Vino Vino, Austin, TX

crisp, fresh, lightly sparkling white wine
from Piedmont, Italy…

currently served by the glass at Vino Vino…

The River City’s been blessed with some nice weather lately (especially if you like it on the chilly side) but here at Vino Vino, we’re already thinking about the spring and warmer temperatures. And that means we’re craving crisp, fresh, thirst-quenching white wines.

Piedmontese wines are always well represented on our list but we know there’s more to life than just Nebbiolo and Barbera (grapes we love). Even though Piedmont is more famous for its red wine production, it also makes some of our favorite whites, like this Gianni Giagliardo Roero Favorita “Fallegro” made with 100% Favorita (Vermentino) grapes in the foothills of the Italian Alps (the pie or foot of the monte or mountain).

What particularly turned us on about this groovy little wine was it has just a kiss of bubbles… leggermente frizzante, as the Italians like to say (doesn’t that make you feel sexy when you say it? le-jehr-MEHN-teh free-TZAHN-teh…).

Gianni Gagliardo is one of Italy’s greatest winemakers (famous for his legendary Barolo) but he’s done a smashing job with this bright, light expression of the northern Mediterranean. Perfect for seafood and warmer weather at Vino Vino…

Here’s what food and wine blogger Safoodnazi had to report about a recent visit to Vino Vino with her husband, “the sommelier”:

After some playtime with Rheagan at a local park, the sommelier and I headed up to North campus to completely involve ourselves in the nectar of the vine. Of all the places in Austin that the sommelier and I could have headed to at four in the afternoon for a glass of wine, Vino Vino was absolutely perfect. As soon as we walked in, I could tell this space was special. The entire left side of the wall was lined with wine, with a large variety of Old World styles, which always capture my heart. As we walked across the floor, the boards gave under my weight just slightly, noticed their beauty, and could instantly see the heritage in their placement. We later found out that the owner, Jeff Courington, bought them from an old dance hall from some small town deep in the Texas countryside, restored them, and placed them here in his wine lounge. He even recycled an original long bar. There’s nothing I love more than true Texas history. And here we were, surrounded by old world wines and Texas pine.

Click here to find out what they drank!

Thank you, Safoodnazi, for your thoughtful post! Come and see us anytime!

Thank you, Cameron!

PAELLA EVERY SUNDAY

7 PM SHARP!

Photos by Linda Ryan.

If you’re a fan of Vino Vino, then you know that one of owners and wine director Jeff Courington’s great passions in Southern Rhône and in particular Gigondas. On any given day, you’ll find a wide selection of earthy, acidity-driven bottlings of Grenache on his list. One of his favorites is Domaine de Cabasse.

On his recent trip to Europe, Jeff visited the winery.

The following are some of the images captured during his stay there. It’s not hard to understand why these wines are so special.

Evening Happy Hour
Monday-Friday 5:30-7 pm

$2 OFF ANY GLASS OF WINE
HALF-PRICED
SELECT DRAFT BEER
6 HALF-PRICED APPETIZERS

Late Night Happy Hour
Sunday-Thursday 10 pm-12 am

$2 OFF ANY GLASS OF WINE
HALF-PRICED
SELECT DRAFT BEER

We open today at 5:30 p.m., kitchen until 10 p.m., bar until midnight…