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Times Square · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 19, 2026 · How we review
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.
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.
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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