Bottega Cafe
Italy's Greatest Hits, Alabama Style
Highland Avenue · Birmingham · Italian Trattoria · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 16, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into Bottega Cafe, you don't expect a 100-plus bottle list anchored by serious Piedmont and Tuscany to be waiting for you at a casual trattoria on Highland Ave. The list reads like someone actually cares — Barolo, Brunello, Super Tuscans, and a by-the-glass lineup with enough left-field picks to make you do a double take. For Birmingham, this is a genuinely ambitious wine program.
Selection Deep Dive
The Italian backbone here is the real deal: Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Rosso di Montalcino from names like Caparzo all showing up in a room where the pizza is wood-fired and the entrees top out around $24. France and California round things out, and the by-the-glass list goes places most casual spots wouldn't dare — Swiss Chasselas, Erbaluce di Caluso from Ferrando, Grüner Veltliner from Hirsch's Kamptal. There's a sommelier behind this and it shows. The one gap is depth outside the Italian-French-California triangle, but that's a minor quibble when the core is this focused.
By the Glass
Twelve to twenty pours depending on the night, and the range is genuinely surprising for a patio-friendly trattoria. You've got the Clendenen Family Vineyards Pinot Noir and White Blend sitting next to LIOCO Chardonnay from Sonoma and a Hirsch Grüner — that's a thoughtful, well-sourced lineup. The rotating feel keeps it interesting even if there's no formal weekly rotation program on the books.
Erbaluce di Caluso Ferrando 'Torrazza' '20 Piedmont — $11.50/glass
Ferrando's Torrazza is one of the best expressions of Erbaluce you'll find anywhere, and at $11.50 a glass you're drinking a genuinely rare Piedmontese white that most wine bars in major cities would charge double for. The markup stings on paper but the absolute price is still accessible, and you almost certainly won't find this pour anywhere else in Birmingham.
Chasselas Schenk 'L'Alpage' '20 Switzerland
Swiss Chasselas on a by-the-glass list in Alabama is a unicorn situation. Most people skip right past it because they've never heard of it — which is exactly why you should order it. Crisp, mineral, surprisingly food-friendly, and a genuine conversation starter.
Cabernet Sauvignon Hall '18 Napa
At $18.50 a glass off a $60 retail bottle, you're paying a 155% markup for a wine that's fine but completely out of step with everything else interesting on this list. Hall Cab is a perfectly competent Napa wine you can find everywhere — order the Rosso di Montalcino instead and stay in the spirit of the place.
Rosso di Montalcino Caparzo '19 Tuscany + Wood-fired pizza
Rosso di Montalcino is essentially Brunello's younger, looser sibling — enough Sangiovese structure to cut through char and tomato, enough fruit to stay lively with the wood-fired crust. Caparzo is a reliable Montalcino producer and at $12 a glass this is exactly the kind of mid-week pizza wine that makes a Tuesday feel like a trip to Siena.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Bottega Cafe punches well above its weight class for a casual neighborhood trattoria — the sommelier-curated list is full of genuine surprises and the Italian core is serious. The markups run steep across the board, but if you know where to look (and now you do), there's real wine to be drunk here.
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