Certified sommelier Grant Wood joins Robert Tas in this episode of CorkRules where they review the wine list of <a href="https://www.casalever.com/menu/">Casa Lever</a>, a classic Italian restaurant located within the Park Avenue glass skyscraper the Lever House, so you know it&rsquo;s going to be classy. Damien Hirst artwork adorns the walls. In 2010, a New York Times critic described it as &ldquo;a new Italian restaurant of the Manhattan old school, built for socialites and those who finance them, staffed by handsome, rakish men with huge wristwatches. . . .&rdquo; It may be a little more inclusive and accessible today, but this Manhattan landmark it&rsquo;s still immensely elegant.

For something light and giggly, consider the Rossini Royale, a delicious combination of Grey Goose Vodka, Italicus, strawberry, and &quot;Sant Ambroeus&quot; Prosecco. If a refreshing pick-me-up is what you need, the Summer in the ends&nbsp;is a light blend of Bombay Dry Gin, cucumber water, and spring herbs cordial and it will not disappoint. However, if you&rsquo;re looking for something with a little more weight, try the Carta Bianca&nbsp;with Glenmorangie X, Amaro Lucano, pineapple, and almond orgeat may offer what you want.

They also offer all the classic cocktail favorites: Bellinis, Pimm&rsquo;s Cups, Martini&rsquo;s etc. Whatever cocktail kicks off the evening for you, the bar will provide, but show some restraint, there&rsquo;s a lovely wine list to explore before the evening is over.

The wine list&nbsp;includes dozens of wines by the glass, ranging from $17 to $80. So if you have an occasion to celebrate or just want a delicious glass of wine that won&#39;t break the bank, this list will meet your needs. &nbsp;

Moving on from cocktails to bubbles, Casa Lever&rsquo;s&nbsp;wine list&nbsp;offers a lovely selection of Prosecco, Champagne, and Lambrusco. Splurge on a glass of the &nbsp;Champagne Brut &quot;Rare&quot;, Piper Heidsieck, (2007) a wonderful blend of chardonnay and pinot noir or consider ordering a bottle of the less-costly Prosecco di Valdobbiadene &ldquo;Cartizze&rdquo; by Villa Sandi This wine offers exceptional value and quality.

For whites, there is a lovely if small selection from Italy with one or two from the U.S. and France. The Vouvray Sec &quot;Clos Naudin&quot;, Philippe Foreau, (2015) Chenin Blanc, from the Loire Valley is well worth trying, but if you want a medium-bodied dry white, order the Sauvignon Blanc &quot;Asimenia&quot; (2021), from Toscana. This white will pair nicely with a rich dish like the &nbsp;Carbonara.

On the red side of life, on the wines-by-the-glass list French and Italian wines dominate, and you can&rsquo;t go wrong with a Ch&acirc;teauneuf du Pape &quot;T&eacute;l&eacute;gramme&quot;, Vieux T&eacute;l&eacute;graphe, (2019) a wonderful blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourv&egrave;dre, and Cinsault, from the Rh&ocirc;ne Valley.

To learn more about the wine list at Casa Lever and the difference between Cava, Champagne and Prosecco, <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/casa-lever/episodes/13">listen to the CorkRules podcast </a>with certified sommelier Grant Wood.

Cheers!

&nbsp;

About the CorkRules Podcast:&nbsp;Each week we pour a glass and share top restaurant wine list picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the wine list through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

About CorkRules:&nbsp;CorkRules, the first digital wine app experience, makes it easier for you to navigate the restaurant wine list, and provides you with personalized wine recommendations from your favorite restaurants. Through CorkRules you can find the perfect wine for every occasion based on your preferences. Connect with friends and wine experts to discover new wines to try and learn about wine. CorkRules makes it easier to discover and drink what you love. &nbsp;

For something light and giggly, consider the Rossini Royale, a delicious combination of Grey Goose Vodka, Italicus, strawberry, and "Sant Ambroeus" Prosecco. If a refreshing pick-me-up is what you need, the Summer in the ends is a light blend of Bombay Dry Gin, cucumber water, and spring herbs cordial and it will not disappoint. However, if you’re looking for something with a little more weight, try the Carta Bianca with Glenmorangie X, Amaro Lucano, pineapple, and almond orgeat may offer what you want.

