il Covino Enoteca

In Prati, the wine bar il Covino Enoteca keeps a long and constantly turning list of Italian bottles in its cellar, chosen around indigenous grapes and tilted heavily toward producers working organically or naturally. The kitchen keeps things plain on purpose: salumi, cheese, tartare and pizza, all meant to sit alongside a glass and not to pull attention away from it. Siblings run the place together. Most of the customers come from the surrounding streets, and they tend to let the staff guide them to a pairing instead of picking from the list alone.

Ask the staff for a wine from Lazio in particular. The list is especially deep on the region, which makes it an easy route to something you are unlikely to come across at home. The wider cellar centres on indigenous grapes and leans hard toward natural and organic winemakers. Regulars here usually let the staff suggest the pairing instead of choosing from the list unaided.