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Flatiron · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Massara Osteria Campana’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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.
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.
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