Ralph Lauren's living room, but with Pétrus
Midtown · New York · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Polo Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Polo Bar arrives the way Ralph Lauren would want it to — heavy, confident, and dressed better than everyone else in the room. Four hundred to six hundred bottles deep, it signals immediately that this isn't a list thrown together as an afterthought. This is a place that takes wine seriously, even if it also takes itself a little seriously.
California and France split the room, which feels exactly right for a crowd that splits its time between the Hamptons and the 16th arrondissement. The heavy hitters are all present — Screaming Eagle, Opus One, Château Margaux, Château Pétrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — and while the trophy-bottle presence is impressive, it tells you this list is built to impress rather than to educate. Italy shows up with Gaja Barbaresco holding down the fort, and Champagne is treated with the respect it deserves, with Krug Grande Cuvée and Louis Roederer Cristal giving the bubbly section real teeth. The gap is at the approachable end — if you're not dropping $150 or more, your options thin out fast.
Twenty to thirty-five glass pours is a strong program for a supper club of this scale, and the $15–$30 range keeps things from feeling completely out of reach. We'd want to know what's actually rotating through those pours on a given night, but the infrastructure to run a serious by-the-glass program is clearly here. Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet and Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon are the kind of names that could anchor a glass list without embarrassing themselves.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — $15–$30 by the glass
Silver Oak Alexander Valley is a crowd-pleasing California Cab with genuine pedigree — rich, approachable, and recognizable enough that you feel good about ordering it. By the glass at this address, it's one of the more honest transactions on the list.
Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet
Everyone at this table is going to order red, and that's exactly why you should go for the Puligny-Montrachet. Louis Jadot's version is a textbook village-level Burgundy — precise, mineral, and more interesting than anything the Chardonnay skeptics at your table have ever given white wine credit for.
Screaming Eagle
Look, Screaming Eagle is a legitimate icon, but at a restaurant with markups built for a 5th Avenue zip code, you're paying a premium on top of a premium on top of a name. Unless someone else is picking up the tab, this is a bottle better sourced at auction.
Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne + New England Clam Chowder
Krug Grande Cuvée is rich and toasty enough to stand up to a cream-based chowder, and the wine's acidity cuts right through the fat. It's the kind of pairing that sounds counterintuitive until the first sip, and then you can't imagine doing it any other way.
The Bottom Line
The Polo Bar's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a room this well-dressed — ambitious, California-and-Bordeaux-heavy, and priced for people who don't flinch at the bill. The Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence is well-earned, and if someone else is buying, this is one of the great wine lists in Midtown Manhattan.
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
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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