Returning to our Airbnb from Vaporetto stop San Mercuolo we happened upon an Enoteca. Now, I have been really interested in stopping at a wine shop and maybe having some tastings so I was eager to go in. This wine shop was a little bit different and a lot of fun. Matteo Codato is the proprietor and a very charming guy who is very knowledgeable in the wines of the region around Venice. He opened his shop about 12 years ago after going to University for Architecture here in Venice. He fell in love with the city and decided to open a shop in order to stay here. Wine is a passion so it was an easy transition to a “shop for wine”.
In the picture above you can see Matteo filling a plastic jug dropped off by a regular client… while we were there… with some white wine de casa. Italians drink wine with lunch and dinner and so require a steady supply of wine that is good but not expensive. At Matteo’s “La Fiaschetieria” that is exactly what you can get.
The barrels, boxes and taps contain wine from the Veneto region. They are meant to be table wines and used frequently. He buys from several wineries around Venice. A regional fair called “Vin Italia” is held each year in April in Verona to acquaint wine shop owners with the vineyards and their produce. Here they can taste the wines and decide which to order. Matteo sells between 500-800 liters of wine per week to local Venetians.
When you enter the shop you can see a line of taps which hold the “house wine” and you get to taste the varieties. We were in the market for a red wine so Matteo started us off with a sweeter wine and honed in from there. We prefer dry wine so we ended up with a very nice Merlot. You can buy the house wines for 3-5 Euro per liter. A glass bottle is 1 Euro or you can bring your own container.
If you don’t want wine in bulk you can buy a glass of wine-to-go for 1E. That’s a real bargain for a decent wine that you get to pick for yourself.
If you purchase the bottle, Matteo fills it with the wine of your choice and then caps the bottle with a little machine.
The rest of the shop is filled with bottles of wine from local wineries. We asked Matteo to share one of his favorites with us and here he holds the bottle.
I had taken a picture of a wine we had enjoyed at a restaurant in Treviso and, sure enough, he had it on his shelves. He recommended a white for us that was one of his favorites and we decided to try those two in addition to the Merlot. He told us that 2022 was a good year for wine as the summer season was very hot and dry. Good conditions for maturing the grapes on the vine.
He packaged up the wine in a lovely box for us and we were ready to go. If you’re in Venice, visit Matteo Codato at “La Fiaschetteria”, Venezia, San Marcuola. You will have a delightful experience, learn a little about local wine and spend time with a charming Wine Merchant…of Venice. LOL
You won’t regret your trip to a rather different Enoteca frequented by local Italians who enjoy their wine. It’s another way to embrace the city and make it your own.
