When it comes to natural wine, New York City is brimming with wine bars, bottle shops, and restaurants that are serving up some real gems. While the city offers many options, there are some standouts that should be starred on your Google Maps for your next weekend out. From classics to newbies, these spots are bringing it with the wines by the glass, bottle lists, and pairings.
Drinking New York City: A Guide to Natural Wines
There are so many spots to drink and dine in the city, it can be a little overwhelming to sort through them all and search out the best. These wine bars, restaurants, and bottle shops all have their own unique vibe and feature short lists, long lists, rare bottles, hype bottles, and everything in between.
June Wine Bar
Cobble Hill
June is a cozy place to go with your friends and linger late into the night, sipping some Old World favorites. They have a fairly extensive bottle list organized by grape, so you can get right to the point. When the weather is good, take your Nestarec Bum Bum Cha outside to the back patio and bask in the sunshine, eating whipped ricotta and golden kiwi with kale oil prepared by head chef Diego Moya.
Rosella
East Village
Sustainability guides every decision at Rosella. They are serving up some special natural wines alongside their sashimi, sushi, and fish-sausage sliders. You can opt for the a la carte menu or go with the tasting menu for the full-blown experience. The wine list features particularly small producers working in line with Rosella's vision to create an inspired community of change-makers in the industry. Hudson Valley winery, Wild Arc, is on the list along with Oregon's Maloof, and beloved AmByth from California.
Peoples Wine Bar and Shop
Lower East Side
Hybrid wine bar and bottle shop, Peoples is all about unpretentious wine drinking. The shop a wide range of natural wines under $30 that will absolutely hit the spot. Go and taste through their highly curated list and eat off the short menu of small bites at the bar, Banchan by Sunny, or buy a bottle of Susucaru to take on your next picnic in the park. If you get hooked on the wine community and line-up (which you likely will), you'll want to check out their wine club stat.
The Four Horsemen
Williamsburg
A Brooklyn institution, The Four Horsemen has an extensive 47-page wine list that spans from the Czech Republic to the Canary Islands. It's ever-evolving and rich in diversity. Go there and plan to go big, ordering across the world and experiencing the Jura through Renaud Bruyère and Adeline Houillon's expression with a glass of their Arbois chardonnay.
Lalou
Prospect Heights
Lalou is a pleasantly neutral-toned little wine bar with a 150 plus bottle list in part curated by Joe Campanale. You'll find things like Greek skin contact assyrtiko by the glass and an especially charged list of bubbles from Costadilà to Marie Courtin. Go and plan to order a few bottles along with the potato hash, bone marrow, and soft egg.
PIPS
Brooklyn Heights
PIPS is an Italian-infused wine bar in a rustic atmosphere in Brooklyn Heights. Small plates of anchovies and pork polpette are served with pairing suggestions from their wine list. The wine list ranges from Sardinian Praja to Azimut cava to Keltis chardonnay. It's the perfect casual setting to swing into and savor a glass on any day of the week.
Forêt Wines
Ridgewood
This charming Queens bottle shop is packed tight with a fun collection of natural wines from all over. Head in and you'll find a friendly face that will steer you towards Bouvots' L'Octavin wines and all the beauties from Azienda Agricola Rabasco. Follow along on Insta to stay in the know for winemaker tastings and the occasional Vietnamese pop-up by Ha's Đặc Biệt. Don't miss this little gem of a place!
The Ten Bells
Lower East Side
The Ten Bells has a long passion for serving up natural wines in their cozy den on the Lower East Side. Their long list covers all the classic places and dips into some lesser known regions such as the Finger Lakes and Vermont. They serve an extensive tapas menu alongside their in depth wine list, so you can stay, eat, drink, and be merry for hours. It's a no-brainer to go. Once you get there, deciding what to order is the hard part.
The Fly
Bed-Stuy
Technically and lovingly calling themselves a 'chicken bar', The Fly is new little sister of Cervo's and Hart's. The colorful and fun bar begs you to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine in the late afternoon dappled sunlight. Their wine list isn't big by any means, but it's plenty strong. You'll find orange albariño from Forlorn Hope and Claus Preisinger's blaufrankisch, Fruit Loops. If you are with a cocktail loving buddy, they'll feel right at home here too. And, of course, there's chicken to be had.
Grape Collective
Upper West Side
Grape Collective is a small shop that strives to shine some light on unique, underdog winemakers in the natural sector. There is an educational component to what they are doing which is inline with their curated selection. You'll find some bottles on the shelf that you recognize and likely many you don't. Get chatting with the staff to discover something new to you.
Buy a Bottle, Stay for a Glass
Whether you are a NYC native or just visiting for the weekend, the city's offerings of natural wine is about as diverse as it gets. In the mood for a cozy space to sip a glass of something Old World or a back patio to down that chilled Gamay? Check and check. These wine bars, bottle shops, and restaurants offer it all.
