Mirador

The list is short — eight wines plus a sherry program that would make a Jerez bar nod in approval. This isn't a place trying to cover all its bases; it's a place that knows exactly what it is and leans in hard. Kingston didn't ask for this, but it needed it.

Mirador's wine list reads like someone actually cares about the Iberian Peninsula and not just the crowd-pleasing corners of it. You've got Galicia covered with an Albariño on tap (yes, tap), Catalonia shows up with the Azimut Cava Brut Nature, and Valencia gets a seat at the table with the Viña Elena Paraje Marín 2023. The sherry program is the real story here — González Byass Viña AB 12yr Amontillado, Rey Fernando de Castilla Antíque Palo Cortado, and César Florido Cruz del Mar Oloroso 12yr aren't names you stumble across on a random Tuesday in upstate New York. Gaps exist — no Rioja, no Ribera, nothing from Portugal — but the focus feels intentional rather than lazy.

Everything on the list appears to be available by the glass, which is either ambitious or a sign the turnover is fast enough to keep things fresh. Prices run $14–$18 a glass, which is reasonable for the quality level on offer — the Bodegas Barbadillo Sumatorio Añada 2020 at $16 a glass is the kind of thing you'd pay more for in a Manhattan wine bar without blinking. The sherry pours in the same range deserve serious attention and are priced for exploration rather than intimidation.