Aldo's Living Room, Your Best Night Out
Midtown West · New York · Wine Bar, French, American (New) · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed March 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Aldo Sohm Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the list and immediately feel like someone actually thought about this — not just padded it with Cab and Pinot Grigio to keep the tourists happy. Over 200 bottles and 40-plus by the glass, and the range runs from Champagne to Madeira to Bierzo without ever feeling like a geography homework assignment. The whole place has the vibe of a very knowledgeable friend who happens to own a wine cellar and doesn't make you feel dumb about it.
The list leans hard into Europe — Champagne, Burgundy, Austria, the Saar, Côtes de Provence — but it doesn't ignore the rest of the world, with stops in the Maule Valley, Uco Valley, Barossa, and Eola-Amity Hills. You'll find producers like Auguste Clape (Cornas Renaissance '13) and Michel Niellon (Chassagne-Montrachet '17) sitting next to Sohm's own Grüner Veltliner collaboration with Kracher, which is a flex that actually lands. The Saint-Bris from Goisot and the Frico Bianco by Scarpetta show they're willing to champion underdog appellations and not just roll out the greatest hits. Gaps are minimal — if you're hunting for domestic cult Cab or big New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, look elsewhere, but that's a feature, not a bug.
Forty-plus by-the-glass options is not a number you see often, and what makes it land here is that the pours feel curated, not just a dump of whatever's open. The price range runs from $8 to $69 a glass, which means you can go deep on something serious or just dip your toe in without committing to a bottle. The Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne Champagne NV by the glass alone is reason enough to show up.
2023 Clemensbusch Riesling — $19
This retails for $25 and they're pouring it at $19 by the glass, which defies the laws of New York restaurant economics. Saar Riesling at below-retail pricing in Midtown Manhattan — take the win.
Sauvignon Blanc Goisot Exogyra Virgula Saint-Bris '18
Saint-Bris is Burgundy's only Sauvignon Blanc appellation and most people walk right past it for something they already know. Goisot is the benchmark producer there, and at $18 a glass it's one of the most interesting pours on the list that nobody orders.
Arnot-Roberts Trout Gulch Chardonnay
At $35 a glass it's a 9% markup over retail — not outrageous, but compared to literally everything else on this list that's priced below retail, it stands out as the one spot where you're not getting the deal. Great wine, but the Burgundy options here offer better bang for your buck.
Grüner Veltliner Sohm & Kracher Alte Reben '16 + Lobster and Mushroom Tartes Flambées
Alte Reben means old vines, and this Grüner has the weight and peppery bite to hold up against the richness of lobster while the acidity cuts right through the earthiness of the mushrooms. It's also Aldo's own wine, so ordering it here feels like the right call.
The Bottom Line
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.
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.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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