Zanobini Fratelli

Nice afternoon stop. Filled with locals all visiting, moved right over for us tourists and shared their place. Very good Nobile and the 2euro Rooster Chianti surprisingly nice. Good La Divina Chuchina stop. Lots of choices on the by the drink board and some very good bottles on the shelves.

This is my favorite place to hang out in Florence. Stand at the bar right off the street and meet locals and tourists. Engage in great conversations. The Italians are not afraid to discuss politics and are refreshingly frank about their opinions. The wine selections by the glass are on the board. Prices range from cheap to not so cheap, but fair. The bottled wine selection is extensive and the friendly and knowledgeable staff will guide you to exactly what you would want.
After I get off the train and drop off my bags, this is the first place I go to.

We visited this gorgeous wine bar and bottle shop as part of our «Florence for Foodies» tour before venturing back another evening for a pre dinner apéritif and we loved this place!
The staff, especially Simone, are so lovely and extremely knowledgeable. The wine, spirit and liqueur selection for purchase is enormous with almost all wines being of Italian origin with a few French champagnes thrown in for good measure.
There are also a number of wines available to drink by the glass in the store.
During our food tour we were taken downstairs to the cellar to try some reserve Chianti Classico — the most famous wine of the Tuscan region. It was so delicious we went back for a second glass the next night before dinner.
A real hidden gem that has been in operation since the late 1370s — talk about some wonderful history! Check it out!

Wenn ich bei meinen jährlichen Besuchen des River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival so etwas wie eine Stammkneipe habe, dann ist es der Weinladen von Gino und Silvano Zanobini in der Nähe des Mercato Centrale. Im Eingangsbereich gibt es einen Stehtresen, an dem die Gebrüder Zanobini leckere Weine zu fairen Preisen ausschenken (ab 2 Euro pro Glas, Stand: November 2013).
Die probierten Tropfen kann man natürlich auch kaufen. Außerdem gibt es eine riesige Auswahl an Spirituosen, die ebenfalls recht günstig sind. Die Zanobinis lassen auch ein feines Olivenöl der ersten Güteklasse pressen (Natives Olivenöl Extra), das man für ca. 12 Euro erwerben kann.
Ihr Stehausschank soll in Florenz zu einer aussterbenden Gattung gehören, die teureren Weinstuben Platz macht. Schon mittags trifft sich dort ein bunter Querschnitt der florentinischen Bevölkerung auf einen Schoppen und ein Schwätzchen, das gern auch mal in eine erbitterte politische Diskussion ausartet die von den entspannten Zanobinis mit einem amüsierten Grinsen quittiert wird.

A stop on my Foodies tour with Nat and Sam. Shop is owner by wine owner who keeps grappa spray behind the corner. Grappa tastes like moonshine or very rough vodka. History behind the wine shop is that it was a masonery lodge at one point. Very large sellection of wine.

Planning to visit Florence over Christmas, I noted prolific Hamburg Qyper PJebsen’s review in German that had been posted to Twitter. I have little to add to it, so by way of thanks to PJ, here’s a shot at a translation:
If I have anything like a ‘local’ that I use during my annual visits to the Florence Indian Film Festival, then it is the wine shop by the Mercato Centrale owned by Gino and Silvano Zanobini. In the entrance area, there is a stand-​up bar where the Zanobini brothers serve their tasty wines at fair prices (from EUR 1.50/glass).
What you taste can of course also be purchased, as can an enormous range of spirits, which is also very favourably priced. The Zanobinis also have a fine olive oil of the highest quality pressed for themselves (native olive oil extra), which is on sale for EUR 12.00.
In Florence, the stand-​up bar is apparently a genre which is dying out and giving way to the more expensive wine bars. At midday, a colourful cross section of the Florentine population meets there for a glass and a chat that can often develop into fierce political discussion: something that is acknowledged by the laid-​back Zanobinis with an amused grin.
Business on Christmas Eve was understandably booming, as was the chit-​chat. It was amusing to note someone who seemed to be a regular suggesting an appropriate seasonal discount for a purchase; an exchange which took place with charming reciprocal and neo-​operatic joviality.
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