It’s the final week of June in New York City, and the wine scene is in full summer swing. The past six months have brought a remarkable wave of openings, awards, and events that make it clear: NYC’s appetite for ambitious, personal, and deeply considered wine experiences has never been stronger. From a 12-seat East Village marvel that’s already the hardest reservation-free seat in town to a Chinatown newcomer that critics are calling the year’s best, here’s what’s shaping New York’s wine landscape heading into July.
Stars: The East Village’s Tiny Wine Powerhouse
Since opening its doors in December 2025, Stars has quietly become one of the most talked-about wine bars in the city — and it does it with only 12 seats. Conceived by Chase Sinzer and Joshua Pinsky, the restaurateurs behind Claud and Penny (both Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winners), Stars is a walk-in-only, wine-first room designed for one thing: drinking well.
The space itself is intimate and considered — a U-shaped zinc counter, cedar-lined walls, art by Noguchi and Frank Stella — but the real star here is the list. Over 1,000 bottles deep, with a rotating “88 under $88” section that makes world-class wine approachable without the price anxiety. Wine director Julia Schwartz has curated a list that spans from Julian Haart’s precise Mosel Rieslings to the high-altitude Garnachas of Las Pedreras in Spain’s Sierra de Gredos. The food is snack-forward and intentional: deviled eggs, griddled shrimp toast, blinis with country ham and maple butter — everything designed to complement, never compete.
Arrive early, because at 12 seats, timing is everything. Sinzer told Wine Spectator the vision was clear: “We wanted to make sure people knew very clearly that Stars is a spot to pop in and have some wine.” Mission accomplished. Read the full review at Eater NY.
Lei: Chinatown’s Dazzling New Wine Bar
Just a few subway stops south, Lei on Doyers Street in Chinatown has been generating the kind of buzz that usually takes years to earn. Opened in June 2025 by Annie Shi (co-owner of King, one of NYC’s most celebrated restaurants), Lei is a 28-seat wine bar that pairs an ambitious, ever-changing wine list with food that draws on Chinese culinary tradition — and it works brilliantly.
In March 2026, Food & Wine declared Lei “may be New York’s best new wine bar”, and the praise keeps coming. The New York Times’s restaurant critic praised Lei as “a true wine bar — not a restaurant posing as one” with “a cellar that is abundant and thrilling.” Wine director Matt Turner has pulled together a list that balances adventurous natural wines with classics, including standout bottles like a sparkling blend of pinot noir and Chardonnay from NingXia’s Silver Heights in China — the kind of bottle you simply won’t find anywhere else in the city.
The food menu is concise but compelling: think Sichuan cucumber salad, scallion pancakes, and other dishes that play off the wine list with real intelligence. Shi, who also co-owns the wine bar Jupiter in SoHo, has created something genuinely singular in Lei — a place where the wine and the food come from the same thoughtful place. The New Yorker called it “a new jewel of Chinatown.” Hard to argue with that.
New York Wines Sustainability Week: A Blueprint for the Future
Earlier this year, from February 23 through March 1, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation hosted the second annual New York Wines Sustainability Week, a citywide series of events showcasing certified sustainable wines from across New York State. While the dates have passed, the initiative remains one of the most important developments in the state’s wine industry — and the wines are still pouring at restaurants and bars across NYC.
New York State is home to a growing number of certified sustainable producers making bright, cool-climate, food-friendly wines that are increasingly finding their way onto the city’s best lists. The Sustainability Week programming included tastings, producer meet-and-greets, and regionally inspired pairings at venues throughout the five boroughs. If you missed it, the message is still worth carrying into summer: look for the sustainable certification on New York bottles, and know that you’re drinking something that’s good for the land and good for your glass. Learn more at New York Wines.
Summer is actually the perfect time to explore New York’s sustainable producers — the state’s Rieslings, dry rosés, and sparkling wines are hitting their stride, and they pair effortlessly with rooftop season.
Summer Sip 2026: Your Next Sunday Road Trip
If you’re ready to get out of the city for a day, mark your calendar for Sunday, July 19. The Shawangunk Wine Trail is hosting Summer Sip 2026 at City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery, NY — about 90 minutes north of Manhattan — from 11 AM to 5 PM. It’s a celebration of Hudson Valley wine, hard cider, live music, and the kind of summer afternoon that makes you remember why you put up with the rest of the year.
Ten award-winning producers will be pouring, including Brotherhood (America’s oldest winery, dating to 1839), Whitecliff Vineyard, Robibero Winery, Magnanini Winery, Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, Quartz Rock Vineyard, Christopher Jacobs Winery at Pennings Vineyards, Applewood Winery, Clearview Vineyard, and the host, City Winery Hudson Valley itself. There’s live music, lawn games, guided vineyard and cellar tours, and food from local vendors.
Admission is free. For $25 (rising to $35 on July 1), the VIP Tasting Ticket gets you samples from all 10 producers plus a souvenir tasting glass and tours. New this year is the Grand Reserve Experience ($50, rising to $60 on July 1), which adds a private reserve wine tasting, exclusive access to the Grand Reserve Tasting Area, light snacks, and a reusable 6-bottle wine tote. Get details and tickets at I Love NY.
With Summer Sip falling during City Winery Hudson Valley’s Uncorked Sunday concert series, it’s shaping up to be one of the best single-day wine events of the season. Grab a group, rent a car, and make a day of it.
Plan Your Week
Here’s your cheat sheet for the next few weeks:
- This week: Hit Stars in the East Village (139 E 12th St) for an evening of exceptional bottles by the glass. Walk-in only, so go early or be patient.
- This week: Book a seat at Lei on Doyers Street in Chinatown for one of the most original wine-and-food pairings in the city.
- Through summer: Keep an eye out for New York State sustainable wines on local wine lists — look for the certification and try something from the Finger Lakes or North Fork.
- July 19: Summer Sip at City Winery Hudson Valley. Free admission, $25 for tastings. Bring friends, bring sunblock, take the drive.
The common thread running through all of these stories — Stars, Lei, New York’s sustainable wine movement, the Hudson Valley festival scene — is that New York’s wine culture is becoming more personal, more intentional, and more accessible all at once. Whether you’re perched at a zinc counter in the East Village, discovering Chinese sparkling wine in Chinatown, or tasting Hudson Valley Riesling at a riverside vineyard, there’s never been a better time to drink well in and around this city. Cheers to the summer ahead.