We anticipated the news a few days ago: Bulzoni is open for business after a six-month overhaul. On October 9th, brothers Alessandro and Riccardo Bulzoni, along with their dad Sergio opened the doors to the brand new space for journalists.
Casa Mia attended the pre-opening for the press and we were very impressed by the sleek new look curated by the architetcs of renowned Strato Studio. The space was completeley redone to include a brand new kitchen, two dining rooms (one of which houses a “social table” seating 10 guests), and the focal point of the enoteca, a long marble bar counter with stools and a large blackboard listing the wines poured by the glass that day.
The color palette recalls elements of wine, so deep burgundy – in Italian this color is called vinaccia or ‘marc’, ‘pommace’, i.e. the color of the pressed grapes – added with exposed brick archways, terracotta floors, and cream colored wooden ceilings. The original wine merchant vibe has remained, but it’s been enhanced with elegant details and a stylish finish.
In addition to the hundreds of bottles stocking the floor-to-ceiling shelving and raised walkways, including the ample area dedicated to natural wines – a forte of Bulzoni long before it became trendy – there are also red and white table wines made and bottled with a Bulzoni label.
The logic applied to the Bulzoni cellar selection can be summarized in three different categories: modern wines, produced according to modern enology techniques; old school wines, produced according to models related to the past when human intervention was not as aggressive in the vineyard and in the cellar as it is today; and extreme wines, these are wines produced by small artisan vintners without the addition of any chemicals. “These are the wines we love the most,” says Alessandro.
The shelves also stock pantry basics such as extra virgin olive oil, bottled sauces, dry pastas, canned tuna, brined olives, salted capers, wine vinegar, organic Tuscan chocolate… the shopping basket has quality written all over it.
The biggest addition to the well-established wine cellar is the kitchen, whose windows open direclty on the street. We love that the menu is contained inside the wine list. This explains how food is “at the service” of the wine, and not viceversa. The cuisine is largely inspired by Mediterranean pintxos and tapas-like starters, simple pasta dishes that draw from Lazio classics, and superbly cooked meats. Ingredients are sourced locally at some of the best suppliers in town (think ProLoco DOL, Bottega Liberati and Verrigni, to mention a few).
The restaurant will operate with Italian mealtime hours (12:30pm – 2:30pm and 7:30pm – 11:00pm). The store and wine counter will welcome walk-in customers for a glass and a snack from 10:00 am to midnight.
There’s free wifi and always an erudite wine lover behind the counter, ready to answer questions and suggest bottles. The neighborhood needed a place like this. I live 2 blocks away, so Bulzoni Enoteca con Cucina could easily become my new office.
Salute!
Bulzoni Enoteca con Cucina
Viale Parioli 34
Tel. +39 06 8070494
www.enotecabulzoni.it
