Moody's Bistro & Lounge Expands Wine List, Adding 400 New Selections With An Emphasis On Old World Offerings

Moody's Bistro & Lounge is taking its wine list to a new level, with nearly 500 different selections and an emphasis on Old World varieties, thanks to the restaurant's Wine Director, Joseph Nase.
The first sommelier in America to be honored with Wine Spectator Magazine's Grand Award more than once, Nase used his expertise to expand the restaurant's previous list of 120 selections to nearly 500. The old list consisted almost exclusively of California wines, while the new list ventures out into new territory with more emphasis on Italy, France, Germany and Spain. To complement the cuisine of Executive Chef/Co-owner Mark Estee and Chef de Cuisine Guy Frenette, Italian wines are a huge component, reflecting the Mediterranean influence and pairing well with the seasonal, fresh, simple flavors.
"There's a great representation of Italy and France," Nase said. "We have everything from country wines that are very accessible price wise and then we have all the way up to the Grand Cru from France and the Super Tuscans from Italy."
The new list will retain its regional flavor with a large selection of wines from California, including one of Nase's favorites, a 2006 Bohan-Dillon Pinot Noir from the Hirsch Vineyard on Sonoma Coast as well as wines from Napa and Santa Barbara County. Oregon wines, where the grapes grown in a cooler climate tend to be less jammy and smaller than their California counterparts, also will find their home on the list. Nase's appreciation for half bottles is another characteristic of Moody's wine list, allowing for groups of 4 to 6 people to create a "do it yourself" tasting menu, sampling a variety of bottles during dinner.
Moody's brought Nase on board last year and his expertise has helped establish the restaurant as a place known not only for its cuisine and jazz entertainment, but also for a new devotion to one of humankind's favorite beverages. Nase's love of wine is almost a genetic trait. He inherited this affection for his favorite beverage from his ancestors, who settled in a small town north of Naples, Italy, where the family-owned vineyard became the center of the town's social and commercial life. In 1990, while at Fournou's Ovens in San Francisco, Nase's wine program garnered the Wine Spectator Magazine's highly coveted Grand Award. A decade after he first earned Wine Spectator Magazine's Grand Award, he once again received this honor in 2000 as Wine Director at Lespinasse at The St. Regis Hotel in New York City, the first person ever to win the award more than once. Nase also has managed some of the country's other renowned wine cellars including Gotham Bar & Grill, the Pierre Hotel, and the Lodge at Pebble Beach.
"Typically, you don't find someone like Joseph outside of a big city," said Moody's co-owner JJ Morgan.
Moody's patrons appreciate having Nase's knowledge at their fingertips. In addition to wandering the dining room, Nase also included in the wine menu a Heard it Through the Grapevine page, where he recommends a number of hidden treasures that offer good value and complement Chef Estee's cuisine such as the Vin du Bugey-Cerdon, Patrick Bottex from Savoie, a sparkling rose with a little touch of sweetness to help it blend with the food.
Nase and Estee will present samples of the restaurant's wine offerings and examples of Estee's cuisine during the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event March 27 to March 30, an event designed to show off the talents of prestigious chefs and sommeliers.
At Moody's, Nase will continue to transform the wine list, introducing more Spanish wines, additional half bottles and expanding the list past the 650 mark in the next year.
According to Nase, "There