Vini Sfusi

Every day I stumble upon another concept I want to bring back home and for some reason find myself saying, "why doesn't someone do this in NY?" Promise me, fellow readers, that if one of you does this you will at least credit me as your inspiration to do so. And if someone out there knows of a place that does this in the U.S. please let me know. 

There is a small cantina around the corner from my apartment, owned by a charming husband and wife (obviously). They sell "vini sfusi" as well as many other bottled wines from all over Italy. So here is the routine: I bring an empty wine bottle and select my wine(s) from a list of about 30. They bottle wines from Toscana, Piemonte, Trentino, Venezia, Campania, Puglia and Sicilia. They fill the bottle directly from the barrel and cork it. Then they write a nice little hand-written tag and hang it on the bottle with twine.  

So far I've had the Montelpulciano, Montalcino, Nebbiolo, and Nero D'Avola. I cannot choose a favorite, they are all great.

The story doesn't end there. Now that I am a loyal customer, every time I pass them on the street they want to know if I enjoyed the wine I selected the evening before, how the party was... how my chicken dish turned out... if everyone had fun... what's on the menu for the next party... how school is going. Such is life in Italy.