Campania's greatest hits, Broadway address.
Flatiron · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Massara lands like a love letter to southern Italy — specifically the kind written by someone who actually knows the terrain, not just the tourist stops. With 250-350 bottles anchored hard in Campania, this isn't a list that sprinkles in a few Falanghinas to seem interesting. It earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence because it means it.
Campania is the obvious star and they don't squander it — Feudi di San Gregorio and Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi sit alongside Marisa Cuomo's Costa d'Amalfi and Luigi Maffini's Fiano di Avellino, covering the region's best reds and whites with real depth. They don't stop at Campania though: Valentini's Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is on here, which alone tells you the buyers are serious, and Occhipinti SP68 from Sicily signals a natural wine sensibility that runs alongside the classics. Tuscany shows up with the expected heavy hitters — Sassicaia and Tignanello — which feel less like curatorial choices and more like crowd-pleasing anchors for the table that needs a familiar name. The gaps are minor: if you're hunting deep Barolo or Burgundy, you're at the wrong restaurant, but that's the point.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is an ambitious program for any restaurant, and here it reads like a crash course in Italian regional drinking. You can move from a Benito Ferrara Greco di Tufo to something Sicilian without committing to a full bottle, which is exactly how a by-the-glass program should work. Pricing runs $12 and up, keeping entry accessible even in a Flatiron dining room that could easily justify gouging.
Illuminati Montepulciano d'Abruzzo — $12+
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from a reliable producer at this price point in a sit-down Manhattan restaurant is exactly the kind of honest, food-friendly red that over-delivers. Order a glass and see how fast you order a second.
Luigi Maffini Fiano di Avellino
Most tables will walk right past this for something they recognize. That's a mistake. Maffini's Fiano is textured, saline, and structured in a way that makes most Chardonnay feel like a missed opportunity. Campanian white wines are still flying under the radar for a lot of diners — this is the one to change that.
Sassicaia Bolgheri
It's a great wine. It's also on every ambitious Italian list in America, the markup on prestige Super Tuscans is never kind, and you didn't come to Massara for a Bolgheri that you could find at fifty other restaurants. The Campanian reds make a far more compelling case for your money here.
Galardi Terra di Lavoro + Broccoli rabe pasta with sausage
Terra di Lavoro is a Campanian red built on Aglianico and Piedirosso — dark, earthy, with enough acidity and grip to cut through the richness of sausage while standing up to the bitter edge of broccoli rabe. It's the kind of pairing that makes you understand why regional cuisine and regional wine evolved together.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Massara is the rare Italian restaurant in New York where the wine list actually matches the ambition of the kitchen — southern Italy gets its proper due, the staff knows what they're talking about, and the prices won't make you regret the second bottle. Yes, send your friends here for wine.
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
West Toledo / Reynolds Corner · Toledo · Italian
There's one reason to come here for wine: Thursday. Half-price bottles on a standing weekly basis is a genuinely good deal, especially on the Santa Margherita. Any other night, the markups are steep and the list doesn't justify them.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Toledo/Monroe Street · Toledo · Italian
Carrabba's Toledo isn't a destination for wine — but it's not an embarrassment either. The Ruffino Chianti Classico alone earns its keep, and if you stick to the Italian side of the list, you'll drink reasonably well without drama.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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