The Tangled Vine Wine Bar & Kitchen
434 Amsterdam Ave., at 81st St. 646-863-3896
Few purportedly eco-conscious wine bars walk the talk like this stone-walled biodynamic- and organic-wine fetishist on the Upper West Side. Credit’s due to author Evan Spingarn (The Ultimate Wine Lover’s Guide), who curated a 161-bottle list (with 37 selections by the glass) heavy on sustainably produced varietals from the Old World. Wine neophytes drawn to the communal tables and mahogany-stained bar should just follow Spingarn’s “can’t go wrong” favorites, such as a refreshing Riesling from Germany’s Von Buhl ($50 a bottle). Mercat vet David Seigal’s Mediterranean-inspired bites (squid-ink pasta, blood-sausage-chickpea-apricot crostini) can serve as a snack or, if you stick around longer, a decadent meal.