Truist Championship, Philadelphia Cricket Club, May 8-11, 2025
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First Swig Coach foray in Philly as the lads assemble for the Signature Trust Championship at the venerable Philadelphia Cricket Club. The Club is about 40 minutes north of Center City, but our assumption is many will want to try some of the best the City has to offer. Staying halfway might make it logistically easier. One thing you can’t miss about the Philly fine dining scene: it tilts as heavily to Italy as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Though not mentioned here, it appears there’s a vibrant hipsterish wine bar scene you can easily research on your own. If you’re tailgating with cheese steaks and hoagies, you can wash them down with the large selection at dominant retailer Fine Wine and Good Spirits (see below).
Restaurants
Barclay Prime is ready for prime time. The list goes from strength to strength. especially steak-friendly reds in California. It offers solid coverage around the globe, managing to sneak in a few bottles of more obscure appellations if you’re feeling adventurous. Five different wines from Cornas and four from Montefalco will give you an idea. I’d like to see lower prices but I guess this is the going rate at inner city steak palaces these days…Wine List
La Famiglia Ristorante has a list with so many great older vintages I can only come up with one relevant comparison: pre-Covid Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, which is saying a mouthful. In truth, I can’t really be sure what’s going on there because its online expression only shows red wines and then without any pricing. But if they really have half of what they advertise and any kind of pricing policy based on acquisition costs, dining there would be like a living wine history lesson. Dozens of Barolos, Brunellos, and California cabs from vintages back to the 1970’s. Oddly, there are only three Burgundies and one Rhone wine. I want to jump in my car and ride down to Philly tomorrow to find out how it actually works. Frankly, it’s not remotely possible the relatively modest menu can compete. Wine List
No sooner have I praised La Famiglia than I stumble on Panorama Wine Bar. For most patrons the smaller, imaginative wine bar list will provide sufficient global diversity and flighted fun(k). But if you want to spend some green, the Cellar Reserve List is not all that different from La Famiglia in its presentation of beautifully aged classics from the US, France, and Italy. The Burgundy section is larger (at least in terms of what’s visible online) and glory be they actually have prices. These range from good to downright insulting, so it pays to have a sense of market value before you go prospecting for gold here.
Another formidable Italian option, Vetri Cucina, has a list that if anything shows a little more refinement and discernment than the two exemplary programs above. You see it expressed in various pockets in Italy (Foradori, Ronchi di Cialla) on the compelling list, where just as an example, the only Loire reds are from Clos Rougeard. Lovely curation here. Wine List.
Caffe Aldo Lamberti’s list is fun to navigate online, where it’s published as an ebook in a two-page spread. It’s even more fun to contemplate ordering here, since the diverse, well organized sections are brimming with excellent wines at very reasonable prices. Calfornia, Bordeaux and Tuscany are standouts. And if I’m repeating myself about the prices, that’s because it’s so refreshing to see a variety of aged Brunello and Bordeaux near current retail, assuming you could even find them at retail. Here’s a place to beat the coming tariff bite. Bravo! Wine List (Important: This restaurant is in Cherry Hill, NJ. It’s only 16 minutes with no traffic from Center City says Google. Good luck with that.)
Another Italian gem? Why not? Gran Caffe L’aquila after these other great choices simply beats them all for precision coverage of the entire Boot. Molise, Liguria, Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Valle d’Aosta all get their due in addition to terrific options in the better-known regions. Prices are excellent and much lower than many other alternatives. Wine List
Butcher and Singer boasts a strong list with excellent representation in major regions and good coverage of more far-flung pockets around the globe. Golfers will be especially pleased by the outstanding offering of California cabs and meritage. The prices for anything with a well-known reputation perhaps evoke a bit of an eye-raise, but there are enough attractive options at $100 or under to escape without a major dent in the wallet. It’s a nice smaller Bordeaux selection, but either their replacement costs are sky high or they are just scalping you. I looked up 2015 Segla for example and their price is almost 5x current retail. Ouch. Finally, would like to see a bit more curation in Piedmont, but still, it’s a solid contender. Wine List
The well-priced list at Bistro Romano made me a little dizzy, not so much from its largish size, but from its organization by grape and the well-meaning annotations/tasting notes that accompany every bottle. All their chardonnays from around the world go into the same section, for example. It gets to be a slog after awhile, almost like they want you to train you to become your own sommelier at the table. I was hoping for a real inspiring Italian section, but while it’s broad, there are far too many pedestrian offers to make it top tier. A reserve list trots out some big names and the overall excellent prices make it tempting to jump on the well-aged trophies lurking here. Wine List
Fancy a saucy French country wine after this Italian onslaught? Look no further than the classic bistro list at Parc. It’s the perfect antidote with a lot of familiar names, but here that’s as comforting as boeuf bourgignon. Would like to see lower prices but they are not rapacious except for some on the higher end. Wine List
A.Kitchen and Bar is where you go to walk on the wild side. They pull out all the stops in the world of natural, organic and biodynamic wines. The craziest profusion of native grapes and non-interventionist winemaking you’re likely to see in one place, served up on a lovingly composed, super fun wine list that’s a little hard to navigate but at least they warn you! If you’re overwhelmed trying to choose among all the traditional Italian choices available in Philly, here’s a place you can just let your hair down and experiment your way to glou-glou bliss. “Try Something Different” is their well-deserved mantra. Wine List
Probably good. Jean-Georges has a very high-end tasting menu with pairings but doesn’t post a list online.
Retail
Not being a resident of Pennsylvania, my general impression has always been that the best wine stores in Philadelphia are in South Jersey, due to the State Liquor Monopoly. I don’t know if the rules have changed, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Fine Wines and Good Spirits, with several locations to choose from. I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise: it’s an excellent store especially in California cab and Bordeaux, but there are broad and deep selections just about everywhere. The Burgundy section is a little weak, and the premium offers suffer in several other categories, but this place is legit. On my virtual visit a bottle of 2017 Harlan Estate was sale-priced $300 below average US retail, so bargains can be had.
Like I said, you might want to stock up in South Jersey, and a good place to try is Wine Works in Marlton, about a half hour from Center City. It’s a traditionally strong store with big inventory and good prices. Unfortunately, it has a website that looks like it hasn’t changed since maybe the 2005 vintage, so be prepared.
Maybe. These stores come recommended by various online sources but do not post their wines. (1) Di Bruno Bros. has several locations that specialize in small producers with a natural/organic bent. The only place I’ve ever seen with its cheese inventory online but no wine. (2) Richmond Bottle Shop is the only place I’ve ever seen that touts the linear shelf space of wine available, in this case more than 96 feet, whatever that proves. The store also appears to have an organic, natural orientation.
