Italy's Greatest Hits, All Under One Roof
Upper West Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Sempre Oggi’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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.
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.
Locust Point · Baltimore · Italian
An Italian list that leads with Campania, then works region by region through the rest of Italy. Start with the La Passera Greco di Tufo at 50 for white or the Terredora Aglianico at 48 for red, and if you want Chianti, the Banfi Riserva is 45. Prices come from the wine list linked as "Wine List 24" and post no unit, so confirm what is available. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Naperville · Italian
Piccolo Buco is a Cooper's Hawk restaurant wearing Italian clothes, and the wine list makes no attempt to hide that. If you're already a Cooper's Hawk member and enjoy their wines, this is a comfortable, predictable experience with fair glass pricing and decent variety within the brand. If you came hoping for a Sicilian white or a Piedmontese red to go with your pasta, you're in the wrong place — order a cocktail.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Harbor East · Baltimore · Italian
Cinghiale's glass list is built for exploring Italy, with 23 pours, each offered in three or six ounces. Try a three-ounce Donelli Lambrusco at $4.50 or Gini Soave Classico 2024 at $6 before committing to a larger pour, then ask about the regional bottle list. Confirm the current list before ordering.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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