You can’t keep a good wine bar down — and in the case of Nick DeCillis’s Basso, away from Greenport.
The much-missed, Italian-skewed wine and charcuterie den had a soft opening this past weekend during the Maritime Festival, serving sausage and peppers street side, and Porchetta for those who ventured indoors, along with glasses of reserve Chianti, Montepulciano, gavi, vermentino prosecco and (naturally) Italian beer.
“I wanted to do the festival, but next week I’m going to have a grand re-opening and get back into our full swing of everything we do,” says DeCillis.
It’s been a bit of a journey to return to the original stomping grounds where Basso began in 2015, right across the street in Sterling Square. In 2020, DeCillis’s five-year lease was up, and he began a series of pop-ups while searched for a new space. He opened at 402 Main Street next to Flying Point surf shop. But within a year, needed to move again, landing about 13 miles west in Mattituck. But when the space that held Rica became vacant, DeCillis saw the right opportunity — and roomier space — to bring him back.
Instead of the petite, 400-square-foot confines (now occupied by cocktail spot Black Llama), Basso’s new home offers more than twice the space, with a roomy tasting bar, shelves stocked with imported Italian goodies, from pasta and “00” flour to artisan pasta bowls, DOP tomatoes and origin-centric olive oil and Fabbri Amarena cherries.
“We have a lot more pantry space,” he says.
For former fans as well as new curious customers, DeCillis will pour his curated selections of mostly Italian wines, along with some Spanish, French and California thrown in for good measure. There will be a line-up of cured, imported meats, including prosciutto, speck, bresaola, hot and sweet capocollo, soppressata, and and even a special spot on the counter for his prized black hoof Montaraz bellota jamón from Spain, perched on its own stand like the cured meat trophy it is. There will also be a swathe of Italian cheeses, as well as a weekend hot special (think osso bucco, pasta with fresh pesto and his famous one-pound meatballs), and an abundance of other specialty items, like marinated artichokes from Rome, roasted peppers and tomatoes and cipollini onions.
For now, Basso will be open on weekends only through the winter, from 11:30 a.m. until around 9 p.m. Look for added days in the spring and summer of 2026.
Basso is located at 423 Main St., Greenport, 631-477-6053.
