Italy's Greatest Hits, All Under One Roof
Greenwich Village · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated July 2026
Reviewed March 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Babbo lands on your table like a small novel — 800+ bottles deep, organized by region, and immediately communicating that Mario Batali's original vision for serious Italian wine was not a joke. This is a candlelit Greenwich Village carriage house playing classic rock, but the wine program plays it completely straight. Prepare yourself.
The Italian focus here is not just a theme — it's a thesis. Piedmont anchors the whole thing with a Barolo section that reads like a who's who: Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, Bartolo Mascarello. Tuscany shows up strong with the Super Tuscans (Tignanello makes an appearance, naturally) alongside serious Brunello representation. The Veneto and Sicily sections round things out and give you somewhere to go if you'd rather not spend your rent check. The only real gap is non-Italian wine — if you want a French or New World option, you're mostly out of luck, which is either a feature or a bug depending on who you are.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is genuinely impressive at this level, and the pours rotate with enough intention that you're not just getting the lowest-margin bottles. Expect to find at least one solid Nebbiolo and a Sicilian white among the options on any given night. The glass program won't dazzle the way the bottle list does, but it gives casual diners a legitimate entry point into what Babbo is actually about.
Antinori Tignanello — $180
Tignanello retails around $90-110, so the markup stings less than some of the Barolo picks on this list. For a wine that defined the Super Tuscan category and still delivers, it's the move if you want to spend real money and feel good about it.
Gaja Barbaresco
Everyone goes straight for the Barolo names, but Gaja's Barbaresco is often overlooked at the table in favor of flashier picks. It's more approachable young, has stunning aromatics, and represents one of Piedmont's most important producers at a price that, relative to the full cellar here, feels almost reasonable.
Bruno Giacosa Barolo
Look, it's a legendary producer and the wine is exceptional — but at Babbo's pricing on top-tier Barolo, you're deep into four-times-retail territory. Unless you're celebrating something you'll tell your grandchildren about, the markup here is hard to justify when you could buy it at a shop and drink it for a fraction of the cost.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Beef Cheek Ravioli
Conterno's Barolo is built on structure, tar, and dried roses — exactly what braised beef fat needs to cut through the richness and elevate the whole plate. The savory depth of the beef cheek and the wine's grip on tannin make each bite and sip recalibrate the other. This is the pairing you come to Babbo for.
The Bottom Line
Babbo is one of the best Italian wine lists in the country, full stop — but you will pay for the privilege, and the markups on prestige Barolo are not for the faint of heart. Send your friends here if they love Italy and have a credit card they're not afraid to use.
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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