Good news for wine lovers and the end of Comida di Buteco

Cheers!

When I was living in London, one of my greatest pleasures was to meet up with a friend or two after work and drink a few glasses of wine. This was especially enjoyable when the weather was good – on sunny summer days, the people of Britain are possessed with a burning desire to go out after work and socialise, desperately aware that they might not see the sun again for weeks or even months.

So imagine my dismay when I got to sunny Rio to find that there weren’t many places that sold decent wine by the glass at affordable prices. All that sunshine and no wine? There is Coccinelle in Centro [2024: no longer with us] – they sell excellent wines – but they open mostly for the lunch time crowd. What was a wine loving person without vast wads of cash to do?

Thankfully, someone has finally come along to fill this gap in the market – and they’re filling that gap from a sweet little bar in Botafogo – meet WineHouse [2024: with a very heavy heart, after many long years, and becoming close friends with the owners, I have to announce that WineHouse is no more]:

WineHouse is located on Rua Paulo Barreto, 25 Loja E, Botafogo.

English-Brazilian couple Dominic and Selene Parry are the people behind WineHouse and on Wednesday night, Mrs Eat Rio and I had the pleasure of meeting them. Selene, currently studying architecture, handled the interior design, while Dominic takes care of the wines. Together they’ve made something rather wonderful!

Of course there are plenty of places to drink wine in Rio, but unless you’re a big cheese making big bucks, chances are that you won’t be able to afford the prices. That’s the real beauty of WineHouse – they have plenty of really tasty wines sold by the glass in the R$8 to R$15 range. During Happy Hour (before 20:00 I think) they’re even cheaper.

One day I want tiles like this in Eat Rio HQ.

Chatting to Dominic I was really pleased to hear how enthusiastic he is about Brazilian wine – I recently discovered several excellent sparkling wines from the south of Brazil so it’s an area I want to explore more. They also have a nice selection of goodies to nibble on such as olives, patés, bruschettas, cheeses and charcuterie.

So wine fans, there’s a little recommendation for you.

Now I really should be working, but just time to remind you that this year’s Comida di Buteco ends this Sunday, so if you’ve had your eye on any of the participating bars, better get along this weekend. Some friends and I tried the savoury churros at Angú do Gomes last night and they were really nice. Here’s a picture – have a great weekend!

Savoury watercress churros filled with rib of beef and dusted with Parmesan – yes.