Locals convert garage into wine-tasting venue.
There’s no place like home — or, rather, there’s no wine bar like Monique Moultrie’s home. Set in the old Powning District in Reno, on the same block as Beaujolais Bistro, Mo’s By The River is a home-turned-wine bar welcoming guests to sip a variety of dry-farmed, organic, sustainable, biodynamic, and clean wines in a different sort of setting.
Moultrie, fondly known as Mo to those who know her, is a vibrant and determined woman with a passion for wine. In summer 2022, she decided to realize a longtime dream: She converted the one-car garage in her 1940s-era home, which is zoned for both commercial and residential, into a wine bar.
Open seasonally from May through December, the home bar features a beautiful patio in a quiet residential neighborhood. The experience feels like enjoying wine at home with friends, without the clean-up (and with a larger collection of wines from which to choose). Plus, guests are welcome to bring their own picnics or order food from nearby restaurants (some of which will deliver right to your seat).
Opening Mo’s in her garage instead of at a secondary location has a lot of perks.
“This keeps our overhead low so we can offer our wines at very reasonable prices,” says Moultrie, who takes a lot of care in traveling to wine regions near and far to source the most palatable and clean wines not otherwise available in big-box or grocery stores. As an added bonus, she says, “The commute from inside the house to the garage is very easy!”
The wine bar is open 4 – 9 p.m. Wed. – Fri.; 2 – 9 p.m. Sat.; and 1 – 6 p.m. Sun. During the day, umbrellas shade sunny spots, while at night, they light up to keep the party going. Grab a bottle to share with friends or taste your way through a few glasses hand selected by Moultrie. Her impressive knowledge of wine is more than evident, and she’s skilled at selecting favorites for customers after just a brief conversation about tastes.
Regardless of what’s being poured (she and her partner, Glenn Klupsak, share hosting duties), it always will meet Moultrie’s mission to promote small-production wines free of common additives and dyes. Instead, everyone who sips at Mo’s knows that what they’re drinking is high quality and less likely to cause a hangover. Plus, there’s a case of beer and other drinks available as well.
The homey wine bar reopened in May this year, after enjoying a successful first season in business. Due to its outdoor-only nature, poor weather will occasionally force Moultrie to close the doors, but it also may result in an impromptu dance party in the garage while you wait out a storm. A Mo’s wine club also kicked off this summer.
A night at Mo’s is as comfortable as an evening at home, but with a little touch of adventure.
“It’s a really good vibe,” Moultrie promises.
To visit:
Mo’s is located at 718 Jones St., Reno.
For details, call 775-830-3043, email Mmmoultrie@yahoo.com, or find Mo’s By The River on Facebook.
