Italy's Greatest Hits, All Under One Roof
Greenwich Village · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated July 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 25, 2026
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.
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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