Upper East Side's Italian Wine Fortress
Upper East Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Bella Blu’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bella Blu hits like a greatest-hits album of Italian and California wine — Gaja, Biondi-Santi, Sassicaia, Kistler all in one place, and it's not even trying to show off. This is a list built by someone who actually cares, not a hotel beverage manager padding margins. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and walking through these pages, you understand why.
Three to four hundred bottles anchored in the two regions that matter most here: Italy and California. On the Italian side, the Barolo section alone is worth the visit — Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja sitting side by side, plus Brunello representation from Biondi-Santi and Poggio di Sotto for when you want to spend the evening in Montalcino without leaving Lexington Avenue. Super Tuscans get their own real estate too: Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello are all present, which is the Italian trifecta most lists only partially pull off. California holds its own with Ridge, Stag's Leap, and Kistler rounding out a program that clearly has a point of view.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass puts Bella Blu well above average for the Upper East Side, where most Italian spots phone it in with six Pinot Grigios and a house Chianti. Prices run $12–$25 a glass, which is honest for this zip code. We'd love to see more rotation to keep regulars guessing, but the core selection is genuinely good.
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon — $45–$65 (bottle estimate)
Ridge consistently punches above its price tier in California Cab, and in a list that leans toward Sassicaia-level spending, it's your anchor to sanity — serious wine without the serious damage.
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino
Most tables here reach for the Biondi-Santi name recognition, which means Poggio di Sotto — one of Montalcino's most precise, age-worthy producers — often gets overlooked. Don't be that table.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also on every list in every city at a price point that reflects its marketing budget more than its terroir. With Dal Forno Romano and Giacomo Conterno on the same list, this is the safe choice for people who aren't really looking.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella + Caesar Salad followed by Pizza
Hear us out — Amarone's dried-fruit intensity and earthy depth play surprisingly well against a table that starts with the richness of a proper Caesar and moves into the char and salt of their pizza. It's a big wine for a meal that earns it.
The Bottom Line
Bella Blu is one of the better Italian wine lists in a city with no shortage of competition — sommelier Giuseppe Di Benedetto has assembled something that rewards serious exploration. Markups aren't shy, but the depth and the care behind this program make it worth opening your wallet a little wider than usual.
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
