Alsace On The Upper East Side, Done Right
Upper East Side · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Café d'Alsace’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Café d'Alsace hits you like a well-organized argument for why Alsace deserves more respect than it gets. It's thick, it's focused, and it's unmistakably French — but not in the lazy, Bordeaux-heavy way so many brasseries default to. This list has a point of view, and it sticks to it.
With somewhere between 250 and 350 bottles, the list earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — held since 2009 — without feeling like it's showing off. Alsace is the obvious anchor: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Trimbach's Clos Sainte Hune, Hugel et Fils Gewurztraminer, and Domaine Weinbach cover the region's greatest hits with real depth. Beyond that, Burgundy gets serious representation via Louis Jadot, Domaine Leflaive, and Domaine Faiveley, while the Rhône makes its case with Guigal's Côte-Rôtie and Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Bordeaux fills in the prestige column — Château Lynch-Bages is the kind of name that signals someone actually cared when building this list.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is generous for a neighborhood brasserie, and the range reflects the bottle list's French-first priorities. You're not stuck choosing between a Pinot Grigio and a Malbec — there are real Alsatian pours here that make sense with the food. Rotation appears to follow seasonal logic, which keeps things honest.
Hugel et Fils Gewurztraminer — $40
Hugel is one of Alsace's most reliable producers, and a well-priced Gewurztraminer in a room full of Choucroute Garnie is basically a gift. Aromatic, slightly off-dry, and food-forward — this is exactly what the kitchen wants next to it.
Domaine Faiveley Burgundy
Everyone's eyes go straight to Leflaive and Jadot, but Faiveley is quietly one of Burgundy's most consistent houses and tends to fly under the radar on lists like this. If you want real Pinot Noir without paying the hype tax, start here.
Château Lynch-Bages
Lynch-Bages is a legitimately great Pauillac, but it's also one of the most widely distributed prestige Bordeaux labels on the planet — you're paying for the name recognition as much as the wine. At a restaurant built for Alsace and Burgundy, this feels like a tourist trap column on an otherwise thoughtful list.
Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Riesling + Choucroute Garnie
This is one of the great regional pairings in French cuisine, full stop. Clos Sainte Hune's electric acidity and mineral backbone cut straight through the fat of the braised pork and sausages, while the wine's subtle richness matches the dish's weight. It's not a coincidence this is on the list — it's the whole point of the restaurant.
The Bottom Line
Café d'Alsace is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list actually reflects the food philosophy — and it backs that up with serious producers, fair pricing, and a sommelier who knows the list. Send your friends here, especially if they've been sleeping on Alsace.
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.
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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