Supper Club Swagger With Italian Wine Backbone
Midtown Manhattan · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Chazz Palminteri’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Chazz Palminteri arrives looking exactly like the room feels — ambitious, Italian-American, and a little bit Hollywood. Italy dominates, as it should, with names like Gaja and Biondi-Santi lending the list some serious credibility. This is a list built to impress a client dinner or a date who orders by the label.
Italy is the clear anchor here, with Barolo headlined by Gaja and Giacomo Conterno, Brunello represented by Biondi-Santi and Banfi, and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Tignanello doing their crowd-pleasing thing. The Chianti Classico Riserva selections fill in the mid-range nicely, which is where most tables should actually be drinking. California shows up with Stag's Leap and Jordan Cabernet, and there's a Burgundy Pinot Noir contingent that suggests someone put real thought into the French corner. The list runs 150-250 bottles — wide enough to have something for everyone, not deep enough to get lost in.
Twelve to eighteen options by the glass is a respectable spread for a Midtown Italian-American dining room, and the $12-$18 price range is honest for this zip code. We'd like to see more rotation and adventure in the glass program — right now it reads like a greatest-hits reel rather than a list with genuine curiosity. Still, you can find a solid pour here without committing to a bottle.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $45
Jordan is a reliable, crowd-friendly Napa Cab that often gets marked up mercilessly in Midtown. At the lower end of this list's price range, it's the move if you want California without the sticker shock of the bigger names.
Chianti Classico Riserva
Most tables here are reaching for the Sassicaia or the Brunello, which means the Chianti Classico Riserva selections get overlooked. These are food-first wines built for exactly the kind of bold, saucy Italian-American cooking on this menu — and they clock in well below the headline bottles.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is a great wine. It's also one of the most recognizable labels in Italy, which means it gets marked up everywhere it appears. In a Midtown dining room catering to expense accounts, you can bet the margin here is punishing. Drink it at home where you paid retail.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Veal Chop
A proper Barolo from Giacomo Conterno — all tar, dried roses, and firm tannin — needs something substantial to stand up to it. The veal chop has the weight and the savory depth to meet it halfway, and together they do exactly what Italian food and Italian wine are supposed to do.
The Bottom Line
Chazz Palminteri is a reliable Italian wine destination for Midtown — not groundbreaking, but earnest enough to earn its Wine Spectator credential. Come for the Barolo and the veal chop, skip the trophy bottles, and leave before the markup on the Super Tuscans starts to sting.
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
· New York · Restaurant
Corima's wine list is proof that ten well-chosen bottles beat a hundred thoughtless ones every time. If you care about what's in your glass, this place is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Village · New York · American
Cecchi's is first and foremost a bar, but the wine list is more serious than the neon and noise suggest. Steep markups are the main ding — but if you know what to order, there's real pleasure here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Steak House, Small Plates
The Corner Store is a reliable, well-credentialed wine list doing exactly what a good SoHo steakhouse should — France and California, done with intention, in a room that makes you want to order another bottle. Just watch the markup on the big Bordeaux names and let the Rhône or Burgundy side show you a better time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Tribeca · New York · American
Farra is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood wine bar, and the Wine Spectator nod is earned — just know that the serious bottles come with serious prices, and the no-sommelier setup means you're doing some of the navigating yourself. Worth it for anyone who knows what they want; potentially overwhelming for those who don't.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlanta · Italian
Bici's wine list won't knock you sideways, but it's honest, Italian-focused, and fairly priced — a reliable partner to the food. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Sauvignon Blanc and go straight for the Greco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway / Elks Plaza · Gatlinburg · Italian
The Best Italian's wine list does exactly what it needs to do: keep casual diners happy, not drain wallets, and get out of the way of the garlic knots. We wouldn't drive to Gatlinburg for the wine, but if you're already there and want something decent with dinner, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Italian
La Nonna brings a legitimately serious Italian cellar to a town where most restaurants are content to coast on their ski-town captive audience — and that deserves real credit. The markups are steep across the board, but the bones of the list are strong enough that the right bottle makes the whole evening.
Solid Range
Steep
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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