You know a place is special when your first thought upon visiting is: “Where has this place been all my life?” This was my experience with The Wine Bottega, a wine shop that I’m sad to say was on my daily commute for two years before I finally stopped in.

Located on Hanover Street in the North End, The Wine Bottega can be easily overlooked among the tourists, locals, valet parkers, and neighborhood characters bustling about Boston’s Little Italy. Yet in my opinion, it’s a real highlight of this neighborhood that should not be missed.

The Wine Bottega specializes in natural wines, which I didn’t know existed until I came here. As it turns out, many industrially-produced wines may contain questionable additives such as glycerin, dried fish bladders, extract of cow pancreas, silicone oils, and even heavy metals; natural wines do not contain any of these. Though I’ve visited both Napa and Mendoza, I’ve learned more during my visits to The Wine Bottega than I have during my travels.  

The highly knowledgeable staff here is always ready to answer questions, make a recommendation, or tell an interesting anecdote about a particular wine or winemaker. One of the best times to visit is during the weekly Friday tastings from 17:00 – 20:00. The tastings are free and based around a theme, and any wines offered in the tasting are sold at a discount on that day. Stop by for the perfect start or end to a nice dinner in the North End!