A decade ago, natural wines weren’t really much of a thing in Nashville. That changed, in large part, due to the efforts of chef Philip Krajeck and Mollie Ward, the original wine director at Rolf and Daughters, who introduced a host of natural wines, orange wines and pét-nats on the menu to complement Krajeck’s innovative emphasis on fun fermentations in his food. The exposure of naturally occurring yeasts from the skins of the grapes to the surrounding atmosphere creates light-bodied wines with lower alcohol content and higher acidity — all great developments for pairing with food.
At the same time, bar manager Matt Tocco was introducing many of us Nashville diners to the glories of bitter amaro-based cocktails, also ideal for stimulating the appetite before and during a dinner made up of Krajeck’s bold flavors, and another revolutionary concept at the time for a local restaurant. Now you can find at least some natural wines on many of the lists around town, particularly at lou and Krajeck’s second restaurant, Folk.
It makes a lot of sense, then, that Krajeck & Co. are planning a special evening of by-the-glass pours on Thursday, June 29, with thewaves.wine, a new website dedicated to educating consumers about natural wines. The Waves was founded as a resource for consumers to discover and purchase natural wines, and the company’s chief wine officer (dream gig!) Billy Smith will be at the event to introduce the wines and explain how wine lovers can have these wines delivered to their door through the company’s subscription service. Smith is a former sommelier at The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn, where his leadership helped the restaurant win the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program.
Joining Smith will be Jenny Lefcourt, a noted importer of natural wines through her company Jenny & François Selections. All the BTG wine pours of natural wines presented that evening will come from Lefcourt’s portfolio. Paired with Folk’s beloved menu of pizzas, veggies, seafood and meats that you can order à la carte from their regular menu, it should be a tremendous evening of food and drink!
Folk always tries to set aside spaces for walk-ins, but if you want to assure yourself at a table to meet and greet these natural wine experts while you enjoy fantastic food, you might want to grab one of the coveted reservations for that evening from 5 until 10 p.m. via Folk’s Resy page.
