The San Francisco Giants have upped their wine game by offering a curated selection of wine for fans at games. In fact, serving wine at Giants&rsquo; games is so popular with fans that, in 2022 they hired their own Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein. The goal is to enhance the gameday experience and we at CorkRules wholly agree.

Master Sommelier at the SF Giants

Wine writer, educator, and Master Sommelier, Evan his written three books on wine and has been twice cited in the &ldquo;Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry&rdquo;, by IntoWine.com. Evan&rsquo;s vision to improve the Giant&rsquo;s wine program included encouraging Giants fans to learn more about wine by conducting in-person and virtual wine tasting sessions and increasing the selections of wines featured by introducing fans to a variety of regions and profiles.

To expand the Giant&rsquo;s relationship with the wine industry, he collaborated with current and former Giants players who are involved in the wine industry, and this win-win relationship was further strengthened by curating wine-related programs for the Giants community, including field trips to wine country, member discounts, and other wine-related activations such as wine pairings and Giants&rsquo; specific culinary events. In fact, the Trefethern Family Vineyards website clearly welcomes and offers free shipping to SF Giant fans.

Pairing Wines at Baseball Games

Despite the perception that quality wines are best paired with haute cuisine, Evan reminds us that there is no need to be snobbish about pairing wine. It&rsquo;s all about what taste good to you. A good wine can be paired with hot dogs and traditional game food, yes we said it. Gilroy&#39;s Garlic Fries and Gerwutzrtaminer sounds absolutely binge worthy.

As the wine industry grows by popular demand in North America, and more celebrities step into the industry, Evan also sees his role&nbsp;as wine educator and consultant for players who want to invest in a business outside of the game.

The San Francisco Giants are also partial to quality bubbles. They have a long-time partnership with Mumm Napa, and when the SF Giants wone the 2012 and 2014 World Series, Mumm Napa issued a limited-release good luck elixir to celebrate.

The experience at the hot dog stand and sitting in the stalls has just taken a Giant leap forward.

To listen to Evan&rsquo;s interview on curating wine for the SF Giants, check out <a href="https://corkrules.com/san-francisco-giants/episodes/359">Episode 261 of CorkRules.</a>

Evan&rsquo;s&nbsp; books are : <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Pairings-Sommeliers-Practical-Partnering/dp/0520243773/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Perfect+Pairings%3A+A+Master+Sommelier%E2%80%99s+Practical+Advice+for+Partnering+Wine+with+Food&amp;qid=1629248122&amp;sr=8-3">Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier&rsquo;s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Daring-Pairings-Sommelier-Distinctive-Favorite/dp/0520254783/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Daring+Pairings%3A+A+Master+Sommelier+Matches+Distinctive+Wines+with+Recipes+from+His+Favorite+Chefs&amp;qid=1629248184&amp;sr=8-1">Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs</a>; and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wines-South-America-Essential-Guide/dp/0520273931/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Wines+of+South+America%3A+The+Essential+Guide&amp;qid=1629248259&amp;sr=8-3">Wines of South America: The Essential Guide</a>.

&nbsp;

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The San Francisco Giants have upped their wine game by offering a curated selection of wine for fans at games. In fact, serving wine at Giants’ games is so popular with fans that, in 2022 they hired their own Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein. The goal is to enhance the gameday experience and we at CorkRules wholly agree.

San Francisco Giants' Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein is Upping the Wine Game

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

Bleu Provence

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Bleu Provence in Naples, Florida. 

Wine List Review of Bleu Provence, Florida

Tina Johansson

Cork Rules Script

Bleu Provence

&nbsp;

Music Intro

&nbsp;

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier.

&nbsp;

Hi Tina, thanks for being back with us on another episode of CorkRules, - a podcast where we help simplify and demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants. We talk with certified sommeliers and wine professionals who point out interesting bottles, classic food and wine pairings, hidden gems, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

&nbsp;

TJ: Thank you Robert, great to be here.

RT: Today we are looking into Bleu Provence, a restaurant in Naples, Florida. It&rsquo;s a family-run French restaurant which has won many prizes, including Wine Spectators Grand Award for the best wine lists of the world. It&rsquo;s run by a couple from Provence in France who moved here with their sons and have since built an amazing restaurant where Lysielle is the head chef and Jacques is in charge of the wine while their sons manage the dining room.

TJ: Yes, it&rsquo;s not hard to understand why their wine list has gotten so well regarded. It&rsquo;s very big with over 5500 listings and, of course, with a big focus on France. There are quite a lot of wines from California and some classics from Spain and Italy as well.

RT: Who am I to say no to some great French wine? Especially with classics like homemade pat&eacute;, moules-frites or steak tartar on the menu. With a list like this one I&rsquo;m afraid to ask you to pick one wine as your favorite, but maybe something stands out to you?

TJ: Yes, why not start with a great white? I see some lovely pan grilled mussles and halibut on the food menu that just screams after a creamy white! They happen to have the 2012 Auguste Clape Saint-Peray on the list, one of my favorite white Rh&ocirc;ne Valley wines. For me, it&rsquo;s an under-rated region for whites that are very food-friendly due to their oily texture. A lot of people say white Rh&ocirc;ne wine lacks acidity but I&rsquo;ve tried so many bottles from here that contradicts that statement.

RT: Yes, not a lot of people drink white Rh&ocirc;ne today. Sounds like a fantastic pairing though! So if we were to continue with a bottle of red, what catches your eye?

TJ: I&rsquo;ll continue French because I love eating and drinking from the same area, but also in a French restaurant like this one I think you get most out of your experience this way as well. I found a bottle from a region you very rarely find in lists, it&rsquo;s from Coteaux Champenois, so still, red wine from Champagne! Not a lot of people ever try these wines in their life. The grape used is Pinot Noir, so the mayor black grape for sparkling wine as well, and the style is like a fresher style of Burgundy. Not many producers make it today. I&rsquo;d drink the 2014 Bollinger La C&ocirc;te aux Enfants, one of the most celebrated bottles of red from the region.

&nbsp;

RT: Wow, yes that&rsquo;s definitely something to try! Very unique. There are really some gems on the list at Bleu Provence. After talking about red wine from the Champagne region I&rsquo;m in the mood for something sparkling as well. What champagne from the list would you drink for a big celebration? I&rsquo;m sure they have just the bottle for a special moment.

&nbsp;

TJ: Yes, I would celebrate with the 2005 Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru. It&rsquo;s one of my top champagne producers making a bolder style of champagne, and with a bit of age they develop ripe fruit aromas and mushroom notes that makes is very interesting, but also very good with food. Egly-Ouriet actually also make a still, red wine that&rsquo;s very good if you ever come across it. A wine not to miss!

&nbsp;

RT: Another great bottle, I can&rsquo;t wait to go to Bleu Provence and toast with anyone of these wines. Tina, thank you for being back. 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 wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

END

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