1. 1. Bottega del Vino

   7 E. 59th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-223-3028

   A faithful reproduction of Verona’s legendary wine bar, down to the proprietary stemware and the rare vintages of everything from Opus One to Château d’Yquem.

2. 2. Veritas

   43 E. 20th St., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-353-3700

   Two serious collectors opened this place when they realized you can’t take it with you—“it” being a 3,000-bottle collection.

3. 3. Ditch Plains

   29 Bedford St., at Downing St.; 212-633-0202

   At this urban fish shack, every wine sold by the bottle is also available by the half, at prices much closer to retail than the typically larcenous restaurant markup.

4. 4. Cru

   24 Fifth Ave., at 9th St.; 212-529-1700

   A Bouley grad in the kitchen, and a 65,000-bottle dream of a cellar.

Related:

• Archive: “Food Features”
• Articles by Robin Raisfeld | Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: Dec 4, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!