Nama
Tokyo discipline meets Burgundy obsession in Midtown
Midtown Manhattan Β· New York Β· Japanese
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Nama lands with the same quiet confidence as the food β no flash, just weight. You're looking at 350 to 500 bottles anchored by serious French and Italian heavy hitters, curated by a three-person sommelier team that actually knows what they're talking about. This is not a list built to impress Instagram; it's built to impress people who grew up reading wine maps.
Selection Deep Dive
Champagne and Burgundy are the clear obsessions here β Krug and Salon anchor the sparkling section while Domaine de la RomanΓ©e-Conti and Henri Jayer make appearances that will either thrill you or give you an invoice-induced panic attack. Bordeaux holds its own with ChΓ’teau PΓ©trus in the mix, and the California contingent β Screaming Eagle, Opus One β plays to the Midtown crowd without overwhelming the French backbone. Tuscany punches in via Sassicaia and Masseto, rounding out a list that reads more like a collector's cellar than a restaurant inventory. The gaps are minor: more depth in Germany, Spain, and the Southern Hemisphere would push this from great to genuinely exhaustive.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is generous for a room this focused on the bottle β and at $15 to $40 a pour, the range covers both a quick pre-dinner Champagne and something more serious to sip through a multi-course omakase. We'd expect the sommelier team to rotate the program thoughtfully, though hard data on how often the BTG list actually changes is limited. Ask Slim or Ellie what's open β they'll steer you somewhere smart.
Salon Blanc de Blancs β $40 (by the glass, estimated)
Salon by the glass at a Japanese restaurant in Midtown is genuinely rare. If it's available as a pour, that's the move β the laser-focused Chardonnay acidity is made for raw fish, and you're accessing one of Champagne's most celebrated houses without committing to a full bottle.
Domaine Leflaive
Most eyes at this table go straight to DRC and PΓ©trus, but Leflaive's whites β if they're on β are the quiet overachievers. Puligny-Montrachet from this producer alongside a course of uni or yellowtail sashimi is a combination most diners at Nama will walk right past. Their loss.
Opus One
Opus One is a technically solid wine and a serious brand, but at Midtown Manhattan markups alongside a Japanese omakase menu, it's a mismatch of both price and culture. You're paying a premium for a California Cabernet-heavy blend that fights the delicate flavors on the plate. The list has better options at every price point.
Krug Champagne + Omakase sushi selection
Krug's toasty complexity and relentless bubbles cut through the fat of nigiri and keep every bite feeling fresh. It's one of the few wines that can hold its own across an entire omakase progression without clashing β course after course, it just works.
π₯ The Bottom Line
Nama earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and you'll feel exactly why the moment you open the list. The markup is real and the occasion needs to match, but for a proper celebration dinner where the wine is as serious as the food, this is one of the better rooms in the city.
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