BEST WINE BARS IN NYC

Courtesy of Wine Enthusiast.



Issue Date: November 2009, Posted On: 10/7/2009

Wine bars in New York are as varied and eclectic as the city’s inhabitants; a wine tour through Manhattan can take you around the globe and back again. Whether you are on the east side, west side, uptown or down, you are always a short walk away from an eye-opening international gustatory experience. Most bars offer small plates—tapas, cicchetti, or hors d’oeuvres—to accompany your glass of wine, emphasizing the pairings possibilities with countless global sips. We’ve short-listed the standouts, chosen for depth of wine list, variety of wines by the glass, food and ambiance. Whatever your toast—Salud, Prost, Yassas, Salut or simply Cheers—raise a glass to New York City!

Upper East Side
Accademia di Vino Sometimes going back to school can be fun. Accademia di Vino offers an elegant atmosphere in which to learn about Italian wines. Warm wood and etched glass evoke a Tuscan villa, while artfully displayed bottles of grappa and wine have a “wine cellar below the streets of Rome” feel. Wine Director Michael Doctor has selected more than 850 bottles for his geographically arranged list, and forty wines are available by the glass. All of the major regions of Italy are represented, many of them with notable wines: the super Tuscan selections boast many from Bolgheri, including magnums of Ornellaia and Masseto from Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. Chef Kevin Garcia prepares full entrees as well as small plates to accompany your choice of wine. The heavenly prosciutto and parmigiano fritters pair beautifully with the flavorful white-fruit and herb-scented Planeta 2007 Cometa Fiano from Sicily, while the St. Michael Eppan 2007 Pinot Nero from Alto Adige complements the Cognac- and sage-sautéed chicken livers.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: Daniel, Aureole, Post House. Bloomingdales; Madison Avenue shopping, such as Barney’s New York and Giorgio Armani; and the oldest continuously operating wine shop in the U.S., Sherry-Lehmann

Upper West Side
Bar Boulud Its cave-like vaulted ceiling, 32-page wine list and house-made charcuterie give Bar Boulud a “French village cooperative on steroids” vibe. Head Sommelier Michael Madrigale pours 50 labels by the glass and he and his staff will cheerfully recommend pairings for Executive Chef Damian Sansonetti’s Lyonnaise-style specialties. Focusing on the wines of the Rhône Valley and Burgundy (and international “cousins” made from the same grapes), categories include value-driven Discoveries, and more familiar Classics and Legends. Also on offer are “Heart Throbs,” (or wines they love) from around the world. The long wood bar is covered with large-format bottles and a round tasting bar in the back is used for weekly wine dinners. Among classics by the glass are Domaine Bernard Morey 2006 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Le Puits, and Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2006 Côtes de Rhône. Insituto Agrario di San Michele 2007 Müller-Thurgau from Alto-Adige is also a star, and if you’re in the mood for bubbles, try a bottle of Henriot 1998 Brut Champagne. From the kitchen, enjoy flatiron steak with pea fricassee and chanterelles, slow baked wild striped bass with mahogany clams, or do the Black and White Tasting, which pairs blood sausage and truffled white sausage.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: Per Se, Masa, Landmarc. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, home of the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and New York Philharmonic; Central Park

Midtown West
Molyvos The Alpha and Omega of Greek wine, Molyvos pours 320 of them, with over 70 by the glass. An additional 130 international bottles round out its 28-page list. Affable Wine Director Kamal Kouiri knows his Assyrtiko from his Xinomavro, and he will gladly guide you through a tour of Greece. While terra cotta walls covered with ancient family photos and ceramic plates remind one of a taverna in Athens, the enormous arrangement of seafood just past the 16-seat bar instantly brings you to the Aegean. From the 10-page by-the-glass list, a refreshing Gaia Estate 2008 Wild Ferment Assyrtiko from Santorini is perfect with grilled baby octopus and olives, while the Boutari 2006 Kotsifali-Mandilaria Kretikos from Crete works well with Greek-spiced lamb spare ribs. A vertical of Tsantalis Cabernet Sauvignon-Limnio from Metoxi in Mount Athos is available, running from 1996 through 2000, as are multiple years of Ktima Kir-Yianni Ramnista from Naoussa. The front bar also has a 22-seat casual café, with a larger, more formal dining room in the back. Chef and partner Jim Botsacos excels across a wide-ranging menu of small mezedes (appetizers) and meat and fish entrees.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: The Modern, adour Alain Ducasse, BLT Market. Carnegie Hall, Museum of Modern Art, Broadway theaters

