For seven consecutive years, 1808 Grille has recieved the Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator!
Their impressive wine program includes the eclectic Wines By-The-Glass Menu that will satisfy every palate!
Tell me, have you wined and dined at a restaurant that has a great food menu but a very boring and limited wines by the glass list?
Well I have, once too many times!
Lou Vargo, Sommelier and Beverage Manager at 1808 Grille sat down with me one lovely afternoon for a Wines-By-The-Glass tasting experience like no other.
Lou says “Life’s too long to drink bad wine!”
And, I agree.
We both have had our fair share of ho-hum wine tasting experiences through the years and he believes that he can change the way everyone is drinking wine one palate at at time.
Lou is somewhat of a Wine Evangelist!
He believes that he can introduce and convert those guarded wine drinkers to a higher level and help create a perfect pairing of food and wine for a divine experience!
1808 Grille was awarded the Wine Spectator’s 2015 “Award of Excellence” for the seventh consecutive year for the varied and unique selections, the years selected and for the vertical and horizontal list of the fine and vintage wines by the bottle.
Here are some of the wines that we tasted: Sileni Pinot Noir, Pali Huntington Pinot Noir, Trefethen Dry Riesling, St.Urbans-Hof Riesling, Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Arcadia Westerly Vineyard Syrah and Y3 Jax Chardonnay
Visiting with Lou was a very comfortable and friendly experience filled with passion for food and wine. He has immense knowledge of wine and management that creates a harmonious work environment with the staff and they all work together to give the best dining experience possible.
Lou is a force of nature, he is a gentleman with a big personality and passionate about his growing family life and his job.
Lou told me he has the best job in the world!
Giving someone the best food and wine pairing experience for a night is not work, it is an exciting and fun mission. If his mission was successful, he knows that for a slice of time (regardless of whether they are frequent customer or the first time diner for a celebration or night out with friends) he has given someone a happy dining experience and great memories of the wine and food all coordinated by Lou and the 1808 service team.
11 reasons why you will be impressed with the list!
1) A lot of thought was put into the menu reaching the varied palates of the guests without being stuffy and intimidating by names that are hard to pronounce which sometimes make customers afraid to order a wine.
2) The menu gives a great selection of light reds for those who prefer a red wine with seafood and dishes traditionally paired with white. For the Pinot Noir lovers, there are two different Pinot Noir with completely different styles of Pinot Noir from different areas of the world.
3) It is evident that Lou pairs up with team of Chef Jake Strang’s team and they all work together to create a harmonious menu.
4) He selects wines to complement the food menu with unique wines that no one else has on the menu.
5) About every 6 months, he changes some selections with new wines in our market from quality regions carefully selecting wines that are food and guest friendly.
6) You won’t find a thin and tasteless Pinot Grigio on his menu! He believes that Veneto is to Pinot Grigio as Nashville is to songwriters. Some of the greatest songs in the world have come out of Nashville just as some of the most complex flavored Pinot Grigio’s from the Veneto region with balanced weight and flavors of apricot, aromas of honeysuckle and white flowers. We are lucky to find these beautiful wines on the list by the glass.
7) The menu is filled with wines to fit a variety of palates with nice complexity which reflect a “sense of place” from vineyards all around the world.
8) I always begin with a sparkling and there are three different styles of sparkling wines by the glass to enjoy!
9) The menu features two different and delightful styles of Rieslings to pair with the daily seafood offerings and Lou or the staff that will gladly help you select the wine that pairs best with your meal.
10) Would you like to discover your Chardonnay style? Do you enjoy a full-bodied, oak fermented creamy style or a crisper, more fruit forward unoaked chardonnay without that buttery mouth feel? The staff will be happy to help!
11) Ahhh. The controversial Merlot. Merlot is a fabulous food pairing wine but has met with some resistance. Due to the Sideways movie and overproduced mediocre quality wines, everyone seems to have an opinion about drinking Merlot. He likes to change the nay-sayers opinion by introducing the Indian Wells Chateau St Michelle. Lou describes this wine as a beautiful expression of the Merlot grape creating believers from those who were once non-believers.
Taittinger Lafrancais Champagne and Poema Cava
Breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Bar is open 10:30 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday
10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday with Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
1808 West End Ave Nashville,TN 37203 | P.615.340.0012