Burgundy heavyweights hiding in a Midtown brasserie
Midtown East · New York · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Monterey’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list lands on the table with the kind of weight that makes you forget you're in Midtown East. Four hundred to six hundred selections, anchored hard in France and Italy, with a sommelier — Liliia Kyiik — who clearly built this thing with intent. This isn't a steakhouse list assembled by committee; someone here actually cares.
Burgundy is the star, and they're not messing around — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin, Leroy Bourgogne, and Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet all make appearances, which is a lineup you'd expect at a dedicated wine bar, not a brasserie on 50th. Italy holds its own with Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Gaja Barbaresco representing the serious Piedmont canon. Spain shows up with genuine muscle in the form of Vega Sicilia Unico and Pingus — two bottles that belong on any serious list. The gaps, if any, are modest; this is a program that earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2024 and doesn't look like it's coasting on the credential.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is a generous spread for a steakhouse, with prices running $15–$45 — the top end of that range should be delivering something worth the climb. Rotation details are limited, but a list of this caliber at the bottle level suggests the glass pours aren't an afterthought. If Kyiik is running the program, expect the BTG selection to track the strengths of the full list.
Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges — $95–$130 (estimated range)
Faiveley's Nuits is perennially underpriced relative to its village-level peers and offers the Burgundy experience — earthy, structured, proper — without demanding you break the bank on a Premier Cru. On a list that runs deep into four figures, this is your entry point into the good stuff.
Leroy Bourgogne
Lalou Bize-Leroy's village-level Bourgogne gets overlooked because the name on the label is associated with bottles that cost as much as a car payment. But the Bourgogne Rouge punches well above its appellation — biodynamic farming, obsessive sourcing — and most people scan right past it chasing the Grand Crus. Don't.
Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot
Jadot is a fine producer and Clos Vougeot is a Grand Cru, so this isn't a bad wine — but on a list stacked with grower Burgundies and domaine-bottled heavyweights, the Jadot négociant bottling at steakhouse markup is the least interesting way to spend your Grand Cru budget. You can do better on this same list.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Prime Rib Cart
Conterno's Barolo is all tar, roses, and iron-fisted tannin — built for exactly the kind of fat-marbled, long-roasted beef that comes off a prime rib cart. The wine's acidity cuts the richness, the tannins lock into the protein, and you end up with one of those rare restaurant moments where the food and the wine actually make each other better.
The Bottom Line
Monterey is playing a different game than most Midtown steakhouses — the Burgundy and Barolo depth here is real, the sommelier knows her list, and the Art Deco setting gives the whole thing a sense of occasion. Markups run steep, as they do everywhere in this zip code, but if you're picking carefully, this list rewards the effort.
Midtown · New York · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie earns its place as a reliable stop for wine in Midtown, especially if you're leaning French. The glass list is genuinely wide and has some smart picks buried in it — the Fleurie and the Wiemer Riesling both punch above their price points. Markups trend steep as you climb the bottle list, so your money works hardest in the by-the-glass section. If you're here for the brasserie experience, the wine program holds up its end of the deal.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Steakhouse
BLT Prime's wine program is glass-only, which limits your options if you came for a big bottle moment, but the pricing is honest and the selection is more thoughtful than most steakhouses bother with. If you're keeping it casual and ordering by the glass, you can drink well here without feeling taken advantage of — and that's not nothing in this city.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
The Palm Midtown is not where you'd expect to find Puzelat and Ruth Lewandowski sitting next to each other on a wine list — which is exactly what makes it worth a second look. Six bottles is a short menu, but all six are defensible picks at prices that don't insult you. If you're in the mood to trust the list and not overthink it, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murray Hill · New York · Classic American Steakhouse
Wolfgang's is a reliable steakhouse wine experience in the sense that you know exactly what you're getting: a list built around the bottle you already know, priced for the room you're sitting in. If you're here to close a deal over a Porterhouse for Two, the wine list will do its job without embarrassing anyone — but it's not going to surprise you, and it's almost certainly going to cost more than it should. Go in with eyes open and a strong second-choice red in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is a rare thing in New York: a focused, regionally coherent program that commits hard to Greek and Eastern Mediterranean varieties without making you feel like you need a flashcard to order. The by-the-glass selection alone — 18 options, all under $18, featuring producers most wine lists wouldn't touch — makes this worth visiting even before the food arrives. If you eat here and order a Cabernet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Steak House
A 20-wine by-the-glass list with every pour between $14 and $30, split across four sparkling, six white, two rosé and eight red. With a steak, start with the $26 Clos Duval Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or the $22 Monte Antico Supremus; for the cheapest glass, take the $14 Dr. Loosen Riesling. Pour sizes aren't posted and the page is undated, so confirm today's wines. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Chicago Loop · Chicago · Steak House
A Napa-leaning Cabernet list with a Library & Reserve section that reaches 3,098 and glass pours from $13.99 to $49.99. Start with the $15.99 Broadbent Cabernet by the glass, or the $41.99 Stag's Leap Artemis if the ribeye is on the table, and confirm current availability since the list does not guarantee vintages. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · Steak House
A glass list that does the steakhouse job: 36 pours, a tidy Napa Cabernet set and prices from $13. Order the $15 Beringer Cabernet with your steak, or the $14 Guado Al Tasso Vermentino if you are starting with seafood, and confirm availability since the page is undated and Morton's says pricing may vary. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
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
