Bella Blu
Upper East Side's Italian Wine Fortress
Upper East Side · New York · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Bella Blu hits like a greatest-hits album of Italian and California wine — Gaja, Biondi-Santi, Sassicaia, Kistler all in one place, and it's not even trying to show off. This is a list built by someone who actually cares, not a hotel beverage manager padding margins. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and walking through these pages, you understand why.
Selection Deep Dive
Three to four hundred bottles anchored in the two regions that matter most here: Italy and California. On the Italian side, the Barolo section alone is worth the visit — Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja sitting side by side, plus Brunello representation from Biondi-Santi and Poggio di Sotto for when you want to spend the evening in Montalcino without leaving Lexington Avenue. Super Tuscans get their own real estate too: Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello are all present, which is the Italian trifecta most lists only partially pull off. California holds its own with Ridge, Stag's Leap, and Kistler rounding out a program that clearly has a point of view.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty options by the glass puts Bella Blu well above average for the Upper East Side, where most Italian spots phone it in with six Pinot Grigios and a house Chianti. Prices run $12–$25 a glass, which is honest for this zip code. We'd love to see more rotation to keep regulars guessing, but the core selection is genuinely good.
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon — $45–$65 (bottle estimate)
Ridge consistently punches above its price tier in California Cab, and in a list that leans toward Sassicaia-level spending, it's your anchor to sanity — serious wine without the serious damage.
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino
Most tables here reach for the Biondi-Santi name recognition, which means Poggio di Sotto — one of Montalcino's most precise, age-worthy producers — often gets overlooked. Don't be that table.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also on every list in every city at a price point that reflects its marketing budget more than its terroir. With Dal Forno Romano and Giacomo Conterno on the same list, this is the safe choice for people who aren't really looking.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella + Caesar Salad followed by Pizza
Hear us out — Amarone's dried-fruit intensity and earthy depth play surprisingly well against a table that starts with the richness of a proper Caesar and moves into the char and salt of their pizza. It's a big wine for a meal that earns it.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Bella Blu is one of the better Italian wine lists in a city with no shortage of competition — sommelier Giuseppe Di Benedetto has assembled something that rewards serious exploration. Markups aren't shy, but the depth and the care behind this program make it worth opening your wallet a little wider than usual.
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