The host who knows wine, and people
Alessandro
Alessandro doesn't choose wine to fill a shelf. He looks for it, tastes it, wants to understand who makes it and why it's worth sharing. That's how he carries on the family wine bar in San Martino: with experience, curiosity, and a wish to see people drink well.
To most people in Gubbio he's simply “Nela”A nickname that has stuck since he was a boy, and one everyone at the Enoteca knows.
01 · Where it started
A trade that goes back a long way.
Before Alessandro, his father Guerrino stood behind that same counter. The place has been open since 1984, and once it received its licence to serve in 1999, it became, over time, a point of reference for anyone wanting to stop for a glass in San Martino. The Maestro del Commercio certificate awarded to Guerrino in 2000 still hangs in the Enoteca: not a decoration, but proof of a serious and human way of doing this job.
02 · The years away
First Italy, then the return to Gubbio.
Alessandro was born in Gubbio, but grew up in Ostia. That's where he started working in bars and restaurants, before spending seasons and gaining experience in different parts of Italy. He saw dining rooms, kitchens, guests and rhythms very different from those of a single town. When he came back to Gubbio, he brought that experience with him: an eye for hospitality, an ability to read people, and the idea that good service can't be the same for everyone.
03 · The search for wine
Getting to know producers, never stopping the search.
Today Alessandro follows the world of wine closely, with particular attention to Umbrian producers and the Italian wineries that do things well. He goes to Vinitaly, meets winemakers, tastes, and comes back to wines over time. He isn't after a label to show off: he's after bottles with identity, balance, and a fair price.
That's why the advice at the counter is never automatic. A wine can be right for an aperitivo, for a sandwich, for a gift, or for an important evening. Before suggesting one, Alessandro asks, listens, and only then makes a recommendation.
04 · His place in Gubbio
A glass for the locals. A real encounter for those from out of town.
For years, the Enoteca has remained the meeting point for people who live in the neighbourhood. But it's also one of those places that many travellers stumble upon and remember. This isn't just somewhere to order a drink: people talk about wine, about Gubbio, about what they saw during the day, and what's worth doing tomorrow.
“A must-stop if you're passing through Gubbio: the host Alessandro is warm, knowledgeable, welcoming and helpful. He'll make you realise happiness can come down to a sandwich and a glass of wine.” — Michele, Google review
05 · Seen by someone who stopped by
The kind of place you come back to.
There are places you visit once, places you return to, and places where, after three evenings, you begin to suspect that everybody except you has been sitting in exactly the same chair for the last twenty years.
Enoteca di Gubbio belongs firmly to the third category.
We spent several evenings here playing Briscola and slowly working our way through glasses of wonderful wine recommended by Alessandro. Around us, almost every evening, were the same local faces — smiling, talking, arguing, joking, occasionally sharing their salumi with us, and occupying what appeared to be their permanently assigned chairs. One gentleman, if we understood correctly, works in the shop next door, which makes his daily commute to the Enoteca enviably short.
This is perhaps the best thing one can say about a wine bar: the locals don't merely recommend it. They seem to live there.
And then there is Alessandro.
Before leaving Gubbio, we decided to buy some wine to take back to Poland. Three bottles — not because three seemed sufficient, but because this was the depressing limit imposed by our checked luggage.
We asked Alessandro for something similar to a Verdicchio we had enjoyed in a nearby restaurant. He didn't have that particular wine. He looked genuinely concerned by this for a moment, thought about it, found a detailed description of the wine online, studied it, and then started showing us possible alternatives.
They were better than the original.
Which is, I suppose, the difference between somebody who sells wine and somebody who understands what you liked about a wine.
We came to Enoteca di Gubbio for a glass. We returned for Alessandro, for Briscola, for the familiar faces, the conversations we mostly couldn't understand, the salumi generously passed across the table, and that peculiar pleasure of being temporary visitors in a place where almost everybody else seems beautifully permanent.
Three bottles made it back to Poland with us.
We wish we could have packed the Enoteca too.
— Wojciech Rafat, Google review
Come meet him
The best advice is the one given over a glass.
Stop by the Enoteca, tell us what you like, and let Alessandro introduce you to something good.
Come say hello