Gottino

Last week I went to Gottino, which is located in the West Village at 52 Greenwich Ave. It’s a cute, quiet, and narrow bar with brick walls and tin ceilings. It has all the elements of an old New York City bar, but you can tell it’s been recently renovated.

The wines were all from Italy and were within an affordable price range. Glasses were between $10 and $14, bottles were $36 to $52, and the wines were also available in a carafe, which were priced at $15 to $21. I decided to order the 2009 Moroder Rosso Conero Aion for $11. The waitress asked if I would like to try it first, so she poured a nice sized taste for me. I approved, and she poured the rest of the glass. The service was pleasant and considerate and the waitress stopped by often to check up on me.

The wine smelled like dried strawberries with a touch of the crisp smell of dried leaves. It tasted fruitier than I expected, with notes of slightly tart, juicy cranberries. It was medium bodied and was not overly dry. It had a nice acidity and it was a good wine to welcome allergies fall with.

The atmosphere of the place had an almost prairie feel to it, although most of the furnishings appear to be new. There are a few little café tables, and in the back are low, wooden picnic tables with benches as seating. The bar is decorated with trinkets, such as old looking milk crates, white porcelain plates displayed on the brick wall, photos of baseball players, and a random boar head on the wall above the staircase. There is a garden in the back of the bar as well. The space is cute, aside from the boar head but perhaps a little too sweet. The ambiance was relaxing and the music was mostly calming, although there were a couple of songs that sounded like medieval English ballroom dancing with an indie twist. It actually felt like more of a café and I found myself wanting coffee more than wine. Which is rare.

Gottino has a decent selection of well-priced Italian wines and nice service. All in all, it’s a nice place to spend an afternoon in, but nothing really stood out to me except the overt cuteness of the place. Is it a café or a wine bar? My visit seemed to feel like the former, but perhaps it picks up a bit during the evening. I give Gottino a rating of 3.5 out of 5 glasses.

Some of the cutesy decorations

Little House on the Prairie

Boar!

Tolani

Last night, I went to Tolani, which is located at 410 Amsterdam Ave on the Upper West Side. I had walked by it a few times on my way to other wine bars and didn’t think too much about it, aside from making a mental note to visit it at some point. Now I feel bad that I had overlooked it, because I was blown away by my experience there.

First of all, the atmosphere is just so cool. There are faux as well as original exposed brick walls, a pergola looming over some tables in the back, a massive chandelier hanging low to the ground in a decorative corner of the bar, and the bar top, as well as a big table in the front, were made of heavy raw wood. It felt very cozy, yet sophisticated and there was a lively energy to the place.

I requested a table when I walked in, but the hostess directed me to the bar because tables may have reservations or something like that. I didn't really pay attention and all I remember thinking was “Meh, I hate it when this happens”. However, during happy hour at Tolani, you get a complimentary snack if you sit at the bar, the tall leather chairs were super comfy, and the bartender Eddie was stellar, so it worked out.

Many of the wines are from South Africa and all were available both by the glass and the bottle. Glasses start at $9 and are no more than $16. Bottles are $36 to $72. As I was looking through the menu, Eddie told me that I could try any of the wines before I ordered a glass. He poured me a small amount of a Vinho Verde, which I liked, but a 2010 Boschendal Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend caught my eye. I asked if I could try that one and Eddie exclaimed that it was a fantastic wine, poured a bit for me and we chatted about wine for a while. He was very enthusiastic and really knew what he was talking about. You could tell he had a passion for wine and wanted to share it, which I love to see. The wine was fantastic indeed, so I ordered a glass of it. As he poured it, he told me that there were many other wines that he wanted me to try after that glass. Free wine? I’ll take it! The service was so top notch that I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew what I was there for. But apparently, Eddie is always this amazing, according to my bar neighbor, who is a regular at Tolani.

Back to the wine! It’s very rare to see a “white” Pinot Noir, so I knew I had to order the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend, if not only for it being delicious. Although it’s a red grape, it is possible to use Pinot Noir in a white wine. Fermenting a red grape with its skins gives the wine its color, body, and tannins. So in this case, the grapes were not fermented with their skins, so it had the body and some flavors of a white wine and the slightest hint of a copper hue. It smelled like stone fruits, particularly apricot, and it was a little floral on the nose as well. It tasted so perfect, like a refreshing zing of guava and pineapple with a great acidity. I could have continued drinking this all night. So I did.

I was in good company with my friend Ashley, so as the night wore on, we ordered more glasses, a cheese plate, and the samples of wine kept coming. It was then that I realized this is my favorite wine bar in the city so far. Maybe it was just Eddie that made Tolani so memorable, but with such well selected wines and potential service like that, this place is amazing. From start to finish, it was what every wine bar experience should be like. All other wine bars, take note. If When you do go to Tolani, do yourself a favor and sit at the bar :) I give Tolani my first ever rating of 5 out of 5 glasses. Cheers!

Doesn't it look so heavenly?

My lovely glass of Chardonnay-Pinot Noir

The little decorative corner <3 Tolani