Midtown
Morrell Wine Bar & Café Just steps away from the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, Morrell Wine Bar offers a civilized view of New York City’s most beloved Christmas Tree in winter months, but is worth a visit year-round. A large plate glass window separates you from the crowds that throng the streets, and warm wood accents and a 14-seat curved black granite bar make for a cozy atmosphere. More than two thousand bottles are available from their extensive list, with fifty wines by the glass. Standouts at this grande dame of Manhattan wine bars include a delicious Yarden 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel, and the herb-tinged Do Ferreiro 2006 Albariño from Rías Baixas. Small plates are served at the bar; try the braised octopus carpaccio with the crisp Craggy Range 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, or the velvety Muga 1998 Prado Enea from Rioja, which is an excellent complement to the jamón serrano and charcuterie plate. The restaurant is under the direction of Chef Edwin Bellanco and serves a variety of delicious pasta, fish and meat entrees. After dinner, on a cold winter’s night, nothing warms the soul like a glass of Croft Reserve Port.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: Le Bernardin, Insieme. Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Saks Fifth Avenue

West Village
Lela Bar Thirty three seats arranged around an intimate oval bar make this West Village locale an excellent choice for meeting old friends or making new ones. The wood-topped bar, with its frosted glass base encased in delicate ironwork, sits beneath hanging Riedel glassware of all shapes and sizes. There are more than 150 wines on the list with 20 available by the glass; however, Wine Director Andrew Hotis—sheep farmer-turned-sommelier—will open any bottle if two glasses are committed to from it. Most major wine regions of the world are represented on the well-balanced list. His favorite selection is Weingut Kofererhof 2007 Kerner from the Alto Adige. A fruity Tempranillo rosé by Mesoneros De Castilla from Ribera del Duero is refreshing as an apèritif on its own, or alongside a variety of cheeses, meats or pressed sandwiches. The bacon and smoked meat flavors of the Upland Estate 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa pairs perfectly with the Hungarian Pick salami and Italian sopressata. The reserve list boasts wonderful selections including a 1998 Chateau d’Issan from Margaux and a 1999 Chateau Cheval Blanc from St. Emilion.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: Perry Street, Blue Hill, Babbo. Bleecker Street shopping, such as Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and Magnolia Bakery

East Village
Terroir With a tattoo-to-sport coat ratio of about 100:1 most nights, Terroir is definitely not your father’s wine bar. The downtown clientele and casual atmosphere (24 metal stools line its slate-topped bar and single wooden communal table) evoke an unstuffy vibe, but this place is serious about what Wine Director Paul Grieco passionately refers to as “grape juice.” Its brick walls and pine shelving are home to 100 bottles of wine, with 50 by the glass, evenly divided between whites and reds. To call its three-ring binders filled with essays and musings on the fruit of the vine a “wine list” is akin to calling Homer’s Odyssey a “poem.” Salads, panini and “fried stuff” such as sage leaves with lamb sausage or risotto balls with peas and pecorino accompany a quirky selection of wines that includes a spicy Antoine Arena 2005 Patrimonio from Corsica. The Reserve List, titled “From the Cellar of a Distinguished Gentleman,” boasts López de Heredia 1964 Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva from Rioja. Should you make it to the last page of your binder, Taylor Fladgate 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Port, with its nose of dried stone fruits, is a refined way to end your evening.
What’s nearby: Restaurants: Hearth, Momofuku Ko, Apiary. Tompkins Square Park; East Village shopping, including Kiehl’s, Trash & Vaudeville, and Giant Robot

Raise a glass to these additional finds...Though these wine bar finds are on a smaller scale, they do what they do extremely well and deserve an honorable mention:

Bar Veloce, Citywide -- Forty five mostly Italian wines are available by the bottle, with 24 by the glass. Bruschette, panini and small plates are available. Caldaro 2007 Moscato Giallo from Alto Adige is ideal with Nutella panino. Exposed brick, dark woods and back-lit bottle racks create a comfortable space for meeting your friends. Three locations throughout the city.

