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Passione Vino Clerkenwell, London
Luca Dusi’s dinky vinoteca Passione Vino has been an east London landmark for 10 years, loved for its soulful approach to food and wine and eccentric interiors. Its new offshoot, in Islington’s Exmouth Market, is housed in a former tattoo parlour that once belonged to Dusi’s friend, the designer (and fellow Veronese) Mo Coppoletta. “I want it to be the kind of place where you walk in and just think, ‘I want to eat and drink everything,’” says the Italian.
Visitors are greeted by a 5m-long Veronese red marble bar groaning with bowls of mozzarella, boxes of tomatoes, charcuterie and a rattan basket of Puglian Altamura loaves “for really gourmet sandwiches”. There are also a few small tables and a shop in the corner selling wines to take away.
True to form, there is no written wine list, and service is mainly by the glass – “you just tell us the kind of thing you want, we bring three bottles to your table and let you taste”. But there’s also a little black book of “older vintages, big wines” by the bottle: “If you want 1990s Barolo, Barbaresco 2010, we will also have that,” Dusi adds.
Wines are mostly Italian, with an emphasis on the small-scale and artisanal. Highlights include the young Barolo maker Orlando Rocca – “a rock star of tomorrow” – and wines of the lesser-known Sardinian mountain appellation Barbagia, which are his new crush. “They have incredible depth and elegance,” says Dusi. “I cannot drink enough.” Opening early December. 58 Exmouth Market, passionevino.co.uk
À La Renaissance, Paris
It’s more than 100 years since this elegant café-bar was founded in the 11th arrondissement. It’s been given new life by Joshua Fontaine, who also co-owns Paris hotspots Candelaria and Le Mary Céleste with his business partner Carina Soto Velásquez. “We like to create places that have that generosity of spirit – that create a sense of authenticity and comfort, and serve classic things done well,” says Fontaine.
The 40-seat bar retains the pitted mirrors, the mosaics and vintage neon lights. But there are also new details: an elegant marble and onyx bar and walls adorned with a handpainted fresco of Paris life.
The bar’s former proprietress, Régine, was famous for being an early adopter of natural wine. Names you might see on the new list include L’Anglore, a natural winemaker in the Rhône, Marsannay’s Sylvain Pataille and biodynamic champagne grower Ruppert-Leroy (Velásquez’s husband is Michael Sager, owner of cool London wine bar Sager + Wilde). The Martini has a Francophile twist with a dash of cassis, and there are classics such as pastis several ways and a highball of Campari and Orangina.
À La Renaissance is also a bistro that is open from breakfast through to 1am. Stop by for morning pastries and coffee, a three-course prix-fixe lunch or a dinner of “updated bistro classics”. “It is above all a neighbourhood establishment,” says Fontaine. “Families are welcome here.” They even lay on colouring placemats for children – and particularly creative grown-ups – by the artist Anna Vu. 87 Rue de la Roquette, alarenaissance.com
Stars, New York
There are more than 1,000 wines on offer but just 12 seats at this former taco shop in the East Village. And they only do walks-ins, so you may well have to queue. The wait will be worth it, though, if the track record of its founders, Chase Sinzer and Joshua Pinsky, is anything to go by. They’re also behind Claud and Penny, two wine-forward downtown restaurants that regularly feature on New York’s “best of” lists.
“With Stars we wanted to do something convivial, casual and very, very relaxed,” says Sinzer, a former Michelin Guide sommelier of the year. “I think people want to be taken care of in a way that feels natural and more hands-off, perhaps, than it did in the past.” He describes the vibe as “austerely romantic”. Interiors include cedar wood panelling, reclaimed brass floors and a custom zinc bar.
When it comes to the wine, the duo’s strongest hand is France. “But with the Stars list we also wanted to pay more curious attention to upstart producers in places like Germany, the States and Spain. High-toned, fresh, quite affordable wines that people want to drink in a quick and easy way.”
There will be 88 wines under $88, with 15-20 by the glass, plus aperitivo-style mixed drinks featuring vermouth and sherry. Food will be “simple things you can eat with your hands, standing up. Like shrimp toast. It’s all about creating a sense of ease.” 139 East 12th Street, @stars_nyc
@alicelascelles
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