Gothic vibes, anarchist cellar, zero apologies
East Village · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 25, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Foul Witch’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Foul Witch reads like it was curated by someone who spent a decade haunting European cellar doors and refuses to compromise. Eighty-plus labels, essentially zero household names, and a list that spans Xinomavro from Macedonia to skin-contact obscurities from Vermont — this is not a safe list. It's a declaration of intent.
The depth here is genuinely impressive: Frank Cornelissen and Vino di Anna holding down Sicily, Paolo Bea and Foradori anchoring Italy's natural contingent, and a French section that pulls from Loire stalwarts like Gérard Boulay and Ferme de la Sansonnière alongside grower Champagne from Benoit Lahaye. Austria and Germany get real representation — Claus Preisinger, Gut Oggau, Rebholz, Weiser-Künstler — not just token bottles. The gaps are minimal; this list skews almost entirely natural and low-intervention, which is a feature, not a bug, at Foul Witch. If you need a mass-market Cab, you are in the wrong restaurant.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, but based on the list's structure and the restaurant's ethos, expect a rotating short pour selection drawn from the broader 80+ bottle program — likely 8 to 12 options that change with the seasons. What we do know is that bottles like the Laura Lardy 'Gourde À Gamay' and Mas Mellet 'Lily Rose' feel purpose-built for glass pours: approachable, lively, easy to sell by the pour without overwhelming a first-timer.
Laura Lardy 'Gourde À Gamay', Beaujolais 2023 — $
Beaujolais Gamay from a small-production natural producer — this style typically overdelivers at the price point and fits every single thing on the Foul Witch food menu. Drink it slightly cool and don't share.
Domaine Tatsis 'Xiropotamos' Xinomavro, Macedonia 2020
Xinomavro is one of Greece's most serious red grapes — tart, tannic, and built like a Barolo that grew up in the Aegean. Most people scroll past Greek wine on any list. That's your advantage. Order this.
Matthias Warnung 'Benzinn' Grüner Veltliner/Zweigelt/Portugieser NV
Non-vintage field blends from lesser-known Austrian producers sound adventurous until you're three bites into veal tortellini and wondering what you're drinking. The NV designation means no vintage anchor, and blending three grapes in this style can read muddy. Plenty of better bets on this list.
Ramon Jané 'Tinc Set' Xarel·lo blend, Catalonia, Spain + Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with fiore sardo and nasturtium
Xarel·lo at its best has this savory, almost oxidative quality with bright acidity — it cuts through the fat of wagyu carpaccio while echoing the nuttiness of fiore sardo. It's a genuinely smart match and the kind of thing you'd never order without the nudge.
The Bottom Line
Foul Witch is exactly the kind of wine list New York should have more of — adventurous, committed, and clearly built by people who drink this stuff at home. Send your most open-minded friend here and tell them to order whatever the staff recommends.
NoHo · New York · Italian
Il Buco has one of the most compelling Italian wine lists in New York City — deep, principled, and staffed by people who actually care. The markup is real, so budget accordingly, but this is a room worth splurging in.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Downtown is a place where people order Champagne to celebrate, not to drink — and the wine program is built accordingly. If you're here for the vibe and someone else is paying, pop the Dom and enjoy it; if you actually care about what's in your glass, you're in the wrong room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Upscale Seafood & Steakhouse
Three happy hour wines do not a wine program make. Ocean Prime is a place you eat well and drink safely — but if wine is a priority, this list will let you down before the bread basket arrives.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Midtown is a great place to see and be seen, but the wine list is there to pad the check, not to excite you. If you're here for the experience, lean on the cocktails or grab a glass of Bonanza at the bar — don't expect the bottle list to reward any real curiosity.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
Buckhead · Atlanta · Italian
Cucina Baci earns its place as a reliable neighborhood Italian — the kind of spot where the wine list won't blow your mind but it won't embarrass you either. If you're going for the pizza, the pasta, and the warm room energy, order something Italian and red and let the evening do the work. We'd want a full look at the list before calling it anything more than that.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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