Post Views: 942

T+L’s Wine & Spirits Editor shares his guide to Rome’s finest wine bars, from the old-school to the cutting-edge.

Camilla Glorioso

A good wine bar can provide the answers to many vital questions.

For instance, after my wife, Cecily, and I dropped off our daughter, Marie, at her dorm in

in the summer of 2022, because she had decided that going to college in the Eternal City seemed more appealing than doing the same in Newark, Delaware — go figure — we wandered aimlessly in the August heat for a span of time, then found ourselves sitting, somewhat emotionally unmoored, at a tiny wine bar near the Piazza Navona. Having your only child leave home is a weird experience. “What do we do now?” my wife asked me. The question pertained pretty much to our entire lives, but all I could think of to say was, “Have a glass of wine, I guess?”

Camilla Glorioso

Enoteca Il Piccolo, unexpectedly discovered one unusual moment, has quickly gained a spot among my favourites Roman vine bars. I later found it to also be a favourite among friends in the vinous industry for its primarily, though not entirely, selection of natural wines from petite producers and its authentic, un-touristy, deeply Roman ambience. The indoors area is small, dim and snug; outdoors is adorned with mismatched tables where, provided the temperature isn’t extreme like during our last summer visit, you can sit among a diverse crowd that seems to be a combination of characters from a 1950s monochromatic Italian film and those of a younger generation. Settle in for some bruschetta, mortadella, or olives. Opt for a simple glass or a bottle from the vast range on display on the inner wall, including a variety of Italian and international wines. Take some time to figure out your life.

Camilla Glorioso

The reality is that wine bars, or enoteche,

in Rome can be just about anything: long-established places like Il Piccolo with its basic menu of salumi, bruschetta, and paninis or more restaurant-like spots that preserve tradition; to those that increase the food ambition considerably while still catering a selection of smaller portions intended to be paired with wine. My friend Katie Parla, who is a cookbook author and has resided in Rome for a considerable time, addressed the latter phenomenon: “The enoteca used to be where you caught up with friends for a glass of wine or maybe grappa, along with perhaps a small bite. Now, increasingly, we are seeing enoteche managed by young teams with overseas training or a new-found conscious sentiment that recognizes the compatibility of high-quality cuisine with a wine bar.”

Camilla Glorioso

For me, the exemplar of this movement is RetroBottega, one of the hottest spots in Rome. A 10-minute walk or so from Il Piccolo, it’s an entirely different experience — and yet, also not. Despite its setting in a 16th-century town house, the design is distinctly modern: black barstools, blond wood, moody lighting. The ever-changing menu from chef-owners Giuseppe Lo Iudice and Alessandro Miocchi is hyper-seasonal — on Mondays, when the place is closed, the staff often takes foraging trips to Lazio or Abruzzo.

Camilla Glorioso

On my last visit, I was thoroughly impressed by their spaghetti verde, aglio, pecorino e peperoncino. This dish consists of a bright green pasta (obtained from incorporating wild spinach and fresh garlic into the dough), garnished with slices of blazing red peperoncino and generous dozes of grated pecorino. A glass of Greco di Tufo from the iconic Quintodecimo producer from Campania complimented the dish perfectly. Although, a number of other selections from the extensive wine list would have aptly served the purpose as well. As expressed by Livia Alyson Careaga, a Rome resident and who also manages the Italian portfolio for an American wine importer, “The staff greatly values the notion that you’re there to explore and experience something new, delight in a distinct glass, even if the reason is simply to catch up with friends over some exquisite wine.”

Camilla Glorioso

For fans of natural wine, your haven is across the river in Trastevere. Give the crowded student bars a miss and instead direct your steps towards Latteria Trastevere. I’ll have to quote Katie Parla again on this one because this is where we last met for a drink. “Despite my general disinterest for drinking in Trastevere,” she said, “Latteria boasts one of the topmost wine lists in town, and it’s right there for everyone to see, nestled among numerous tourist spots.”

“Start with some bruschetta, add some mortadella, and maybe some olives. Choose a glass from the limited list, or a bottle from the indoors wall (the range is wide and includes both Italian and international choices). Figure out your life.”

The best thing to do is snag a wooden table outside, order something refreshing — I had a glass of Grillo from the Sicilian organic producer Masseria del Feudo — and accompany it with some of the cheeses that owner Antonio Cossu brings in from Sardinia, where he grew up. Add some beef tartare and (miracle of miracles, because they’re bizarrely rare in Italy) a fresh green salad, and you will achieve happiness. Parla said, “You can come here for a quick aperitivo, and before you know it you’ve hunkered down and are spending the whole night.” I can attest that this is true.

