Food Across America: Nashville, TN

Woodland Wine Merchant: Idiosyncratic Visionary

Obscure, Talented Producers

Woodland Wine Merchant, which opened last July, is first and foremost an expression of owner Will Motley’s incredibly eclectic palate and obsession with wine from high-quality producers in far-flung parts of the world. That translates into selections like Zweigelt from Heinrich in Austria and Xarello made by Albet i Noya in Spain’s Penedès region. Motley’s enthusiastic tasting notes accompany each bottle in the store.

Best Value Region: Bierzo, Spain

Motley has a particular fascination with reds from the Bierzo region of northern Spain. Wines from Bierzo tend to be inexpensive because the region and its chief grape, Mencìa, are relatively unknown in the U.S. Motley describes Mencìa as “velvety like a Burgundy, nuanced like a Bordeaux and untamed like a northern Rhône Syrah—what you get in the bottle can only come from one place, Bierzo.” 1001 Woodland St.; 615-228-3311 or woodlandwinemerchant.com.

Published April 2008