MoMA. It's the kind of list that makes you want to linger over it with a glass of Champagne before you've even looked at the food menu. Named sommelier team, serious cellaring, and a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2023: this program is not messing around.
France and California are the twin pillars here, and both are treated with genuine respect. The Burgundy section alone is worth the price of admission — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Leroy sit at the top end, while the Rhône delivers with Guigal and the always-elusive Château Rayas. Bordeaux First Growths (Lafite, Margaux) make their expected appearance, but the California side earns equal footing: Ridge Monte Bello and Kongsgaard Chardonnay alongside the big-ticket Screaming Eagle and Opus One. The Alsace section — Trimbach and Zind-Humbrecht — is a genuinely smart call given the kitchen's spice-forward, umami-rich Asian cuisine.
With 20 to 35 options ranging from $15 to $40 a glass, the BTG program is one of the better reasons to pull up a stool and let the sommelier team guide you. The range is broad enough to cover both the table splitting appetizers and the person who ordered the kung pao quail. We'd push the somms toward the Champagne and Alsace pours — both fit the menu better than a heavy red and tend to show up at the more approachable end of the price scale.
Billecart-Salmon Champagne — $15-$40 by the glass
Billecart-Salmon is a serious house — precise, food-friendly, and consistently underrated next to the Krug on the same list. By the glass, it's the smartest way into the Champagne section without committing to a bottle.
Trimbach Alsace
Most tables at an Asian restaurant reach for something big and red out of habit. The Trimbach — Riesling or Gewurztraminer — is exactly what the kitchen is begging you to order with it. Aromatic, precise, built for spice and umami, and flying under the radar while everyone else fights over the Bordeaux list.
Screaming Eagle California Cabernet Sauvignon
It's here because it has to be here — this is that kind of restaurant in that kind of neighborhood. But paying cult-Cab prices at a restaurant markup for a wine that competes with black truffle soup dumplings is a losing proposition. Save Screaming Eagle for a steakhouse.
Zind-Humbrecht Alsace + Soup dumplings imbued with black truffle
Zind-Humbrecht's richly textured Alsatian whites — think Pinot Gris or Riesling Grand Cru — have enough body to hold up to the truffle and enough acidity to cut through the fat in the dumpling skin. It's the kind of pairing that makes you feel genuinely clever.
The Bottom Line
53 is one of the more ambitious wine programs attached to a modern Asian kitchen in New York, and the sommelier team earns their keep. Markups reflect the Midtown zip code, but the depth, the staff knowledge, and the sheer thrill of matching Alsace to truffle dumplings make it worth every dollar.
Midtown · New York · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie earns its place as a reliable stop for wine in Midtown, especially if you're leaning French. The glass list is genuinely wide and has some smart picks buried in it — the Fleurie and the Wiemer Riesling both punch above their price points. Markups trend steep as you climb the bottle list, so your money works hardest in the by-the-glass section. If you're here for the brasserie experience, the wine program holds up its end of the deal.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Steakhouse
BLT Prime's wine program is glass-only, which limits your options if you came for a big bottle moment, but the pricing is honest and the selection is more thoughtful than most steakhouses bother with. If you're keeping it casual and ordering by the glass, you can drink well here without feeling taken advantage of — and that's not nothing in this city.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
The Palm Midtown is not where you'd expect to find Puzelat and Ruth Lewandowski sitting next to each other on a wine list — which is exactly what makes it worth a second look. Six bottles is a short menu, but all six are defensible picks at prices that don't insult you. If you're in the mood to trust the list and not overthink it, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murray Hill · New York · Classic American Steakhouse
Wolfgang's is a reliable steakhouse wine experience in the sense that you know exactly what you're getting: a list built around the bottle you already know, priced for the room you're sitting in. If you're here to close a deal over a Porterhouse for Two, the wine list will do its job without embarrassing anyone — but it's not going to surprise you, and it's almost certainly going to cost more than it should. Go in with eyes open and a strong second-choice red in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is a rare thing in New York: a focused, regionally coherent program that commits hard to Greek and Eastern Mediterranean varieties without making you feel like you need a flashcard to order. The by-the-glass selection alone — 18 options, all under $18, featuring producers most wine lists wouldn't touch — makes this worth visiting even before the food arrives. If you eat here and order a Cabernet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
· Alpharetta · Asian
Sushi Sumo isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for the sushi, stick to sake or beer — both will serve you far better than a mass-market Merlot. The wine program gets a Lazy List badge not because of the price, but because three identical-label bottles and zero effort is a choice, and not a good one.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Asian
Tabla's wine list punches above its weight for an Asian restaurant in Atlanta. The white-heavy, aromatic-focused selection makes genuine sense with the food, pricing at the entry level is fair, and the BTG depth is real. We'd send a friend here for wine without hesitation — just order the Grüner first.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Asian
Wagyu House Atlanta's wine list does its job for a high-end group dinner or event — the bottles are recognizable, the glass pours are priced fairly, and the Champagne section gives big spenders something to point at. But if you're coming in hoping for genuine wine exploration, the list won't meet you halfway. Order the S.A. Prum, eat the wagyu, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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