I asked five of London’s top wine bars to recommend one Italian wine they pour by the glass

NV Prosecco Superiore “Rustico”, Nino Franco
Ben Thomas, Head Sommelier at Noble Rot Mayfair

Seeing Cantina Nino Franco’s wine sitting on this list, very comfortably alongside our house pours Langham and Michel Gonet, speaks volumes about it’s quality. At the core of what we do, we’re producer-led, not appellation-led, so it doesn’t matter that it’s a “Prosecco”. It’s all about this historical domaine, not the output of the region in general.

I think it’s exciting to pull out this wine and propose it because, as we’ve shied away from Prosecco, it becomes an invitation to chat with our guests about what the best sites in the region can offer. And if you’re someone who generally loves Prosecco, well… wait till you try this one.

I do understand it’s a hard argument to make with the skeptics, because of Prosecco’s industrially farmed landscape, but we’re having a different conversation here. Nino Franco is a producer that fits perfectly with our ethos: these are genre defining wines that more truly reflect the taste of where they’re from.

2024 Favorita “Cantina della Stazione”, Fletcher
Dan Orton, The 10 Cases

Italian whites are really popular, and the variety is probably less important than it is with Italian reds, where people mainly look for Nebbiolo or Sangiovese. But at the same time I think Italy has been struggling to define a high quality go-to white region apart from Friuli.

Here at The 10 Cases it’s all about the producer and finding the right spot for the right wine. When the Favorita from Fletcher came out, we listed it by the glass immediately so that the team and I could taste the wine while it is young and fresh. Then we’ll save a case or two and put it back on the list maybe a year later. It’s super fresh, super clean, at 12.5%. It’s the style of wine that everyone should be happy with.

I think Piedmont is really old school, but in the best possible way: proper farmers, proper food, proper vineyards. It really feels like a community every time I visit. But there aren’t many outsiders, so seeing an Aussie winemaker farming historical Barbaresco sites like Faset is amazing. And I like that he’s not trying to be cool, messing around with ideas like turning Barbera into Beaujolais. He’s just making great wines in the style he likes.

2023 Pinot Nero, Gian Luca Colombo
Andrea Sabbatini, The Remedy

It seems stupid to say, but in a job like ours, where you’re drinking wine all the time, it’s actually really hard to find something that surprises you. And this is a wine that speaks to me, it excites me.

Piedmont isn’t a region where I would necessarily look for Pinot Nero, but at the same time it would be too easy to talk about Barolo, Brunello, Burgundy, or the Rhône. I want wines that make a difference: yes, this wine has fruit, great acidity, mild structure, but most importantly it has vibrancy. It also fits with our idea of red wines, like the ones from the Jura: drinkability, acidity, freshness. Running a wine bar, I want wines with extreme drinkability, the kind you finish in half an hour while chatting with a friend.

It’s that eureka moment where you go, WOW, right? We need wines that reawaken our palates a bit.

2022 Il Guercio, Tenuta di Carleone
John Baum, The Winemakers Club

I’ve known Sean for 24 years. I met him when I went to Tuscany to work for Riecine, where he was the head winemaker at the time. Tim Manning and Michael Schmelzer were around too. It was a remarkable period, and I was so fortunate to tag along with all these great talents.

I remember when he started experimenting with concrete vats, and when the first Riecine di Riecine came out. It blew my mind. It was so different: elegant yet structured. Even in the crappy vintages, that wine kept ageing brilliantly. This style is the perfect example of what it means to keep learning how to interpret a vintage as your palate evolves.

We don’t have enough of Il Guercio, and it’s never a problem to sell it. But what I do is shaped by the education I had when I started in wine: we were drinking everything, and we could afford to do it. A great Champagne was 40 euros, and you could get La Mission Haut-Brion for 60 euros at the local shop. And I understand how hard it is for the new generation — it’s expensive to drink! I want people to have a chance to taste it.

2016 Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Quintarelli
Alex Pitt, Lower

I think it’s important to have the classics on a by-the-glass list. Having those elite producers at an accessible price adds a kind of wow factor, and wine aficionados know we’re serious about what we do. It’s also important for solo diners who just want something special. You know that if you want to experience a really nice glass of wine, it’s there.

The response has been very good because it’s a delicious wine that suits the season. Obviously it’s big, with high alcohol, but it’s also silky and perfumed, almost like a Pinot Noir. It’s very, very elegant and supple.

For some, it’s still a lot of money to spend on a glass of wine, but that’s also what makes it great for conversation. I’ll give them a little tour through the story of the producer, maybe a small taste with no pressure to buy, so people can actually try it at least. Because it’s good not to pressure people: if you go to a car showroom, you don’t have to buy the most expensive car!

PS. It was great running around London to chat with my friends about the Italian wines they pour for their guests, and I’ll keep doing this every year. As always, this article is free. The best way to support me is to leave a like below and subscribe to the newsletter. Thank you!