Certified sommelier and CorkRules&rsquo; resident Somm, Michaela Quinlan shares her expertise on the wine list of <a href="https://ilbuco.com/">il Buco.</a>&nbsp;il Buco&rsquo;s wine cellar holds a selection of over 400 wines and includes an exciting range of lesser-known, artisan wines from Europe.

This restaurant has been called &quot;one of the best and most exciting in America&quot; by Gourmet magazine and the wine list has won <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/">Wine Spectator&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;&quot;Award of Excellence&quot; several times.

The wine cellar was created by Roberto Paris, a childhood friend of Alberto Avalle&#39;s, the co-owner. Roberto is from the small town of Foligno, Umbria and he has brought his knowledge of the artisan producers to il Buco. The selection of wines is dedicated to small lesser-known producers of artisan wines that are expressions of the soils and cultures However, on a 400-wine list, you&rsquo;d expect to see wines from the world&rsquo;s more renowned wineries, and indeed, you will find a large selection of well-known and well-loved wineries.

In the by-the-glass section, try the La Lecciaia Brunello Riserva, Toscana. Made from sangiovese from a winery in central Italy, this wine is light, fruity and dry with notes of ripe red fruit, raspberry and cherry.

Another must-try on the by-the-glass section is the Arnaldo-Caprai &#39;Cuvee Secret&#39;, Umbria. Umbria is a region famed for the quality of its wine, and this one lives up to expectations. It&rsquo;s round and soft, at the same time fresh with notes of delicate flavors and citrus. It also comes from central Italy and is made from the grechetto grape.

Moving to the north of Italy, the Magia Lambrusco 2016 from Emilia-Romagna has a dark purple hue that pours a beautiful purple fizzy head. The bubbles are small and light, the notes are floral with red fruits. Delightful on a hot summer night.

Taking a break from Italian wines, let&rsquo;s move on to Slovenia and try a bottle of the Simčič Ribolla Classic 2016. The ribolla varietal is indigenous to Slovenia and is best grown in the mild Mediterranean climate. The bouquet is soft with notes of lemon, green apple, citrus and grapefruit. This wine would pair well with the Tagliatelle (house-made egg pasta, Perigord black truffle, parmigiano or the Risotto (Principato di Lucedio carnaroli rice, Oregon porcini, thyme, pecorino di noce).

If a trip to wine country in Italy is out of the question, may we suggest a visit to il Buco where you can peruse artisan wines&nbsp;at your pleasure.

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 thanks to sommelier&rsquo;s 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. &nbsp;CorkRules will help you 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;

Certified sommelier and CorkRules’ resident Somm, Michaela Quinlan shares her expertise on the wine list of il Buco. il Buco’s wine cellar holds a selection of over 400 wines and includes an exciting range of lesser-known, artisan wines from Europe. This restaurant has been called "one of the best and most exciting in America" by Gourmet magazine and the wine list has won Wine Spectator’s "Award of Excellence" several times.

Artisan Wines at Il Buco

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 take a trip to Queensview Steakhouse on Long Beach. 

Wine List Review of Queensview Steakhouse, California

Grace Hood

Queensview Steakhouse

Queensview

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!

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. Grace what are we reviewing today?

GH: We are chatting about the Long Beach hotspot, Queensview Steakhouse!

RT:&nbsp;Sounds delicious. Can&rsquo;t wait to hear your thoughts on it!

GH: Totally! We get to take a break from the novel-length wine lists we&rsquo;ve been reviewing because this one is only two pages! Has some classic selections and really approachable price points. And one of the most unique things they have is a Coravin selection section.

RT: Oh really? What is that for some of our viewers who aren&rsquo;t familiar with Coravins?

GH: Oh you got it! It just means they are giving their guests the option to try expensive or hard-to-find wines, using the Coravin, which for those who aren&rsquo;t familiar is a device that punctures through the cork of a bottle, and replaces wine with argon gas which is odourless and tasteless. It&rsquo;s a great option if you have a really nice bottle of wine, but don&rsquo;t want to drink the whole thing. Say you live alone like me and like really good wine, it&rsquo;s a way to just have a glass without having to open or spoil the bottle!

RT: That&rsquo;s awesome. Cost-efficient and tech-savvy. The wine industry is getting so modern!

GH: Thank goodness for that! We might be an old old industry, but we don&rsquo;t have to be antiquated, ya know! &nbsp;&nbsp;

RT: Love that mindset. So where should we start on the Queensview wine list?

GH: Well for bubbles, you could do the Henriot if you&rsquo;re feeling champagne or 2008 Roeder 

Estate if you wanted something domestic

RT: Great choices. I haven&rsquo;t had an older vintage domestic sparkling in a while. Will have to put that on my to-try list. Now how are we looking when it comes to whites?

GH: Looking tasty! If you&rsquo;re feeling a light classic sauvignon blanc, they have the legendary New Zealand producer, Cloudy Bay. Or if you&rsquo;re wanting a solid m&eacute;dium-bodied white, I would go with the 2020 Scarpetta Pinot Grigio from Italy. But if you want to go right to chardonnay, they have the award-winning Chateau Montelena from Napa

RT: Solid white line up right there, Grace. Now I assume they have a killer red selection&hellip;.

GH: They do indeed, Robert! Starting off light with pinot noir, if you&rsquo;re thinking France, they have a 2016 Louis Latour Gevrey Chambertin. Or if you wanted a domestic pinot, the 2017 Flowers from Sonoma Coast would be a great choice &nbsp;

RT: Love those picks. What about something medium-bodied? &nbsp;

GH: I pick up what you&rsquo;re putting down Robert! They have a really unique bottle &ndash; a 2008 Cabernet Franc from Jonata out of the Santa Ynez region of California. You could also do this fabulous Syrah from Bramasole out of Cortona Italy 2009. Or this 2014 Grenache from the LaBarge vineyard out of Santa Rita Hills CA.

RT: Oh yum those are all some really unique choices. Love to see it! Now I assume since we&rsquo;re at a California steak house that they have some awesome California cabernet selections &nbsp;

GH: 100% they do my friend. They&rsquo;ve got some heavy hitters and classic producers, but my eye gravitated to a bottle I haven&rsquo;t had before, which is the 2014 Anakota Helena mountain. I always say that the way I learn about wine is by drinking ones I haven&rsquo;t had before, so if it was me, I would be trying out this cab from Knights Valley. Or if you wanted to go with some old reliables, they have a 2015 Quintessa, as well as a 2015 Chateau Montelena, ohh, and a 2013 Grgich Hills. 

RT: Oohhhh wow those are all great selections. Cabernet country indeed. Now, what about some affordable selections? Anything on the menu caught your eye that&rsquo;s lower in price range. &nbsp;

GH: Of course! This whole menu is actually very affordable. But if we wanted to get specific, for a White I would go with the Argentinian Torrentes from Terrazas de Los Andes. And then a wallet-friendly red, the 2020 Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley vineyards would do just the trick

RT: Awesome choices. Now, what if we&rsquo;re celebrating a special occasion? What kind of baller bottles do they have on the Queensview list?

GH: Oh man they&rsquo;ve got some killer options in the reds. A 2013 Joseph Phelps Ins&iacute;gnia, a 2012 Dominus or a 2016 Opus One. Can&rsquo;t go wrong with any of those!

RT: Amazing! Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the list at Queensview Steakhouse. 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

&nbsp;

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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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