Profile

The Malta brothers, food-world veterans with more than a dozen restaurants to their credit, revamped the pleasant but generic Sette as Bar Baresco, a Chelsea wine bar with the mission of promoting Southern Italian wines. “The wines of Southern Italy and Sardinia were ignored for a long time,” says Enrico Malta. “They had great grapes, great soil, but just lacked the technology.” In an effort to make sure the wines are served at their best, the brothers invested in an Oz Cruvinet, an expensive piece of machinery that keeps 40 bottles open and preserved simultaneously. So along with the usual quaffable Sangioveses and Syrahs, better bottles are available by the glass, including good amarones and Barolos. A largish pan-Italian–food menu accompanies the wines. — Daniel Maurer