800 Bottles Deep and Still Getting Deeper
East Village · New York · Contemporary · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Claud lands like a gut punch — 800 references total, 250 rotating on the daily shortlist, and names like Selosse, Raveneau, and Giuseppe Rinaldi showing up before you've even sat down. This is not a downtown bistro that threw a list together to check a box. Someone here cares, a lot.
The list skews heavily French and Spanish, which plays perfectly to the bistro format without feeling lazy about it — there's genuine depth across Burgundy, Champagne, and what appears to be a thoughtful Iberian section alongside it. Raveneau anchors the Chablis section with authority, and having Rinaldi on the Piedmont side signals that whoever built this list wasn't just chasing trophy bottles. The rotating 250-bottle shortlist is a smart move: it keeps things dynamic without overwhelming a table that just wants to eat. Gaps are hard to spot when the cellar is this stocked.
Fifteen by-the-glass options is a solid count for a restaurant operating at this level, and the seasonal rotation suggests they're not just pouring the same tired Sancerre all year. We'd expect the glass program to mirror the ambition of the bottle list — quality over volume, with proper stemware to match.
Genot-Boulanger 'Lulunne Blanc' Beaune 2019 — $110
At 120% markup it's not cheap, but Beaune Blanc at this level from a quality producer is genuinely hard to find on a restaurant list at any price. Retail is $50, and you're getting a bottle with real Burgundian character — this is the one to order when you want to feel like you found something.
Giuseppe Rinaldi
Most tables here are probably gravitating toward the French heavy-hitters, which means the Rinaldi Barolo options are flying under the radar. Rinaldi is one of the great traditionalist producers in Piedmont — old-school style, long aging, real complexity — and a list that carries them at all deserves to have them ordered.
Dauvissat Petit Chablis 2019
At $95 on a retail base of $40, this is a 138% markup on what is, by design, a lighter entry-level Chablis. Dauvissat is a legendary name but Petit Chablis is not their statement wine. With a list this deep, your $95 works a lot harder elsewhere.
Raveneau Chablis + Red Shrimp
Raveneau's Chablis has that saline, mineral edge that's almost oceanic on its own — put it next to the red shrimp and the whole thing clicks into focus. It's the kind of pairing that makes you understand why people obsess over this producer.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Claud is the real deal — an 800-bottle cellar with a rotating shortlist, a staff that clearly knows what's in it, and a downtown bistro format that makes the whole experience feel accessible rather than precious. The markups are steep and that's the one gripe, but when the list is this good, most people will pay it.
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
Downtown Bend · Bend · Contemporary
Dear Irene is a Wild Card in the best sense: a compact, thoughtful wine program with legitimately shocking by-the-glass pricing tucked inside one of Bend's splashier dining rooms. Send your friends here — just make sure they order the Penner-Ash before they even look at the cocktail menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Durham · Durham · Contemporary
Little Bull is a genuinely fun Durham spot, and the kitchen clearly cares — but the wine program is coasting on markups that don't match the quality of what's in the bottles. Until the list gets a serious rethink, we'd order cocktails or a beer and save the wine budget for somewhere that respects it.
Plays It Safe
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
New Orleans · New Orleans · Contemporary
Saffron NOLA remains an open question until we get eyes on the actual list. For now, it reads as a reliable neighborhood option where the wine won't blow your mind but probably won't disappoint either—assuming they're paying attention.
Solid Range
Fair
Acceptable
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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