The buzz: Sharing the same compound as Bankara Ramen, Wine Digest is headed by one owner with a penchant for all things Italian. While the setting is typical of Bangkok’s many wine bars, the actual selection features mainly small-batch boutique wines from Italy.

 

The décor: Something between a restaurant and a library. The wine cellar takes up a whopping 30-percent of the place, while the dining area seats 35 in gentlemanly high-back leather chairs. To one side of the room a wall-to-ceiling book shelf display an extensive collection of wine books. Italian wine maps and wine-related posters hang from the walls, too. There’s limited outdoor seats, if you want to soak up the breeze.

 

The music: Breezy pop tunes at low volume. The crowd: Japanese and Thai executives with money to burn on a special bottle.

 

The food & drink: With so much focus on the wine, the menu keeps things very simple, very Thai-bistro, with cold cuts (B380 for a mixed platter) and cheese (B380 for mixed platter), light dishes like smoked duck breast salad with passion-fruit honey dressing (B350) and Thai favorites like kor moo yang (grilled pork with tamarind sauce, B240) and tom yum kung (B350). Mains include wagyu rib eye with hand-cut fries and green pepper sauce (B1,100), pastas like arrabiata (B320) and risottos like the recommended amarone (B490). As for the main draw, there are no wine lists on the tables; instead patrons are invited to peruse the huge wine cellar showcasing mainly small-batch Italian varieties handpicked by the owner. Prices start from B1,250 for Bottega Cabernet Delle Venezie up to B3,700 for Sarmassa Borolo 2007. There’s also a short list of French and New World bottles. If you don’t know where to start, the owner suggests the house red, Malatesta Sangiovese DOC 2010 (B200 by the glass/B1,000 by the bottle) or white, Albana Di Romagna Secco DOCG 2011 (B200/B1,000). If you want to switch it up, there’s only Asahi by the bottle (B120).

 

Why you’ll come back: The bar is planning weekly wine tasting events throughout December spotlighting rare bottles you may not

have tried.