Spain's Greatest Hits, No Filler
Gramercy · New York · Spanish · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed March 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Casa Mono’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Casa Mono reads like someone actually loves Spain — not just Rioja and Albariño, but the weird, the old, and the genuinely great. This isn't a list built to move safe bottles; it's built to make you rethink what Spanish wine can do. The depth here would embarrass restaurants twice the size.
The list runs 150-250 bottles deep and stays almost entirely within the Iberian Peninsula, which sounds limiting until you realize how much ground that covers. Rioja is well-stocked with producers like CVNE Imperial and Vega Sicilia anchoring the top tier, while Priorat gets serious representation via Alvaro Palacios' L'Ermita. Ribera del Duero checks in with Dominio de Pingus — not easy to find on a restaurant list anywhere. What really separates this from other Spanish lists is the attention to the edges: Envinate's Tenerife selections from the Canary Islands and Telmo Rodriguez's work across multiple Spanish regions add genuine range for anyone willing to explore past the obvious.
With 12-20 options by the glass, Casa Mono gives you enough to build a full progression through dinner without committing to a bottle. Expect Sherry to anchor the opening pours — smart given the tapas format — alongside Galician whites and a rotating cast of reds from Rioja and Ribera. The glass program feels curated, not just leftovers from what they can't sell by the bottle.
CVNE Imperial Rioja Reserva — $85
Imperial Reserva consistently punches above its price class — structured, age-worthy Rioja from one of the appellation's most reliable producers. In a room where bottles climb fast, this is your anchor.
Envinate Tenerife
Most people skip past Canary Islands wine without a second thought, which is exactly why you shouldn't. Envinate is making some of the most exciting, high-altitude volcanic wine in Spain right now — textural, savory, and completely unlike anything else on the list.
Vega Sicilia Unico
Yes, it's iconic. Yes, it's one of Spain's greatest wines. But restaurant markup on trophy bottles like Unico is punishing — you're paying a significant premium for the story as much as the wine. If that's your move, great. If you're here to drink well and smartly, the money goes further elsewhere on this list.
Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat + Confit Goat
L'Ermita is rich, concentrated, and built around old-vine Garnacha with serious mineral backbone from the llicorella slate soils of Priorat. Confit goat brings that same depth of fat and savory intensity — the wine's structure cuts through without overwhelming the dish. It's a big swing, but this is the right room for it.
The Bottom Line
Casa Mono is the rare restaurant where the wine list is as much a reason to go as the food. The markups sting on the high end, but the depth, the curation, and the staff who actually know this stuff make it one of the best Spanish wine experiences in New York.
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.
King · Portland · Spanish
A Spanish tapas-bar wine page with glass and bottle prices from 13/50 and a ten-sherry list. Start with the Pago del Cielo Celeste Verdejo at 13 a glass, try the chilled Vara y Pulgar Tintilla at 17 if you want something different, and order the Miquel Pons Cava with the croquetas. The page says the posted menu may differ from the restaurant's, so confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Spanish
A glass-focused, Spain-leaning wine menu with a full sherry section and no bottle list posted. Start with the $17 Valtravieso Crianza or the $25 La Vizcaína Mencía, and order the $12 Manzanilla Fina with the jamón if you want to see how the sherry list works. Confirm prices, since the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
Atlanta · Atlanta · Spanish
Buena Vida doesn't have the deepest list in Atlanta, but they've done real work curating twenty bottles that actually match the food and the spirit of the place — and with 18 pours available by the glass at fair prices, it's one of the more inviting wine setups on the tapas scene. Send your friends here.
Small but Thoughtful
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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