What is natural wine? For those of us who aren’t oenophiles or master sommeliers, it’s a valid question. Chad Jordan, general manager at Night + Market (the plus sign is silent, BTW), has assembled the Valley’s only all-natural wine selection at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Thai eatery, and he’s ready to help you drink your way to an answer.
Jordan likes to share a staff mantra that natural wine, also known as naked, raw and/or low intervention, is “wine that has nothing added and nothing taken away.” That not only means using organic grapes—all natural wines are organic but not all organic wines are natural—but also handpicking the fruit, using native yeasts for natural fermentation and adding minimal, if any, sulfites.
It results in a cloudy, unfiltered style of wine that can be described as funky or barnyard-y, sharing some traits with sour beers. But it’s also a low-ABV, easy-drinking style of wine that first enamored N+M founder Kris Yenbamroong as he grew his LA food empire. In promoting his Thai drinking food, he found the slightly acidic-yet-benignly flavored natural wines conducive to extended eating and drinking endeavors. Think: chuggable.
The N+M menu has no suggested pairings, due to natural wine’s versatility. Jordan says that gives diners free reign to sample dishes like the outstanding vegan larb ($17), comprising house-made tofu patties, or the staple spicy crispy rice salad ($17) with any of approximately 90 different bottles. So whether you’re pouring the light and crisp Casino Royale Chenin Blanc from France’s Domaine Mosse—produced specifically for the Vegas restaurant—or Christina, a strawberry- and brioche-tinged Austrian Zweigelt rosé, you needn’t fret about what you’re chewing.
NIGHT + MARKET Virgin, 702-693-5280, nightmarketla.com. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, noon-4:30 p.m. & 5-11 p.m.
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