Gothic vibes, anarchist cellar, zero apologies
East Village · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 25, 2026 · How we review
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.
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.
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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