Greece and France Walk Into a Wine List
Midtown East · New York · Greek · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Avra Estiatorio’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Avra lands like a confident handshake — thick, organized, and unapologetically Greek-forward before pivoting into serious French and Italian territory. This is not a restaurant that slapped together a wine list as an afterthought between marble deliveries. Between the white tablecloths and the smell of fresh fish, you're holding something that earned its Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator for a reason.
Four hundred to six hundred selections is a big room, and Avra fills it well. The Greek section alone could carry this list — Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko, Hatzidakis Winery Santorini, Gaia Thalassitis, Gerovassiliou Malagousia, and both Kir-Yianni and Alpha Estate Xinomavro give you a proper education in Greek wine without feeling like a lecture. Then the list pivots hard into Burgundy with names like Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Louis Jadot, Champagne courtesy of Krug and Bollinger, Tuscany with Antinori, and California via Ridge Vineyards. The gaps are minor — you're not getting deep South American or German coverage — but for this cuisine and this room, the list is doing exactly what it should.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is an ambitious program, and Avra commits. Expect Greek whites to anchor the selection — Assyrtiko and Malagousia show up and they should — alongside enough French and Italian representation to keep the table happy regardless of what hits the fish course. Sommelier Sasha Brumfield runs the floor, and that matters: pours rotate thoughtfully rather than sitting stale.
Gaia Estate Thalassitis Assyrtiko 2021 — $85
Eighty-five dollars for one of Santorini's benchmark Assyrtikos in a room like this is as close to fair as you're going to find. It's a wine that punches at the $40-50 retail range, so the markup stings slightly, but in the context of Manhattan fine dining next to $1,200 Margaux and $3,500 Screaming Eagle, this is your move — especially alongside the grilled whole dorade.
Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia
Most tables at Avra lock in on Assyrtiko and never look left. Malagousia is the grape they're sleeping on — floral, textured, and totally unlike anything French or Californian on this list. Gerovassiliou basically rescued the variety from extinction, and drinking it here feels appropriately theatrical for the room.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Thirty-five hundred dollars for a bottle of California Cab in a Greek seafood restaurant is a choice, and not one we'd endorse. We get it — trophy bottles draw trophy diners — but this has nothing to do with the food, the region, or the spirit of this list. Save it for a steakhouse where it at least makes thematic sense.
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko + Whole Dorade
Santorini Assyrtiko and a whole grilled sea bream is one of the most honest pairings in the book — both are creatures of the Aegean, both have saline edges and clean minerality that amplify each other. Sigalas is one of the island's most serious producers, and this combination is the reason Avra exists.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — one of the better deals in Midtown if you're planning ahead.
The Bottom Line
Avra's wine list is the real deal — a Greek-anchored, France-supported, professionally managed program that earns every star on its Wine Spectator plaque. The markup on prestige bottles is steep, but get into the Greek selections and you're drinking seriously and smartly; come on Monday for half-price bottles and you might never leave.
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.
Central City · Salt Lake City · Greek
A short, Greek-focused list (with one bottle from Cyprus) that is easy to scan from light to full. Start with the Skouras Moschofilero or the St. George Agiorgitiko at $15 a glass, then ask about the rotating glass; if you bring your own bottle, the list posts a $15 corkage fee that is waived when you buy a bottle in house. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Seaport · Boston · Greek
A 31-wine list where Greece is a minority, six wines among Italian, French, Spanish and American bottles, so choose the Greek ones on purpose. Start with the Kir Yianni Naoussa Xinomavro (16 | 64) and ask which number is the glass, or go to the Theopetra white from Meteora at 75. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Walla Walla · Greek
Yamas is a casual Greek eatery that has absolutely no business having a wine list this interesting — and we mean that as the highest compliment. If you're in Walla Walla and want to drink something genuinely unexpected without spending fine-dining money, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
