Sotano Wine and Tapas Bar

LOCATION
Part of the Hilton Hotel in the heart of Melbourne’s riverside precinct. Adjacent to the Convention Centre.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Sotano is the impressive wine and tapas bar that is part of the Hilton Hotel complex, adjacent to the hotel’s equally swanky Nuevo 37 restaurant. Housed beneath lofty, seven-metre-high timber ceilings, Sotano features a moodily lit charcuterie tower and dramatic wine gantry suspended over the length of the bar that houses the bar’s more than 2000 bottles. Highly stylish but still comfortable, Sotano offers Melbourne diners a high-end tapas bar experience, tempering its grand hotel surroundings with the warm tones of its furnishings, rustic tiles and granite bar. The bar showcases authentic Catalan tapas, with a good selection of hot and cold plates starting at $2.50, while the wine list is also skewed towards the Spanish vintages, and accompanied by several tap beers and a variety of classic and modern, Spanish themed cocktails.

With cosy, inviting lounge areas and communal tables, the space is perfectly designed to sit and snack on tuna and potato salad, Andalusian gazpacho, razor clams or battered asparagus with Romesco sauce, while enjoying a Spanish wine or fine sherry from an undeniably comprehensive, climate-controlled cellar. Heftier Spanish fare comes in the form of lentil stew with chorizo, steamed mussels with white wine, tomato and onion, seafood paella or braised bull tail with white pearl onions. It is also equally tempting to simply sit and worship the 4.4 metre charcuterie tower, working your way through a tasting plate assembled from the vast array of quality jamon, prosciutto, salami and local and imported artisan cheeses.

Angela Costanzo