CorkRules - Episodes | Intro to CorkRules

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About this Episode

In this episode of CorkRules, host Robert Tas explains why he decided to start this podcast, and how it is designed to help both the amateur and the discerning oenophile navigate the wine lists of their favorite restaurants so they can find those hidden gems, value wines, and special bottles for special occasions. Each week, he reviews a wine list with a certified sommelier who explores the list and shares a few expert tips on vintage, varietal, and little-known tips from the wine industry.

Transcript: Intro to CorkRules

Hello and welcome. My name is Robert Tas. Thank you for joining me, I would like to introduce you to my story behind cork rules. About eight years ago or so, I started my wine journey with a group of friends who invited me to a so called wine dinner. This dinner set me on my way to becoming passionate about wine. Okay, maybe a little obsessed. I'm all about drinking the perfect bottle with great food, sharing these experiences with friends and loved ones. Nothing could be better. Since that dinner, I've been trying to learn and drink as much as I can. I've been fortunate to drink some great stuff along the way. But I still very much view myself as a wine rookie. And novice. As I got into wine more, I realized three things. I really liked to drink wine. I love the craftsmanship, the vinters put into it, you can taste it, you can feel the history surrounding many of these wines. And they're great, and there's so many wines to try from all over the world. The second thing I learned is I really liked drinking wine with friends, loved ones, and special occasions. Okay, most occasions, having a great bottle just makes all our experiences better. And the third thing I realized is that I like drinking wine while I'm dining out. I love eating at great restaurants. But this is a big but ordering wine at restaurants, well, steaks. It's hard. It's daunting, it's overwhelming.

You know how it goes, you walk into the restaurant, and within minutes, they hand you a menu, a list a book. Yes, these are restaurants that have huge, beautiful leather bound books that often have 50 plus pages of wines in them. And so now with all the eyes on you, you've got to make a decision and try to pick one. At that moment of truth, you have to be able to absorb the wine list. But wait a minute, no wine list are the same. They're all written differently. They all have their own style. They all have different selections of wines, restaurants actually go out of the way to curate wines off the beaten path. From ice and orange wines to all over the world you can choose from to their credit restaurant and wine directors are trying to enhance your experience as they should. On top of all that you've got to know what your guests might like. And finally what budget to think about. And now you need to make a decision in a very short amount of time. I still personally find this challenging. Sometimes restaurants do have sommeliers who are fantastic and are here to help you. I encourage you to ask them questions and get recommendations. They have amazing knowledge and are really here to help your dining experience. But sadly, I've learned that many people are afraid to ask for help. We did a survey last year and found that 72% of the people don't want to ask for help. I was blown away by that stat. But I guess it makes sense. No one wants to look silly, ask dumb questions or be embarrassed. Most people feel like they lack wine knowledge, including myself. So many of us default to the basics like Chardonnay and Cabernet. This to me is a big miss. It just shouldn't be this hard to enjoy a great bottle or find the right bottle to make our experience the best. So with all this said, we set out to create CorkRules.

Our mission is to demystify the restaurant wine list, we are launching this podcast series where in each episode we will review a specific restaurant wine list. The idea is to try to do a short podcast around five minutes or so to help you navigate the restaurants wine list. Given an overview, find those unique gems or value wines, or that special bottle to impress your date, friends or boss. This may seem ambitious given there are over 100,000 restaurants in the US alone. So we're going to start small and focus on New York City as a pilot each podcast I'll be joined by a wine educator to help us review these lists. So please check out our website to get to know our songs. Maria Grace Mikayla, Josh to name a few. We will be releasing new episodes frequently and we'll be expanding across the country soon. If you have a favorite restaurant you'd like us to review, please send us an email to info@corkrules.com or visit our website where we have a request form available. Most importantly, we want to get your feedback on the concept and format.

We hope these podcasts can be helpful in elevating your dining experience and providing you with some wine suggestions to help you demystify those lists and find that perfect bottle. Thank you for tuning in. Now sit back and listen to some really great wine list reviews. Cheers