Here is another in Power Tasting’s irregular series on great wine bars of the world.
Italy has some of the most beautiful cities in the world: Rome, Venice and Florence come to mind. Milan, the country’s financial and fashion capital, was victimized by too many wars and lost many of its antiquities. It still has some beautiful things – such as the Duomo, The Last Supper, La Scala – but it boasts modernity rather than an ancient patina. Today, what typifies Milan is a very sophisticated lifestyle and all of us, as visitors, are invited to partake of it.
Milan revels in its wine bars and we love one in particular. All over the city there gathering spots where fine wines are served and a great number of the populace assemble in the early evening for a glass of wine, a bite of food and the Italian national pastime, chatting. Our personal favorite is N’Ombra de Vin on the Via San Marco (https://www.nombradevin.it/). Evidently there are others who favor this spot, because it is packed every evening.
As for the name, well, it doesn’t mean anything in either Italian or English. “Ombra” is Italian for shade or shadow and of course “vin” means wine…in French. Let’s just say that the name means “In the shadow of wine” in some combination of languages and that works pretty well.
And indeed, N’Ombra de Vin is all about wine. It was originally and still is a wine store. Not exactly originally; that is, the owners claim that the building goes back to the 5th Century and that in later years Napoleon’s army and Mozart himself frequented the location. Who’s to say? But in 1973 it definitely became a wine store. In later years, N’Ombra de Vin added an Italian tapas bistro and a music venue, as it continues today.
We got there early.
But for our purposes and for those who jam the joint from 5:00 until at least 8:00 every night, N’Ombra de Vin is about the institution of the apertivo. The list of wines by the glass is a compendium of the great winemaking regions of Italy. It changes frequently but there are always a few excellent Tuscans and Barolos and also many wines from lesser known corners of Italian Wine Country.
And the prices, at least for those of us used to New York wine lists, are amazingly low. We well remember having healthy pours of Quintarelli Primafiore for 14 euros ($15.50) a glass. It’s one of our favorite wines and it’s $50 for a bottle. Imagine what that would cost in an American bar, if you could find it.
Snacks, on the house.
Along with your drinks there you will be served little complimentary plates of snacks. There will be olives, cheeses, bites of pizza, nuts and whatever they feel like adding that night. We always get to N’Ombra de Vin prior to dinner and we always eat too much beforehand.
The third great attraction is the crowd. If you want a seat outside – and you do want to be outside if the weather permits – get there early. N’Ombra de Vin will be empty at 5:00 and overflowing by 6:00. If you’ve been touristing around Milan all day, you’ll appreciate sitting down. But the locals all seem to want to stand and mingle. It seems that everyone knows everyone and you’ll feel like you’re at a cocktail party with a lot of well-dressed people (they’re Milanese, of course).
Milan is often the port of entry to Italy these days, so no matter where we’re going, we land there. And if we have even one evening in town, we make a bee-line for N’Ombra de Vin.