Winning Italian wine list in River West

Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted St., has captured Wine Spectator magazine’s prestigious 2009 Award of Excellence, which is quite a feat for a restaurant that is only a year old.

The award recognizes restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine, and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. With moderate pricing and close to 500 Italian wines to choose from, Piccolo Sogno hit the mark in every category of the contest.

Italian wine specialist Ciro Longobardo is ecstatic that his work has been honored. “After only seven months in business, we submitted our wine list,” he said. “Everything is Italian, even our sparkling wines.”

Longobardo also is proud of the restaurant’s extensive by-the-glass selection. “We can do that because we have a special machine that keeps a bottle of wine fresh for up to 20 days,” he said.

The Italian native has been working in the wine business in the United States for 12 years ever since leaving his hometown outside of Naples. He and his friend, executive chef Tony Priolo, opened Piccolo Sogno on July 16, 2008. Piccolo Sogno, which translates to "little dream" in Italian, is Priolo and Longobardo's dream Italian restaurant featuring fresh, seasonal, rustic cuisine and an all-Italian wine program.

Read all about the award and Piccolo Sogno’s dreamy wine list in the next issue of Wine Spectator, which hits newsstands tomorrow.