Restaurant bar
Unclaimed profileRestaurant Bricco
West Hartford, CT · $$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Restaurant Bricco gives wine the room an established Italian dining room should. Twenty-four glass pours create genuine choice before the bottle list begins, and Italy is treated as a country of regions rather than a single red-wine idea. Two Pietradolce bottles put Etna Bianco and Etna Rosso side by side at $56; Masi Costasera Amarone reaches $170; and Viberti Barolo Bricco delle Viole forms the $260 summit. That ladder lets a table move from an uncomplicated glass to volcanic Sicily or mature Piedmont without leaving the program's center of gravity. Spirits are harder to read in advance. Independent reporting documents Negroni service and an after-dinner spread of grappa, Cognac, Scotch and port, a format entirely sensible for Bricco's food, but the venue does not currently publish labels or pour prices. The result is an unevenly transparent program: wine invites detailed selection before arrival, while spirits depend on a server's account of what is actually behind the bar. Bricco remains a wine-first destination, with its strongest argument coming from Italian regional breadth and the unusually generous glass selection.
- What should I order?
- Start with a glass that suits the first course, then use the bottle list for the more revealing choice: Pietradolce Etna Bianco with seafood or Etna Rosso with pizza and pasta. Ask for the current grappa or amaro options only after the meal, since labels are not posted.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Italian-wine drinkers who want both broad by-the-glass access and a bottle list capable of reaching Etna, Amarone and Barolo; spirits drinkers must be comfortable ordering through conversation.
- When should I go?
- Dinner with at least one companion makes the bottle list more useful. Lunch still benefits from the deep glass program when opening a full bottle is impractical.
- What should I expect to spend?
- The reviewed wine list runs from $11 to $21 by the glass, with bottles from accessible midrange choices to $260. Current spirits-pour prices are not published.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- Twenty-four glass pours sit in front of an Italian bottle progression that can move a table from Etna's volcanic wines to Amarone and single-vineyard Barolo.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Wine
A substantial glass program and a bottle list with real Italian regional progression make wine the clear reason to engage with Bricco's bar program.
Menu strengths
- — Twenty-four by-the-glass choices
- — Strong Italian regional spine
- — Bottle depth from approachable Etna to cellar-level Barolo
Standout selections
- — Pietradolce Etna Bianco 2023
- — Pietradolce Etna Rosso 2022
- — Viberti Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2015
Pricing: Glasses run $11–$21; cited bottles include both Pietradolce Etna wines at $56, Masi Costasera Amarone at $170 and Viberti Barolo Bricco delle Viole at $260
Spirits
Negroni and after-dinner service have historically connected the bar to Bricco's Italian identity, but absent current labels and prices make the category dependent on staff guidance.
Menu strengths
- — Italian aperitivo and digestivo logic
- — After-dinner compatibility with the dessert menu
- — Documented range extending to grappa and Cognac
Standout selections
- — Current grappa selection, confirmed tableside
- — Current amaro offering, confirmed tableside
Pricing: Current spirits and digestivo pour prices are not published
How it sits with the food
Etna Bianco has the acidity for seafood and lighter antipasti; Etna Rosso can bridge tomato, mushroom and char from the wood oven. Amarone belongs with richer braises or a final cheese course, while a current grappa or amaro can close the meal if staff can explain the available labels.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
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