Supper Club Glamour With a Serious Wine Backbone
West Village · New York · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Jack & Charlie's No. 118’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walk into Jack & Charlie's No. 118 and the wine list feels exactly like the room: polished, classic, and unapologetically old-school. This is a place that knows its audience — steak-eating, Burgundy-drinking Manhattanites who want a proper bottle without a scavenger hunt. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence it picked up in 2024 isn't a surprise; this list was built with intention.
The list runs 150 to 250 bottles deep and leans hard into a French-California-Italian axis that suits the supper club format perfectly. California is the anchor — expect serious Napa Cabernet and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir with real producer depth — while the French side covers Burgundy and Bordeaux châteaux without feeling like a greatest-hits compilation. Italy shows up with Barolo, Barbaresco, and Super Tuscans, rounding out a list that covers all the classics without venturing far into adventurous territory. If you're hunting for esoteric natural wine or obscure Jura pours, look elsewhere — but if you want a beautiful bottle to match a beautiful room, the list delivers.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options, which is genuinely solid for a restaurant of this size and ambition. We'd expect the glass pours to mirror the bottle list — California-forward with a few French anchors — though rotation appears limited and the program feels more static than dynamic. Enough to get you started without making you commit to a full bottle, but don't expect weekly surprises.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir — $60
In a list that skews toward triple-digit Napa Cabs, a quality Sonoma Coast Pinot in the $60 range gives you elegance and restraint without the sticker shock — and it bridges the gap between the raw bar and the pasta courses beautifully.
Barbaresco
Most tables here are gunning for the Napa Cab or the Burgundy, which means the Barbaresco section gets overlooked. That's your opportunity — Nebbiolo at a proper producer level hits above its weight class in this context and holds its own against the steak program.
Bordeaux Châteaux bottles
Bordeaux is where the markup does its most aggressive work on a list like this. Name-recognition bottles from well-known châteaux are priced for the room, not for the value — you're paying for the label as much as the wine. Redirect that money to Barolo and you'll drink better.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-aged steak
This pairing is exactly what this restaurant was built for. A structured Napa Cab with the tannin and dark fruit to stand up to a serious dry-aged cut is the reason people still dress up and go out to dinner in New York. It's a cliché because it works.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Jack & Charlie's No. 118 is the kind of place you bring someone you want to impress, and the wine list doesn't let the room down. It won't surprise you, but it will satisfy you — and in a $12-a-glass city, that's not nothing.
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 / Mamaroneck Avenue · White Plains · American
The Brazen Fox is a great place to watch a game and eat a burger — just don't come here for the wine list. Order a craft beer, save the wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Fallsview Area · Niagara Falls · American
Order a cocktail. The wine list exists because restaurants are expected to have one, not because anyone here cares about what's in your glass. If you want to drink wine in Niagara Falls, cross the bridge and find a winery.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Avenue · Grand Junction · American
We're not here to pile on a chain restaurant — Applebee's knows exactly what it is. But if wine matters to you even a little, order a cocktail and save your wine night for somewhere that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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