The historic restaurant in the heart of Verona, owned by the Historical Families, has been included as part of the 97 destination restaurants for wine lovers. Antica Bottega del Vino is one of only 6 Italian restaurants to receive the honor.
Verona, August 2022 — Antica Bottega del Vino has had its standing as one of the most extraordinary restaurant venues in the world reconfirmed by obtaining the Wine Spectator Grand Award for its wine list for the nineteenth year in a row. This honor represents the highest recognition awarded by Wine Spectator. The renowned USA magazine has included the restaurant among the 97 worldwide destination restaurants, of which only 6 are Italian, for wine lovers.
Luca Nicolis, director of the Antica Bottega del Vino, says “We would like to thank Wine Spectator for honoring us once again with this important award. We are extremely proud of having been able to maintain this legacy for nearly 20 years. The merit of this achievement belongs not only to our entire team but also to the Historic Families, who have solidified this venue’s position even more by strengthening the ties it has with our city. We also thank the people of Verona, the lifeblood of our restaurant since its inception. Our dining halls have seen countless generations of loyal customers, who have allowed the Antica Bottega del Vino to endure and make it a recognizable name across the globe.”
The Antica Bottega del Vino has been owned by the Historical Families since 2010. It has been recognized not only for its depth of vintages and sought-after wine list that includes almost 4700 labels and over 18 thousand bottles, but also for the impeccable and renowned professional attitude of the entire Sommelier team.
Sabrina Tedeschi, the new president of the Antica Bottega del Vino, states with satisfaction “This award belongs to each person, who works every day to make the restaurant the temple for wine that it is today. We applaud and thank each one. At a time in which it is difficult for the restaurant world to collaborate with qualified staff, our strength remains our own team made up of 25 individuals who have been with us for years and have made the Antica Bottega del Vino a family. Our team welcomes historic clients and tourists everyday with the same enthusiasm and professionalism that has always been a part of who we are.”
This latest award can be added to a long list of recognitions by Wine Spectator, which since 1996 has defined the Antica Bottega del Vino wine list as one of the most complete and extraordinary in the world and has awarded it the Grand Award every year since 2004.
Born in 1500 during the Republic of Venice, the Antica Bottega del Vino was given its current name in 1890 by the Sterzi brothers, who also gave the venue its charming warm and characteristic style of the 1800s which is still visible today. The restaurant became a landmark for the cultural scene of the late 1800s as well as for wine lovers. It welcomed to its tables poets, musicians, literary figures, and artists including Boccioni, as well as journalists who sought refuge in its atmosphere after a day of editing. In 1957 the venue was purchased by the Rizzo-Grigolo family, who ran it primarily as a restaurant until the end of 1987 when Severino Barzan arrived on the scene and who together with his partner Giovanni Pascucci brought the Bottega concept to New York.
In 2010, the Historical Families (Allegrini, Begali, Brigaldara, Masi, Musella, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Tommasi, Venturini, Zenato) purchased the Antica Bottega del Vino, safeguarding thus the enological tradition of this symbolic venue in Verona.
Today, the Antica Bottega del Vino continues to be a temple for wine where decades of legacy are carried forward and a place to live life and fully enjoy veronese, venetian, and international enogastronomic traditions.
