SHORT ORDERS [FIRST LOOK]
Au Naturale Grand Spirits brings natural wines and Italian-inspired snacks to South Grand Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
O
ne day before they opened their highly anticipated wine shop, Grand Spirits Bottle Co. (3194 South Grand Boulevard), Natasha Bahrami and Michael Fricker received the most delightful omen. A sweet brown-and-white stray puppy was running around their neighborhood, begging for someone to take her in. Bahrami and Fricker didn’t hesitate. “We found her on Tuesday just running around the streets super malnourished, in bad health and horribly dirty, so we snagged her and are going to keep her,” Fricker says. ou can’t find a shop dog the day before you open your shop and not realize it’s fate.” Little Nebbiolo, also known as Nebby, may make a visit to Grand Spirits more charming, but it’s not the main reason to visit this stunning natural wine shop and bar, which opened to the public on December 15. In addition to running the successful Cafe Natasha’s and the Gin Room just down the street, Bahrami and Fricker have been working tirelessly for the past year to create a bastion of natural wines and Italian-inspired snacks, something they felt was missing from the Tower Grove East neighborhood where they live. “During quarantine, I wanted a small shop close to the house to be able to go to and just grab a couple bottles of wine without having to make a Schnucks run,” Fricker says. wanted it to fit in with what we did, which is something curated and centered around natural wines, and there was nothing really around that focused on that in the Tower Grove area. 33 [Wine Shop & Bar] does that, but they are still a drive, so I had a dream one night that we owned a little bottle shop. I woke up and said, ‘We are
going to do this.’” For Fricker, Grand Spirits is the extension of a passion for natural wines he developed a few years ago in France. There, while eating and drinking with fellow industry professionals who were into natural wines, he felt something click. As he explains, these wines appealed to his chef background (Fricker has an extensive culinary background which includes high-end properties around the country such as Cielo and Cinder House at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis). And once the spark was lit, he dove headfirst into learning everything he could about their history, production and tasting notes. Grand Spirits is the result of that
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Michael Fricker is excited to share his passion for natural wines. | PHUONG BUI
“I had a dream one night that we owned a little bottle shop. I woke up and said, ‘We are going to do this.’”
Nebby keeps an eye on things at the new Grand Spirits Bottle Co. | NATASHA BAHRAMI deep dive. As Fricker explains, the purpose of the shop is not simply to be a place where people can buy natural wines, but an opportunity for education in a welcoming, judgment-free space. He believes this is particularly important because there is some controversy and misinformation around natural wines, and he hopes to dispel some of these myths. “It’s kind of a dirty word in the wine world, and it’s pretty divisive,” Fricker explains. “I get the question constantly, ‘If these wines are natural, does that mean
that all others are not natural?’ The word itself can be divisive and misnomered. In trying to figure out a way to define what makes a natural wine, we are focusing on clean agricultural processes where people are either certified or practicing organic and biodynamic methods and being biodiverse in the fields. During vinification, these wines are using natural yeast, and post-vinification, winemakers are not adding sulfites or preservatives. e’re focusing on clean practices and doing things intentionally and with
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detail and on sustainability.” To that end, Bahrami and Fricker have curated a substantial selection of natural wines, focusing on bottles in the $16-$25 range. Guests who choose to enjoy a drink at the shop have their choice of tastings ights, glass pours, mezcal and whiskey tastings, and vermouth service. Food-wise, Fricker is offering a simple menu of small plates centered around imported Italian goods. Four rotating vegetarian items will be available during every service, including a conserva of artichokes served over Calabrian chili ricotta, as well as blackbean hummus. Fricker has also created a menu of Italian sandwiches, such as prosciutto with olive tapenade, carameli ed figs and arugula. Charcuterie boards will also be available. “There’s a lot going on, and it’s really fun and interesting,” Fricker says. “This feels like the natural culmination of what I have done over the past ten years.” n
DECEMBER 22-28, 2021
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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