Old World Ambitions, Tuesday Is Your Friend
Schenectady · Albany · Mediterranean/Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 16, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Cella Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Cella Bistro reads like it wants to be an Old World-focused gem but keeps hedging its bets with supermarket standbys. The Mediterranean and Italian bistro setting sets high expectations, and the list mostly keeps up — but the presence of Josh Cellars and Meiomi suggests whoever buys the wine is also shopping at Total Wine on autopilot. Come on a Tuesday and this conversation changes entirely.
The regional focus on Italy, France, and Spain is the right instinct for a place serving pasta, seafood, and mezze — but the actual producers on the list undercut that ambition. You're working with recognizable commercial labels rather than the kind of small-domaine finds that would make this list memorable. There's a moderate list size here, which means every slot counts, and burning real estate on Meiomi Pinot Noir and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is a missed opportunity when there are genuinely exciting producers from Sicily, the Rhône, or Rioja at similar price points. That said, the bones are good — the Old World focus is real, and on a strong night, the list earns its bistro credentials.
Eight to fifteen by-the-glass options is a respectable spread for a neighborhood bistro, and Cella appears to rotate selections with some intention. The problem is that when your glass pours include commercial-tier bottles marked up aggressively, the by-the-glass math gets ugly fast. Order a bottle on Tuesday instead and you'll feel like you got away with something.
Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Claret 2020 — $52
At 86% markup it's the least punishing bottle on the list — and the Claret is a reliable, food-friendly Bordeaux-style blend that holds up next to the pasta and wood-fired dishes here. Not exciting, but honest.
Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling 2022
Marked up hard at $32 but this is still one of the most versatile food wines in the world — off-dry, crisp, and built for Mediterranean flavors. Most people skip Riesling at Italian restaurants and they shouldn't. Order it with the seafood dishes and stop overthinking it.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Forty dollars for a bottle you can grab at any grocery store for $18. Kim Crawford is fine — it's just grocery store Sauvignon Blanc, and paying a 122% markup for the privilege of drinking it at a bistro table is not a good time.
Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling 2022 + Mezze platter
The slight residual sugar in the Riesling plays off the acidity of marinated olives, pickled vegetables, and hummus while cutting through any richness from cheese or cured meats. It's the most underrated combo on the menu.
Tuesday — Half-price wine by the bottle on Tuesdays after 5pm
The Bottom Line
Cella Bistro is a genuinely charming neighborhood spot that deserves a better wine list than it has — but Tuesday half-price bottles flip the value equation hard enough to make it worth your time. Show up on a Tuesday, order the Claret or the Riesling, and enjoy the fact that you're paying bistro prices for a proper bistro experience.
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Barcelona's bar menu posts more Spanish and Italian range than you might expect, from Rioja Crianza to a $125 Brunello. Try the Albariño at $9 $35 with seafood, or the Juan Gil red blend at $11 $40 if you want something fuller. Most wines show two prices with no unit labels and the page is undated, so confirm which is glass and which is bottle, and today's availability, when you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
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