Courtesy of Brian Samuels While the place looks a bit like a gussied-up version of a corporate cafeteria (complete with televisions and angular lighting fixtures), the food is anything but institutional -- the chefs plate everything from fresh sushi to Kobe sliders to bronzed swordfish belly. Wines are served in 2, 6, and 10oz pours and, since Sip's located a stone's throw from the Theater District, it's an ideal place to grab a glass (or two!) before you see Kinky Boots. Courtesy of Belly Wine Bar The folks behind popular Cambridge enoteca Central Bottle have created the sexiest wine bar in Boston, complete with mouthwatering meats, exposed brick, good music, and hot people. But Belly has more than just swagger; it boasts a staggering wine list organized by flavor profile and a staff of wine geeks who will happily lead you to a new favorite. If you’re looking for classy snacks to pair with that medium-bodied red, this hybrid café/deli/bar peddles sandwiches, charcuterie, and desserts, not to mention cheeses from around the world.

(But you probably guessed that from the name.) It’s open for every meal, but mostly caters to an after-work crowd who enjoys killing half a bottle while debating which cheese to take home. Courtesy of The Butcher Shop For those who can get past the severe hipness of an expensive South End restaurant resembling an old-timey meat emporium, Barbara Lynch’s take on a European butcher shop is worth a taste. The tiny establishment serves house-made charcuterie and a host of wines from Italy, France, Spain, and Australia -- including several proprietary blends -- alongside appetizers that are small, swanky, and best paid for by someone else. While the bottle list is long, there isn’t much in the way of hand-holding for the uninitiated, so wine newbies may want to choose from one of the four daily house picks (one each of white, red, rosé, and Madeira). Be warned: Butcher Shop is popular, so seats are scarce. You may end up sipping that summer rosé while leaning on the meat locker.

Courtesy of Piattini Wine Cafe With dozens of wines by the glass and a huge selection of bottles, Piattini’s wine list offers something for everyone, from the dedicated wine enthusiast to the friend along for the ride who prefers the chewy tannins and earthy aroma of Charles Shaw. buy a wine farmEach wine is accompanied by a card describing its origins, flavor notes, and other facts, making the tapas-style Italian eatery a particularly good place to take less-experienced drinkers who want to sample and learn without derailing your conversation about the Pats.red wine club hotel Courtesy of Les Zygomateswine duty free usa Located near South Station, this French bistro is home to a diverse selection of French and Italian wines, as well as a by-the-glass list featuring more than 50 vinos from around the world. best wine brands at target

With live jazz Tuesday through Saturday and a gorgeous interior, it’s a perfect date location. Beacon Hill is already full of high-end restaurants, so the friendly, chill atmosphere at Bin 26 is refreshing. The staff is knowledgeable without being overbearing, and there’s always something different going on: a wine of the day, #bottlesatbrunch every Sunday, tons of local food events, and constantly rotating wine dinners. top wine stores bostonNobody’s going to judge if you aren’t Mr. Wine Expert, either -- the menu even includes a glossary and a pronunciation guide to help you out.best cleaner for red wine on carpet Spoke is just enough off the beaten path that the whiskey-swilling Saloon crowd hasn’t discovered it yet, which means it’s the least crowded bar in Davis. Don’t let that fool you -- the service is excellent and the food (especially dessert) is beyond delicious, making it the best date spot in the area.

Also, the unusually well-crafted seasonal cocktails will please even those that aren’t interested in popping a bottle. Courtesy of Brian Samuels One of the most notable wine programs in the city belongs to Beat Brasserie (formerly Beat Hotel) in Harvard Square. The trippy '70s-inspired space has 36 all-American wines on tap, many of which are made exclusively for the place. Combine that with craft cocktails and live music in the style of The Beehive, and you’ve got a funky underground wine bar that’ll make you yearn to learn macramé. OK, so it’s not a wine bar per se, but it would be a shame to leave it off our list. This Theater District French restaurant was voted one of America’s top 100 wine restaurants for its insane selection and rare vintages. Plus, with a pairing for every dish on the menu, you can’t not know what to order. If you’re feeling adventurous, try a 2oz taste for just $3.75.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. 1Belly Wine BarThese 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 ...

MORE INFO →KNOWN FORfull menunatural wineItalian winelow wine markups2BergamotThis 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.MORE INFO →KNOWN FORgood winelow wine markups3Craigie on MainThis 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.MORE INFO →KNOWN FORnatural wineFrench winecraft cocktails4Eastern 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.MORE INFO →KNOWN FORItalian winenatural winelow wine markupsvintage winecraft beercraft cocktailsfull menu5No. 9 ParkFor 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 ...MORE INFO →KNOWN FORItalian winenatural winecraft cocktails6OleanaOne 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.MORE INFO →KNOWN FORFrench winenatural winelow wine markupsfull menu7Row 34This 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.MORE INFO →KNOWN FORnatural winechampagneoysters / raw barfull menuoutdoor / patio8RibelleAfter 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 ...MORE INFO →KNOWN FORnatural wineItalian winefull menuoutdoor / patio9SpokeThis relatively new Somerville wine bar (opened in 2013) has become an instant industry darling.