Featuring small batch wines, hand selected by globetrotting wine director Michael St. George, who honed his palate at Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits and Cheers, Cello’s wine list was designed with a focus on wines by the glass, offered at the palatable price of $9 to $15. Selections hail from Michael’s favorite wine-drenched locales including France, Napa, Sonoma, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Argentina, and feature familiar grapes with unfamiliar twists, like a dark juicy Tempranillo with robust cherry and spice, perfected in Portugal, not Spain. While you won’t find pretense on this wine list, you will find Irony– Irony Pinot Noir, that is.

 “There is too much fuss over the who and what of wine in Manhattan,” said Michael.  “At Cello, our goal is to help wine lovers discover new wines on their own terms.  When a customer asks me for wine suggestions, I describe them in terms that he or she can understand.  You’d sooner see a wine described as having a kick like Jackie Chan than you’d find Robert Parker scores on our wine list.”

 Cello gets equally creative with its menu of sharable small plates, including favorites such as Beet and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Pancetta Braided Bread and Fico Fresca pizza alongside imaginative concoctions including Watermelon Prosciutto Salad and Italian Empanadas.

Chef de Cuisine Marco Varela is making his midtown mark with the creation of Cello’s dessert menu. Not afraid to mix dinner with dessert, Valera introduces Fresh Peach Pizza: peaches topped with coconut, almonds and powdered sugar on a pizza crust; the Donut Sandwich: pressed doughnut stuffed with fresh berries and whipped cream; and Cello Pound Panini: pound cake with Nutella and bananas, pressed between brioche bread and topped with whipped cream.

  Cello Wine Bar is located at 229 East 53rd Street, seats 25, and is open for dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.  For additional information or to make a reservation, visit www.cello winebar.com.