Old-school swagger with a serious cellar
Greenwich Village · New York · American, Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Carbone’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Carbone arrives like the room itself — confident, a little intimidating, and dressed to impress. Five hundred to seven hundred selections, anchored in Italy and California, with enough serious bottles to make a collector lean forward in their red leather booth. This is not a list assembled by committee; someone here genuinely cares.
Tuscany and Piedmont are the clear obsessions, and the depth is real: Biondi-Santi Brunello, Giacomo Conterno and Bartolo Mascarello Baroli, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello, Quintarelli Amarone, and Gaja Barbaresco all share the same pages. California gets its due with Ridge Monte Bello, Opus One, and Caymus, and France shows up with DRC anchoring the prestige tier. The gaps are minor — adventurous drinkers looking for natural wine or off-the-beaten-path regions will find slim pickings — but that's not the point of this list. The point is Italian excellence executed at full volume.
Around twenty to thirty options by the glass, which is generous for a program this focused on bottle-driven collecting. The pours skew toward accessible Italian and Californian crowd-pleasers rather than the heavy hitters, which is smart — it keeps the experience inclusive without diluting the list's serious reputation. We'd love to see a few more adventurous selections rotated through.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2020 — $320
At a room where bottles regularly crest $500-$1000, Vietti's Castiglione is the entry point into serious Barolo without committing to a mortgage payment. It's a structured, classic Nebbiolo from one of the Langhe's most reliable producers — and it makes the spicy rigatoni vodka situation considerably more interesting.
Chianti Classico Riserva, Castello di Ama
Everyone's eyes go straight to the Barolo and Brunello sections, but Castello di Ama's Riserva is the quiet overachiever on this list. It's Sangiovese at its most polished — earthy, precise, built for the table — and it won't require a conversation with your accountant before ordering.
Opus One 2018
At $550, you're paying a significant premium for a bottle you can find anywhere, attached to a name that sells itself. Opus One is a fine wine, but it's also one of the most reliably marked-up labels on any restaurant list in America. The money moves further here — spend it on the Barolo side of the menu.
Sassicaia 2019 + Veal Parmesan
Yes, it's a flex — but Sassicaia's Cabernet-Sangiovese backbone, with its dark fruit and firm structure, cuts through the richness of the breaded veal and tomato sauce in a way that feels almost designed for this room. If you're going to do Carbone properly, this is the combination.
The Bottom Line
Carbone's wine program is the real deal — a Best of Award of Excellence since 2018 that actually earns the credential rather than coasting on it. Markups are steep and unapologetically so, but the depth, the staff knowledge, and the sheer quality of what's in this cellar make it worth the splurge if Italian wine is your religion.
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.
Nolita · New York · American, Italian
If you want to spend carefully, look at the Bisol Prosecco at 68 or the Moreau-Naudet Chablis at 162 with the clam linguini. Treat the list as undated and confirm availability and prices. The site also says you may bring your own wine for a corkage fee of $110 per 750ml bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or retail markups.
Austin · Austin · American, Italian
Sammie's is a genuinely fun room with a wine list that's earned its Wine Spectator hardware — the Italian depth is real, the sommelier knows her stuff, and Monday half-price bottles might be the best deal in Austin. Just go in knowing the markups lean steep, and let Jenny point you toward the plays that aren't on the tourist track.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · American, Italian
Alexxa's is a Strip restaurant doing Strip things — great location, recognizable bottles, pricing that reflects the real estate. If you're here for fountain views and a glass of Cakebread, you'll be genuinely happy; if you're hunting for value or adventure, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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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