The Best Wine Bars in Gorizia

Gorizia is a place that, in my wine biography, plays a crucial role. Paraphrasing: “Here my passion for wines has its roots, its hopes, part of its horizons. Here I learned, in wine bars and from local producers, a lot about many bottles. Here I absorbed the passion for wine.”

Leaving aside the Italian precursor of Trump, in 2017 I lived for a year in the town on the Isonzo river and there, thanks obviously to the Collio, I began to become passionate about wine. Returning there fairly often, I have formed a precise idea of where to drink when I am in the area. After all, Gorizia is a convenient stop for those visiting the Collio, and its proximity to those splendid hills means the wine offer is interesting.

Here is the list of my four favourite wine bars in Gorizia and, at the bottom of the article, a small guide for those who want to visit Gorizia. Which deserves it, if approached in the right way.

Il Giardino dei Vizi Gorizia – The Wine Bar for Enthusiasts

Gorizia is not big, but it is pretty, and perhaps particularly pretty is Piazza Sant’Antonio, at the foot of the Castle. Here you will find Il Giardino dei Vizi, which, thanks to the verve of the owner, is mainly known as “da Lollo.” The Lollo in question is a character often buzzing with energy, who speaks in keywords (“steel, clean”), and who has a sincere passion for Friulian wines.

If you manage to talk to him during his hectic activity, he has plenty of stories to tell (apparently Dario Raccaro did not speak to him for weeks due to a funny misunderstanding) and opinions that I have often found very valid. The wine board is not huge and the offer is not all top tier, but there are always excellent products, generally from Friuli. Prices are fair.

The peak time is that of the aperitivo, both evening and lunchtime. The tables under the portico and in the square fill up and there is a very festive atmosphere. Chips are offered with the wine, but better to buy cured meats and cheeses since there are excellent ones displayed at the counter.

In Gorizia, it is wrong to expect Riedel glasses and grand presentations, but in this wine bar the wine is taken seriously and it is an excellent starting point to get to know Friulian wine, given that wines from the Karst and the province of Udine also sometimes appear on the board — and also Slovenian producers such as Scurek. If you find yourself needing to choose only one stop, this is the one for you. Definitely an interesting spot.

• Perfect for those who: love or want to get to know Friulian wines better.

Wines recently tasted:

• Malvasia by Magnàs
  • Impressions: The perfect Collio glass. Marine nose, dried thyme, honeysuckle, and juicy orange peel. Then on the palate again aromatic herbs, a full body made agile by a dominant verticality: tonic, never heavy. Crunchy, extroverted acidity, high. Floral finish, but subtle and elegant, though long.
• Chardonnay by Vie di Romans
  • On the nose grassy, with light citrus notes. So much class, just like the classic body — very Vie di Romans. However, on the palate through to the finish it shows tense and reduced aromas, grassy and flinty, perhaps also to balance the substantial body. Gastronomic, rich, demanding.
• Friulano by Ronco dei Tassi
  • It is the typical syrupy and slightly off-dry Friulano that I somewhat hate. It has a beautiful nose: cut grass, acacia, spring flowers, ripe apricot: rich! Yet on the palate, which does show an acidity wrapped in fruit but well present, the dense body and residual sugar make it plebeian. Finish more fruity than almond-driven.

Borgocastello3 – Wine Bar – Enoteca – Rooms – Suites

Continuing from Piazza Sant’Antonio towards the Castle, you reach the Borgocastello3 wine bar. The venue is located in the south-east area of the “borough” and enjoys a beautiful garden. The atmosphere is wonderful and for that alone it is worth the visit.

The wine chalkboard is not exceptional. At first glance the offer is huge, in reality many bottles are often not available by the glass and, in any case, everything revolves around four or five wineries of medium quality, which moreover are not present with their top products. So, well, one should not expect the glass that changes your day (though it was nice that until some time ago the Sauvignon on the chalkboard was written as “Souvignon”).

