White tablecloths hiding a serious natural wine obsession
Gramercy · New York · Italian/Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 25, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Borgo’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The room says upscale trattoria — taper candles, wide-set tables, the kind of place your parents would approve of. Then the wine list arrives and it reads like a natural wine bar that got dressed up for dinner. Occhipinti, Breton, Turley White Zin — this is not your standard midtown Italian list.
Borgo leans hard into Italy — Sicily, Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia — but the list doesn't stop at the boot. You'll find Romain Chamiot's Savoie Apremont sitting next to Chavost Blanc Assemblage and Massa Piccolo's Derthona Timorasso, which tells you whoever built this list has a point of view. France and Spain make thoughtful appearances, and there's even a California curveball in the Turley White Zinfandel that earns its spot rather than embarrassing itself. At 60-80 bottles, nothing feels padded — every selection seems chosen with intent rather than to fill a quota.
Eighteen by-the-glass options at $20-$22 is a strong program, especially when the pours include wines like Occhipinti SP68 Bianco and Aschero's Vermentino rather than the usual anonymous Pinot Grigio suspects. The list rotates enough to reward repeat visits, and at these price points, experimenting by the glass is genuinely low-risk.
Occhipinti SP68 Bianco — $22/glass
Arianna Occhipinti's SP68 Bianco — a Zibibbo-Albanello blend from Sicily — typically fetches serious money at wine bars around the city. Getting it by the glass here at $22 is the kind of deal you quietly tell one friend about.
Romain Chamiot Apremont
Savoie wines are criminally underordered at Italian restaurants because nobody expects them. Chamiot's Apremont is crisp, mineral, and Alpine in the best way — it cuts through rich pasta dishes better than most Pinot Grigios ever will, and most tables will walk right past it.
Turley White Zinfandel
Turley makes a legitimate case for White Zin as a serious wine, and we respect the move — but ordering it at an Italian trattoria in front of your date requires a level of confidence most people don't have. The rest of the list gives you better stories to tell.
Sottoilnoce + Lasagna
Sottoilnoce's earthy depth and savory structure meet Borgo's lasagna at exactly the right register — rich, layered, no one trying to outshine the other. This is the pairing you came for.
The Bottom Line
Borgo looks like a white-tablecloth Italian and drinks like a downtown natural wine bar — that gap between expectation and reality is where all the fun is. Yes, send a friend here for wine, especially if they think they already know what an Italian restaurant list looks like.
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
Guilderland · Albany · Italian/Mediterranean
MezzaNote's wine list is a footnote, not a feature — a handful of Italian sparklers priced for the house's benefit, not yours. If you're eating here, order the Rotari, skip the Zenato, and focus on the food.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pearl District · Portland · Italian/Mediterranean
Serratto is a dependable wine stop in the Pearl — the Italian core of the list is genuinely good, but the sparkling markups are doing the list no favors. Send a friend here for a bottle of Barolo with pasta; just steer them away from the bubbles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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