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The treasures of the cellar: guide to restaurants where to find the best bottles

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It is not just the dish – not even the most memorable – that defines only the experience of “eating out”. There are many factors by which to judge and appreciate a restaurant: the care and professionalism of the service is as central as the kitchen, as well as the environment and the quality of its wine offer. In other words: the breadth, personality, originality, depth of vintages, relationship with the territory and coherence with the gastronomic identity, also expressed by the possibility of proposing combinations by the glass. In short, a winery can be worth the trip as much as a menu.

Great classics and niche

The San Domenico of Imola, inaugurated in 1970 by Gianluigi Morini (who passed away last December), this year has entered its second half century of life and is the longest-running two-star Michelin restaurant in Italy. But its cellar is even 500 years old: it was built by the Dominican friars and retains even more ancient traces, such as the Roman road trachytes. In an environment that corresponds to the perimeter of the room, 15 thousand bottles are distributed. “I believe that a winery must always be perfectly balanced – explains the sommelier Francesco Cioria, who arrived here in 2014 – to satisfy both customers who are looking for great classics and those who want to discover niche labels and small producers”.

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Imola, San Domenico restaurant © Cristian Castelnuovo

The cellar – where there is also a table for a special dinner – is largely occupied by Piedmont and Burgundy but none of the great Crus from all the wine regions of Italy and France are missing. The oldest bottle is a Napoleon Cognac reserve from 1805, the most expensive a Romanée-Conti from 2014, on paper for 12 thousand euros. But which one is the most and best matched to egg in ravioli, the symbolic dish of San Domenico, signed by Nino Bergese and Valentino Marcattilii, and today masterfully executed by chef Max Mascia? The Bianco Breg by Gravner.

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Caveau labels

The cellar of Enoteca Pinchiorri, a three-starred Florentine historian, is probably one of the richest and most famous in the world. A part of the collection collected over the decades by Giorgio Pinchiorri was auctioned (precisely 864 lots and 2,500 bottles) last September by Zachys in London: a Nabuchodonosor (i.e. the 15 liter format) from Masseto from 2014 was sold for 20 thousand euros. In Piedmont – thanks to the regional culture – there are many tables that can count on great wine selections. That of Ciau del Tornavento di Treiso (CN) is a spectacular vault, carved into the tuff of the hill, which protects about 60 thousand bottles for over two thousand different labels, among which the production of the Langhe with the noblest Crus of Barolo and Barbaresco stands out. To define a winery are not only the numbers but also the personality: take a leap from Chief, in Venice, a beautiful bistro of contemporary cuisine that offers a wine list entirely dedicated to the world of “naturals” with over 600 references.

The cult of the Supertuscan

In Alta Badia there is the romantic and personal cellar de Michil’s Stüa of the Hotel La Perla in Corvara, one of the most fascinating hotels in Italy. If you are a lover of Sassicaia you already know that people come here on pilgrimage to admire and fish in the complete collection of all the vintages, including the first release (1968) and the two best ever, 1985 and 1988. For the rest, a lot France and also a remarkable selection of the best Rieslings from Moselle and Wachau. In addition, there is an important novelty: a “Sistine Chapel” dedicated to the great oenologist and taster Giorgio Grai, the “finest nose this country has ever seen”, as the patron Michil Costa points out. To boast a vertical of the Supertuscan without solution of continuity is as well Cracco in Milan, the restaurant in the Galleria of the star chef who has also invested heavily in the cellar (and in e-commerce), entering the Wine Spectator Grand Award Winners with its 2,500-reference wine list.

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