Italy's Greatest Hits, All Under One Roof
Upper West Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sempre Oggi’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sempre Oggi reads like someone with a serious Italian obsession was given a budget and told to go wild — in the best way. You're on the Upper West Side, in a buzzy modern dining room, but the list punches well above the neighborhood's usual expectations. This is not the kind of Italian-American spot where Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico are the bookends of ambition.
The list leans hard into Italy's prestige appellations, and it doesn't blink. You've got Barolo covered by both Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa — two of the region's most serious names — alongside Biondi-Santi and Poggio di Sotto holding down Brunello di Montalcino. Dal Forno Romano's Amarone shows up for those who want something brooding and massive, and the Super Tuscan contingent includes Sassicaia and Ornellaia, which are crowd-pleasers but legitimate ones. On the white side, Vermentino di Sardegna and Greco di Tufo give the list some regional texture beyond the obvious Soave-and-Pinot-Grigio trap. Gaja's Barbaresco caps things off at the prestige tier. The breadth is real, though Southern Italy and Sicily feel underrepresented if you're hunting for discovery.
With 12 to 20 pours available, the by-the-glass program is genuinely usable — not just a token Chianti and a house white. Expect to find representation from both north and south, and the whites here are worth paying attention to given the kitchen's seafood-forward menu. Rotation feels limited, so don't expect a different list every week, but what's on offer is consistently solid.
Vermentino di Sardegna — $12
At the low end of the price range, a well-chosen Vermentino is one of Italy's most food-friendly whites — bright, saline, and built for seafood. Order it with the scallop crudo and thank us later.
Greco di Tufo
Most people at this kind of restaurant immediately reach for a Barolo or a Super Tuscan and ignore the whites entirely. Greco di Tufo is a Southern Italian white with real structure and a flinty, almost volcanic character that makes it fascinating — and it's never the obvious order.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is great wine. It's also one of the most marked-up bottles in every Italian restaurant in New York City. You're paying a lot for a name that every table in the room recognizes. The value proposition here compared to what else is on this list just doesn't hold up.
Brunello di Montalcino (Poggio di Sotto) + Sweet-and-sour braised rabbit
Brunello's acidity and earthy depth cut right through the richness of braised meat, while Poggio di Sotto's particular elegance keeps it from overwhelming the dish's sweet-and-sour complexity. This is what the list was built for.
The Bottom Line
Sempre Oggi earned its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence by doing one thing seriously well: stocking a focused, high-quality Italian list in a neighborhood that rarely demands it. Markups are real, but the ambition is too — and for a proper Italian wine night on the Upper West Side, this is your move.
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
· New York · Restaurant
Corima's wine list is proof that ten well-chosen bottles beat a hundred thoughtless ones every time. If you care about what's in your glass, this place is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lansing · Italian
Carrabba's Lansing isn't a wine destination — it's a chain with a four-bottle list that skews heavily toward one California region and ignores everything Italian about the menu. Come for the pasta, skip the wine program, or catch one of their Paso Robles wine dinners if the timing works out.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Las Cruces · Italian
La Bella Vita's wine list won't make a wine geek's heart race, but it's fairly priced, almost entirely available by the glass, and leans into its Italian identity in the right places. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of Chianti without a lesson.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Cafe Sapori's wine list is a reliable Italian-leaning companion — not adventurous, not cheap, but curated enough that the right picks reward you. Skip the Whispering Angel, dig into the Tuscans, and you'll leave satisfied.
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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