Sometimes, it’s best to get to the point.
Really Really Nice Wines opened in 2023 — a cheeky namesake and the simple intent of taking the austerity out of wine. The shop has a front bar and pop-up nibbles from local purveyors. The staff is gregarious, and the back racks showcase a focus on natural wines — ground-to-bottle with as little intervention as possible. There’s a curated liquor selection, a cold case for to-go, as well as gift items like wine stems and handmade ceramics.
We made fast friends with owners Darrin Ylisto and Miriam Matasar over a few pours, and they gave really (really) great advice on wine gatherings this fall.
What are the basic building blocks for a novice building a home selection? “It’s all about tasting,” Darrin Ylisto says. “Buy a different wine every week for a month. Snap a photo of the front and back labels. [If you like one,] take those photos to your local wine shop. Wine pros can see a photo of a wine that they don’t even carry and find a similar one.”
He also suggests attending free tastings. Their shop has them Thursdays, 5-7 p.m. Faubourg Wines, Patron Saint, Backline and Grande Krewe all do free tastings most weeks, as well.
In planning, how many bottles, and what types, for how many people? “This is an interesting question in New Orleans,” he laughs, “because culturally, we like to drink.”
If a typical bottle offers fives glasses with restaurant-sized, five-ounce pours, Ylisto says prepare for a guest to have about three glasses, if wine is the only offering. Get a good mix of red, white and rosé, and, even adventure into orange wines and/or some bubbles.
Orange wines and Pét Nats, can you tell us about these? “Pét Nat — aka ancestral method — is the oldest form of sparkling wine. Pet Nats are, generally, a little less bubbly. Think spritzy as opposed to foamy.”
Orange wine is white wine made like rosé or red wine, with the skins of white grapes left in contact with fermenting juice, to impart color, texture, flavor and complexity.
“Generally speaking,” he says, “the darker an orange wine is, the more tannic texture or structure it is likely to possess. Orange wine is kind of like white wine for red-wine drinkers.”
If we don’t have enough wine stems for our guest list? “Rocks glasses work great. Coups work well for bubbles. Usually anything shorter and wider rather than taller and narrower. You want room for air and potential swirling. Champagne flutes are not necessary.”
Is there a cute way to incorporate a little education? “Menu boards are great. You could even have butcher paper covering the table, and markers. Everyone could write down one word they taste or smell next to the wine. By the end of the evening, you have a whole bunch of tasting notes.”
If you feel like gathering without any hassle, then simply gather at Really Really Nice Wines this fall.
“We would never want to own a place where we wouldn’t want to hang out,” he laughs. “People come here after the gym in their workout clothes. They come for date night all dressed up. They swing by after the office to grab a bottle to take home. There is almost a baked-in perception that a wine bar is going to feel pretentious and intimidating. We treat the whole thing with a little less reverence and preciousness. That said, we’re wine professionals. We take the wine part seriously, so everyone else can just show up and hang out.”
