Italy's Greatest Hits, One Block From Broadway
Times Square · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed AperiBar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into AperiBar and the Times Square chaos evaporates — this place has actual Italian wine ambition, which is not something you expect from a restaurant sandwiched between tourist traps on 41st Street. The list is tight, deliberately Italian, and earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence without trying to be something it's not. It's a focused love letter to the peninsula, and in this zip code, that counts for a lot.
The list runs 80-120 bottles deep and doesn't waste a slot on crowd-pleasing Malbec or safe Napa Cab — it's Italy from top to bottom, which takes confidence. Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the reds with serious representation: Barolo from the northwest, Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico Riserva holding down Tuscany. Amarone della Valpolicella adds Veneto muscle for the big-red crowd. Where the list genuinely surprises is in the whites — Pinot Grigio from Friuli rather than the bland Delle Venezie stuff you usually get, and a sparkling section that includes Franciacorta alongside the expected Prosecco. There aren't many gaps when your stated lane is Italian, and AperiBar stays in its lane.
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass is a generous range for a restaurant this size, and the $12-$18 price band is reasonable for Midtown Manhattan, where you can pay $20 for something forgettable. The sparkling options — Prosecco and Franciacorta — make this a natural aperitivo stop before a show, which is clearly the point. We'd like to see more rotation on the glass list, but what's there is coherent and drinkable.
Pinot Grigio from Friuli — $14
Friuli Pinot Grigio is a different animal from the watery stuff on most Italian-American wine lists — more body, more texture, actual flavor. At the low end of the glass pour range in Midtown, this is the move before your pizza arrives.
Franciacorta
Most people order the Prosecco because it's familiar. Don't. Franciacorta is Italy's answer to Champagne — méthode traditionnelle, more complexity, more persistence in the glass. It's undersold on most lists and this is your chance to try it without paying Champagne prices.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Amarone is a magnificent wine in the right context — it's also one of the most marked-up bottles on Italian restaurant lists because diners recognize the name. In a chic cocktail-bar setting where you're sharing Neapolitan pizza, dropping top dollar on a brooding, high-alcohol red built for a long winter dinner feels like the wrong call. Save it for somewhere with more focused service and proper large-format stems.
Chianti Classico Riserva + Bolognese
Sangiovese and slow-cooked meat ragu is one of the few wine-and-food pairings that qualifies as genuinely non-negotiable. The Riserva's extra time in oak softens the tannins just enough while keeping the acidity high, which cuts through the richness of the Bolognese and keeps you reaching for another forkful — and another pour.
The Bottom Line
AperiBar is a legitimately good Italian wine list hiding inside a Times Square cocktail bar, and that's the wildcard move that earns it the badge. If you're pre-theater or just need a smart glass of something Italian without the tourist markup, this is your spot.
NoHo · New York · Italian
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.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Downtown is a place where people order Champagne to celebrate, not to drink — and the wine program is built accordingly. If you're here for the vibe and someone else is paying, pop the Dom and enjoy it; if you actually care about what's in your glass, you're in the wrong room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Upscale Seafood & Steakhouse
Three happy hour wines do not a wine program make. Ocean Prime is a place you eat well and drink safely — but if wine is a priority, this list will let you down before the bread basket arrives.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Midtown is a great place to see and be seen, but the wine list is there to pad the check, not to excite you. If you're here for the experience, lean on the cocktails or grab a glass of Bonanza at the bar — don't expect the bottle list to reward any real curiosity.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown West · New York · Russian-American
The Russian Tea Room treats wine as an afterthought dressed up in Champagne flutes — five famous labels at punishing prices with no range, no by-the-glass program, and no apparent curiosity about wine beyond what looks impressive on a table. Go for the spectacle, order the caviar, but don't come here expecting a wine list.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
David Burke Tavern's list is a Chardonnay lover's comfort zone with a solid sparkling section propping up the top — but the narrow focus and steep pricing mean you're paying for familiarity, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want California whites and a glass of Champagne; send them somewhere else if they want to explore.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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