Boqueria Soho, Soho -- Named for Barcelona’s sprawling food market, Boqueria Soho is a roomier version of its Flatiron sibling. Beyond the long cream marble bar are counter height tables, including a communal one which seats twelve. The wine list is predominantly Spanish and both tapas and full entrees are served. Elegant Remirez de Ganuza 1996 Tempranillo/Graciano from Rioja is a perfect match for fried quail eggs with chorizo on toast.

Clo, Upper West Side -- Located in the central gallery of The Time Warner Center, this unique 36 seat wine bar offers 100 wines by the glass, 96 of which are dispensed self service—think Horn and Hardart Automat for well-heeled grown-ups. Four sparkling wines are hand poured by the knowledgeable staff, who offer assistance with the space-age interactive wine list. Enjoy Opus One 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon or Fonseca 2000 Vintage Port without buying a whole bottle.

Counter, East Village -- Taking vegetarian to the next level, Counter serves gourmet, inspired cuisine paired with organic and biodynamic wines in their dining room. The wine bar serves 13 rotating selections by the glass from their 160-bottle list.

‘Inoteca, Lower East Side, Gramercy -- The frequently updated list features only Italian wine, and the panini press and prosciutto slicer never see any down time. Wine and small plates are served at the bar where you can watch the chef slice paper-thin prosciutto on a racecar-red hand-cranked slicer. Wash down a grilled mushroom and mozzarella panini with Valter Scarbolo’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Choose between the rustic LES original, or its newer, slicker East 20’s sibling.

Las Ramblas, Greenwich Village -- Thirty bar stools are continuously filled in this West Village wine and tapas bar. Exposed brick and rustic wood are straight out of Barceloneta. Charming owner Natalie Sanz spent her childhood summers traveling throughout Spain, which is apparent in her focused Spanish wine list and market-inspired plates. A well balanced Pago Del Vicario 2007 Petit Verdot from Castilla and an expressive Pago De Los Capellanes 2006 Joven from Ribera del Duero are two standouts of the 23 wines offered by the glass.

Xai Xai, Hell’s Kitchen -- A virtual safari through South African wine. Over 100 bottles are available, and 75 are poured by the glass. Rough-hewn wood, a South African staff and small plates including venison carpaccio and ostrich tartare make for an authentic experience. An elegant dark fruit driven Raats 2006 Cabernet Franc from Stellenbosch and a minerally white Buitenverwachting 2007 Riesling from Constantia are two of South Africa’s finest wines.

SO MANY TASTINGS...SO LITTLE TIME!

I've come through what I now refer to as Wine Season, having attended no fewer than 6 wine tastings, sales, and events since Labor Day. (And I'm not even including our own club meeting in this tally!) With this experience behind me, I thought I'd blog a bit about it and pass along some of my observations.

The number of events taking place in the weeks and months following Labor Day is a little overwhelming, to say the least. It seemed there was another event each week. Not only can it be difficult to decide which events to attend, it can also be hard on the pocketbook without a little planning. Firstly, do I think it's a good idea to attend these tastings? Yes, definitely. Tastings can be an ideal way to sample a wide variety of wines of different quality and price point without having to actually buy the wines. You should attend as many as you can, whenever you get the chance. Most wine shops feature tastings of one type or another, whether they are scheduled tastings with paid attendance, or simply making some open bottles available for tasting by any customers who walk into the store. Penn Wines and Spirits, located on the LIRR level of Penn Station, opens two or three bottles and holds free tastings every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Village Wine Cellar on Jericho Turnpike in Bellerose Village features a scheduled tasting one Friday a month. Attendees are required only to buy two bottles of any wine sold in the store. Bacchus Wines on Broadway near 71st, on the other hand, holds a number of scheduled tastings each month, and admission prices range from $45 - $75. They usually offer refreshments and attendees get to take home a Riedel wineglass. You can always find a tasting to fit your budget.

