Aim High
The best wine deals are now found at top restaurants--if you know where to look
There's never been a better time to be a wine geek in New York.
In this crummy economy, restaurants are doing all they can to keep customers coming--especially at the high end, where the density of star sommeliers and highly coveted wines is greatest. Now that top wine talents have turned their attention to value-priced bottles, we can all drink better. Here's where to find the best deals in town:
Corton Named for the fanciest wine in Burgundy, Corton (pictured) is not the most obvious place to get bargains, but sommeliers Elizabeth Harcourt and Tanya Roqueta have designed a section of the wine list called "French Country Wines," which contains 50 bottles at $60 or less. Not that there's anything rustic about Thévenet's Blanc de Blancs ($51) or Terrebrune's brooding Terre d'Ombre Bandol ($42), but we're not complaining. 239 W. Broadway (between Walker and White sts.); 212-219-2777 or cortonnyc.com
Cru This restaurant's two-volume wine list has always held plenty of bargains; it was just a matter of finding them. Now all you have to do is look on page 5, where wine director Robert Bohr has highlighted "Hundreds under $100." Some of the 350-plus selections are underpriced obscurities (Peillot Altesse for $40, Producteurs Plaimont Les Vignes Retrouvees at $35); others are cheap thanks to Cru's deep cellar (i.e., Müller-Catoir at fire-sale prices). 24 Fifth Ave. (at Ninth St.) 212-529-1700 or cru-nyc.com
Oak Room Among the magnums of Krug and first-growth Bordeaux on the Oak Room's list, sommelier Joshua Nadel has set out "50 wines under $50," a wine nerd's dream list of mineral-filled gems, such as the stony Muscadet from Domaine de la Pepière, single-vineyard Hirsch Pinot Noirs from California and fragrant Marsannay from Camille Giroud. 10 Central Park S. (between Fifth and Sixth aves.); 212-758-7777 or oakroomny.com
