Would you like a glass of wine? This Philadelphia restaurant has 120 vintages on tap

In 1224, King Philip Augustus of France held court at the Battle of Wines, a blind competition decided by the sophisticated palates of monks that resulted in an upset: an English wine took the prize! Perhaps another unanticipated outcome was that this contest kicked off a trend of wine-tasting events that has continued ever since.

Panorama general manager and wine director Bill Eccleston demonstrates the 120-tap cruvinet system.

Wine writers near and far agree that tastings offer an opportunity to learn about winemaking, indulge the senses, and enjoy a little adult fun; hence, the cultural popularity of tasting events and competitions around the world. The wine tourism industry is big business across the globe, and expected to top $51 billion this year.

No doubt if you’ve globe-trotted to Italy, you’ve passed or stopped by an enoteca – a wine shop where patrons can sample wines by the glass, often on tap, and purchase smaller batch wines from local and regional growers and producers. Though enotecas originated in Italy, including the fairly famous Palazzo Antinori in Florence where visitors have been sampling wines by the glass for over a century, they are popping up in countries and wine regions all over.

So, would it surprise you to know that the largest wine-by-the-glass bar is right here in our own backyard? It sure surprised me!

Panorama Italian Restaurant in Philadelphia holds the Guinness World Record for the largest “WineKeeper” cruvinet with 120 wines on tap.

While Guinness World Records identifies Restaurant Chiggeri in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, as having the most extensive wine list in the world, Philadelphia’s Panorama Italian Restaurant in the Penn’s View Hotel, 14 N. Front St., holds the world record for offering the most wines by the glass, with 120 taps on its custom-built, WineKeeper-brand cruvinet.

“There are more modern cruvinet systems available today that require less upkeep than ours,” said Panorama sommelier Bill Eccleston, “but our WineKeeper is a one-of-a-kind classic.”

It was Eccleston who initiated the Guinness World Record application back in 1990, which still stands. “Our restaurant customers enjoy a glass or a flight as much as wine connoisseurs,” he added.

The bartender on duty when I visited Panorama a few weeks ago, Alex, originally from Sicily, proudly pointed out the official Guinness World Record placard above the bar as he took to the taps to pour me a smooth glass of No. 26: a Gamay “Beaujolais~Morgon~Côte du Py” Chauvet Frères ’22, a departure from my usual preference, Rosè.

If you’re a French red type, don’t be too quick to jot down that selection number. Although it was quite delicious, Eccleston told me he changes wines frequently, sometimes even weekly. “We don’t stock crates of wine and some selections are from choice, small-batch vineyards I find,” he said. Spoken like, well, a sommelier.

Sitting at Panorama’s beautiful bar had me wondering where else in Philly one could enjoy extensive wines by the glass. My online search proved it’s easy to find top restaurants with extensive wine lists, (on which Panorama is usually included), but not necessarily wines on tap. According to the WineKeeper website, what makes their dispensary system better than others is “the nitrogen gas preservation technology” that preserves the life of the wine. Makes sense to my novice brain. Everyone knows once a bottle of wine is opened, at least at home, it never tastes quite the same as the first pour.

A 2021 Wine Spectator article recognized these Philly classic spots as having “spectacular” wine lists: Barclay Prime, Bistro Romano, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, La Famiglia (Panorama’s cousin), Vetri Cucina, Bistro Perrier at Walnut Hill College, Gran Caffe L’Aquila, and Vernick Fish.

Additionally, a cool website I discovered, www.theinfatuation.com, boasts unbiased restaurant recommendations (meaning reviewers pay for their meals and show up unannounced at each location), by “real people.” The site identifies these Philly wine bars as the best: Superfolie, Bloomsday, Fountain Porter, Fishtown Social, Le Caveau, Sally, Pizzeria Beddia, Vedge, and Tria.

And I thought I got around, at least in Philly. But after reading this list, apparently I don’t. I have not been to any of those recommendations… yet. Ah! Food (or wine) for thought: I’m going on a mission and taking you with me. I’m going to visit each of these wine bars and give you my opinion on what I learn and taste.

Natalie Pantaleo is a marketing communications consultant, brand strategist and consummate storyteller based in the Greater Philadelphia metro area. In addition to being a published features writer, Natalie is the author of “Lying Down with Dogs,” a novella globally released by The Awakened Press in September 2022.