MECHANICAL TRIUMPH
An innovative machine brings rare wines to your taste buds at Nora's
BY DAVID HIMMEL

Melissa Mendez loves her job - something a lot of people couldn't admit. After graduating college with a degree in criminal justice and psychology, Mendez answered a higher calling and found herself at Nora's Wine Bar and Osteria.

You may have heard about Nora's (1031 South Rampart Blvd.). It's the Valley's newest wine haven. As wine director, Melissa is responsible for buying and maintaining the more-than 390 different wines her venue offers. That means she's not only knowledgeable, but an avid (and fortunate) drinker. 

Mendez always enjoyed a good bottle of wine, esculent food and enlightening conversation. Naturally, she found herself in this line of work. A few years back, she romanced an Italian wine that stole her heart. 

"It's almost like an obsession, sure," she says from Nora's curvaceous marble bar as she sips a glass of a California Summerland Pinot Noir that the representative two barstools over is pitching to her. "There are 20 different growing regions in Italy and each one grows a different grape. When you find an Italian wine, you're finding something that is not from anywhere else. And to me, that's poetry."

When at Nora's, Mendez is a resourceful gal to have tableside, whether you know your wines or not. 

"To sell a spectacular bottle of wine to a table that shares your appreciation for that wine, it's easy to see why people do what I get to do," she said. "What would my job be if I couldn't watch people experience their wine?"

"So, you're a voyeur?" I asked her.

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Mendez and Nora's crown jewel is its Enomatic System. It is one of only two in Nevada. The Enomatic Wine Serving Systems are an Italian design and frankly, they're ingenious. It is a machine that uses argon gas and a controlled climate to dispense and maintain a bottle of wine. While any bottle opened and left on a table or refrigerator is good for about three days, in the Enomatic, it can be kept for 120 days. When Giovanni Mauro - who, along with his brother, Marcello, own Nora's - went to Bellagio, Italy, he stumbled across one of these systems. Upon returning to the states, he immediately phoned Enomatic. It was their second call of interest ever from the States.

Nora's has 48 wines in the system. Sixteen are white, 16, Italian red and 16 domestic and other world-wide reds. A few choice wines in the system are the 2004 Wishing Tree Shiraz, a 2000 Greg Norman Estates and a 2000 Bracco Brunello di Montalcino. What you do is buy a card and put as much money as you like on it. Throughout your meal, you approach the machine, insert your card in and press the button of whatever wine you want. The prices vary obviously by bottle, but also by serving. You can choose a one-ounce pour, three or six-ounce pour.

So why can't you just order a glass of what you want at your table? Because not all wines are sold by the glass. And since the wine can be kept longer in the Enomatic, your choices are multiplied. 

"You can't get a six-ounce glass of Ornellaia or Insignia anywhere else," Melissa said proudly.

Because the wine is self-serve, you and your dinner party can really experience a spectacular tasting. But make no mistake; it is not a free-for-all. The cards can only dispense 18 ounces per hour. That may be trouble for a table of six, but should your card reject you, just grab a waiter or waitress, or Melissa herself (as I had to do) and they'll recharge the card. They just need to make sure you're not falling down drunk.

Nora's not only looks after its customers' safety and reputation, but also their pallets. LW