Wall Street's Best Excuse to Drink Burgundy
Financial District · New York · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Crown Shy’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Crown Shy arrives with the quiet confidence of a place that knows exactly what it's doing. Set inside a beautifully restored Art Deco tower in the Financial District, this isn't a list thrown together to impress expense accounts — it's a curated document, heavy on Burgundy and Champagne, that rewards anyone willing to spend time with it. Wine Spectator has handed them a Best of Award of Excellence since 2022, and one look at the producer roster tells you why.
We're looking at somewhere between 400 and 600 selections, and the depth in Burgundy alone is staggering — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Henri Jayer, Armand Rousseau, and Domaine Leroy are not names that show up on lists that aren't taken seriously. The Champagne section is equally impressive, with Krug and Salon anchoring a program that goes well beyond the standard Veuve-or-Moët defaults most restaurants lean on. Italy gets its proper due as well, with Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja representing the Piedmont heavyweights. If there's a gap, it's that the New World feels like an afterthought here — but when your Old World bench looks like this, that's a forgivable omission.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 18 to 25 options, with prices landing between $15 and $30 — reasonable given the address and the caliber of what's in the cellar. The sommeliers (Miles Meltz, Benjamin Forey, and Allie Saft run the program) rotate pours that actually reflect the list's strengths rather than just offloading whatever needs to move. Don't expect to find DRC in the glass program, but don't be surprised if something genuinely exciting shows up.
Domaine Leflaive (entry-level Burgundy white) — $60–$80 range
Domaine Leflaive at the lower end of Crown Shy's bottle pricing is about as good a deal as you'll find in a Manhattan dining room. This is a producer whose wines regularly fetch multiples of what Crown Shy charges for the entry point — grab it before they reconsider.
Bruno Giacosa
Most tables at Crown Shy are chasing the Burgundy hits, which means the Giacosa — one of Barolo's greatest traditional producers — gets slept on. Don't make that mistake. These wines can hang with anything on the list and often outperform at the price.
Krug Champagne
Krug is magnificent, full stop. But in a Financial District restaurant with a clientele prone to ordering it reflexively, you're paying a premium on top of an already premium bottle for the logo. The Salon nearby on the list is the more interesting move for the money.
Armand Rousseau (Gevrey-Chambertin) + Dry-aged duck
Rousseau's Gevrey has that earthy, iron-edged quality that makes duck feel like the dish was built around it. The richness of dry-aged bird fat cuts right through the wine's tannin structure and the whole thing just clicks.
The Bottom Line
Crown Shy is the rare Financial District restaurant where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip on its own — the food is great, but the Burgundy and Champagne depth here is the main event. Yes, you'll spend real money, but you're in capable hands with one of New York's sharpest sommelier teams guiding the way.
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.
Downtown Roswell · Roswell · American
Canton St. Social is a solid neighborhood restaurant in historic downtown Roswell, and the wine program appears to be built for exactly that — supporting a good night out without overcomplicating things. We don't have enough sourced wine data to tell you what to order, which means your best move is to ask your server what's pouring well that night and go from there. Worth a visit for the food and atmosphere; the wine list is a work in progress as far as our research goes.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · American
The Boynton is a great neighborhood spot for a cold beer, a burger, and a game — and that's exactly what it should be. The wine program is along for the ride, not driving the car. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the food and the vibe, order a beer and enjoy it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · American
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta's wine list is a Lazy List by every measure — grocery store brands, steep markups, no specials, and a rotating staff with little incentive to know what's in the glass. If you're here for the memorabilia and the atmosphere, lean into a cocktail or a beer. If wine is non-negotiable, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Columbia Crest Cab will get you through the night without regret.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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