Indian food meets serious California and Burgundy
Flatiron · New York · Indian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 19, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Passerine’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into what used to be Sona and finding an Indian restaurant with Ridge Monte Bello on the list is not something you expect. The wine program here leans confidently into California and France, which on paper sounds like a mismatch with Kolhapuri lamb tartare — but stick with us. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2025, and it's not hard to see why.
The list runs 150-250 bottles deep with a clear focus on California heavyweights and French classics. You've got Kistler Chardonnay and Paul Hobbs Cabernet anchoring the California side, while Louis Jadot and Château Meyney Saint-Estèphe hold down the French flank. Domaine Drouhin Oregon is a nice bridge — Oregon Pinot bringing some of that old-world restraint into the new-world column. The list isn't trying to be a natural wine playground or a hyper-regional deep dive, but for what it is — polished, well-chosen, food-friendly — it delivers.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass in the $12-$18 range gives you real room to explore without committing to a bottle. That's a solid spread for an Indian restaurant, where you might want to try different pours against different courses. We'd love to see more rotation, but the price ceiling is reasonable enough that experimenting doesn't sting.
Château Meyney Saint-Estèphe — $XX (bottle)
Saint-Estèphe is reliably the most underrated appellation in Bordeaux, and Meyney is a perennial overachiever at its price point. Against the bold, spiced flavors coming out of the kitchen, this has the structure and dark fruit to hold its own without breaking the bank.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Most people at an Indian restaurant reach for something bold or something white — they sleep on Pinot. Drouhin's Oregon bottling has enough earth and acidity to work beautifully against the dry aged lamb loin, and most tables walk right past it for the Kistler or Hobbs.
Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon
Paul Hobbs is great wine, no argument. But at the price point it commands, and up against the complexity of Indian spicing, it's working against itself. The tannins and oak weight don't find a natural home here — you're paying a premium for a bottle that's better suited to a steakhouse.
Kistler Chardonnay + Vadagam blend aged sea bass
Kistler's Chardonnay has the richness and texture to stand up to aged fish without being overwhelmed, and the bright acidity cuts through the Vadagam spice blend cleanly. It's the rare California Chardonnay that's actually doing something useful at this table.
The Bottom Line
Passerine is the kind of place that shouldn't work on paper — serious California and French bottles alongside Indian cooking — but it does, and it does it well enough to earn the Wine Spectator nod. Send a friend here if they think wine and Indian food don't mix; this list will change their mind.
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.
Midtown East · New York · American, French
A Park Avenue restaurant whose posted wine list is a 21-wine glass list. Start with the $18 Leitz Riesling or the $19 Ogier Saint-Joseph. No bottle list is posted online, so ask the restaurant what is available by the bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Hudson Yards · New York · American, Seasonal
A hotel restaurant whose list opens with a 13-pour glass page and then moves through Champagne, Burgundy, Austria and other regions. Start with the $29 Prager Grüner Veltliner or the $24 Do Ferreiro Albariño by the glass alongside the chilled oysters, and confirm current pricing since the list is dated 09.30.26. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · Southern French, Wine Bar
A glass-only list of 15 Central and Eastern European pours from $18 to $26, with an orange wine section of five. Start with the Gal Tibor Egri Bikavér Superior at $18 or the Kapistoni Tavkveri at $23, and confirm prices because the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted by-the-glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Financial District · New York · American
A short posted wine selection, with the full list available by email. Start with the $17 Crafted Cava or the $18 Côte de Brouilly by the glass, and email ahead if you want the full list. This unrated guide covers only the nine posted wines, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · American Steakhouse
A compact glass list at a beef-focused restaurant: 11 pours from $19 to $39 across France, Italy, Germany and California. Start with the $24 Domaine Perraud Chardonnay, or the $30 Signorello 'Edge' Cabernet if you're ordering steak, and confirm current pours because the page isn't dated. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Lafayette Street · Canandaigua · Indian
Flavors isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either — the list is honest, the prices are fair, and the Fox Run Riesling alone justifies ordering a bottle. Come for the food, drink the Riesling, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Near Falls · Niagara Falls · Indian
Zaika isn't a wine destination, but the Niagara half of this list is a legitimate reason to skip the mango lassi and explore what's growing 20 minutes away. For Falls-area dining, that's more than we expected.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Duluth · Indian
India Palace is a genuinely solid spot for Indian food in Duluth, but the wine program is collecting dust. Steep markups, a California-only list that ignores everything that actually works with spiced cuisine, and zero signs of anyone caring enough to change it — order a mango lassi and save the wine for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
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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