stateside expert and current executive wine editor of Food & Wine. Best for: 50% off Champagne after 10pm – every night Master Sommelier Laura Maniec’s Union Square destination (there are branches in New York’s Chelsea Market and in Charlotte, NC) is part wine bar and part wine education center. Regular classes on the world’s major wines and regions augment the ambitious food (everything from simple snacks to full-on dinner entrees like lobster cavatelli with basil, lemon and chili) and extensive wine list. The focus is on artisanal producers from Europe and the New World, but the highlight is Maniec’s long-running “Champagne Campaign,” in which all bottles of Champagne—and there are many—are fifty percent off after 10pm, every night.13 E. 13th Street, 
New York, NY; Best for: Youthful vibe and natural wines The initial draw for many visitors to this Williamsburg natural-wine hotspot is likely the co-ownership (and occasional presence) of LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy.

But what keeps people coming back is the menu of well-crafted dishes like black bass crudo in carrot dashi or a fresh snap pea salad with chilies, mint and ricotta salata from chef Nick Curtola, and, of course, the wine. In keeping with Williamsburg’s youthful vibe, the prices are low and the wines are lean towards the natural; hipster-approved producers like Pacalet, Cornelissen and Clos du Tue-Boeuf share space with old-school esoterica like Emidio Pepe’s lovely, funky Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.295 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY; Aldo Sohm Wine Bar Best for: If Wallpaper magazine did wine bars… Austrian expat Aldo Sohm, the longtime wine director for Manhattan’s acclaimed temple to fish, Le Bernardin, opened this sleek spot in 2014 (in partnership with Bernardin’s Eric Ripert and Maguy LeCoze). The wine bar is situated across a covered alley from Sohm’s full-time gig, off 51st street in midtown, and the feel is very seventies modern, anchored by a big sectional banquet section (very soft; expect to sink in);

orb-like hanging lights, shelves full of knick-knacks and paintings by Keith Haring, among others, complete the feel. wine and food knowledgeThe place is casual, but pricey Zalto glasses and an extensive, thoughtful list that rises quickly from a clutch of bottles around the $45-60 zone (Valle dell’Acate’s bright Frappato from Sicily, for instance) to more rarified offerings (’89 Ducru Beaucaillou for $620) suggest that midtown casual doesn’t exactly mean downtown cheap.top rated wine inventory software151 West 51st Street, NY, NY; best wine club uk 2015 Best for: Broad list, ambitious bar snacks and lots of Riesling Terroir’s original East Village location sadly closed earlier this year, but owner Paul Grieco’s lively, storm-the-wine-barricades sensibility carries on at its Tribeca outpost (and, seasonally, on NYC’s elevated High Line park).

The trend towards irreverent, commentary-filled, attitudinal wine lists pretty much wouldn’t exist were it not for Grieco’s example, and while the progeny aren’t always as clever as they try to be, Grieco’s list is: opinionated, surprising, and as much fun to read as it is to order from. Ambitious bar snacks like deviled eggs with lump crab, lamb sausage in sage leaves and pork belly sliders are ideal accompaniments to everything from—well, the range is, to say the least, broad. Flor-aged Pedro Ximenez from Andalucia rubs shoulders with Condrieu from Georges Vernay; flip one page, you get aged Turley Zinfandels, flip another, there’s an ’02 Grivot, Clos de Vougeot. And there is lots (and lots; it’s Grieco’s primary passion) of Riesling.24 Harrison Street, NY, NY; Casellula Cheese & Wine Café Best for: Cheese and wine lovers At this longstanding midtown-west bar, it’s hard to determine whether the wine or the cheese takes top billing. Which is as it should be, given owner (and former fromager at The Modern) Brian Keyser’s passion for both.

The place is tiny (it seats 39 people) and the cheeses—about 40, from all over the world, on a daily-changing list—are impeccable. The wine a finely chosen and largely not terribly expensive list of about 80 bottles, also from around the world, offers highlights like Niepoort’s complex Redoma Branco from Portugal for $55 and the 2011 Marchesi di Gresy, Barbaresco Martinenga for $110. The appeal here isn’t splurging on blue-chip collectibles; it’s indulging in an exploration of great cheeses and wines all chosen to complement one another. The trademark pig’s ass sandwich—a sort of refined Cubano, with thin slices of Shelburne Farms Cheddar, Fol Epi, and slow-roasted, spice-rubbed pork butt (i.e. shoulder)—is also not to be missed.401 W. 52nd Street, NY, NY; Who better to ask where to wine and dine in London than our experts... With benefits for health, the environment and your wallet, natural wine is the latest must-try trend in innovative winemaking... The Zagat Survey’s 2005-06 guide to New York City Nightlife has put six wine bars on its A-list.

