Italy's greatest hits, steps from Carnegie Hall
Upper West Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lincoln Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives and it reads like a love letter to the Italian peninsula — specifically the parts that make collectors sweat. This is a serious book, the kind you flip through slowly while the Lincoln Center fountain glows outside the window. The setting sets expectations high, and the list mostly delivers.
Piedmont and Tuscany anchor everything here, and the depth in both regions is genuinely impressive for a restaurant rather than a dedicated wine bar. Barolo alone pulls names like Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja — that's not a list, that's a flex. Tuscany counters with Biondi-Santi and Soldera on the Brunello side, plus the Super Tuscan holy trinity of Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello if you want to go full showboat. The Chianti Classico Riserva section quietly earns its keep with Castello di Ama and Fontodi keeping things honest for those not dropping triple digits.
Twenty to thirty-five pours is a strong by-the-glass program for a room this focused on Italian. Prices start around $15-$20 a glass, which is reasonable for the zip code and the brand names on the bottle list. We'd love to see more rotation and a stated system for keeping opened bottles fresh, but the sheer volume of options means you can build a solid Italian flight without ordering a full bottle.
Chianti Classico Riserva, Fontodi — $60
In a list stacked with century-dollar Barolos, Fontodi's Chianti Classico Riserva is the smart play — a serious, structured Sangiovese from one of the appellation's best producers at a price that doesn't make you do math at the table.
Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco
Everyone reaches for Gaja and pays for the name. Produttori del Barbaresco is a cooperative that consistently punches above its price, making wines that rival single-estate Barbaresco at a fraction of the fanfare. Easy to overlook next to the celebrity bottles — don't.
Tignanello, Antinori
Tignanello is a great wine. It's also one of the most widely distributed bottles in the world, which means you can find it at retail for considerably less than what a fine dining markup in Midtown will cost you. Save the budget for something with more list exclusivity.
Barolo, Bruno Giacosa + Osso buco
Giacosa's Barolo brings the tannic structure and dried rose-and-tar complexity that can stand up to braised veal shank without steamrolling it. The wine's acidity cuts the richness of the gremolata-laced braise in exactly the way you want it to.
The Bottom Line
Lincoln Ristorante's wine program is the real thing — a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence earned honestly, anchored by one of the more credible Italian lists in New York City. The markups sting, but if you're eating here, you came to play.
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
· 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
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
