Bottiglieria Moscatelli - Milan, Italy Edition

Bonjourno! This is my first international wine bar review! I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Milan for work and I thought it would be the perfect chance to visit an authentic Italian wine bar! I decided to go to Bottiglieria Moscatelli, which is located at Corso Garibaldi 93.

The place was very busy when I arrived; all the tables that I could see were taken and there were several people waiting around the small bar in the front. It’s a self-serve place essentially. You order your wine and pay for it right away (cash only, I should note), grab some food from the small unsanitary buffet in the front of the bar, then find a table to sit at. There are random little decorations and pictures all over the salmon colored walls, small areas for seating, and little tables cramped close to one another. So much so that if I could understand Italian I would have heard exactly what was going on in the lives of the people around me. Not necessarily a bad feature of this wine bar. It had a very friendly and casual feel to it and the cramped setting only added to that.

I didn’t see any menus aside from the chalkboard of happy hour wines. Instead, there were bottles sitting on the bar and on shelves behind the bar, each with a little tag hanging from it showing the grape variety, vintage, and price per glass. From what I could see, the happy hour wines were 8 euro and regular glasses were priced up to 10 euro. I didn’t see any menus for bottles, so I’m assuming you can only order glasses of wine. It wasn’t a very organized method. Perhaps it encouraged more conversation with the bartender and other patrons. Very Italian, no?

I ordered a glass of the Primitivo from the happy hour menu. There was no vintage listed on the chalkboard menu, but although I knew of it, I had never tried it before so I thought this would be a great time to do so. The Primitivo grape has been grown in Southern Italy since the 1870s and is actually the same grape that is used to produce Zinfandel. I was curious to see how the grape differed from its U.S. grown relative.

The wine was served in a slightly chipped and noticeably scratched glass, which I don’t think I’ve ever encountered at wine bars in the U.S. I made my way through the narrow bar in search of a free table and sat down at the last one available. The Primitivo smelled herbal, almost like the sharp and mild bitter scent of tomato leaves and it had a hint of cherry. It was a very flavorful wine! I was hit by a strong dried strawberry flavor and it had a warm kick due to the high alcohol content. It was a great wine to drink after wandering around Milan in the cold rain for much of the day. I enjoyed the wine so much that I went to a wine store later that week and purchased a bottle of Primitivo to take home with me. We’ll see how it ages in my wine fridge….or how long my patience lasts before I pop it open!

This place is unlike any wine bars I’ve been to in the States. It’s very casual, self-serve, and friendly. Great selection of Italian wines, most if not all of which are probably not exported to the U.S. If you find yourself in Milan and want a truly authentic Italian wine bar experience, stop in. Since it is very different from the type of bar I’m used to reviewing, I found it difficult to compare and rate this place. But based on the wines and the bustling Italian café atmosphere, I give Bottiglieria Moscatelli a rating of 3.4 out of 5 glasses bicchieri.A welcome sight on a rainy evening

A couple of the wines with their by the glass prices attached

My glass of Primitivo

The charming interior of Bottiglieria Moscatelli

Morrell Wine Bar

I visited Morrell Wine Bar this week, located at 1 Rockefeller Plaza at 49^th St. What’s really unique about this place is that it’s the wine bar associated with the Morrell wine store which is actually right next door. Although I didn’t have a chance to check, I think it’s safe to assume that many, if not all, of the wines available in the wine bar are for sale next door.

The atmosphere of the bar is pretty upscale, while still casual enough to not feel so out of place if you’re wearing nice jeans. However, most of the men there were wearing suits, so you should probably dress up a bit if you do visit. I immediately noticed that it has more of a restaurant feel to it too, even though it is supposed to be a wine bar and cafe, like many are. Morrell has a contemporary design with bright red and dark green couches and chairs for seating, track lighting, brightly colored art on the walls, and a curvy balcony of the second floor above the bar area.

The wine list is the star of this bar. With 100 wines to choose from by the glass in addition to the 800 bottles of wine, you’ll definitely find something you like. There is a wide variety of prices with affordable wines starting at $9 a glass and going all the way up to $53. Bottles are between $42 and $1950. They also have a flight option that features some of the bar’s most rare wines. A flight of these 5 wines is $99 and is valued at over $1000 if the bottles are purchased at retail. Most places don't offer such a grand flight! Despite the vast selection, not all of these wines may be in stock though, as I found from my experience.

I ordered the 2004 Bernhard Huber Spatburgunder, which is a Pinot Noir grown in Baden, Germany near the border of France. I was really looking forward to seeing how expressive this grape would be. The waiter came back to deliver the bad news; they were sold out of the Spatburgunger! No! Being completely unprepared to have a second choice, I quickly flipped through the menu and chose the 2008 Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley. Luckily, the menu had thorough descriptions of each of the wines available by the glass, so some flavors stood out to me and provided a guide for such a life altering decision :)

My Cabernet Franc arrived in a big glass embossed with the letter M for Megan for Morrell. The wine smelled like cedar and herbs and tasted like dried strawberries and had a light smokey character. It was medium bodied and had a nice finish. A satisfying wine for such a hasty decision.

The service was very polite, but a little slow to check on us and bring the check. While it is nice when you’re not rushed out of a restaurant, we were on a bit of a timeline and probably looked like we were ready to leave, yet our waiter didn’t come over. I digress; overall the staff was very friendly and even a little on formal side.

Morrell Wine Bar has one of the better selections of unique wines that I’ve seen, not to mention an impressive quantity available (or not so available). I would have preferred that the wine bar be more laid back, but considering that it’s in a very nice area around Rockefeller Center, it is the type of place you’d expect it to be. I give this place a rating of 3.7 out of 5 glasses.

The outside of Morrell Wine Bar. You can kind of see the wine store next to it

The bar area of Morrell....and my Instagram photo editing experiment

M for Megan!