How Do Locals Buy Wine in Venice?
If you’re interested in vino sfuso Venice, congratulations! You’ve discovered the secret to buying wine like a local in Venice, Italy. The vino sfuso or vini sfusi are bulk wine shops that sell quality wines by the liter at discount prices.
But, before you go, you need to know some basic things about the local wines. For various reasons, bulk wines are often labeled differently than bottled wines. For example, sparkling wine may be marked Glera (the wine grape varietal) rather than Prosecco. We spent some time researching the local wines ahead of time. We’ve included a summary below.
Pro-tip: If you want to do it like a local, you should take a bottle with you to get filled. An empty 1-liter water bottle is perfect. But don’t worry, if you don’t have a bottle, you can buy one at the wine shop. The same bottle can be rinsed and refilled. So, you can drink wine and save the planet at the same time!
Vino Sfuso Venice
There are numerous vino sfuso in Venice. Some, but not all, can be found by searching the internet. Others we came across while wandering the streets.
Enoteca Al Canton Del Vin Venezia
Enoteca Al Canton Del Vin Venezia was a regular stop for us during our stay in Venice!
Address: Salizada S. Giustina, 2907/A, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
A la Virtu
Address: Fondamenta dei Ormesini, 2678, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Vini al Ponte
Address: Santa Croce, 1562/A, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Nave De Oro
Address: Cannaregio, 1370, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Vinerie Enoteche da Tellero
Address: Rio Terà SS. Apostoli, 4657, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Useful Information About Wines in Veneto
The bulk wine shops are primarily selling to locals. Because they are not part of the traditional tourist industry, the owners and employees do not always speak English. For this reason, it helps to know what you’re looking for when you go in. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t need to speak Italian, and you don’t need to be a sommelier, but you increase your chances of success with a bit of information.
The bulk wine shops have a wide variety of wines. Some are local wines from the Veneto region. Others are from nearby areas like Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Trentino-Alto-Adige. Importantly, bulk wines are often identified by the grape variety rather than the wine varietal. Consequently, it helps to know what grapes are used to produce the common wines.
White Grapes
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- Glera
- Pinot Grigio
- Trebbiano
- Garganega
Red Grapes
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- Corvina
- Molinara
- Rondinella
- Merlot
For more information about these grape varieties, check out the Venice Wine page.
If you get lucky, you might find bulk wines identified by the wine varietal. Here’s a list of the most common.
Sparkling Wines
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- Prosecco
- Prosecco Rose
White Wines
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- Pinot Grigio (varietal wine)
- Soave
Red Wines
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- Bardolino
- Valpolicella
- Merlot (varietal wine)
Sweet Wines
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- Recioto di Soave
Check out the Venice Wine page for more information about these wine varietals.
Useful Italian words for Bulk Wine Shopping
Shopping at the local Italian bulk wine shop is not a tourist activity but a local activity. Our experience with the local bulk wine shop owners is that they sometimes speak limited English. Although we speak limited Italian, we have always been successful and left the shop carrying the type of wine we wanted.
Our experience has been universally positive, with everyone being extremely kind and patient. But, there are a few Italian words that will make it much easier:
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- Red Wine – Vino Rosso
- White Wine – Vino Bianco
- Semi-Sparking Wine – Frizzante
- Dry – Secco
- Sweet – Dolce
- Bulk wines – vini sfusi
- One liter – Un litro
- Two liters – Due litri
- Bottle – bottiglia
- Please – Per favore
- Thank you very much – Grazie mille!
Map of Vino Sfuso in Venice
Our recommended vino sfuso in Venice are Enoteca Al Canton Del Vin Venezia in the Castello district, A la Virtu in the Cannaregio district, and Vini al Ponte in the Santa Croce district.