With a more informal flavor than its sister venue, Craft Restaurant, Tom Colicchio’s Craftbar nonetheless boasts an equally impressive wine list. The presentation is different: there’s less of the quiet minimalism of the restaurant list, and much more in the way of accessible information in the series of explanatory notes. The World’s Best Wine Lists awards’ judges particularly liked the presentations of star Chablis grower Vincent Dauvissat, and the introductory guides to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Piedmont, and the Jura, but whatever the subject, it’s always a pleasure to read.
A pleasure to drink, too, no doubt, with the signature Craft mix of the esoteric and the established, and always with a small-producer slant—not least in Craftbar’s own wine, produced for the restaurant by top new-wave Californian producer, Sandhi. It’s an eclectic selection that makes for a perfect fit for the melting-pot menu of modern New York cuisine, where Atlantic halibut, bok choy, pickled shiitake, Persian cucumber, kohlrabi, fermented black beans, rubs shoulders with blood Sausage, braised octopus, piquillo peppers, and sunchoke chips.