A Riviera Brasserie With Serious Cellar Credentials
Upper West Side · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Nice Matin’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Nice Matin lands on the table like a small novel — 1,200-plus bottles organized with the kind of intention that tells you someone here genuinely cares. For a neighborhood French brasserie on the Upper West Side, this is a legitimately world-class cellar, and the Grand Award plaques from Wine Spectator going back to 2014 are not just wall decoration. Walter Dunbar and Daniel Tang are the names behind the program, and it shows in every region covered.
Bordeaux and Burgundy anchor the list in the way you'd hope — Château Margaux, Château Pétrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and Domaine Leroy all make appearances, which puts Nice Matin in a very short list of neighborhood restaurants on the planet. Rhône gets serious treatment too, with Château Rayas representing the appellation at its most cerebral. California isn't an afterthought: Kistler Vineyards and Ridge Monte Bello signal that the American section was built by someone who knows the difference between a trophy Napa Cab and an actual interesting bottle. Italy rounds it out with Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Sassicaia — no shortcuts, no filler.
With 20 to 30 pours available at any given time in the $14–$30 range, the by-the-glass program punches well above what you'd expect for a neighborhood spot. Champagne typically anchors the top end — Krug is on the bottle list and that spirit carries into the glass selections. The range is wide enough that you can drink well without committing to a full bottle, though once you open that list, restraint gets harder.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $80–$120
Kistler is genuinely hard to find at restaurants, and when a room has it, you drink it. Relative to what the kitchen is producing — bouillabaisse, moules marinières — this is the right move at a price that still feels grounded compared to the Burgundy deep cuts next to it.
Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Most tables at Nice Matin are drinking Bordeaux or Burgundy, which means the Rayas — one of the most singular wines in the Rhône — gets overlooked. Pure Grenache from old vines, almost Burgundian in its elegance, and exactly what you want with duck confit in a room that feels like the South of France.
Sassicaia
A legitimately great wine, but at NYC restaurant pricing it gets marked up into the stratosphere and you can find comparable Italian structure and complexity for significantly less on the same list. Save the Sassicaia budget for a bottle shop.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Duck Confit
Conterno Barolo is built for fat and depth — the acidity cuts through the richness of the confit while the tannin structure matches the weight of the dish without steamrolling it. Classic Old World logic, executed in a room that earns it.
The Bottom Line
Nice Matin is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is the main event, not an afterthought propping up the kitchen. If you're on the Upper West Side and you care about what's in your glass, this is the room.
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.
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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