Cocktails and Wine at Casa Lever

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

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at a Long Beach hotspot, Bungalow Kitchen by Michael Mina. 

Wine Review of Bungalow Kitchen, Long Beach, California

Grace Hood

Bungalow Kitchen

Bungalow Kitchen

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hey hey Robert! Just another day to talk about wine!

RT : hahah totally Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that&nbsp; list handed to us, well&hellip; 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:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. Today Grace and I will be reviewing Michael Mina&rsquo;s Long Beach hot spot &ndash; Bungalow Kitchen. Grace, what are your initial thoughts?

GH: I am digging the vibe of this place! The menu looks really elevated but the ambiance is totally laid back casual coastal chic. That&rsquo;s what SoCal is all about baby!

RT: Very cool &ndash; how is their wine list looking?

GH: Well on first glance, I notice that it&rsquo;s done totally in alphabetical order! Which is pretty unique. Usually, wine lists are organized by country or style, but this one is alphabetical, so it&rsquo;s pretty fun to read! &nbsp;And they have lots of different styles and price points, so it&rsquo;ll be a pretty unique list to review

RT: Awesome! Is champagne still at the front of the menu though?

GH: Always Robert! Hahah! They&rsquo;ve got a really lovely selection of smaller producers from Champagne &ndash; Chartogne Taillet or Egly ouriet would be my picks. Or if you wanted a domestic sparkling, I would go with the Rose Poe Vander Kamp from Sonoma. 

RT: Love giving our listeners domestic and international options. How are they looking in whites? If we&rsquo;re starting at the top of the alphabet&hellip;hmmmm&hellip;.would it be Albarino?

GH: Ding ding ding!! 10 points for gryffindor! Circle gets the square! Hahah! Another correct answer would have been Assyrtiko, which they have as well. Since it&#39;s a California-centric restaurant they have lots of Chardonnay on the menu too. The one that stuck out to me was the Bien Nacido vineyard from the Santa Maria valley, or the sandhi also from the central coast. &nbsp;

RT: Awesome. Any noteworthy rose&rsquo;s to try?

GH: yes actually! They have one of my favorite effervescent roses &ndash; Txakolina from the Ametzoi vineyard in the Basque region of Spain

RT: Oh yes, I remember you mentioning your love of Tkazolina. Sounds perfect for a coastal California meal. Now they must have some killer reds too&hellip;.

GH: Oh they absolutely do. Want to guess what might be alphabetically at the top of the red list?

RT: Hmmmm&hellip;.. Aglianico?

GH: That was my guess too! But no it&rsquo;s a very small production indigenous varietal from Greece called (and I might butcher this pronunciation) Agiorgitikio. But right under that they have Barbera which would have been my second guess!

RT: Oh, wow I&rsquo;ve never even heard of that Grecian grape. Always learning something new here on CorkRules. The real question is &ndash; how many California cabernets do they have haha

GH: The answer &ndash; a lot!! Haha but the one that interests me the most is definitely the 2013 Bond Quella from Napa 

RT : Oh that&rsquo;s a great bottle. I&rsquo;ll get the decanter ready

GH: haha totally! If Cabernet isn&rsquo;t your jam, then you could also go with a 1993 Chateauneuf de Pape, or a 2000 Barolo riserva from Massolino. And for my fellow pinot noir lovers out there, they have a 2008 Brewer Clifton from Santa Rita Hills &nbsp;

RT : Love those choices. All different but all delicious. Now what about some value bottles on the bungalow kitchen list? I&rsquo;m sure they have some great options for our listeners on a budget

GH: They sure do Robert &ndash; for a White, I would go with the 2018 Muscadet from Melon Marc Bredif, and for a red, you could do out of the Loire valley 

RT: Amazing. And then what if you were looking to splurge on a bottle?

GH: Well they have a 1988 champagne from Jacquart le Cuvee Nominee. And then if wanted to go big on a red. Gotta be the 2000 Lynch Bages from Pauillac Bordeaux. I&rsquo;ll take both please and thank you hahah

RT: I love it &ndash; Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at The Bungalow Kitchen. &nbsp;To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@CorkRules.Com</a> 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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CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

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