Rosso Wine Shop

My husband and I love this wine shop! On more than one occasion I’ve gone in and told Jeff what we’re having for dinner and how much I wanted to spend and walked out with a delicious bottle of well-​paired wine. But even more than good recommendations, I’ve appreciated learning about unique wines from Rosso. While they carry a variety of Old World/​New World, their weekend tastings often focus on wines that I wouldn’t otherwise buy. We’re so glad this shop is near our house!

So maybe you got lost motoring up the 2; maybe you’re savvy enough to know Montrose/​Verdugo to the point where you realize that the old school Mexican mecca, La Cabinita, serves some of the best, most fresh and fun/​affordable (plus way way delicious, refreshing margaritas – I get mine in a pint glass); either way, you’re in luck because Rosso Wine Shop, run by Jeff and Lisa, is not only RIGHT NEXT DOOR, but simply incredible in terms of winey knowledge, a super friendly atmosphere, and a GREAT selection of European reds. Jeff can tell you why you’ve gotta try a bottle of something, some scrumptious discovery of his of late – in a way you, the layperson, or you, the wine maven, can understand. It’s just a fun hang, whether you’re the sort of loveable lush who plumps for a case of vino a month, or a casual fan like me who glugs the grape only when there’s pasta involved (how we all love to get pasta involved). GO THERE. It’s HIP without being HIPSTER (ewwww), and savvy without being snobby. I love Rosso. Unless you’re a total oaf, you will too!!! Jeff taught me a new word: oenophile: lover of wine. Must be Greek. I only know Oenone from some Tennyson poem? She was a babe.

Love love love Jeff and his wife. Definitely coming back. What a great place. Can’t wait to bring the girls here for the next wine tasting event! Gonna get all the wine gifts from here from now on!

I like wine but I don’t know enough about wine to review it intelligently here. All I can say is that the tastings I had were ones I enjoyed. One thing I can speak to is the atmosphere at this place. A friend and I didn’t intend to come here. We were early for our dinner reservations at Bashan and thought we’d kill the time here. We definitely didn’t expect the level of service from the bartenders, Jeff and Jack, and it was just the perfect way to start our evening!

Went here for a cheese cracking party produced jointly with Milk Farm of Eagle Rock. The wines we tasted with the cheese were pretty good, and they seem to have a small, but quality selection of wines. I actually prefer that setup, as too many choices can be overwhelming. There are some decent bargain wines, though $ 10 a bottle is about the minimum you should expect to pay.
I was somewhat disappointed that they did not have crackers or some other snack/​palate cleanser– at least during the cheese cracking. Perhaps they thought Milk Farm would have something on hand besides small samples very delicious (but expensive) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. 8 PM…

I’ve been here a couple times and I’ve always been very pleased with their service and selection. Although it is not a huge wine shop, they have a great selection of wines from all around the world and they are reasonably priced. They’re also very helpful when you have questions about a certain wine or region and they can steer you in the right direction. Also, if you’re having dinner next door, they waive the corkage fee– bonus!

Small, but a good selection and very helpful service. Honest opinions of the wines. He will let you know if he liked something but didn’t think it was quite worth the price. There is a French, USA, Italy, Spain, and South American section. There are often tasting/​food events. Check their schedule. There is a little selection of gourmet food items in the back.
the best thing is if you purchase some wine here, and the restaurant next door, Bashan, will not charge corkage when they see your bottles were purchased here. Nice!

My wife and I first came in here 4 years ago looking for a gift wine from a coffee table book we were also buying for my brother. Jeff (the owner) greeted us and proceeded to pick out wines from the book (it was a big book) for us to pair with the book. We’ve been hooked ever since. We go to wine tastings here many times a month and love this place. If you want to find a great wine drinking community or just buy a carefully picked bottle for yourself or a friend, this is the place. Never stodgy, always helpful, you’ll love it, I promise.

Great location to sample wine. We stopped in on a Friday night before dinner and surprisingly it wasn’t so busy. Looking forward in returning again.

This place is great! They carry mostly Italian, French, Spanish and California wines. They don’t seem to stock anything they haven’t tried and like and they especially seem to find great value wines in the $ 15 – 30 range (though the store certainly runs the gamut.). Their Fri and Sat nite tastings are great and they always have a good suggestion when you are looking to try something new or need a good pairing. Jeff is really knowledgeable and passionate about wine and always willing to share his knowledge without being patronizing. We’ve been happy customers for 8 years.

This place is great if you want an introduction to wine or
learn about unusual grapes.
The owners Jeff and Lisa have a great knowledge of all the wines they carry… and they carry a lot. They mostly concentrate on French, Spanish and Italian wines, but still carry a great selection on California wine.
Wine tastings are every Friday and Saturday. Highly recommend stopping by if you have time. My wife and I often swing by for a wine tasting before going out to dinner.
Usually we pick up a bottle to take to dinner with us. (which Jeff recommends)
Place is amazing.

Jeff and Lisa are wonderful. Kind of people you’d like to have dinner with, talk food, wine, travel. They work with your wallet and your palate without pretense or snobbery. Lot of variety and some great values. Tastings on weekends. Nice space. Communal table where you can sit down, browse through a magazine, or play backgammon.

