Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/992999
42 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2018 We've partnered with Chef's Roll and Somm's List, the global culinary and wine professional networks, to learn more about beverage experts from across the country. If you are a mixologist or wine professional interested in being featured here or want more information on Chef's Roll and Somm's List, please email featured@chefsroll.com. Ryan Bailey Wine Director at NoMad Los Angeles How is your wine list com- posed to complement Chef Daniel Humm and Executive Chef Chris Flint's menus at NoMad L.A.? Their menus often spot - light dishes that have a backbone of acidity, so I kept that in mind as I was developing our wine list. You'll find that a majority of our wines are bright and assertive, whether they're Champagnes, Burgundies, or German Riesling. Overall, our wine program is classically inspired with the additional presence of California producers, as we are excited about our new West Coast home. How does the wine program at NoMad L.A. differ from the New York location? Having worked with Thomas Pastuszak, the Wine Director of NoMad N.Y.C. for almost five years, we grew to have very similar palates. The wine list reflects that through the love of Burgundy, Champagne, the Northern Rhône, and other classic regions. As Thomas' list focuses locally toward the Finger Lakes, mine here gravitates toward the rich history of California winemak - ing. Purchasing here also allows for more freedom than New York, so I have been able to make connections directly to the wineries and bring library releases of back vintages to our guests. What is an underrated wine region we should pay attention to? It might sound strange to say this, but Champagne! With the burgeoning number of grower-producers just now being imported to the United States, there is still a lot of this classic region yet to be discovered. Producers such as Doyard are making wines to represent the style of the 18th century. I'm also excited about Moussé, which, on the other end of the spectrum, focuses on single- plot, single-vintage Pinot Meunier wines under its Special Club bottling. Roni Ginach Sommelier at Michael's Santa Monica in Santa Monica, CA You're the sommelier at Michael's Santa Monica, the 38-year-old dining institution of Chef Miles Thompson. What's it like to be part of a property with such history? It's an incredible honor! Working with Miles is a big trip—he's brilliant and wacky and really wants to engage in conversations in terms of the pairing between food and wine. It's never dull, to say the least. We have a responsibility to do this institution justice with our work and bring its energy to the guests, which Miles inevitably ends up doing with every plate and I hope I manage to do with each glass of wine. What's your focus when selecting wine for this particular property? As a buyer, I work with wines that prioritize sustainability as a holis - tic ethos. That results more or less in a natural wine list because I'm lucky enough to have access to incredible producers from all around the world that are working within this framework. I've found that our guests are generally receptive to this—as one of the institutions that founded the farm-to-table movement in California, it's only logical that we would extend the same values to our wine program. What's your ideal wine, food/snack, music, and atmosphere mashup? Always with friends and loved ones around a table preferably on my back porch—any time of year because Los Angeles is a gift—drinking whichever bottle of wine I was saving for a special occasion. There are tons of little snacks on the table—I'm Middle Eastern, so the more plates on the table, the more comfortable I am—many empty bottles, and lots of emphatic gesticulating. For music, I'd turn on ESG radio: my Spotify hack for parties! Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: PHOTO COURTESY OF NOMAD LA PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL'S SANTA MONICA