Burgundy Dreams in a SoHo Wine Den
SoHo · New York · Small Plates · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Bibliothèque’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bibliothèque lands like a love letter to France — Burgundy up front, Bordeaux right behind it, and enough serious bottles to make you want to cancel your dinner reservation elsewhere and just stay here. The exposed brick, dim lighting, and intimate scale of the room match the seriousness of what's in that list. This is not a restaurant that happens to serve wine; this is a wine bar that happens to serve excellent small plates.
With 350–500 bottles anchored in France's greatest regions, this list earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence without argument. Burgundy goes deep — Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin, Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, and Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée are names you don't see on a casual Tuesday night list. Bordeaux holds its own with Château Pétrus and Château Margaux in the mix, Champagne punches hard with Krug and Salon Blanc de Blancs, and the Italy section — Giacomo Conterno Barolo, Gaja Barbaresco, Sassicaia — adds serious weight. California gets a seat at the table with Screaming Eagle and Opus One, though the Old World is clearly where the kitchen's heart lives.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely impressive for a list this caliber — most spots this serious push you toward the bottle. Pours run $14–$28, which is honest for SoHo. The range rotates enough to keep regulars coming back, and Monday's half-price wine night turns an already approachable by-the-glass program into one of the better deals in lower Manhattan.
Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2021 — $145
At $145 on a list where Burgundy white prices start much higher, Kistler's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is the move for people who want serious, age-worthy white wine without sticker shock. It's the bottle that makes you look smart without feeling like you're settling.
Ridge Monte Bello 2019
At $285, Ridge Monte Bello sits in the shadow of the Screaming Eagles and Opus Ones on this list, which is exactly why you should order it. One of the most consistent, terroir-driven Cabernet blends in California — and it doesn't need a hype machine to justify the price.
Sassicaia 2020
At $595, Sassicaia is a genuinely great wine — but retail on the 2020 is widely available in the $150–$180 range, putting this well past the 3x markup threshold. The wine won't disappoint, but your wallet will.
Domaine Dujac Morey-St-Denis 2019 + Duck Confit
Dujac's Morey-St-Denis has that silky Pinot texture with enough earthy depth and red fruit to cut through the richness of duck confit without overwhelming it. It's the kind of pairing that makes the table go quiet for a moment.
Monday — Half-price wine on Mondays — applies to bottles, making it one of the better weekly wine deals in SoHo.
The Bottom Line
Bibliothèque is the real deal — a SoHo wine bar with a list that can hold its own against the city's best dedicated wine destinations. The markup is honest for what it is, Monday nights are a gift, and the small plates give you every excuse to open a second bottle.
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.
Financial District · San Francisco · Small Plates
San Francisco Wine Society is a FiDi wine bar doing more than its footprint suggests — a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, a smart by-the-glass roster, and a vibe that actually rewards slowing down. If you're in the neighborhood and want something better than the obvious hotel bar options, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Kingsley · Fort Mill · Small Plates
The Corkscrew is doing something legitimately good in a suburb that didn't ask for it — a France-and-California-anchored list with real producers, fair pricing, and enough by-the-glass options to make every visit feel different. If you're in the Fort Mill area and want actual wine with your small plates, this is the move.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
NuLu · Louisville · Small Plates
Nouvelle is doing something genuinely interesting in Louisville: a thoughtful, French-forward wine program in a small plates format that rewards guests who actually read the list. We'd send a friend here without hesitation — and tell them to look past the Bollinger.
Solid Range
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.
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