In the three decades since the Napa Valley began its steep ascent to international wine stardom, California’s best known appellation seems at times to have become a cliché, with its increasingly opulent wineries, as-seen-on-TV chefs and spectacular restaurants. At worst, it’s a boozy adult Disneyland, complete with rides (the Wine Train) and lines (Highway 29 traffic). At best, the valley is undulating hills, crisscrossed by vines and awash in wildflowers — a stunningly beautiful landscape studded with small towns. Excellent wine is everywhere, including downtown Napa, where 20 wine bars and tasting rooms have opened in the last decade. The proliferation of new places to taste wine has reversed what was once the norm in Napa: the inevitable hustle to get into a handful of respected wineries. Now there is more time to indulge in other sensory pleasures.) ), in flavors like sweet s’mores and peanut butter milk-chocolate ganache. Then follow First Street over the bridge into downtown, where shops are buzzing.

), which the chef Michael Chiarello opened in 2008. Try the Polenta Under Glass, with caramelized mushrooms and balsamic game sauce ($12), and the Lamb & Egg (lamb sausage, peperonata, crispy soft-boiled egg, red endive and smoked olive-oil-poached mushrooms; $15). ), which may have California’s priciest tasting menu (from $500 with wine). Besides the French Laundry, it’s the only restaurant in the Bay Area with three Michelin stars. Housed in the former Alexandria Hotel, the bar serves 63 wines by the glass, from small production wines to the $85-a-half-bottle Krug Grand Cuvée Champagne. ), an Art Deco movie palace with acts like Ani DiFranco and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.), a 100-year-old Napa Valley institution. ), where you can buy salumis (from the herbaceous air-dried salami Petit Sec aux Herbes to Spanish-style chorizo), pâtés and confits for picnicking among the vines and mustard blossoms.), the former estate of Rene di Rosa, the founder of Winery Lake vineyards and an eccentric collector who devoted himself to the work of Northern California’s emerging artists.

The 200-acre property has peacocks, sculpture-covered hillsides and a lake. The Gatehouse Gallery features rotating exhibitions (a recent show included art cars and sound installations) and is open to drop-ins. But to fully experience di Rosa’s vision, arrange a tour (two hours, $15) of the permanent collection, the sculpture meadow and the di Rosa house, where nearly every surface is covered with art and mementos. TRUCK LUNCHIn an area known for its ostentatious dining rooms, try a food truck pit stop instead. ), ) and the classic taco truck La Esperanza (Soscol Avenue at Vallejo, Napa; 707-246-4908). COOKING DEMOThe Culinary Institute of America has turned out some of the country’s best-known chefs — from Grant Achatz to Anthony Bourdain to Roy Choi. For those without $97,000 to devote to a culinary education, the C.I.A. campus in the 1888 Greystone Cellars building in St. Helena (2555 Main Street; 707-967-2320) offers weekend two-hour classes on the New Spanish Table and regional Italian cooking ($95; www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts).

There are also one-hour demonstrations (at 1:30 p.m.; $20) and 30-minute tours ($10), which visit the Corkscrew Museum and herb garden.) to sample another prized local liquid. Housed in the former Bank of Italy, the shop sells extra-virgin oils from seven Napa estates, six more from greater California and a collection of flavored oils (jalapeño, orange) and wine vinegars. The bank’s vault has been converted to a private tasting room, offering extra-virgin tastings and oil-food pairings ($25 to $50 a person). ), which connects the Kennedy Memorial Park on the Napa River with the Skyline Wilderness Park, two and a half miles inland.) opened on Napa’s riverfront in 2010. It brought high design (midcentury modern furniture, exposed concrete) and urban energy (a bustling bar, blasting techno) to the city’s tame downtown. The East-meets-West menu includes foie gras chawan mushi ($19), sea urchin carbonara ($20) and beautifully sculptured sushi and sashimi. The omakase tasting menu (from $120 per person) is a splurge, while the chirashi bowl (sushi rice topped with fish and vegetables; $32) gives a glimpse of Morimoto’s craft without the painful price tag.

), an ever popular Latin American restaurant, turns into a dance floor. While the owner-winemaker Ariel Ceja gives lessons, locals and out-of-towners dance to salsa, bacchata, merengue, cumbia and reggaeton — until after midnight. ), a hybrid coffeehouse, wine tasting room and bike shop that arranges bicycle rentals and sells energy bars and some very drinkable wine (sold in a 1.5 liter pouch; $17). ), a 44-mile paved bike path that’s to stretch from the Vallejo ferry station to Calistoga, has yet to be fully realized, part of the project has already been completed in Yountville, where it runs parallel to Highway 29. /dining), a barnlike restaurant at the five-year-old Solage Calistoga resort, serves colorful, flower-topped California salads. But the real knockout here is the Lucky Pig ($36), a slow-roasted shoulder of Hampshire pork, served with black sesame crepes, pickled pineapple, Mongolian peanuts and lettuce cups (meant to be shared). Along with the Napa-requisite multipage wine list, Solbar offers exquisite cocktails like the sage canyon flip (Charbay white whiskey, pear purée, lemon, house orgeat syrup, egg white sage; $13).