The Upper East Side's Italian wine fortress
Upper East Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 5, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Sistina’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Sistina and the wine list arrives like a small novel — somewhere between 1,200 and 1,800 bottles deep, organized with the kind of seriousness that tells you immediately this place takes wine as seriously as it takes its decades-long Upper East Side reputation. This is old-school Italian dining done with conviction, and the cellar backs it up. Wine Spectator has handed out Grand Awards here since 2018, and one look at the list tells you exactly why.
The Italian section is the obvious centerpiece: Tuscany and Piedmont are covered at a depth that most dedicated wine bars can't touch. Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, Solaia, and Tignanello anchor the Super Tuscan column, while the Barolo lineup reads like a Piedmont hall of fame — Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja all present and accounted for. Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri (Giacomo Neri) hold down Brunello di Montalcino with appropriate gravitas. France isn't an afterthought either: Bordeaux royalty like Château Pétrus and Château Lafite Rothschild share shelf space with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and California's prestige tier — Opus One, Screaming Eagle — rounds out a list built for serious collectors and serious celebrators alike.
With 20 to 30 options by the glass, Sistina offers more pour flexibility than most white-tablecloth Italian spots in the city. The selection skews Italian and classic, which is exactly what you want here. We'd steer toward whatever Nebbiolo or Sangiovese is open on a given night — the staff know what they're pouring and can point you in the right direction.
Tignanello (Antinori) — $180
In a list where bottles routinely push into the thousands, Tignanello is the entry point into serious Super Tuscan territory — a benchmark wine that consistently punches above its price relative to its neighbors on this list. Not cheap, but it's the move if you want to drink something iconic without ordering a mortgage payment.
Brunello di Montalcino, Casanova di Neri (Giacomo Neri)
In the shadow of Biondi-Santi — which gets all the headlines and commands the bigger price tags — Casanova di Neri quietly delivers some of the most compelling Brunello on the market. Most diners order past it chasing bigger names. Don't.
Screaming Eagle
Yes, it's on the list. Yes, it's Screaming Eagle. And yes, the markup at a restaurant like this will be punishing in a way that makes even fans of the wine wince. This is a trophy pour for people expensing dinner, not a smart way to spend your wine budget here.
Barolo, Bruno Giacosa + Eggplant Parmigiana
Giacosa's Barolo brings the kind of grippy tannin and dried rose depth that cuts right through the richness of a properly made Eggplant Parmigiana — the tomato acidity in the dish softens the wine, and the wine makes the dish taste more like itself. Classic match, no tricks required.
The Bottom Line
Sistina is the real deal — a 40-year-old Upper East Side institution with a cellar that earns its Grand Award year after year. Markups are what they are at this level, but if you're going to spend serious money on Italian wine anywhere in New York, this is one of the rooms worth doing it in.
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.
· Dacula · Italian
Antonetas isn't a wine destination, and it isn't trying to be — it's a family-friendly neighborhood Italian with a wine list that covers the basics and stays out of the way. If you're after a solid glass of something red with your Lasagna in a no-fuss setting, you won't be disappointed. Just don't show up expecting to geek out over the list.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian
Crust is a solid neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list is a supporting player, not the headliner — and that's fine. Come for the rigatoni alla vodka and garlic knots; order a glass of whatever red they're pouring and don't overthink it. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation, just not for the wine list alone.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Marietta · Italian
Vespucci's isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and that honesty is refreshing. The one move that earns real respect here is the Monday half-price bottle deal, which turns an ordinary weeknight into a genuinely good value. Show up on a Monday, order the Eggplant Parmigiana, grab a bottle at half price, and you've had a solid dinner without thinking too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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