It was Christmas Day, the parks were really crowded and we felt the need for a little refreshment and relaxation. Lunch at the Coral Reef had been good, but after three hours of crowds we felt the need to sit. On a whim we strolled back to the Italy Pavillion and poked our heads into the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, which is a little wine bar attached to the Tutto Italia restaurant we had previously dined at. You can read that review here. Since we enjoyed the first experience, why not try again? To be honest I expected the place to be jammed and to not get seated.
It turns out they had a table for five so in we went. The atmosphere is very much wine cellar, with lower lighting and a large wine bar. There’s a small alcove with comfy chairs and couches. Refrigerated racks line
Some of the Refrigerated Racks
one wall. I really liked it.
The wine list is good and, as you would expect, Italian. All the major wine regions of Italy are represented. There aren’t 20 choices of every varietal, but there is at least one or two of everything. You can get an Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino, a Pio Cesare Barolo, a Gaja Remnina Brunello or, if you’re so inclined, a $431 bottle of Sassicaia. You can order a white from Friuli of maybe something from Veneto. There should be something for everyone here.
We suggest you consider the wine flights and try something new. They have a six wine flight
A red wine flight
that really crosses a lot of ground, or many three wine choices. We opted for two different flights, the “Powerhouse Reds” and “From the Hills of Piemonte”. One of the wines, the 2009 Mirafiore Nebbiolo happened to be in both, so it was fortunate that it was an excellent wine and we didn’t mind trying it twice. Here are the tasting notes:
2010 Mirafiore Langhe Nebbiolo – this is a classic Nebbiolo, with elegant flavors, medium body and nice length. It’s less complex than most Barolo’s or Barbaresco’s, but since it it from the larger Langhe DOC it is going to carry a significantly lower price tag than the DOCG wines. It’s really quite good.
2010 Lucento Luce Super Tuscan – this has medium body and is a deep red color. The Cabernet dominates the blend and the wine is long and quite tannic. It’s not my favorite but it’s not bad.
2011 Primaterra Primitivo – rustic as you would expect, but carrying some good fruit with cherry noticeable. There was some anise as well. This has a medium body and is also a deep red in color. There’s a little phenolic quality in the background leaning toward some type of cleaner, which was not great, but it is really in the background. I just noticed it at the very end. I would decant this and give it a chance to blow off the phenolic hopefully.
2010 Batasiolo Gavi Cortese – this is a very delicate white wine, with light body and some light citrus flavors. It was good but a little too light for my tastes.
2009 Batasiolo Barbera D’Alba – this had nice bright fruit with cherry coming though clearly. It’s medium bodied and very long. The flavors are rich and persistent. We really liked this one. I would definitely buy it.
One interesting thing about Tutto Gusto is that they have beer as well, and Alex tried one of their beer flights, one of
Alex’s beer flight
which was actually brewed with wine grapes. This turned out to be delicious, with a champagne quality and a slight sweetness. All in all this was very interesting, and included an ancient Etruscan ale and a chestnut ale.
Behind the bar – large bottles!
There is a food menu available and we ordered the Calamari, which was excellent. Then we added a Tiramisu, and that was also excellent. There are lots of other choices as well, including antipasti plates, full entrees and paninis. You could certainly eat lunch or dinner here as well.
This is a great place to spend an hour or two and to try some new Italian wines or beers. We would definitely return again, so our wallet is out.
A votre sante!
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