On Saturday, JD and I popped into the Rosso Wine Shop in Glendale/​Montrose. Owner Jeff Zimmitti’s weekend offerings were obscure enough that we had to stop by. We like Rosso — it’s small and unpretentious, and Jeff takes the wine seriously, focusing on Italy, France, Spain, and California with an eye toward one’s budget. Lots of wines for under $ 25 here — great values. Most of the notes here are Jeff’s:
2010 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc — OK, so not SO obscure. We’re big fans of Tablas Creek, and tasted this wine earlier this year at the Rhone Rangers Los Angeles event in August. We still like it a lot. (89 Points: Wine Advocate) The 2010 Patelin de Tablas Blanc (50% Grenache Blanc, 33% Viognier, 10% Roussanne, 7% Marsanne) shows the richness of Grenache Blanc in its white peaches, flowers and jasmine. It is a beautifully delineated white, as well as a terrific value.
2008 Cantina Damiano Ciolli Cesanese Silene Lazio — Made with 100% Cesanese (native to the area), this vineyard is planted on volcanic soils with a small amount of clay, cultivated in a very restricted area 20 miles east of Rome. The nose was pure barnyard — in the best way! One sniff and you know you’re not in California anymore. Bright red cherry fruit is livened by the brisk acidity and backend spice. Loved this wine! Bought a bottle to try later. $ 19.99
2010 Edmunds St John Rocks and Gravel — Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Seductively perfumed bouquet of red berries, cherry, minerals and dried flowers; smells like a Burgundy. Understated strawberry and raspberry flavors are deep but lively, with zesty minerality adding urgency. Impressively pure. Gotta say, Jeff’s notes are right on. Beautiful wine. Bought a bottle. $ 25.99

Think of Rosso’s as a bistro café for wine. Sit on the sidewalk, or at the tasting bar, or other seats throughout.
Wine is displayed simply around the double wide shop (recent expansion), mainly by region.
Jeff and girlfriend Lisa are relaxed, kick backed types with plenty of knowledge.
Wines for all tastes, and you can spend some money there, but a lot of value wines. Jeff really likes to show the values he has found in all regions.
Last weekends tasting flight was value Italian wines. This weekends were French. (I am now on a weekly afternoon tasting kick at Roso’s)
Flight is three wines for $ 10. I have been introduced to quite a few new wines, all in the $ 8 — $ 12 range (ship hasn’t come in yet.), from France, Italy, Spain, Paso & Napa.
Jeff just also helped a friend plan a Napa trip and came up with some great suggestions for tasting visits.
Go there, buy there. Good times.

Jeff and his girlfriend are awesome! I love them
And the wine selection… AWESOME.
This is where I go for nerdy cool Italian varietals that nobody else carries. YES! You guys rock!!!
I wish I lived closer.
–Anthony

Easy, friendly atmosphere.
A little wine bar with tastings — owner is inclined in an Italian sort of way… my personal favorite.
Inexpensive, good value tastings — hand picked
Decent little shop to pick up a bottle on your way to a local restaurant — there are a few good ones in the area. Has wines in every range — I think I even saw a bottle of Harlan on the shelf — or maybe it was The Maiden. More wines in the $ 25 range.
Website has a restaurant corkage fee list — very cool
Worth the drive or stop if you are in the area.

My fiancée and I dropped by Rosso for the first time in January. It was such a cute little place, and we decided to check it out. Wine shops have always intimidated me because I didn’t know much about wine, and wine shop owners usually love to lord their knowledge over you instead of learning your tastes to help you find something that you will like.
Not so, with Rosso Wine Shop. Jeff and Lisa immediately won us over. They are down-​to-​earth, very approachable and somehow have this amazing intuition when it comes to helping their customers find the perfect wine for whatever mood they might be in. They’ve chosen a wonderful mix of wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and California… something for every budget, mood and taste is here.
After our first trip there for a wine tasting we were hooked! We go there nearly every Friday night for tastings and buy at least one bottle of wine. The selection is wonderful and not too expensive. I particularly have fallen in love with the selection of Spanish wines! The tastings are never overcrowded or too noisy and vibe is always friendly and relaxed. We’ve met many wonderful people there.
They recently expanded to the space next door and this has really magnified the charm of the place. The giant rustic table set into the new space is great for Rosso’s supper clubs and special tastings paired with bites from wonderful chefs like those from On The Lamb.
When we planned a vacation to the Santa Ynez Valley wine country, Jeff and Lisa gave us so many great tips on where to taste and eat. Thanks to those tips our trip was amazing!
If you love wine, you really need to stop by Rosso!

It’s perfect. Really, really perfect. I’ll spare you all the ramblings of my gratitude towards Rosso and give you the cliffs notes on the amazingness of this place:
1. Just expanded, now with more wine
2. Amazing collection at all price points, great, rare, interesting
3. A decent sized selection of beautiful wines UNDER TEN DOLLARS! its worth a trip just to stock up on wine so cheap you can drink every day but taste like the special occasion stuff
4. UNPRETENTIOUS! I didn’t think that could be possible, but the owner and the staff are wonderful and love to talk about wine but aren’t sales people so there is never pressure to buy or upsell
5. They sell interesting beer too!
6. Supper Club. I went last night to the seventh installment and was able to sit with an interesting crowd, eat amazing food and drink beautiful wine. Go to the website for info.
Jackie

Size does not matter when it comes to this wine shop. This quaint little shop has a very unique and thoughtful collection of wines. I always feel like I am at home with Lisa and Jeff. Both have amazing palates and are so willing to help you pick out a wine that best suits you. Especially, if you want to enjoy more than just a napa cab, the place is it.
Tastings are great on the weekends, everyone knows, everyone, and one time they roasted a whole pig!!! So good. so good.
They are like the «Cheers» of the wine shops.
Hope to see you guys soon! :)

My favorite wine store. I am biased. But I always am led to wine that I love, even though I know next to nothing about buying wine. I know a lot about how to drink it. Open mouth, insert wine.
Congratulations, Rosso, on 2 beautiful winey years!