Sistina

Walk into Sistina and the wine list arrives like a small novel — somewhere between 1,200 and 1,800 bottles deep, organized with the kind of seriousness that tells you immediately this place takes wine as seriously as it takes its decades-long Upper East Side reputation. This is old-school Italian dining done with conviction, and the cellar backs it up. Wine Spectator has handed out Grand Awards here since 2018, and one look at the list tells you exactly why.

The Italian section is the obvious centerpiece: Tuscany and Piedmont are covered at a depth that most dedicated wine bars can't touch. Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, Solaia, and Tignanello anchor the Super Tuscan column, while the Barolo lineup reads like a Piedmont hall of fame — Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja all present and accounted for. Biondi-Santi and Casanova di Neri (Giacomo Neri) hold down Brunello di Montalcino with appropriate gravitas. France isn't an afterthought either: Bordeaux royalty like Château Pétrus and Château Lafite Rothschild share shelf space with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and California's prestige tier — Opus One, Screaming Eagle — rounds out a list built for serious collectors and serious celebrators alike.

With 20 to 30 options by the glass, Sistina offers more pour flexibility than most white-tablecloth Italian spots in the city. The selection skews Italian and classic, which is exactly what you want here. We'd steer toward whatever Nebbiolo or Sangiovese is open on a given night — the staff know what they're pouring and can point you in the right direction.