A family-run Liverpool city region restaurant opens what it claims is only the second ever ‘wine window’ in the UK. Andrew Brown reports
A family-run Italian restaurant in Southport has unveiled the first ever ‘wine window’ in Merseyside – and just the second one in the UK.
Wine windows are a heritage feature of the city of Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Now you can discover one in the front wall of La Tabella restaurant in Churchtown Village, which is operated by Rob Smallman and his son, Dan.
This venue is renowned for its excellent hand-made pizza, pasta, great wine, and warm friendly atmosphere The wine window idea was inspired by Dan’s honeymoon to Florence, where he and bride, Sam, loved it so much they wanted to bring it home.
It is titled ‘Churchtown’s Finestra Del Vino’ (Churchtown’s wine window) with customers invited to walk up and ‘please knock for service’.
When the wine window is open, people can choose a 175ml glass of vino (wine) for £6 in either rosso (red), bianco (white) or rosato (rose). Takeaway is available for a £2 deposit.
The tradition of wine windows in Florence dates back to the 16th century when aristocratic families were allowed to sell any wine which they produced to passers-by directly from their palazzi, without any middlemen or taxes.
Wine windows were small portals on the front walls, often next to the main entrance, and were big enough to accommodate a glass of wine.
Rob Smallman said: “We think our new wine window is going to prove really popular. It has already become a real talking point in the village.
“We get lots of customers sitting outside our restaurant, and we wanted to create something new and different. The only wine window in this country is in Prestwich in Cheshire so we wanted to create the first one in Merseyside.
“We are selling wine by the glass at the moment but we will change what we offer as we go along.
“We might use it to sell mulled wine when we’re nearer Christmas, or cocktails when it’s Spring time, or slices of pizza, or hot chocolate when families are out trick or treating at Halloween. We can have some real fun with it.”
Dan Smallman said: “My wife, Arianne, and I enjoyed a fantastic honeymoon in Florence recently. We loved seeing all the wine windows they had in the city.
“It was a really fun thing to do, walking up, knocking on the window and being served with a couple of glasses of delicious wine. We thought it would be a really lovely thing to bring back home for people here to enjoy.”
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In Florence, for centuries, unassuming wine windows were used to sell wine directly to people walking by.
They were generally used until the 1920s, but then saw a resurgence when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, allowing restaurateurs to overcome social distancing challenges.
Their popularity has since grown and they have become a much-loved cultural feature of Florence. La Tabella’s owners hope their new wine window will become an equally big hit in Southport.