Wine List Analysis

When it comes to living in New York City we have many options for so many different things. For example, if you want pizza it ranges from a simple $1 slice of pizza to a $7 slice of artichoke pizza. Another example would be with restaurants, you can have the traditional fast food restaurant like McDonalds or a 5 star Michelin restaurant like Batard Tribeca NYC. The same concept pertains to the wine lists of the restaurant establishments throughout the NYC. The evidence is there with over 3,000 restaurants having extensive wine lists in NYC. I will be comparing the wine list of 2 restaurants that I have visited which are The River Café and Gramercy Tavern.

Both of these establishments are fine dining restaurants but are each individually different. The River Café, as the name suggest sits right on the East River overlooking an amazing view of the city highline. It has more of an upbeat vibrant feeling with live music and a flowery scenery surrounding you. This type of environment can make it conducive to wine drinkers who would like to sit by the water and consume wine. On the other hand, the Gramercy Tavern fits the fine dining experience with a dim lit, reserved classic look which can also be conducive to wine consumers as well. As for the wine list of each restaurant, there are many similarities and differences. On both wine list you can find comprehensive list of champagne, sparkling wines as well as white and red wines. Other similarities they share are the countries and regions they come. For example, both restaurants acquire their wines from the United States more specifically the California Napa Valley and the New York Finger lakes. Other countries include France and some of its regions like Loire Valley, Alsace, and Bordeaux.  They also acquire wine from Italy and its regions such as Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. They also acquire wines from Germany and Austria. In terms of pouring, both restaurants offer wine by glasses, half bottles, and full bottles. A difference between the two restaurants is The River Café gets most of its wine from France with California while The Gramercy Tavern gets most of its wine abroad at France and Italy. The River Café also has a more extensive list of Grand and Premier Cru than The Gramercy Tavern. A major difference is The River Café has a special collection which The Gramercy Tavern nor any other restaurant does not have, which is the Madeira Collection. This is a special collection of wine that comes from Madeira, which is a small volcanic island off the port of Portugal which was also used by Christopher Columbus.

After reviewing, both restaurants and wine list I would pick The River Café as a better option over the Gramercy Tavern. The River Café has a broader spectrum of wine which allows for people who are experienced or not experienced in wine to be able to choose a wine. Personally, overlooking a beautiful city highline and sharing a glass of red wine with your love one isn’t bad either