Harlem's best-kept Old World secret
Harlem · New York · Italian, Spanish · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Vinateria’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, not in some tucked-away West Village wine bar, and yet the list that lands on your table punches well above its neighborhood expectations. Italy and Spain are front and center — Barolo, Brunello, Rioja — and it feels curated rather than assembled. This is clearly a place that takes wine seriously, even if it doesn't advertise the fact loudly.
The 150-200 bottle list zeroes in on Italy and Spain with real conviction — Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the Italian side, with Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino making appearances that justify the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence the restaurant has held since 2017. Spain doesn't get shortchanged either: Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva plus Priorat producers give the Iberian section some genuine teeth. There's a smart lean toward Southern Italian whites — Vermentino and Greco di Tufo — that suits the food better than a Chardonnay-heavy list ever would. France shows up through Languedoc-Roussillon, which is a savvy choice: serious wine at prices that don't require a second mortgage.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is genuinely generous for a neighborhood restaurant of this size — you can actually explore here rather than resign yourself to the house red. The inclusion of Sicilian natural wines by the glass is where things get interesting and where Vinateria earns its Wild Card status. Glass pours run $12–$18, which is honest money for this quality level in New York.
Vermentino — $12-$14
Sardinian or Tuscan Vermentino by the glass is the smart opening move here — crisp, savory, food-friendly, and priced where a second pour doesn't feel reckless. Exactly the kind of white that makes the burrata sing.
Languedoc-Roussillon selections
Most tables are eyeing the Barolo and Brunello — understandably — but the Languedoc-Roussillon bottles are where the value hides. Southern French wine from this region delivers Rhône-adjacent complexity at a fraction of the prestige-label price, and Vinateria's picks here reward the curious.
Rioja Gran Reserva
The Gran Reserva is tempting on paper, but at this price tier you're likely paying for the category name more than a specific producer that justifies the premium. Go Gran Reserva at a place with a dedicated Spanish specialist; here, the Reserva tier gets you nearly as far for less.
Greco di Tufo + Burrata
Greco di Tufo's natural bitterness and mineral edge cut right through the fat of fresh burrata without overwhelming it — it's a classic Campanian instinct, and Vinateria's menu is practically built for this move.
The Bottom Line
Vinateria is the kind of wine-forward neighborhood restaurant that Harlem deserves and visitors routinely overlook — an Old World-focused list with real range, fair prices, and enough by-the-glass surprises to reward curiosity. Send your friends here, and tell them to skip the house red and ask about the Sicilian naturals.
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.
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