CorkRules - Episodes | Amelie Amelie

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About this Episode

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas dive into the affordable and adventurous wine list at Amelie, a French bistro-style wine bar that brings a little taste of Paris to the streets of New York’s West Village. Grace explains why she loves blends, clarifies what a Rolle is, and introduces a red sparkling that should not be missed and one that is best served chilled.

Wines reviewed include:

Domaine des Enfants from the Languedoc
2008 Lopez Heredia Vina Tondonia
2015 Villa I Cipressi Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany

Transcript: Amelie

Amelie

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I’m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace, it’s great to have you!

GH: Bonjour Robert

RT Before we jump in, let’s talk about those wine lists. We created CorkRules to help demystify wine list’s because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well… it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT: So today we’re talking about the Amelie wine bar and bistro in the west village. Sounds like we’re going to be getting into some French wines by the sound of the name, so I know you must be excited Grace haha

GH: Hahha you know my weakness for French wines Robert! Love this little French wine bar vibe. I'm partial to any place that makes you feel like you’re in Europe.

RT: Ohhh I totally get that. Transporting you from Manhattan to Paris. What are your initial thoughts on their wine list?

GH: This little wine bar has a lovely condensed 2-page wine list. they have it categorized by both region and style so you can really get into semantics here. Plus, not only is it approachable in size but in price point as well! There are tons of selections for under $100 so you really get the chance to explore here without breaking the bank.

RT: Amazing – can’t wait to dive into some of your choices. Let me guess – we’re going to start with sparkling

GH: hahaha absolutely! starting with sparkling you could go with a classic champagne like the Delamotte Brut, but I would personally try out this sparkling pinot noir from Burgundy!

RT: Predictable, what else caught your eye for starters?

GH: If you're feeling the rose all day kinda vibe, I would do the Domaine St. Victorie which is an organic grenache syrah blend from the Cote de Provence.

RT: Ohhh amazing – love trying new sparkling regions. What are you thinking for whites?

GH: When we get to whites, they have a rolle, which is just the French term for vermentino, from Chateau de Pourcieux in the Cotes de Provence. Now traditionally vermentino is produced in Italy, so I would be really interested to see how it tastes when it's grown in the southeast region of France.

RT: Great. Any others catch your eye?

Another white that caught my eye was the grenache gris/mourvedre blend from Domaine des Enfants in the Languedoc. I love blends b/c you get such a unique experience when a few different grapes are hanging out in the bottle together.

RT: Totally – no two blends are created equal haha. Now you know our listeners love reds. What are your hot takes for reds on the Amelie list?

GH: To start in reds, first one they have on the list is a gamay from Dominique Piron, that they serve chilled! Now you might be saying "Grace you're not supposed to drink red wines chilled" and traditionally you don't drink MOST red wines chilled. But gamay is the special one-off grape that is so light and aromatic that it is able to be enjoyed with a little chill on it! Perfect for a hot summer day.

RT: Oh that sounds really refreshing! I didn’t know there were any reds you should chill. Great tip there, Grace. What about some other reds?

GH: So you’re wanting a great medium-bodied red, they have a 2008 Lopez Heredia Vina Tondonia on the list. Super classic rioja producer and slightly older vintage. If you’re looking for a bigger more tannic red, I would do the 2015 Villa I Cipressi Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany.

RT: Oh, yum I love a Super Tuscan. Now, Grace what about some value bottles or special occasion bottle?

GH: You got it! For affordable whites, I’d suggest the 2020 txakolina from Spain, one of my favorite effervescent whites, perfect for summertime.

RT: Yum. Sounds refreshing. Anything higher end for us to look at?

GH: For a special occasion white I’d go with 2017 Chassagne Montrachet from Burgundy. Then for a value red, I’d go with the 2018 Chinon which is cab franc from the Loire valley in France.

RT: What about red?

GH: And then for your special occasion red, gotta be the 2006 premier grand cru Saint Emillion from Chateau Canon

RT: Amazing Grace. Great choices as always. Thank you for helping us navigate the wine list at Amelia.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules. If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: Info@corkrules.com or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists. Follow us on social media @corkrules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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