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Best Wine Bars in Rome: Beyond the Enoteca Tourism Circuit
Rome has hundreds of wine bars but far fewer worth your time. The distinction: a good Roman enoteca (wine bar and shop) serves wine from small Italian producers that you can't find in London or New York, by knowledgeable staff who can explain what you're drinking, at prices that don't punish you for being curious. Most wine bars near the major tourist sites are neither of these things. This guide covers the ones that are.
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Best Wine Bars in Rome by Neighborhood
Trastevere
Trastevere has a wine bar density problem: too many tourist-facing enoteche serving mediocre wine at inflated prices. The exceptions are real and worth finding. Enoteca Ferrara (Via del Moro 1a), the best wine bar in Trastevere and one of the best in Rome. 700+ labels including small producers from every Italian region. By-the-glass selection changes weekly. Knowledgeable staff. Food: excellent charcuterie and cheese boards €15–22. Open daily 12pm–3am. La Mescita (Vicolo della Luce 2), tiny, 20 seats, natural wine focus. The selection here (primarily Italian biodynamic and natural producers) is unusual for Rome. Wine by glass €5–9. Cash only.
Testaccio
Testaccio is Rome's working-class food neighborhood (the old abattoir, the market, the offal restaurants) and has an enoteca culture to match: direct, no-frills, wine and food without ceremony. Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina (Via dei Giubbonari 21, technically Campo de' Fiori area but the spirit is Testaccio), the most celebrated wine and food combination in Rome. The wine list (2,000+ labels) is legendary. The salumi and cheese counter is extraordinary. Difficult to book, worth the effort. Pennestri (Via Giovanni da Empoli 5, Ostiense/Testaccio border), neighborhood enoteca with a serious Roman and Lazio focus. Frascati from small producers, Cesanese from the Ciociaria hills, Aleatico from the island of Ponza. Wine €5–8 by glass.
Prati and the Vatican Area
Prati (north of the Vatican, across the Tiber) has Rome's best neighborhood enoteca culture: upper-middle-class Romans stopping for a glass after work, no tourist premium. Il Sorpasso (Via Properzio 31–33), part wine bar, part trattoria (informal family-run restaurant), part social club. Excellent Lazio wine selection, food menu €12–22 per dish. The best wine bars in Rome in Prati are less famous than the Trastevere options and significantly better value. Vino e Camino (Piazza del Fico 26, technically Navona area), fireplace in winter, terrace in summer, curated Italian wine list with glass pours of unusual regions (Campania whites, Sicilian reds, Calabrian Cirò).
Italian Wine Regions to Explore at Rome's Wine Bars
The best wine bars in Rome are an opportunity to try Italian wines that rarely make it to export markets. Specific regions to look for:
Lazio DOC wines: Cesanese del Piglio DOCG (a red wine from the Ciociaria hills east of Rome. Italy's only DOCG in Lazio, made from the Cesanese grape, structured and age-worthy), Frascati Superiore DOCG (small-producer versions), Aleatico di Gradoli DOC (a sweet red from the Bolsena lake zone, extraordinary with aged cheese).
Campania: Fiano di Avellino DOCG (one of Italy's great whites, mineral, complex, age-worthy), Aglianico from Taurasi DOCG (the "Barolo of the South"), Greco di Tufo DOCG.
Calabria: Cirò DOC (the oldest wine in Italy, made from Gaglioppo grapes on the Ionian coast. Homer is said to have drunk it), Val di Neto IGT. These wines are almost impossible to find outside Italy. The best wine bars in Rome serve them by the glass at €6–9.
Wine Bars in Rome: Quick Reference
Addresses and opening hoursEnoteca Ferrara. Via del Moro 1a, Trastevere. Open daily 12–3am. Wine by glass €5–12. Best for: comprehensive Italian list, knowledgeable service, late-night option.
Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina. Via dei Giubbonari 21. Open Mon–Sat 12:30–4pm, 7pm–midnight. Book online. Best for: wine + food combination, €15–25 per person for wine + charcuterie.
Il Sorpasso. Via Properzio 31–33, Prati. Open daily 7:30am–1am. Best for: neighborhood atmosphere, Lazio wine focus, value.
La Mescita. Vicolo della Luce 2, Trastevere. Open Tue–Sun 6pm–midnight. Best for: natural wine selection, tiny intimate space, cash only.
Pennestri. Via Giovanni da Empoli 5, Ostiense. Open Tue–Sat 7pm–midnight. Best for: deep Lazio regional focus, unusual Italian regions.
What is the best wine bar in Rome?
The best wine bars in Rome by category: Best for comprehensive selection. Enoteca Ferrara (Via del Moro 1a, Trastevere, 700+ labels). Best for wine + food combination. Roscioli (Via dei Giubbonari 21, book ahead). Best for natural wine. La Mescita (Vicolo della Luce 2, Trastevere). Best for value and local atmosphere. Il Sorpasso (Via Properzio 31, Prati). Best for Lazio regional wines. Pennestri (Via Giovanni da Empoli 5, Ostiense). Each is excellent for a different reason. The right choice depends on what kind of experience you want.
What wine should I drink in Rome?
The most specifically Roman choice is Frascati from a small producer, the Castelli Romani white wine that fed Rome for two millennia. Look for Frascati Superiore DOCG from Castel de Paolis or Poggio Le Volpi. Cesanese del Piglio DOCG is the local red worth knowing, one of the most underrated DOCGs in Italy. For aperitivo (pre-dinner drink with snacks) with food: a glass of Frascati Superiore with Roman salumi and pecorino is the most regionally correct aperitivo choice. The best wine bars in Rome carry all of these. The tourist-facing enoteche near the Colosseum and Trevi typically serve generic national brands instead.
How much does wine cost at Roman wine bars?
At the best wine bars in Rome, wine by the glass costs €5–12 depending on the quality and region. Neighborhood bars (Prati, Testaccio, Ostiense) charge €5–8 per glass. Tourist-area wine bars charge €9–15 for comparable wine. A carafe (quartino, 250ml) of house wine at a Roman trattoria costs €5–8 and is often the most regional and honest wine available. For a bottle at a wine bar: €20–45 for Italian regional wines, €50–120 for prestigious labels like Barolo or Brunello. Budget €15–25 per person for a wine bar visit with food accompaniment at Roscioli or Enoteca Ferrara.
Rome Wine Bars: The Broader Food Connection
The best wine bars in Rome anchor an evening itinerary. Aperitivo at Il Sorpasso (6:30pm) before dinner. Wine with dinner at Roscioli (this works because they're a restaurant as much as a bar). Post-dinner glass at Enoteca Ferrara (open until 3am). The wine bar culture in Rome is flexible in a way that Milanese aperitivo or Torinese vermouth aren't, there's no strict hour and no specific ritual. You come when you want to drink well. Related: aperitivo in Rome, Rome restaurants, and our complete Rome guide.
Discover Rome's Wine Culture
Private wine bar tours, Lazio wine region day trips, and Frascati DOC producer visits arranged from Rome.
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