The 2024 Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards are out, and in Austin they've gone to many of the usual suspects: a host of steakhouses, some swanky hotel restaurants, and a handful of European neighborhood spots. Among the latter is It's Italian Cucina, an appropriately upscale contender that has won again and again over the years.
What's exciting about this win in particular is the new casual offering next door. The same restaurateur, Wine Location Specialist Al Fini, opened Pizzeria Sportiva in April, and it's already setting itself apart not just as an actual Italian-owned pizzeria, but as an approachable wine destination.
Pizzeria Sportiva's weekly complimentary wine tastings offer experience at an especially low barrier of entry; Rather than signing up for a formal class, visitors can stop by and sit at a table, enjoying a regular night out while this wine expert hops from group to group, getting to the core of what they really want in a wine.
Give 'em a taste
A Wine Location Specialist, as it turns out, is a real thing, and when Fini became one in 2011 there were only 92 in the world. This certification by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto sounds like it would be obsessive and exclusive, but Fini's wine philosophy couldn't be less prescriptive.
"As hard as people think...really, it's simple," Fini says. "It's not that hard. It's just a handful of varietals with different clones."
His first order of business upon arriving at a table — within the first 30 seconds — is to ask about the guests' existing favorites. Next up is "casual conversation," which is about more than simple hospitality. Fini is gauging how the guests are feeling, and how their mood might affect what they're open to trying. Of course here he adds that you can never go wrong with an Italian wine.
"I don't remember picking a wine, and sending it to a table, that would be returned," he says.
Guests who buy a bottle to drink at the restaurant can pick up a second to bring home at half price. One of the benefits of this setup — tasting table-by-table rather than as a large group with a lecture — is that none of the guests need to have the same level of understanding about wines. It also means that tastings won't get repetitive, since there is no catching people up to speed, and the wines will always be new selections.
Flexing the "location" part of his specialization, Fini sometimes branches out from Italian wines, and will even do blind tastings for comparing varietals from different parts of the world — say, a Grenache from Spain versus one from Sardinia. ("Tarantino goes to Piedmont" was the name of a recent tasting.)
It's not just the complimentary tastings that will draw Austinites to this new spot. Other events that are already popping up just three months in include tarot readings, trivia nights, DJ sets, karaoke, and classic Italian movie nights, often with food or drink specials. When it's not Italian movies, sports are on the TV. The semi-European space is a far cry from most Austin sports bars, and a good middle ground for people who want a casual outing that still feels special or tasteful enough to bring someone else.
More than wine
If unique pizza factors into the choice, Pizzeria Sportiva once again holds its own. Ideologically abstaining from the New York style race for the thinnest crust, this restaurant works in a hybrid style inspired by Roman pizzerias, which cut the slightly thicker, flatbread-like squares into smaller to-go slices. Fini was disappointed not to get away with this under American food safety standards, but he still cooks the pizza on imported stones and uses 100 percent extra virgin olive oil in the dough.
This salty Tutti Carni pizza smells intoxicating.Photo by Brianna Caleri
"I don't have any issues with all the other Italian restaurants," says Fini of the varying authenticity around Austin, in which interest seems to be picking up over the years. "There's enough pies to around for everyone. It's just, the way we do everything is made freshly to the order. Next door [in the shared kitchen with It's Italian Cucina] is fresh pasta, fresh dough, and sauce."
Pizzas on the menu include simple classics like the Margherita, and the Parma with Prosciutto, featuring arugula, spicy San Marzano tomato, and a sunny-side-up egg; as well as new forays like the Toscano with fig spread, goat cheese, ham, pears, grapes, and onion.
Although this pizzeria is inherently authentic, the menu dips into some crossover classics like lasagna, and Italian subs. The Italiano salad upholds the under-appreciated — and in Texas, often unacknowledged — role of the loaded pizzeria salad with soppressata, mozzarella, cheese, olives, garbanzo beans, pepperoncini, artichokes, and other vegetables. Brunch pastas — a carbonara and another egg and pancetta variety — also keep things interesting.
Brunch doesn't make it onto the menu at many Italian restaurants in Austin.Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Sportiva
This is Fini's 22nd restaurant he's opened in more than 35 years of industry experience. When asked about authenticity, he points to two unexpected markers in his eyes: how long his restaurants have lasted in Texas, and how many diners have followed his work from one restaurant to the next after they're sold. Where you're from becomes subjective at a point, anyway.
"As a by-choice citizen [here]," says Fini, "I go to Italy and they ask me where I'm from, and I say, 'I'm from Texas.'"
Pizzeria Sportiva and It's Italian Cucina are located side-by-side at 1500 S. Lamar Blvd. More information, including weekly updates on the next wine tasting and other upcoming events, are available at pizzeriasportiva.com.
