MoMA's Wall Art Has Nothing On This List
Midtown · New York · American · Visit Website ↗
Updated November 2026
Reviewed April 5, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Modern’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Modern lands with the quiet confidence of someone who doesn't need to prove anything — because 3,000-plus selections and a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2016 have already made the case. Flip through it and the names start hitting like a who's-who of the wine world's greatest hits: DRC, Jayer, Rousseau, Screaming Eagle, Pétrus. This isn't a list assembled to impress on paper — it's assembled because someone here actually cares.
The depth across Burgundy alone would embarrass most dedicated wine bars, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Henri Jayer, Leroy, Rousseau, Raveneau, and Coche-Dury all accounted for — the kind of roster that makes serious Burgundy lovers go quiet for a minute. California gets its due with Harlan Estate, Kistler, and Screaming Eagle, while the Rhône section leans on Guigal's single-vineyard La Las and Chapoutier with equal conviction. Piedmont, Bordeaux, Champagne, Germany, and Alsace round things out — Egon Müller Scharzhofberger, Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune, Krug, Salon, and Jacques Selosse aren't afterthoughts here, they're pillars. The one honest knock: this list skews heavily toward the prestige end, and if you're hunting under $80, the terrain gets noticeably thinner.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is serious real estate for a fine dining room, and the team rotates through enough to keep regulars on their toes. Expect proper pours across Champagne, white Burgundy, and California reds at any given time — not just the predictable crowd pleasers. The Wednesday half-price wine program is the most underrated recurring event in Midtown dining; if you haven't planned a Wednesday dinner around it, start now.
E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2019 — $375
La Landonne is one of the Northern Rhône's greatest single-vineyard wines, full stop — iron-fisted Syrah that needs years to open but rewards patience ferociously. At $375 in a room where bottles routinely tip past $500, it's the most bang-for-your-ambition on the list. Order it, let it breathe, and ignore everything else for a while.
Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune
Everyone at this table is going to order red, which means this legendary Alsatian Riesling from one of the appellation's most hallowed plots quietly goes unordered night after night. That's a mistake. Clos Sainte Hune drinks with a precision and longevity that embarrasses wines twice its price, and in a room full of Chardonnay converts, it's the sleeper that outperforms everything around it.
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015
At $325, Dom Pérignon 2015 is the easy answer when someone says 'let's get Champagne' — and that's exactly the problem. It's a fine wine, but it's also the most heavily marketed bottle in the cellar and a brand that lives on restaurant markups. Krug and Salon are both on this list; either one gives you a more interesting drink and a better story to tell.
Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay 2021 + Lobster pot-au-feu
Kistler Vine Hill is rich, precise California Chardonnay with enough acid and tension to cut through a butter-forward broth without disappearing into it. The lobster's sweetness and the wine's stone fruit and toasted oak hit the same frequency — neither one drowns the other out. It's the kind of pairing that makes you wonder why you ever order anything else.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — the best recurring reason to eat dinner at a fine dining restaurant in Midtown.
The Bottom Line
The Modern is the real thing — a Grand Award list that earns its reputation without hiding behind it, staffed by a team that actually knows what's in the cellar. Get here on a Wednesday, let someone talk you into the Trimbach, and accept that you're going to spend more than you planned.
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.
Downtown Roswell · Roswell · American
Canton St. Social is a solid neighborhood restaurant in historic downtown Roswell, and the wine program appears to be built for exactly that — supporting a good night out without overcomplicating things. We don't have enough sourced wine data to tell you what to order, which means your best move is to ask your server what's pouring well that night and go from there. Worth a visit for the food and atmosphere; the wine list is a work in progress as far as our research goes.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · American
The Boynton is a great neighborhood spot for a cold beer, a burger, and a game — and that's exactly what it should be. The wine program is along for the ride, not driving the car. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the food and the vibe, order a beer and enjoy it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · American
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta's wine list is a Lazy List by every measure — grocery store brands, steep markups, no specials, and a rotating staff with little incentive to know what's in the glass. If you're here for the memorabilia and the atmosphere, lean into a cocktail or a beer. If wine is non-negotiable, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Columbia Crest Cab will get you through the night without regret.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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