Il Mercante ★ 4.4
15 by the glassCentro Storico, Verona
Verona wine bar and restaurant on the historic Piazza dei Signori, with a strong Veneto wine focus and late-night hours in the summer season.
The list: 350-label list focused on small Veneto producers; 15 by-the-glass pours at any time; open terrace on Piazza dei Signori until midnight in summer
Tip: The terrace directly on Piazza dei Signori is one of the best outdoor wine spots in northern Italy; summer evenings start with Prosecco Superiore and pivot to Amarone as the night progresses.
Osteria al Volto ★ 4.7
22 by the glassSan Marco, Venice
One of Venice's most wine-serious bacari in operation since 1936 near the Rialto. The 1400-label cellar is far beyond typical bacaro scope; by-the-glass pours rotate constantly.
The list: 1400-label cellar; 20-plus by-the-glass pours; one of Venice's deepest bacaro wine lists; open until midnight
Tip: The late-opening Venetian bacaro with the most serious wine list; staff recommendations at the counter are reliable for uncovering smaller-production Veneto bottles.
Enoteca Baraldi ★ 4.3
10 by the glassSan Zeno, Verona
A neighbourhood wine bar beside the Romanesque Basilica di San Zeno in the quieter western quarter of Verona. Solid Veneto wine list with a bias toward small family estates in Valpolicella and Soave.
The list: Veneto-focused wine list with around 250 labels; 10 by-the-glass; tucked beside the basilica of San Zeno in a quieter Veronese neighbourhood
Tip: An alternative to the crowded Arena district bars; the wine list features many small Valpolicella estates not found in the centro storico enoteche.
Vino Vero ★ 4.7
20 by the glassCannaregio, Venice
Vino Vero is Venice's most respected natural wine bar, opened in 2013 on the Fondamenta Misericordia. The wine list is exclusively natural, biodynamic or organic, with heavy representation of Veneto producers. Cicchetti service in the evening.
The list: All-natural wine list of 300-plus bottles; by-the-glass selection changes frequently; low-intervention Italian and French wines exclusively
Tip: Natural wine on the Misericordia canal in Venice, where the canal-side tables are among the most atmospheric wine-drinking spots in Italy. A vinyl record plays softly; the mood is quieter than the Rialto bacari.
Vinile ★ 4.5
15 by the glassVeronetta, Verona
A natural wine and vinyl bar in Veronetta, the artsy neighbourhood east of the Adige. Combines a curated natural wine list with a serious vinyl record collection; low-lit and intimate with 25 seats.
The list: Natural and biodynamic wine focus; vinyl record soundtrack; intimate 25-seat space with a rotating by-the-glass selection curated by the owners
Tip: Vinile curates pairing evenings where a vinyl record era is matched to a wine era; the 1980s Amarone alongside New Wave is a recurring evening.
Cantina Do Spade ★ 4.5
10 by the glassSan Polo, Rialto, Venice
A Rialto bacaro claiming roots to 1415, offering cicchetti and ombra wine pours in a narrow wood-panelled room beside the Rialto market. Venetian house wines and a simple bottled selection; the authentic Venice bacaro experience.
The list: Classic Venetian bacaro with house carafe wines and bottled Veneto selections; vinyl playing softly in the back; Soave and Valpolicella by the ombra glass
Tip: One of the oldest continuously operating bacari in Venice (1415 per establishment lore); the intimate wood-panelled interior with classic Venetian music is the listening-bar atmosphere in its original form.