Beverage Director Leo Lê Adds Exclusive Japanese Wines to Momoya Wine List
(March 4, 2024 – New York, NY) – Momoya NYC, announces with immense excitement, that they have begun serving Japanese wines from two major producers, the acquisition of which has been an endeavor of passionate Beverage Director, Leo Lê for nearly a decade.
Momoya is the first restaurant in the nation to serve Aruga wines, a brand of Koshu wines produced by the winery Katsunuma Jozo, operated by the Aruga family since 1937 in Yamanashi prefecture, Japan’s wine country. The winery crafts wines to pair well with the intricacies and nuances of Japanese cuisine. Momoya is pouring the winery’s flagship “Branca Clareza” (2022), by the glass, and “Branca Pipa” (2019), by the bottle. Furthermore, Momoya is also honored to have three, single-varietal examples (2019), by the bottle, from one of the greatest Japanese winemakers practicing today, Mie Ikeno, who cultivates chardonnay, pinot noir, and merlot in the highest elevations of Yamanashi prefecture. Working in Burgundy for two years after studying oenology, viticulture, and microbiology at the University of Montpellier, she returned to Japan and founded her Domaine in 2007. With her first vintage in 2011, she produces only about 800 cases annually.
Momoya’s extensive wine and sake list includes rare and premium varieties of both traditional and contemporary sake as well as renowned wines, mainly from France. Leo Lê strives to bring more attention to both Japanese wine and sake by regularly encouraging guests to try more unconventional wine and sake pairings, moving away from the typically known dry Niigata (old school) style of sake, and constantly pushing for more exposure of more modern selections. As the Aruga and Domaine Mie Ikuno wines are Japanese made, they are developed with Japanese food in mind, allowing more unique pairings with Momoya’s menu. Although these wines are extremely limited in the United States, Momoya is thrilled to have the opportunity to share them with guests, in a pursuit to bridge the worlds of sake and wine, and of food pairings that are closer to perfection.
Momoya features authentic, inspired Japanese cuisine in each of its three NYC locations. Guests can enjoy perfect nigiri, a wide range of hot entrees, lunch specials, Omakase, weekend brunch as well as wine, sake and cocktails at the bar or paired with a meal. For more information, please visit, www.momoyanyc.com.