Camilla Glorioso

Back near Campo de’ Fiori, L’Angolo Divino is another do-not-miss. Owner Massimo Crippa’s encyclopedic knowledge of wine is manifested in his bar’s similarly encyclopedic list, which ranges from obscure low-intervention bottlings to classics and sought-after rarities. Inside, the old wooden-beam ceiling and brick walls make it feel like a historic wine cellar, and in some ways it is. Crippa’s grandfather founded the business in 1946 as a classic vino e oli — a place you’d go to fill jugs with olive oil and wine for the week. “These were very Roman places, a very old tradition,” Crippa said.

The last occasion I visited L’Angolo Divino, Crippa served me a trio of distinct orange wines — my preferred was a Barraco Altomore Grillo from Sicily. I paired it with a dish of olives, some mortadella, and fresh cheese from a farmer. I was curious about the name of the bar and asked Crippa. He explained, “Indeed, it’s due to our corner location at the angle of the streets. I am fond of the term divine as wine is a cultural and religious entity tracing back to the times of Jesus Christ. I like the thought of visitors experiencing a touch of that. Alternatively, many simply presume my name is Angolo.”

Camilla Glorioso

Perplexed, I asked Federico de Cesare Viola, my friend and editor of the Italian version of Food & Wine, how he would describe a Roman wine bar. He chuckled, “To be honest, there’s no singular definition — for Rome, any place could be a wine bar if one deems it as such.” This seemed to me an exclusively Italian way of definition: for instance, driving in Italy is just using a vehicle to journey from point A to point B; involvement of roads, laws, and speed limits is purely individual choice.

In sync with that mindset, I have to include Salumeria Roscioli as one of my top picks. Amongst other unique features, it holds the honor of being the sole establishment proposed to me both by wine industry experts and poets (the number of sommeliers recommending it is countless; the poet, however, was the late Mark Strand, who discovered it much ahead of any wine connoisseur).

Camilla Glorioso

Salumeria Roscioli trumps the line between a store brimming with remarkable artisanal salumi and cheeses, a wine bar, and a full-service eatery. Over the years, it has gained wide popularity, so booking a table in well advance is recommended. The food, especially pastas such as the oxtail ravioli and the cacio e pepe are unmissable treats. Start off with their made-in-house salame rosa, an retro version of mortadella, with pickled vegetables which you can enjoy while you explore the enormous, two-volume wine list developed by Maurizio Paparello. Pick from hundreds of options, but try to get the Stella di Campalto’s ethereal Rosso di Montalcino if available, or her even more tantalising Brunello, if cost isn’t a concern.

“It was a year since that instant when we recognised that our solitary child had departed home. My spouse and I found ourselves at Il Piccolo, pondering what to do. Things had changed, yet our family unit was as intact as ever.”

Note that Rimessa Roscioli is also nearby, it’s exceptionally wine-focused, and the delightful maritozzi pastries at neighbouring Roscioli Caffè are worth checking out. Their original bakery is just around the corner. The recently inaugurated Roscioli R-House, located in Trastevere, functions as a one-room hotel or a short-stay apartment. It’s a unique non-hotel accommodation for those seeking a place to stay overnight.

Camilla Glorioso

Don’t discount hotel bars while in Rome, either. First — I’ll admit it — sometimes the desire for a great cocktail wins out over the need for wine. In those instances, you’d be remiss not heading to the fairly fabulous Stravinskij Bar, in the oasis-like courtyard of the Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel. The hotel is just off the Piazza del Popolo, which typically means mobs of visitors; at Stravinskij, though, you are serenely unaware of the madding crowds, a sensation not in the least lessened by the bar’s Roman G&T, accented with celery shrub, sage, and black pepper.

Camilla Glorioso

But for wine, and some of the most stunning sunset views in the city, head to the Mater Terrae Bistrot Bar on top of the Bio Hotel Raphaël, a Relais & Châteaux property in the historic center where my wife and I took our daughter for a drink, a year after dropping her off at school that first summer. She was about to start her sophomore year, sharing an apartment with friends and embracing life as a student in Rome.

Just as its name illustrates, Bio Hotel Raphaël is a sanctuary for everything organic, from its facade overrun with vine to a menu that is filled with vegetarian and vegan options, right down to their wine selection at the bar and restaurant which is filled with organic and biodynamic wines. Spearheaded by the young sommelier, Anna Spanu, her guidance throughout the wine program is impeccable. On her recommendation, we had the pleasure of indulging in a bottle of Sergio Mottura’s delightful Poggio della Costa white from Umbria. Our experience was beautifully concluded with a glass of Buca delle Canne, a rather rare dessert wine from the natural wine producer, La Stoppa. Its amber sweetness was the perfect companion to taking in the views of Rome’s rooftops.

Camilla Glorioso

A year has passed since there was that abrupt realization that our only child had moved away from home, and my wife and I were sat in Il Piccolo, overwhelmed by bewilderment as to what should come next for us. Everything was changed, yet it felt like we were still a family, just as we have always been.

The original version of this narrative was published in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure, under the heading “In Vino Veritas”.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.