Bar Brunello | Matthew Lardie

The pandemic was too much for the wine bar

Downtown Durham’s iconic Bar Brunello announced that it will be closing at the end of the month after four years in operation as what was arguably the most exciting wine bar in North Carolina. In a statement posted to social media owner Esteban Brunello noted that the bar had struggled to find its footing during the pandemic but that “we were dealt a hand we couldn’t overcome.”

Brunello moved from the Bay Area to the Triangle, opening his namesake bar in 2016 to immediate acclaim and earning mentions in Bon Appetit, Forbes, Robb Report, and Wine Enthusiast. The bar became known as much for it’s off-the-wall wine offerings (with what they claimed was the largest orange wine list in the country) as it was for Brunello’s enthusiastic personality. Indy Week listed it as one of the 10