Sometimes it seems a whole hell of a lot more difficult than it should be to find a great glass of wine in this city. While there is hardly a shortage of wine bars on our little island, many of them are just a click above embarrassing: “enotecas” slinging 4 oz. pours of spoofy Primitivo or one of those standard non-biased restos that dubs itself “wine bar” or “& wine bar,” despite the fact that the list only offers 10 overpriced (and uninspired) wines by the glass.
However, we all know that the wine bar trend has indeed bred a few winners (Terroir, Ten Bells) that will surely be the benchmarks for those that come after, and likewise, there also exist those restaurants worth popping into for a bite simply because their by the glass program is both impressive and affordable. Personally, we are quite keen on those that offer their selections both by the glass and the 3 oz. taste (Terroir, Gramercy, Bar Boulud); the tastes are always reasonably priced and generally end up resembling more glass than taste.
So, without further ado, here are six of our favorite places to go by the glass, or, ahem, six glasses:
Gramercy Tavern
With 26 constantly rotating wines by the 6 oz. glass (avg. price $13.74) and the 3 oz. taste (avg. price $7.25), this is utopia for pocketbooks both slim and fat. In all of her feminine genius, Juliette Pope has played to both New and Old World sensibilities in assembling a group of wines that are equally challenging and agreeable.
Current Highlights: Pinot Gris 1997, Binner $13.00/$6.75; Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, Corison $17.50/$9.00
Terroir
With over 50 wines by the glass and the 3 oz. taste (including Madeiras dating back to the early 1900s), NYC’s great wine evangelist has almost singlehandedly rescued the wine bar genre from total loserdom. Paul Grieco’s literary approach is applied once again to this list, deeming its 3-ring binder packaging quite necessary. The list's most important quality, however, is neither the packaging nor the clever photoshop work; it's the message. The wines are carefully selected for their integrity and unique expression of, yes, you guessed it, terroir.
Current Highlights: Riesling Spatlese ‘Hattenheimer Pldffenbery’ 1998, $l5.00/$6.75; Cotes Catalanes 2005, Matassa $15.00/7.75; Barbeito Malvasia Reserva 1954 $50
Ten Bells
Cut from the same cloth as Terroir, Ten Bells hails with an honest focus on small production, offering artisan wines that practice organic and biodynamic winemaking more often than not. The roster of wines by the glass changes frequently, but there is never a shortage of oddities ranging from Bugey to Moroccan Syrah. No hipster shall dare leave unhappy.
Current Highlights: Pechigo “Le Mothe” 2008, Sylvain Saux $10; Corbieres 2006, Domaine du Fontsainte $9
Eleven Madison Park
One might not think to stop here for a casual quaff, but this long list (over 50 strong) of nonpareils is well worth the visit. Glasses range anywhere from $9–$85 (’95 d’Yquem), punching through expectations in both price (and yes, by that we mean high) and selection (Joly’s Coulee de Serrant by the glass, anyone?) in such a way that it still demands designation as one of the top 5 wine lists in the city.
Current Highlights: Coulee de Serrant 2005, Nicholas Joly $24; Barolo 2000, Vigna dei Dardi $19; Santenay 1er Cru ‘Les Gravieres’ 2002, Michel Colin-Deleger; Vin Jaune 2000, Jacques Puffeney $14
Bar Boulud
Not only are the 25 selections by the glass (avg. $14) and taste (avg. $7) well chosen and varied, but our man Madrigale regularly hooks us with his unbeatable chess move: every night he opens a large format bottle and pours it by the glass, and just about every pick is worth dining alongside pre-theater grannies. Follow @BARBOULUD on twitter for nightly updates.
Recent Highlights: Nuits St. George 1er Cru ‘Les Vaucrains’ 2002, Jean Chauvenet;1975 Cos d’Estournel, Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2007, Prager; Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru ‘Clos St jacques’ 1995, G. Bartet
Maialino
At only a few months old, Danny Meyer’s newest slam dunk is a hit, thanks to former Union Square Café Wine Director, Stephen Mancini. The whole list reads like a charity auction, and the ambitious by the glass list (littered with back vintage gems) is no exception. All of the 23 selections are available by the quartino (avg. price $19.25) or glass (avg. price $13).
Current Highlights: Barbera d’Alba ‘Regiaveja’ 2001, Bovio $11/16; Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2003, Il Macchione $13/18; Barolo 1995, Vigna dei Dardi $22/29; Rosso Ca del Merlo 1998, Giuseppe Quintarelli $26/36
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Six Great Places To Go by the Glass
Posted: January 11, 2010
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In brief: Sometimes it seems a whole hell of a lot more difficult than it should be to find a great glass of wine in this city. While there is hardly a shortage of wine bars on our little island, many of them are just a click above embarrassing...
