Il Buco
Italy's Soul, Bottled and Poured on Bond Street
NoHo · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Il Buco hits like a love letter to artisan Italy — Valentini, Radikon, Gravner, Cornelissen all in one place, on Bond Street, in a candlelit room that looks like it was transplanted from Umbria. This isn't a list assembled by a corporate beverage manager; someone with a serious point of view built this. You feel it the moment you open it.
Selection Deep Dive
Three to four hundred bottles deep, and the focus is laser-sharp: natural and artisan Italian producers who actually mean something. The southern Italian contingent is genuinely exciting — COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria alone signals that this list doesn't just default to Barolo and Brunello and call it a day. Josko Gravner and Radikon anchor the orange wine section in a way that's rare even for New York wine bars, let alone a full-service restaurant. The gaps, if any, are probably in the New World column — but that's a feature, not a bug.
By the Glass
Ten to twenty options by the glass, priced $15–$25, which is competitive for this neighborhood and this caliber of producer. Don't be surprised to see something from the Radikon or Gravner orbit poured by the glass — if it's on there, order it immediately. Rotation details are limited, but with a sommelier on staff, the program feels curated rather than static.
COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria — $50–$80 (bottle estimate)
COS is one of Sicily's most important natural producers and Cerasuolo di Vittoria is their flagship — Nero d'Avola and Frappato in one glass. At this price tier it's a relative steal compared to the prestige bottles on the same list, and it drinks with a brightness and energy that makes a long dinner more fun.
Radikon Ribolla Gialla
Most tables walk right past this and reach for something they recognize. That's a mistake. Radikon's Ribolla Gialla is one of the defining orange wines on the planet — skin-contact, textured, oxidative in the best way — and drinking it in a room like Il Buco is about as close to drinking it in Friuli as you'll get in Manhattan.
Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
Look, Valentini is legendary and the wine is extraordinary — but at Il Buco's price point for a bottle of this stature, you're paying a serious New York fine-dining premium on top of what's already a collector's wine. Unless it's a special occasion and you know exactly what you're buying, the markup here will sting. Better to enjoy Valentini at home where you can control the cost.
Frank Cornelissen (Nerello Mascalese-based) + Tagliatelle with Black Truffles
Cornelissen's volcanic Etna reds carry a mineral earthiness that echoes truffle in a way that feels almost too obvious — until you taste it and realize why it works. The wine's low-intervention structure keeps it from competing with the pasta, and the whole combination tastes like the kind of thing you'd lie about having in Sicily.
🔥 The Bottom Line
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.
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