French Finesse Hiding in Midtown Madness
Midtown · New York · Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 19, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Acadia’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Acadia expecting loud Midtown energy and you get it — but the wine list quietly signals that someone here actually cares. A focused, France-first list with real producers and a sommelier on the floor is not what you expect at 57th and Seventh. This place earns its 2024 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence by leaning hard into what it knows.
The list runs 150-250 bottles and it's essentially a love letter to France, which is either a strength or a limitation depending on your mood. Burgundy gets serious treatment — Domaine Leflaive and Faiveley anchor the whites and reds respectively, and the Rhône section punches above its weight with Château Rayas and Guigal in the mix. Bordeaux fans will find Château Lynch-Bages and Cos d'Estournel, while the Loire section offers genuine pleasure with Domaine Vacheron and Henri Bourgeois rounding things out. If you're looking for Argentina or Oregon, look elsewhere — but if you want France done properly with depth, this is your spot.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a healthy pour program for Midtown, and the $14-$22 range reflects the neighborhood's premium without going completely off the rails. We'd expect the Loire and Southern France picks to anchor the glass list given the Mediterranean menu — look for Provence and Rhône representations here. Rotation intel is thin, but with Prabal Belbase on staff, the by-the-glass program should at minimum be curated rather than accidental.
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre — $70
Loire Sauvignon Blanc from a top-tier producer at a price that doesn't make you wince — cuts right through the table-side hummus and keeps the conversation going.
Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge
Most people default to white Sancerre, but Vacheron's Pinot Noir-based red is a genuine gem — lighter than Burgundy, more structured than you'd expect, and almost always overlooked on a France-heavy list like this one.
Cos d'Estournel Bordeaux
Trophy wine at a trophy price in a room full of people ordering rotisserie chicken. The markup on prestige Bordeaux in a Midtown setting rarely makes sense, and this is no exception — you're paying for the label, not the experience.
Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape + Rotisserie Chicken
Rayas is an anomaly — a Grenache-forward Châteauneuf that's all elegance and red fruit rather than muscle. It mirrors the simplicity and richness of a properly roasted bird without bulldozing it. One of the more inspired combos on this list.
The Bottom Line
Acadia is a French wine program wearing a Mediterranean menu as its costume, and it mostly works — especially if you've got Prabal Belbase steering your order. Markups will sting on the bigger names, but the depth and curation make it worth a visit for anyone who wants serious France with their hummus.
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.
· West Palm Beach · Mediterranean
Florie's is a hotel wine program that tries harder than it has to, and that counts for something. The all-by-the-glass format is genuinely practical, the French selections show real taste, and a few pours — the Schloss Lieser, the Armand Heitz — would be highlights at any standalone wine bar. The markups are what they are: you're inside a Four Seasons. Go in with eyes open, order the Riesling, and let someone else order the Opus One.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Mediterranean
Del Mar is a Reliable pour in a city that doesn't always try that hard at wine — the Coravin program and the 34-glass lineup show real effort, and the Assyrtiko alone is worth the visit if you're ordering seafood. Markups on the California icons are steep, so steer toward the European picks and you'll drink well without feeling taken.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Washington · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is one of the more focused and honest Greek programs you'll find at a mid-to-high scale restaurant in D.C. The by-the-glass selection is wide, the pricing doesn't insult you, and the Greek variety depth is genuinely impressive. If you've been waiting for a reason to finally figure out what Xinomavro tastes like, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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