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About this Episode

Grace Hood, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas review the 33-page list at Oceana, an acclaimed American Seafood restaurant with an award-winning wine list. Grace spots a few value wines, a couple of stand-out bottles for a special occasion, and a couple of wines for the more adventurous. Grace also offers a few key tips on how to choose wine for you and your guests.

Wines reviewed include:

  • 2015 Brunello DeMonte Chino
  • Marchesi di Barolo
  • New York State Riesling
Transcript: Oceana

Oceana

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules! 

A podcast where, in each episode, 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: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

RT Before we jump in, let’s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists 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, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

So, Grace - today we will be tackling an NYC staple - Oceana

GH: Yessir - my good friend was the Maître D here for a few years so excited to dive deeper into the wine list.

RT: Awesome - so what are your initial thoughts?

GH: I’m loving this list! They have a very well thought out list that represents a lot of different regions and styles of wine. Because they are a seafood restaurant, it looks like they’re taking inspiration from a few different types of cuisines, and their wine list reflects the eclectic menu.

RT: Right on - seems like a versatile menu, but it’s quite large! Where would we start?

GH: You are not wrong there Robert! This is where we start to enter that territory of wine lists that are not so much lists, but small encyclopedias. At 33 pages, this is where an average diner who be overwhelmed by the choices. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing wine for you and your dining companions. 1 - price point. 2 - what kinds of wine you enjoy. 3- whether you’re in the mood to stick with the styles you enjoy, or want to totally 180 it and try something different. It really comes down to believing in yourself and your palate and what you enjoy drinking! People say to me all the time “oh grace I’m not a wine expert, I just know what I like to drink and stick with that usually” and my response is “great! Tell me about what you like to drink!” So, let’s do this exercise Robert so we can show the folks at home how easy it is to understand your own palate. So, Robert! What do you like to drink :)

RT: Great! So, if I was looking for a value wine, what would you recommend,

GH:

RT: If I wanted to go big or go home, what do you think?

RT: Grace, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Oceana.

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.

End

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