Ask me to describe my ideal wine bar and the key words you would get are: exposed-brick, rustic, French, candlelight, and nibbles that include goat cheese tarts and ricotta drizzled in honey.  Bonus points for Mason jars on the table filled with mini daisies…or Mason jars that actually serve as wine glasses.  (What can I say?  I’m a Southern girl at heart!)

However, I know that’s not all New Yorkers’ cup of tea glass of wine, so I turned to you, our loyal readers, and asked what your favorite spots in the city were to enjoy a glass of vino and why.  I was delighted by the responses, many of which I had never even heard of before, let alone tried.  The bar that got mentioned the most times was a little gem tucked away on 50th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, Sofia Wine Bar.  Here’s what some of you said about it:

@michtara Sofia Wine Bar…it’s so cozy!

@Thirsty_Kitten  LOVE @SofiaWineBar…island of hospitality in #midtowneast. Superb service, wine list, homemade lasagna.

I bundled up and headed over to experience this cozy island of hospitality myself.  Here’s the verdict:

Pros:

-It was 8pm on a Thursday night and the place was packed.  I didn’t have the foresight to make a rezzie, but the host/waiter was awesome enough to separate two tables and get us seated immediately.  I do love speedy service.

-The decor was right up my alley.  In lieu of daisies they had mini-poinsettias on the table (tis the season, eh?), but the candlelight, exposed brick, and French linen napkins were all there.  Even the outside of the building was strung with twinkle lights, which I’m ALWAYS a fan of, Christmas season or not.

-The food and wine: perfecto.  My favorite dishes were the Bruschetta Trio and the Tartufo Chocolate Lava Cake.  And the bottle of La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino, of course.  From dark raspberries to French oak, this medium body wine is one that would make any wine lover’s mouth happy.

Cons:

-It was LOUD.  Seriously, with the amount of noise going on, I felt more like I was dining at an Irish pub than a cozy wine bar.  The music was blasting, and it was more of the genre you’d expect to hear at a Chelsea club rather than an intimate wine bar.  Granted, we were seated in the front of the restaurant near the bar, so maybe the back dining room is a bit more my volume.  Regardless, I’d definitely return to find out for sure.

Here’s other reader-reccomended wine bars throughout the city:

Manhattan

Brooklyn

Queens

What are we missing?  Share your go-to wine bars below, and we’ll be sure to check them out and report back!

By: Jessica Tiare Bowen