Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011938
56 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 56 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 { meet the wine director } Ryan Bailey in the cellar at NoMad Los Angeles, where he serves as Wine Director. BY THE TIME THE SOMM JOURNAL finally catches up with Ryan Bailey, Wine Director at the new NoMad Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, he's just returned from VieVinum, the influential biennial Austrian wine exhibition held in Vienna, Austria. "I did ten days in Ger - many, traveling to the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz—seven tastings a day!" Bailey says excitedly. "Then I took an overnight train to Austria and ended up going throughout the Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal, finishing up the trip in Vienna." Travel is an essential part of Bailey's personal wine quest, and in the end, it benefits NoMad's restaurant guests as much as the somm himself. "It was a very eye- opening experience to have my perception of the style of producers like Alzinger or Nikolaihof completely changed by tasting through the entire lineup—really understanding what the backbone of their technique is," he adds. The startlingly articulate Bailey was born in Sonoma County a scant 30 years ago. "I might be considered young by some standards," he admits, "but I've been a sommelier for ten years now. Having worked the floor in California, then in New York, and now back in Califor - nia—and also being able to travel and work harvests— has really exposed me to a lot of classic wines." Just before opening NoMad Los Angeles, Bailey spent six weeks in Portugal exploring and working harvest in the Douro Valley. The Port selections on the ho - tel's wine list reflect his experience: "One of the first purchases I made for the dessert wine list was a vertical of Warre's 1980, 1985, 2000, 2003, and 2007 and the single-quinta Quinta da Cavadinha 1998. I also pour the small-production Quinta do Infantado by the glass." Bailey is also excited about small producers of Por - PHOTO: CHEF'S LIST, COURTESY OF NOMAD TheWine NOMAD WINE DIRECTOR RYAN BAILEY BRINGS WIDE-RANGING EXPERIENCE TO HIS LIST AT THE NOMAD HOTEL IN LOS ANGELES by David Gadd