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

Michael's

Grant Wood

Sparks Steakhouse

Sparks

RT: Hello and welcome back to another episode with CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grant,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you join our CorkRules family!

GW: Hey Robert, I&rsquo;m so happy to be here with you.

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that 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.

Sparks is a classic NY steak house with a ton of history serving up succulent cuts on top tier meats. They were even mentioned in one of my favorite books on hospitality from one of my idols, Danny Meyer so I&rsquo;m looking forward to diving into this list with you.

Let&rsquo;s great straight into it because this is a steak house with a long list of classic Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and more.

For whites, you&rsquo;re pretty well covered if you&rsquo;re a fan of Cali Chardonnay. My eyes immediately were drawn to the 2013 Hanzell Chardonnay from Sonoma&rsquo;s Moon Mountain. I&rsquo;ve been to the vineyard and not only do they have great history in Sonoma, they&rsquo;re by far some of the best farmers in the state and leading the way in regenerative farming practices. This wine with a little age is just perfect to me and tasting amazing right now. Another great Cali classic is Ojei&rsquo;s Bien Necido 2005 Chardonnay from Santa Maria. I too have been to this vineyard just earlier this year and it&rsquo;s truly a special place. You can&rsquo;t go wrong with the 2008 Williams-Selyem Allen Vineyard Char either. 

Now it&rsquo;s time for a cab and a slab! Me being the Napa Valley-based resident Somm here, please let me tell you which wines you should reach for on this list. Skip past Silver Oak, Jordan, Caymus, Far Niente, etc. for a moment because, though, they are classics and there is nothing wrong with them, you can get them anywhere. Here&rsquo;s who I have great respect for and will take your dining experience to another level.

2014 Cain Five Napa Valley CS. Beautiful, sadly damaged by fire in 2020, worth it!

2012 Continuum Proprietary CS. Tim Mondavi at his best. 

2012 Delle Valle, just down the hill from Continuum, Maya, you&rsquo;re crushing it. 

2014 Spottswoode, a real St. Helena classic

2011 Staglin, Rutherford. Cool, underrated year, ageing beautifully. 

Let&rsquo;s take a trip to Bordeaux.

2006 Ch. Pavie, Right bank Grand Cru Classe A powerhouse.

2004 Haut-Brion, head turner to impress your date or clients

2005 Ch. Petrus, when money is no object

2005 Ch. Cos d&rsquo;Estournel, because I&rsquo;ve been there, and you should go there too!

Other honorable mentions:

1999 Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero is a classic.

2009 Penfolds grange, obviously. 

2013 Vieux T&eacute;l&eacute;graphe CDP, for the Rhone heads out there. 

And the list goes on. This is a list built around the classics so why not lean into it and let your carnivorous indulgence take the wheel?

Grant, great job today!&nbsp; Thank you for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Spark&rsquo;s Steakhouse wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go and try your suggestions myself.

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.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

End

&nbsp;

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homepage

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

Fiola Mare

Fabio Trabocchi

Pinot Grigio 2019

Pinot Grigio

Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Italy

Lhuillier

Brut Tradition Champagne NV

Blend

Champagne, France

Campi Valerio

Calidio Molise Rosso 2020

Montepulciano

Molise, Italy

Cenatiempo

Ischia Bianco Superiore 2019

Miscela

Ischia, Italy

Luigi Maffini

Kratos Fiano 2021

Shiraz/Syrah

Campania, Italy

Louis Bernard

Cotes-du-Rhone 2018

Grenache

Cotes du Rhone, Rhone, France

Femar Vini Epicuro Primitivo Rosato Puglia IGT NV

Italy

Priest Ranch

Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Failla

Pinot Noir 2021

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Seghesio Family Vineyards Chardonnay, Sonoma County 2020

Sonoma County, USA

Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Brunello di Montalcino 2017

Sangiovese

Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Domaine de la Foret Gasselin Sancerre, Loire 2021

Loire, France

Veuve Clicquot

Brut Rose Champagne NV

Blend

Champagne, France

Château d'Esclans

Rock Angel Rose 2021

Grenache

Provence, France

Méo-Camuzet

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2019

Pinot Noir

Burgundy, France