After almost eight months of extensive renovations, Little Venice has added a new wine bar as an extension to its award-winning restaurant. The wine bar features over 1,000 bottles of wine in its temperature-controlled wine room and offers a large list of wines by the glass as well as a good selection of half bottles. It is located adjacent to the Bermudiana Road restaurant and is connected to the Little Venice dining room, a long-time favourite among Bermuda?s corporate sector.

Scheduled to open on March 2, the project was the brainchild of restaurateur Costanzo Di Meglio and head chef Danny Lim.

?It is a dream come true for us, our love of wines goes back to our childhood with our families,? said Mr. Di Meglio. ?Actually I?ve wanted to do something like this since the ?90s. After so many years Bermuda is ready to accept this new adventure. People are more aware of quality and understand more about wine taste.?

With more than 800 bottles in the wine list, Little Venice now claims it has the best and largest selection of wine on the Island. The list includes a wide selection of wines from Italy, France and the United States, as well as a range of ?New World? wines on special. Patrons will be able to sample, test and learn about wines from Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Portugal and many other countries.

?It?s an upscale bar that is directly connected to the restaurant, in fact they complement each other,? said Mr. Di Meglio. ?We didn?t want to just have a regular bar, we?re not selling beer for example. It?s more about creating a place where someone can come and appreciate a nice glass of wine.?

The wine bar has a modern, fresh Italian decor with vibrant burgundy and yellow tones, intended to reflect the colours of wine, and has a comfortable, relaxed and classy atmosphere. Wines are prominently displayed in metal racks positioned along the wall, and the 23-foot-long curved wine bar stretches the entire length of the room. Two large flat plasma TV screens, a state-of-the-art sound system that filters music throughout the bar and dining room areas and outdoor patio seating complete the new look venue.

In terms of food, head chef Danny Lim has created a variety of specials to accompany the wines and a short lunch menu, an array of tapas and sushi will be available.

?This will be a totally different experience. The special sushi rolls are different from any available locally, and our tapas selection is truly international,? said Mr. Lim. ?The short lunch menu is designed for busy business people who may be short of time for lunch.

?The wine bar also includes a special refrigerator built specifically for the extensive selection of international cheeses available on the menu.?

The owners have created a new Web site for the location which includes the daily specials as well as the wine and cheese lists. ?It?s been a considerable amount of time and investment but we think it?s worth it, and it?s a clear statement on our part about our confidence in Bermuda,? Mr. Di Meglio said. ?We think Bermuda needs places like this, places that present something different that is vibrant and colourful. And we?re not done yet; it?s still very exciting for us and Little Venice Group will continue to introduce new things, in fact we have some things lined up for introduction in the next few months.?

The new wine bar will open from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Friday, and from 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.