Best of Boston

2009 Best Wine Bar

The Butcher Shop

As the longtime wine doyenne of the Barbara Lynch empire, Cat Silirie knows her way around a corkscrew. For proof, look no further than the corner of Tremont and Waltham, where over the past six years she’s nurtured this updated boucherie into a temple of vino that effectively puts the cork in the Hub’s ersatz wine bars. The list digs deep with bottles from producers and small family farms—even grapes!—we’ve never heard of, but every server intuits precisely what will rock that plate of charcuterie or artisanal cheese. Hang out and nibble across the meat-centric menu while watching the South End go by, or have a glass while the staff packs your shopping bag with aged steaks, house-cured bacon, and Bolognese sauce.

552 Tremont St., Boston, 617-423-4800, thebutchershopboston.com