Our articles normally focus on wines, wineries, grapes, wine harvests, wine producers, and many other aspects of the Wine Industry, but we have not spoken about where to drink all of the fantastic wines we write about. There are a decent number of restaurants and wine bars where you can enjoy a good glass of wine though sadly, here in Palma, it is becoming increasingly hard to find a brave restaurant owner or sommelier that does not choose to ‘play it safe’. That said, you can find a few shrines dedicated to good wine. In our next article we will list a few of the places here in Palma and beyond, but for now we want to focus our attention on one particular wine bar in Palma.
LoDivino (Translated as The Divine) is one of our favourite places to go. It is completely off the beaten track, unpretentious, original and fun. The choice of wines is immense and the food they offer goes further than the classic sliced meats and cheese.
We had a chat with Nuria and Roberto (the owners) about the past, present and future, as well as a few other wine related topics.
Nuria is from Barcelona. She studied marketing and for a long time she worked in this particular field. But she has also tried her hand at other professions as she likes a change and a new challenge. For a while, she combined work with travelling (to Australia, Southeast Asia and California). Whilst visiting these countries she contacted various wineries and became increasingly interested in wine.
Roberto is from Sicily and a trained engineer by trade. However, cooking has always been his passion and he dreamt about cooking professionally. About 8 years ago, during the previous economic crisis, Nuria and Roberto met in Barcelona. They decided to go travelling together to see if they could find work in other countries. This trip changed their approach towards life, their targets and their dreams. When they returned to Barcelona Roberto changed trades and began working in professional kitchens.
Approximately one year ago they both decided to come to Mallorca to start a new adventure together. They say Mallorca called them. They initially visited the island for three days, with a plan to visit a list of businesses that were up for ‘traspaso’. LoDivino was one of the properties on their list and it ticked all of the boxes.
Contrary to many business owners, they didn't adapt the restaurant to their idea, preferring to adapt their idea to the existing restaurant. Their first year was very difficult and nobody warned them it would be. LoDivino is located on a street with minimal visibility, no outside terrace and hardly any tourists walking by. Gradually the locals started to come in and trade began to pick up. From this point onwards, each month saw a gradual increase in business.
LoDivino, like all bars and restaurants in Palma, has been badly affected by the lockdown, but Nuria and Roberto are as enthusiastic as ever to welcome anyone to their quirky, eclectic wine bar. They have enforced the cleaning and sanitising measures, they have adapted well to the new requirements and they have created a safe space for everyone to enjoy again. The place itself is cosy, full of charm and has a vintage feel to it. It is a little like walking into a retro museum but with a more casual approach. Every table is different and the eclectic collection of chairs would not be out of place in an antique store or fair. They have an old vinyl record player, a projector, a 1970s fan, and lots of other classic objects that add to the "homely" feeling. When you walk into LoDivino you are firstly drawn to one particular thing, the vast wall of wine. They have a floor to ceiling shelving unit that covers 8 to 10 metres and is full of a large diversity of wines. You can see, touch and choose anything you can want from this unit. It is a wine lover's dream!!
Nuria and Roberto are happy to open most of the bottles on display. Another dream!! The choice covers Mallorca, mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Sicily, other parts of Italy, France and California. Still dreaming!!
Nuria and Roberto have carefully selected the choice of food available to accompany their wine options. There is a clear Sicilian influence and they are not shy to introduce you to some amazing Italian bites. However, they also go further with other options that will surprise your taste buds. Everything is created with care, using quality ingredients, the freshest products and a minimalistic approach. You should not leave without trying their Caponata. This is an aubergine based dish that combines sweet and sour flavours perfectly. Apart from the food and the wine, our hosts in LoDivino are two young wine lovers with their heart in the right place, who love what they do and love Mallorca. We do hope you will take the time to visit this wine haven in the centre of Palma. LoDivino – Carrer del Carme 19, 07003 Palma, Illes Balears. 679 84 57 90 Open Monday to Thursday 18:00 – 24:00,
Friday 13:00 – 24:00, Saturday 18:00 – 24:00,
Sunday CLOSED
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