Tastings are often organized by theme, much as our club meetings are. If a store or organization holds many scheduled tastings they often have a calendar of events and you can plan to attend a tasting that interests you. Most businesses list their tastings on their websites, such as Novita Restaurant in Garden City, at http://www.novitany.com/, or Bacchus Wines at http://www.bacchuswinestore.com/. If you are interested in gaining knowledge, look out for tastings of varietals that interest you. It's always fun to go to a tasting and come across a great new malbec or syrah that you may have otherwise never tried. Or attend a tasting that features a varietal that is new to you, like a gigondas or gruner veltliner. You might find a new favorite!

Be prepared, in many cases, to fight your way through a crowd. It amazes me the way stores will hold tastings and cram as many people into as tight a space as possible, often making it extremely difficult to taste the wines. Morrell Wine Store http://morrellwine.com/ holds an annual event that costs $50 a person and makes almost 70 wines available for tasting. The wines can range in price from as little as $10 to as much as $200/btl. But the store is nowhere near large enough to accommodate the huge crowd that shows up, so it's a careful operation to navigate among the tables, which are not necessarily set up in numerical order, and choose the wines you'd like to taste. It's definitely worth the effort for a chance to taste wines such as the $150/btl of Dominus Napa Red. But next time, I'll go early and perhaps carry only a small pocketbook. Keep in mind that there's often nowhere to sit at these events, and that while many stores, including Morrell, Village Wines, and Bacchus will offer refreshments, not all do. You may be a little uncomfortable, but you usually get what you pay for at these tastings, so you can rest assured that you will get your money's worth.

There are annual festivals, such as the one held by the Garden State Wine Growers Assn., where you pay $10 to sample the wines of more than 100 New Jersey producers while you stroll through a historic park or have a picnic while listening to a local band playing jazz. There are tastings by businesses such as Swirl Events http://www.swirlevents.com/, which specializes in uniquely fun events such as their Wine and Dessert pairings where you not only sample a selection of fine wines but taste them along with some decadent desserts that make for surprisingly successful pairings. Vestry Wines, located on Vestry Street in lower Manhattan http://www.vestrywines.com/, offers 3 wines for free tasting each week. You can attend a tasting nearly anytime you'd like, even if you don't want to spend money. Go to an event, taste, and ask questions about the wine you are sampling. Wine folks love to talk! Even at a very crowded event you can usually get the store owner or representative of the wine producer to discuss the wines they are offering at length. Just be mindful that others are waiting their turn to taste as well.

So get out there and taste some wine. Make it your business to attend a tasting or two. And tell the club all about your experience.

OCTOBER CLUB NEWS -- THE BLIND TASTING THAT ALMOST WASN'T!

Our host for this month's meeting was Psyche, who suggested we do a blind tasting, a theme we were very excited about. This would be a good test of our knowledge and of our palates after nearly three years of meetings and tastings. We would taste a number of wines blind and guess at the varietals. The rules and prep took some work; there were some complicated logistics involved in ensuring the wines were at least mostly blind since the members themselves would be providing them. But kudos to Psyche who really worked hard to pull this off, from providing guidance with the rules and instructions, to designing and creating 10 bottle covers for us to use to hide the bottles during the meeting. She even printed up certificates for the winners. Everyone was game and the stage was set, until the day of the meeting when I realized that we would only have 5 bottles of wine for the tasting, two of which were white. No way was this going to be blind -- the two whites were no-brainers, which left only 3 reds, and if everyone correctly guessed the wine they'd brought, well, you can see why I was concerned! I had to take drastic measures to save the tasting, so I went into the stash and carefully chose two more reds, bringing the number of wines to 7 and, hopefully, providing a little more of a challenge for the players.

So the tasting went off without a hitch, and boy, some of us were in for a rude awakening! We're constantly talking about the smells and tastes you pick up in different wines, and this is why. When tasting blind, all you have to go on are what you smell, and what you taste. The wines exhibit certain qualities that can help to identify them: shiraz tends to be over-the-top fruity; cabernet sauvignon can have a slightly vegetal bouquet; an oaky chardonnay has that rich, buttery mouthfeel. But because there are so many variables -- terroir, method, vintage -- the wines can fool you, and if you taste many wines one after the other, the flavors and smells can blend. So you have to really pay attention as you taste the wines, not just to the obvious flavors and smells but even to the undernotes.

