Nightlife Glam Meets Crowd-Pleasing Pours
New York · New York · Japanese, Thai
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Tao’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walk into Tao and the wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a room this loud and this lit — heavy hitters designed for tables dropping $500 on bottle service, not for the person quietly trying to find something interesting. It's celebratory, it's safe, and it leans hard into names everyone already knows. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing that surprises you either.
The list clocks in somewhere between 150 and 250 bottles, with California and France doing most of the heavy lifting — which tracks with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they picked up in 2024. You'll find the usual suspects: Caymus and Jordan for the Cab crowd, Stag's Leap for the person who wants to sound knowledgeable at the table, and Opus One for whoever's celebrating something expensive. Louis Jadot covers the Burgundy base without going anywhere particularly deep, and Champagne is well-represented with Veuve Clicquot and Moët anchoring the bubbly section. What's missing is any real adventurousness — no interesting Rhône producers, no Italian depth, no natural wine detour. This is a list built for recognition, not discovery.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options in the $14–$22 range, which is reasonable for New York but doesn't give you much to get excited about. Expect the same recognizable-name philosophy that drives the bottle list — reliable, crowd-tested, rotated rarely. If you're in a group where half the table wants wine and half wants cocktails, this gets the job done.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $XX (bottle)
Jordan consistently punches above its price in restaurant settings — it's polished, accessible, and holds its own next to the Peking Duck without requiring you to drop Opus One money. In a room where bottles escalate fast, this is the smart order.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
It gets overlooked at a place like this because everyone's eyeing the big reds, but Cloudy Bay's brightness and herbal cut is genuinely great against the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna. Most people at Tao aren't ordering it — they should be.
Opus One
Opus One is a great wine, but at a high-energy nightclub-adjacent restaurant, you're paying a significant premium for the label flex, not the experience. The food here isn't built for a bottle at this price point, and the environment doesn't do it justice.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc + Tao Seabass
The seabass is rich and delicate at the same time — Cloudy Bay's citrus-driven acidity cuts right through it without overwhelming the fish. It's the kind of pairing that works so cleanly it almost feels unfair.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Tao is not a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — it's a scene, and the list services that scene competently. If someone else is picking the restaurant, you can drink well here; just order smart and don't let the bottle service energy talk you into Opus One with your satay skewers.
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
West Village · New York · American
Cecchi's is first and foremost a bar, but the wine list is more serious than the neon and noise suggest. Steep markups are the main ding — but if you know what to order, there's real pleasure here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Steak House, Small Plates
The Corner Store is a reliable, well-credentialed wine list doing exactly what a good SoHo steakhouse should — France and California, done with intention, in a room that makes you want to order another bottle. Just watch the markup on the big Bordeaux names and let the Rhône or Burgundy side show you a better time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Tribeca · New York · American
Farra is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood wine bar, and the Wine Spectator nod is earned — just know that the serious bottles come with serious prices, and the no-sommelier setup means you're doing some of the navigating yourself. Worth it for anyone who knows what they want; potentially overwhelming for those who don't.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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