New York's Best New Wine Bars

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a grape plebian or a master sommelier, there’s nothing like a great glass of wine.  Wine bars understand exactly that.  Whether you’re in the mood for a fruity white, a big red or a celebratory champagne toast, they’ll point you to the right selection.  Lucky for us, the city is flush with wine bars serving unusual or
interesting bottles by the glass, and new ones opening every day.  Which means you don’t have to make a habit of the same spot or the same glass.  Here’s a few of our favorite new entries to the wine bar scene…

Brooklyn Oenology
Address: 209 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
Phone: (718.599.1259)
Website:  www.brooklynoenology.com
Barely open a week and this wine bar is already generating buzz for its one-of-a-kind menu.  The wines being served at this Brooklyn newcomer are all blends of grapes sourced exclusively from New York and mixed locally as well.  The first time we sampled Brooklyn Oenology’s wines was at Buttermilk Channel, but now the company has its own flagship with a tasting room to sample their locavore chardonnay, merlot and the well-received and notably “jammy” 2007 Social Club red.

Bar Henry
Address: 90 W. Houston St.,
Phone:
(646.488.4559)
Website: www.barhenry.com
Walking
down Houston Street and you could easily miss Bar Henry, which would be
a real shame, especially if you’re a oenophile.  Because just a few
steps below street level is one of the best new wine bars in the city
right now.  Bar Henry has serious street cred; its wine list is
curated by sommelier John Slover, who worked at both Cru and Blue
Hill.  The owners also run Café Henry, which has long held a
West Village presence and a loyal folling.  As for the wine list, it’s
impressive and varied.  The best part is that you can order a half
bottle from the list and they’ll offer the other half to patrons by the
glass, which is a great way to sample options at a more pocket- friendly
price.

Anfora
Address: 34 Eighth Ave.
Phone: (212)518-2722
Website: www.anforanyc.com
Purple pleather banquettes aside, Anfora is a charming place to
spend the evening sampling wines alone or with friends. This newest
venture from the owners of dell-anima and l’artusi offers a uniquely
biodynamic-minded menu of Mediterranean wines, which go wonderfully with
their lamb ragu sliders, stuffed peppers, and shareable charcuteria and
cheese plates.

Vesta
Address: 21-02  30th Ave. (Queens)
Phone: (718)545-5550
Website: www.vestavino.com

We’ve loved this cozy Queens eatery since it opened a few years ago.
Recently, they won the “Slow Food NYC Snail of Approval Award” for
bringing local and sustainable wine service to Astoria.  The focus of
Vesta’s wine menu are Italian, earth-friendly wines that you can order
by the “shot.”  That means you can sample a lot more wines than at most
restaurants and DIY pairing menu with dishes, like three-meat lasagna,
steamed mussels, or roasted cauliflower with raisins and pine nuts

Terroir Tribeca
Address: 24 Harrison St., nr. Greenwich St.
Phone: (212.625.WINE)
Website: www.wineisterroir.com
When Terroir Tribeca declared 2010 the summer of Riesling and created a menu heavily centered around the German wine, we knew this wine bar was rather passionate about the subject matter.  This second outpost of Marco Canora and Paul Grieco’s Terroir (the first opened in the east Village) has an even more extensive wine menu than its East Village counterpart.   The bound list is well-organized, cheeky, and informative. And the food selection is just as expansive with offerings like a whipped lardo bruschetta and meatball sandwich.

V-Note
Address: 1522 First Ave., btwn. 79th & 80th Sts.
Phone: (212.249.5009)
Website: www.v-notenyc.com
This organic wine bar is a surprisingly compelling reason to drag your date to the Upper East Side. V-Note is from the owners of the cultishly loved, vegan restaurant Blossom and its menu reflects those roots.  I was skeptical about the food and the wine, but there are interesting offerings by the bottle or glass, including a crisp Gruner Veltliner from Austria, a brassy Cotes du Rhone, and even a sparkly French brut. If that’s not your style, there’s organic beers to drink with the surprisingly satisfying meat-free dishes, like a mushroom Shepard’s pie, mushroom ravioli and a black-eyed pea cake.  If you’re bored of the same old thing, it’s worth a visit.

Tangled Vine
Address: 434 Amsterdam Ave.
Phone: (646.863.3896)
Website: www.tangledvinebar.com
If only all neighborhoods had a wine bar with a half-priced happy hour and late-night bites. This Upper West Side spot does with plenty of interesting wines the glass and wine flights, which allow for exploration of several different varietals. I’m currently obsessed with sherry and Tangled Vine happens to offer a flight of manzanilla, amontillado, and oloroso.  If you get hungry, they offer homemade potato chips and East Coast oysters with a moscatel and pink peppercorn mignonette.

The Bodega
Address: 24 St. Nicholas Place, at the corner of Troutman St. (Brooklyn)
Phone: (646)924-8488
Spanish wines are the inspiration behind this fabulous new bar in Brooklyn.  There’s a rotating roster of mostly Spanish wines with a few Chilean, Argentinian and Portuguese wines, so the menu never gets stale.  Even better, most wines are under ten dollars and terrific.  Of course, there’s tapas to snack on as well, including artisanal meats and cheeses.  Oh, and they also play movies as well.