Enoteca is the Italian word for wine store used to describe a special type of local or regional wine shop that originated in Italy. The concept of an enoteca has also spread to some other countries.
In the beginning, enoteca’s were primarily used for giving visitors and tourists the possibility to taste wines at a reasonable fee and possibly to buy them. Often these enoteca’s were run in partnership with growers and producers of the wine. Primarily these entoeca’s were to be a source of information about the wine often being referred to as “wine libraries” due to them being a hands-on source of information on local wines. This proved to be a very popular way of offering customers a more intimate and direct way to experience wines without the larger outlets of wine that were usually intended for established customers. Enoteca’s usually stocked small amounts of each wine, so if customers wished to purchase large quantities of wine after tasting they would have been referred directly to the producers. In addition, some enoteca’s would stock other products like local food produce.
Now you are able to find these traditional enoteca’s in the Alps and Austria under the German name ‘Vinothek’. More wide spread than Europe, there is now an Italian enoteca in Glasgow, Scotland. The first of its kind in the UK, the Italian caffe is a restaurant in merchant city Glasgow, that is also an enoteca. It has an extensive wine list enabling its customers to taste exclusive wines from the fine wine regions in Italy. This Glasgow italian restaurant allows its customers to taste wine by glass or bottle, providing a full service of wine tasting.
For more information about the Italian Caffe, an italian restaurant in merchant city, Glasgow visit the website at http://www.theitaliancaffe.co.uk
