Wine rotations strive to educate people about drinking without falling into exaggeration or nonsense

The concept of rotation in gastronomy is associated with exaggeration and the effort to make every penny spent count. A growing movement of bars in São Paulo has been fighting this stereotype while offering a more educational experience, aimed at democratizing and popularizing wine, which is offered at will for a fixed price.

In addition to the proliferation of wine bars, the city has more than half a dozen establishments that offer the drink in a scheme reminiscent of rodízio. For a fixed price (around R$100), customers can drink as much as they want from a selection of labels.

Bars that offer this type of service do not want to be associated with the idea of ​​exaggeration, however. “We are not a nightclub. The main focus from the beginning has been educational”, explains Rafael Ilan Bernater, owner of the Bocca Nera bar, which claims to be the first to offer a rotating wine menu in the world.

To this end, the service is carried out by trained employees, who present each label in a tasting full of explanations about the drink. “We teach how to taste, step by step to try, what acidity is, what tannin is,” he says. According to Bernater, the average consumption is one and a half bottles per person.

The idea of ​​the unlimited service is to democratize people’s entry into the world of wine, says Lierson Mattenhauer Jr, chef at Xepa, a bar that also offers a carvery once a week.

“People see wine as something bourgeois and elegant, but in the rest of the world people drink wine like they drink beer,” he says.

The selection of drinks in all these bars follows the criteria of variety. Due to the average price charged, the wines are not usually the highest priced, but the promise is that they are not too simple drinks either.

During a recent visit to the Vino! from Higienópolis, the selection included three sparkling wines, two white wines, one rosé and five reds from different parts of the world. Some were simpler, like an Italian pinot grigio, or more complex, like the national claret from the Vinha Solo winery.

Bars seem to be able to balance between fun and education. They create environments in which people normally start out learning and paying attention, but then end up encouraged by drinking. So relax and enjoy the unlimited service.

Bocca NeraSão

15 labels, including reds, whites, rosés, sparkling wines and dessert wines (the customer chooses the order). Prices range from R$79.90 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) to R$109.90 (Fridays and Saturdays).
R. Mourato Coelho, 1,160, Pinheiros, western region. Tuesday to Saturday, from 6:30 pm to midnight

Di Paolo

When ordering a sequence of dishes from the restaurant (R$ 126) and a glass of wine (R$ 36), the customer can participate in the drink rotation.
R. Morás, 53, Pinheiros, western region. Fri. and Sat., from 6pm to 11pm (dinner)

Evino Higienópolis

The selection of 12 wines — with reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wines — available from Tuesday to Saturday, for R$ 89.90.
Praça Vilaboim, 103, Higienópolis, central region, @evino.higienopolis. Tuesday to Friday, from 5pm to 8pm. Sat., from 4pm to 7pm

Campestre Winery

The tasting (R$ 119) includes 17 labels from Zanotto and Villa Campestre. Offers an exclusive experience for women.
Av. Pedroso de Morais, 1.047, Pinheiros, western region, @vinicolacampestre. Thu. to Saturday, from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm

Vino!

The Open Vino! It takes place from Tuesday to Saturday, with different proposals in each house. Prices range from R$89 to R$119 (value for the experience with four labels and four appetizers in Pinheiros).
R. Fradique Coutinho, 47, Pinheiros, western region, @vinopinheiros. Tuesday to Saturday, from 12pm to 11:30pm

Xepa

There are four labels provided by Evino served as you like on Wednesdays, for R$90.
R. Jaguaribe, 529, Vila Buarque, central region. Wed: from 6pm