The River Café
Burgundy and Bridges, Brooklyn Never Looked Better
Brooklyn · Brooklyn · American, French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at The River Café arrives with the same gravitas as the Brooklyn Bridge looming outside the window — it's substantial, unmistakably serious, and not trying to be cute about it. France dominates the opening pages, with Burgundy and Bordeaux getting the most real estate, but California earns its seat at the table. This is a list built for a restaurant that has been doing fine dining before most Brooklyn restaurants existed.
Selection Deep Dive
The French backbone here is legitimately impressive — we're talking Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, Leroy Bourgogne, Château Margaux, and Château Pétrus sharing pages with the kind of Burgundy grand crus that make serious collectors pay attention. California holds its own with Ridge Monte Bello, Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay, and Opus One anchoring the New World section. The Madeira selection — featuring both Barbeito and Blandy's — is a quietly wonderful touch that most restaurants in this city don't bother with. The list runs roughly 150-250 bottles deep, which for this caliber of producer feels focused rather than thin.
By the Glass
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass is a solid program for a restaurant of this type, and the sommelier team here — Alex Bialas, Robert Pruett, and Austin Gardner — keeps the rotation quality-conscious rather than filler-heavy. Don't expect house pours to be an afterthought; this is a room where the staff will steer you toward something worth drinking. We'd ask what's open rather than defaulting to the printed list.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $120
In a list loaded with four-figure Burgundy, Kistler's Chardonnay delivers serious California white wine credibility at a price that doesn't require a spreadsheet to justify. It's the move for the table that wants to drink well without the full commitment of a grand cru budget.
Barbeito Madeira
Most tables will walk right past the Madeira section without a second look, and that's a mistake. Barbeito makes some of the most precise, age-worthy Madeira being produced today, and having it available at a Brooklyn restaurant is genuinely rare. Order it with the crème brûlée and thank us later.
Opus One
Opus One is a beautiful Napa Cabernet blend, but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles in American fine dining — you're paying heavily for the name recognition at every restaurant it appears on. At The River Café, where the California section has better value plays and the Bordeaux list is the real deal, Opus One is the bottle for people who want to impress a client, not for people who want to drink well.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet + Wild Striped Bass
Leflaive's Puligny brings that tight, mineral-driven Chardonnay energy that cuts right through the richness of a beautifully plated striped bass without overwhelming it. It's the kind of pairing that makes you stop mid-bite and appreciate both the kitchen and the cellar simultaneously.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The River Café earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence the hard way — with a list that's genuinely deep, a sommelier team that knows what they're selling, and a Madeira section that puts most wine bars to shame. Prices are steep across the board, but you're sitting under the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan lighting up the river, so you already knew this wasn't going to be cheap.
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