But the atmosphere, as mentioned, is very lovely, very serene, slightly hipster (and it is not by chance that I use a term that was fashionable ten years ago) and, all things considered, who cares about the wines when you are enjoying yourself in good company, with friends or a good book. That’s not true, “who cares about the wines” cannot be said, but for a moment they can take a back seat. Correct prices and simple service.

• Perfect for those who: want a pleasurable and calm atmosphere.

Mama Angela

Gorizia has two “tourist points of interest”: the Castle and Piazza della Vittoria. They are very close to each other, and therefore coming down from the hill on which the first one stands you can reach the second, where Mama Angela is located. It is a beautiful bar in a very central area, which now occupies the spaces that in the past were two shops.

It is not only a wine bar, but here wine is taken seriously, if only for family reasons: the manager is the cousin of Matjaž Četrtič, owner of the winery Ferdinand and co-founder of the Metodo Classico line SineFinis. Here I tasted the first wine of Četrtič, which was certainly not from his base line, and this shows how even small gems can be found by the glass. Then of course, it is mainly a bar, so the focus is also on coffee and spritz.

Precisely the central location, very pleasant again here especially during aperitivo time, makes Mama Angela a very popular place. Good for the owner, but often service gets confused. Perhaps better to go at quiet times and see what is available by the glass, also because the chalkboard, when present, is not reliable.

• Perfect for those who: want to have an aperitivo, not only with wine.

Atmosfere La Stua

Inevitably we must mention the winner of “Quattro Ristoranti Gorizia.” In my time, that place was all countryside, or rather, a shop (“Atmosfere”) of chandeliers often empty. Now, thanks to the publicity from the program and a certainly interesting menu, it is a restaurant that draws the attention of many customers.

We are again in Piazza Sant’Antonio, a few steps from Il Giardino dei Vizi. The wines by the glass are absolutely up to the fortunate area in which Gorizia is located, and you can see that the selection is put together with care. The venue is modern and professional and obviously the price must reflect the approach. A good option.

• Perfect for those who: want to also have dinner or lunch.

When to Visit Gorizia

Gorizia is a very sensory little city. In the sense that there the sky is clearer, the birds sing louder, the scents are more enveloping. I am not exaggerating; I think it is linked to the fact that around Gorizia there is little, Slovenia is a meadow and up to Udine and Trieste it is countryside, while to the north you head towards the mountains.

Precisely because of this intensity of Gorizia, where even nature seems almost to push against houses and streets, and slips into every space not guarded by humans, the best seasons to visit the town are autumn and, even better, spring. Summer is always an option, but Gorizia is in a basin and you suffer from humid heat. In addition, in the summer months there is a lot of quiet, which makes an already silent town really too silent. In winter it is cold and the bora wind blows: evocative, but to be avoided if already depressed.

What to See in Gorizia

As mentioned, the main tourist points of Gorizia are the Castle and Piazza della Vittoria. I dispute the first: it is a “restoration” from the Fascist era that wanted to bring a building that had evolved over the centuries back to its very Italian Middle Ages. Meh. But the hill from which the Castle rises – often called Borgo Castello – is very pretty and offers views on one side towards Oslavia, on the other towards that fascinating brutalist blot that is Nova Gorica. If you have time and desire, it is a pleasure on a Sunday morning to linger under one of the trees on the North side, the one facing the Collio. The panorama over the hills and the pleasant hum of the town below are worth the stop.

From here then, passing through the historic and sadly empty Via Rastello, it takes a moment to reach Piazza della Vittoria, which is indeed pretty. On the east side, the one under the Castle, there is the Kinemax, the only cinema in town. The building is pleasant to the eye, but the wisteria when in bloom are an excellent example of Gorizia’s hypersensory nature. Also amusing is the tunnel — only a place that flirts with madness like Gorizia could have a tunnel in a square.

It is very fashionable recently to go to Piazzale della Transalpina and photograph your feet, one in Slovenia and the other in Italy. Okay, it is a curious thing, but since you have crossed the border you might as well visit Nova Gorica and its lively ugliness. The two towns, geographically mirrored and very distant in spirit, always offer an interesting contrast.

From there you can take the road that brings you back to Italy and climbs towards Oslavia and the Collio, and there it is another story…