The Best Places to Drink Wine in Boston

For a city as seemingly conservative as Boston, its wine scene is remarkably experimental. So don’t be surprised when you stumble upon a restaurant in the midst of a full-on sherry love affair or a very honest obsession (sans irony) with orange wine. While wine trends may not begin and end in Boston, it’s a city that has cultivated a point of view that feels more singular than it does a product of influence from its bullying big sister to the south. Here are the wine destinations leading the charge.

  • 1

    Belly Wine Bar

    These two top Cambridge wine destinations are part of a family unit that also includes Central Bottle. Belly, the smaller proper wine bar at the same address as The Blue Room, is known for its narrative list, which tends to change frequently and—channeling Paul Grieco's psychedelic manifestos at his Terroir wine bars and Hearth—often includes commentary on pop-culture minutiae. (When Mitt Romney made his famous "binders full of women" gaff, Belly responded with a section of the list, under that heading, featuring female winemakers.) The group's proper restaurant, The Blue Room, is a bit tamer in its approach, but both ...

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    KNOWN FOR

    • full menu
    • natural wine
    • Italian wine
    • low wine markups
  • 2

    Bergamot

    This Somerville bistro, neighborhood-y as it may seem, is home to one of the city's most extensive and diverse wine lists, helmed by Kai Gagnon, formerly of Craigie on Main. While the list covers a notable amount of ground, sometimes veering (in a good way) into esoterica, it's approachable, offering a snapshot of some of Europe's great small production producers and a by-the-glass list that tops two dozen options. The group is also behind BISq (Bergamot in Inman Square), a new Cambridge restaurant slated to open in the fall of 2014 that will focus on the wines of Northern France, Austria and Germany.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • good wine
    • low wine markups
  • 3

    Craigie on Main

    This award-winning Cambridge restaurant's wine list, run by wine director Emily Larkins, is a nice mash-up of classic and quirky (or the "Funky Bunch" as they're called;  each wine that qualifies is honored with a symbol that denotes "orange, brett-bearing, oxidative, reductive or otherwise weird but special wines"), with a strong selection of whites from Germany, Burgundy and Champagne and a notable selection of Burgundy, Beaujolais and Piedmont reds. The cocktail program—split evenly between classic and proprietary drinks—is also worth traveling for.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • French wine
    • craft cocktails
  • 4

    Eastern Standard

    Eastern Standard is hands down one of the absolute best places to drink in Boston. On the wine front, Colleen Hein's list—a mix of classics and more esoteric regional wines from Europe—is easily one of the best value lists in the country. The wines  are wearing low markups across the board, and the list has surprising depth, vintage-wise, at a number of price points. The same homage to the classic and obscure is also mirrored in the well-edited beer selection, while the cocktail program—run by Jackson Cannon (who also owns The Hawthorne)—is easily one of the Boston's best.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • Italian wine
    • natural wine
    • low wine markups
    • vintage wine
    • craft beer
    • craft cocktails
    • full menu
  • 5

    No. 9 Park

    For more than 15 years, Chef Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant has been a Boston institution. By Lynch's side since the beginning, Cat Silirie—the wine director for all of Lynch's restaurants—continues to maintain some of the city's best wine lists. From day one, Silirie has championed little-known wines and mentored some of Boston’s brightest talent--and she remains one of the most influential wine personalities in Boston. No. 9 Park still maintains the most robust and impressive list in the Lynch-Silirie brood, offering everything from back vintage Barolo to orange wine. The cocktail program, run by Ryan Lotz, has ...

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    KNOWN FOR

    • Italian wine
    • natural wine
    • craft cocktails
  • 6

    Oleana

    One of Cambridge's most established restaurants, Oleana's wine program has seen a number of talented people at the helm. Currently it's Lauren Friel, who manages a list that features a notable selection of organic, biodynamic and natural wines mixed in with well-priced, traditional wines from Italy, France and Spain, as well as a few notable "new California" selections.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • French wine
    • natural wine
    • low wine markups
    • full menu
  • 7

    Row 34

    This massive Back Bay oyster bar from the folks behind Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar is home to a short but hardworking list of wines. Given the predominance of seafood, there's a notable focus on whites from all over the world and an interesting list of sparkling wines, most of them from outside Champagne.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • champagne
    • oysters / raw bar
    • full menu
    • outdoor / patio
  • 8

    Ribelle

    After a lengthy stint at Oleana, Ribelle's wine director and general manager, Theresa Paopao, left Boston for New York to take over the wine programs of the Momofuku Empire. After a few years at the helm she and Ribelle's chef, Tim Maslow—the former chef de cuisine at Momofuku Ssäm Bar—left New York for Boston. In the summer of 2013, the two opened Ribelle (Italian for "rebel") to almost overnight success. On the wine front, Paopao has carried over the quirk she honed down south. The slightly controversial by-the-glass list doesn't list vintages or even producer names, but lists wines as "white #1" or "red #2" with a ...

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • Italian wine
    • full menu
    • outdoor / patio
  • 9

    Spoke

    This relatively new Somerville wine bar (opened in 2013) has become an instant industry darling. The list boasts a small but smart collection by the bottle, with an overall focus on organic and biodynamic wine and most wines priced out under $75. In addition to the bottle list, there's a constantly changing list of wines by the glass, a solid menu of craft cocktails and a food menu—primarily small plates meant for sharing—helmed by John daSilva, the former executive sous chef at No. 9 Park.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • low wine markups
    • good wine
    • full menu
    • craft cocktails