Inside the Wine Cellar at Gramercy Tavern

On the bar at Gramercy Tavern, there’s a shelf of tiny objects—an action figure, grapes made from glass beads, a drum, a plastic ham smoking a cigarette. They’re a marked departure from the aesthetics of the antique-filled room, but their purpose is entirely in keeping with the restaurant’s ethos of seamless, attentive hospitality.

When beverage director Randall Restiano runs down two flights of stairs to fetch a bottle from the cellar, he places the one-inch white plastic drum on the bar, a message to the rest of the staff to stay on the floor. Many restaurants of this size opt for in-ear walkie talkies, but this system — quirky, functional and utterly individual — is quintessentially Gramercy Tavern.

Restiano, who joined as beverage director in August 2023, credits previous director Juliette Pope for building the program. Pope started as a cook in 1997, then as a server, a manager, and finally started overseeing beverages starting in 2004 (she held the post until 2016). Pope in turn credits her predecessor Paul Grieco. “Paul set the stage for where I took the wine program,” she says. “I put my own stamp on it over time.”

For his part, Grieco, a server in early 1995 before becoming service director, credits his predecessor, Gramercy’s opening manager Steven Solomon, for creating the identity of the wine program that lives on today. “I just carried on whatever secret sauce or pixie dust that Steven, Danny, Tom, and Larry [Goldenberg] put into that place back in July of ’94,” he says.

Part of that pixie dust is a common language about wine shared by all staff. “From the beginning, the whole orientation of the program was about tasting all the time, educating, sharing stories, putting wine in everybody’s glasses — the waiters, the bartenders, all 40 people sitting down at family meal,” says Pope.

During a recent wine talk on California, a sommelier rearranged plates on a four-top to map out Napa Valley, with a folded napkin representing Gala Mountain Vineyard, where the Cabernet Sauvignon in everyone’s glasses was from. Kitchen staff, too, have weekly wine tastings — a rarity even in high-end restaurants.

Thirty years on, Gramercy Tavern’s wine program continues to surprise and delight. There’s an 81-page list, and compelling wines poured tableside by the glass to encourage guests to try new things. And while plenty of bottles have changed over the years, the soul of the wine program remains the same.

“The bones have been in place since the start,” says Greico. “What identifies wine at Gramercy Tavern? You’re going to have fucking Boxler on there,” referring to the acclaimed Alsace producer (and long-term favorite of Danny Meyer). Open up the list today, and he’s right: plenty of new names, but still plenty of Boxler.

4 wines to drink like a Gramercy Tavern sommelier

2020 Roberto Henriquez ‘Santa Cruz de Coya’ País

“The journey this juicy, earthy wine made from red País grapes grown in Chile’s Bio Bio Valley takes the imbiber on — the range of aromatics, the length of the wine on the palate, the questions the wine asks of you — very much mirrors the freedom we had at Gramercy to do everything possible to make the guest happy, and also the characters that worked at Gramercy to make everything possible.” – Paul Grieco, former Gramercy Tavern beverage director 

NV Domaine François et Julien Pinon Rosé Pétillant Naturel Non-Dosé

“Julien Pinon and his father François are known for their Chenin Blancs, but I love the pet-nat pink they make from a mere 0.4 hectare of black fruit planted by François in the 1960s to make red wine for their vineyard workers. It is dry, juicy, chalky and delicious and it was a privilege to pour it by the glass at Gramercy annually (for a pittance, like $10).” – Juliette Pope, former Gramercy Tavern beverage director

2021 Littorai “One Acre” Pinot Noir

“This is the first wine produced by Ted Lemmon in 1993, and has been on Gramercy’s list since the first days. Littorai’s wines are classic and iconic, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma that are as good as any from Burgundy. It mirrors how Gramercy has always been an American restaurant that is one of the best restaurants, American or not. Just like each of the dishes that leaves our kitchen, this wine tells a story.” – Randall Restiano, Gramercy Tavern beverage director

NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

“For the decade before Gramercy opened, we had always poured Billecart-Salmon Brut NV by the glass at Union Square Cafe and we’d developed a strong bond with the Champagne house. And so, when we opened Gramercy Tavern, of course we wanted to work again with Billecart-Salmon, but in a different way. Their NV Brut Rosé is the benchmark in its category, which is exactly what we’d hoped to aspire to for Gramercy Tavern.” – Danny Meyer, Gramercy Tavern co-founder and executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group