Travel

It is a universal but rarely acknowledged truth that restaurateurs make more money out of selling alcohol than they do from selling food, even though so much media attention is now focused on the kitchen.

Over the past couple of years there has been a significant move towards menus where a relatively simple style of food is supplemented by a more extensive wine list. Terroirs in central London set the tone, while 
a more recent and plush example is 
Bar Boulud in the Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge. Here are four venues in 
Europe where the wine comes first and 
the food a very close second.

Florence
Cantinetta Antinori, Piazza Antinori 3, +39 55 292 234, cantinetta-antinori.com
These stylish wine bars belong to the Antinori family, who have been making wine in Tuscany for centuries, and can now be found in Florence, Vienna, Zurich and Moscow. But it is the original site, located in the Palazzo Antinori in the Piazza Antinori, which sets the tone.

There is an extensive range of wines by the glass, plates of salami and chunks of Parmesan to nibble on and excellent organic olive oil to dip your bread into. Then comes a broad range of Florentine dishes to complement whatever you have chosen to drink: pasta with boar ragù, bistecca Fiorentina and a flourless chocolate cake to enjoy with a shot of potent local grappa.

London
28°-50°, 140 Fetter Lane, EC4, 020 7242 8877, 
2850.co.uk
The passion of Xavier Rousset and chef Agnar Sverrisson, the owners of this new wine workshop, bar, restaurant and kitchen is revealed in its unusual name: most of the world's vineyards are located between the latitudes of 28° and 50°.  

The food is fresh and lively. A confit of salmon with cucumber, trout with avocado, Icelandic salt cod with chorizo and an almond cake with peach sorbet are all typical examples. And while Rousset has put together an attractive wine list, he has also persuaded several collectors to make available wines from their cellars, which he sells at significantly reduced mark-ups. So this place in a basement just off Fleet Street should become a magnet for anyone looking to celebrate with a mature bottle of Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy or port.

Berlin
Kurpfalz-Weinstuben, Wilmersdorfer Straße 93, +49 30 883 66 64 kurpfalz-weinstuben.de
Like 28°-50°, Kurpfalz-Weinstuben, which turned 75 earlier this year, has two complementary wine lists. A long card lists the wide array of wines available by the glass, while a thicker book reveals the many bottles and vintages from all over the world that its owner, Rainer Schulz, has collected during the 35 years he has been in charge.

This wine bar dates back to the mid-19th century and comprises a series of timbered rooms that are perfect for good food, wine and conversation. The menu offers a range of well prepared German classics: ham from the south Tyrol, venison and brawn sausage and classic saumagen, pork mixed with herbs wrapped in 
a sow's stomach lining. Most unusually, there 
is always Stilton cheese and port available because Schulz once worked at a British club.  

Paris
Willi's Wine Bar, 13 rue des Petits Champs, 
+33 1 42 61 05 09, williswinebar.com
Willi's has been a magnet for wine and food lovers since 1980. Co-founder, affable Englishman Mark Williamson, invariably hovers about, and the bar is a great place for a simple lunch and a glass of wine or an aperitif while waiting for a table.   

The restaurant is always friendly, a result of 
the proximity of the tables and the chat that invariably ensues. The wine list is terrific and particularly strong on wines from the Rhône, while chef François Yon produces fine food from a tiny kitchen: antipasti, lamb with sea salt and mild spices, beef with watercress and a much admired bitter chocolate terrine.

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