Though I played along with the others, I ended up disqualifying myself from the contest. I realized early on that I simply knew too much about the wines that were present for tasting. No biggie, the most important thing was that the game be fair (though Arthur and Robin continued to insist that the fix was in!).

The seven wines tasted were:

1. Cantina Gabriele Moscato 2008 http://www.shoppersvineyard.com/1/41831/Cantina-Gabriele-Moscato-Mevushal-Kosher-For-Passover -- Okay guys, it's white, it's fizzy, it's sweet, say it with me, Must Be Moscato. See, the fact that it's sweet narrows it way down already. And moscato tends to be the sweeter of the sparkling wines; if it had been sparkling but dry, it could have been champagne, prosecco, or cava. But sweet? Gotta be moscato.

2. Lynmar Russian River Valley 2005 Chardonnay http://www.lynmarwinery.com/wines.html#06rrvchd -- A classic rich, buttery chardonnay. The Lynmar had a golden yellow color that was too dark to be sauvignon blanc, and it couldn't have been sauterne (which is sweet) or riesling (ditto). Viognier was a possibility, but no, this was textbook chardonnay. Note: the 2005 is likely no longer available; only the 2006 was listed on the website.

3. Bolla 2007 Chianti http://www.americaswineshop.com/r/brand/bolla -- Now things began to get complicated! When I think chianti, I think dusty, dry, musty red. But the Bolla didn't exhibit any of the traits I usually associate with chianti; it was dry, yes, but more fruity and lighter in color than I remembered. I was thrown off, but Mom guessed this one correctly; to her it was unmistakably chianti.

4. Bogle Phantom Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 http://www.boglewinery.com/bogle_phantom_facts.htm -- Ah, zinfandel, our old favorite. I was surprised that this wine had some of us stumped. Dark, bold, fruity, slightly off-dry -- we've enjoyed this zinfandel more than once in the past but, when tasted blind along with other reds, it had a hard time standing out. On this one as well, it seems the 2006's are now available, so it may be difficult to find the 2005.

5. Seidelberg 2006 Pinotage http://www.seidelberg.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=33 -- Pinotage should have been easy! Along with the dark berries on the nose, we'd pick up that unmistakable beef jerky scent and that smoky flavor, along with a subtle hint of copper pennies or banana. This one, though, had none of that. I did manage to guess it, but more due to process of elimination than from actual knowledge.

6. Sula Vineyards Dindori Reserve Shiraz http://www.sulawines.com/wines/sula-reds/ -- We're more than familiar with shiraz, but I threw a monkey wrench into the works with this one -- this shiraz was from India, made to pair well with Indian and other spicy foods. It did not disappoint, showing rich, dark fruit, while not being too over-the-top.

7. Castillero del Diablo 2008 Pinot Noir http://www.chileanlegend.com/ourwines/pinotnoir/ -- I need to do more research! This pinot noir was nothing like I expected: darker, bolder, not as fruity. I like pinot noir a lot, and I did not like this one. On my game sheet, I confused the pinot with the chianti, which is telling. I felt like each wine exhibited the characteristics of the other. Noticed later on that this pinot noir hailed from...Chile. A factor? Could be...

We chose the moscato as our favorite, followed by the zinfandel and the chardonnay. But most telling was that the club was not bowled over by any of the wines at all, choosing the moscato only because it was sweet (which, of course was what kept me from choosing it). Also interesting was the fact that members found themselves trying to identify the wines not from each one's flavor and aroma profile, but according to whether or not it suited the member's taste, as in, "I don't like this one, so it must be chianti, since I don't like chianti." Of course, for reasons discussed earlier, that isn't necessarily a reliable method. But it did help us to see what we need to focus on as we taste wines going forward. We'll likely concentrate more on single varietals in future meetings, so that we can increase our knowledge of the characteristics of each, rather than focusing solely on which one we like the most.

The winner of the challenge was Mom, who along with her prize received a certificate declaring her to be the DiVine Wine Company's "Master Taster"! She will hold this honor until the next blind tasting, the winner of which will assume the title. Nice job by everyone, and nice work by Psyche!

Next meeting is November 14. I made announcements about this important meeting on Saturday and will send an email as well. Really hope to see you there!