The wine list that has everything, literally.
Columbus Circle · New York · American, French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Per Se’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Per Se lands on the table like a small novel — 1,800 to 2,200 selections deep, organized with the kind of precision that suggests a very serious person spent a very long time on this. It's not trying to impress you; it doesn't have to. This is what a world-class wine program looks like when no compromises are made.
California and Burgundy are the twin pillars here, and both are stacked with names that make collectors go quiet — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Leroy, Armand Rousseau, Henri Jayer on the Burgundy side; Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Sine Qua Non, and Aubert holding it down from the West Coast. Bordeaux is equally serious, with Château Pétrus, Château Le Pin, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Latour representing the full spectrum of the Left and Right Banks. Italy gets genuine respect — Giacomo Conterno's Barolo Monfortino and Gaja Barbaresco signal that this isn't just a French-and-California show. The Rhône section, anchored by Guigal La Landonne and Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape, rounds out a list that genuinely earns its Wine Spectator Grand Award, held continuously since 2013.
The by-the-glass program runs 20 to 30 options, which at this level means you're not choosing between supermarket Chardonnay and a Malbec — these pours skew serious, rotating to complement the tasting menu format. Given the tasting menu structure, most guests will lean into a pairing, where the seven-person sommelier team — John Jansma, Luis Garcia, Sarah Wolf, Anaïs Flébus, Cécile Chastanet, Juan Quintero, and Taylor Rodick — can walk you through selections course by course.
Dom Pérignon P2 2006 — $850
At a restaurant where bottles routinely stretch into five figures, $850 for a fully mature, late-disgorged Dom Pérignon P2 is as close to a relative bargain as this list offers — it's a wine with serious age, complexity, and occasion-level presence without requiring a second mortgage.
Cayuse Vineyards
Cayuse sits quietly on a list dominated by French royalty and Napa cult icons, but these Walla Walla Syrahs and Grenaches from biodynamic basalt soils are some of the most distinctive wines made in America — and most diners walk right past them chasing the DRC.
Opus One
Opus One is a fine wine, but at Per Se's price point it's the most expensive safe choice on the list — surrounded by wines with more personality, more terroir, and more story. If you're spending this kind of money, spend it on something that doesn't also appear on every hotel bar menu in the country.
Krug Clos du Mesnil 2012 + Oysters and Pearls
Sabayon, caviar, and tapioca demand a Champagne with real structure and depth — not just bubbles. Krug Clos du Mesnil's singular blanc de blancs character, all chalk and tension and preserved citrus, cuts through the richness and elevates one of Per Se's most iconic bites into something genuinely transcendent.
The Bottom Line
Per Se is not where you go to find a deal — you go because nowhere else in New York can you access this depth of Burgundy, California, Bordeaux, and Champagne under one roof with a team of sommeliers who actually know every bottle on the list. If wine is the reason you're going out, this is the destination.
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
Huntly · Huntly · American, French
Houndstooth is the kind of place you'd never stumble across, which is exactly why we're telling you about it. Drive out, let someone else drive back, and let the list do the work.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Huntington Beach · Huntington Beach · American, French
Henry's is a reliable, well-tended California wine program with a genuine expert behind it — not flashy, but consistently good. If you're eating on PCH and want a bottle that was actually chosen with care, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Fargo · West Fargo · American, French
Maxwells is the kind of wine program that earns real respect in context — a thoughtfully stocked, sommelier-guided list in a city where 'wine program' often means a Merlot and a Pinot Grigio. If you're passing through West Fargo or lucky enough to live there, this is where you drink.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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