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About this Episode

In this episode of CorkRules, Alexis Rogers, wine educator and restaurant sommelier, and host Robert Tas demystify the extensive 10-page wine list at Atoboy, a Korean-inspired restaurant in the NoMad district of Manhattan.

Wines reviewed include:

  • Egly Ouriet Grand Cru NV Champagne
  • Cab Franc Rose by Christian Tschida from Burgenland Austria
  • D.Ventura Vino do Burrato from Ribiera Sacra
Transcript: Atoboy

ATOBOY

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 Alexis Rogers, wine educator and  restaurant sommelier

Hello Alexis, welcome back to the show!

AR: Thanks for having me back, Robert!

RT:  Before we get into the extensive 10-page list at ATO BOY, let’s talk a little about why we’re here. CorkRules was created to demystify and simplify ordering wine at restaurants. We all know being handed a huge wine list can be intimidating. Where do you even start?

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.

Today we are discussing ATO BOY - a Korean-inspired restaurant in the NoMad district of Manhattan. It’s based on the concept of “banchan” - small shared side dishes served with rice. Culinary offerings feature an extremely affordable 5-course price fix menu with 1-3 options per course. The food is fresh and inventive but it’s the wine list that really shines here!

So Alexis, give us your overall impression of the list here…

AR: Let’s start with the By The Glass list because I love it! The program features glasses that are not your typical basic offerings. Options are limited but thoughtful and force you out of your comfort zone. That philosophy also spreads to the Bottle list. Wines have been picked FOR this menu - you won't find your big Napa Cabs here. The focus here is terroir-driven wines - that is, wines that beautifully display where they’re from and how important that is.

RT : Interesting!  With so many courses, I can assume pairing one bottle for all 5 courses can get tricky. Any advice for that?

 

AR: Your best bet is going to be to go By The Glass or pick a bottle that goes with everything. And that bottle is usually Champagne. Naturally high acidity, relatively neutral flavors and palate-cleansing bubbles make this wine a food grazer’s dream. My unequivocal pick here is Egly Ouriet Grand Cru NV Champagne. Every grape in this bottle is grown on the property of Francois Egly. These types of champagne are affectionately called Grower Champagne and are prized bottlings amongst those in the Champagne know and are usually much preferred to the bigger pricier names like Dom Perignon and Cristal.  They are marked by a definite sense of the specific place they come from and really showcase the talents of the winemaker. Not to mention, they’re usually ¼ of the price. There are few wine and food pairings that out-do Fried Chicken and Champagne so go ahead and add ATO BOY’s famous fried chicken to your meal.

RT: Who doesn't love Champagne? I love the pairing with the fried chicken - the perceived combination of high-brow and low-brow. Any other suggestions for bottles that would be good for a tasting menu?

 

AR: Absolutely, another great idea for multi-course pairing is Rose! It has the brightness and freshness of a white wine with the berry notes and structure of a red. Don't miss the Cab Franc Rose by Christian Tschida from Burgenland Austria. Biodynamic, unfiltered and unfined, hand-harvested and crushed by foot - this is as close as you can get to simply putting fermented grape juice in a bottle and sealing it up! Notes here are going to be juicy pomegranate, red currants, tart red cherries and a savory roasted green pepper with a barely perceptible whiff of purple flowers. This will especially shine with the octopus offering in course 3 - those bright red notes will make the rhubarb in the dish soar!

RT: You sure do love wines from Austria, Alexis!

Say I wanted to approach this menu glass by glass, what is one glass I shouldn't miss?                                                                                                                                                  

AR : The D.Ventura Vino do Burrato from Ribiera Sacra, Spain caught by eye as I was selecting the lamb option in course 4 in my head. The grape here is Mencia - a medium-bodied, deeply perfumed, food-friendly red wine with notes of sour cherry and blackberry, an intriguing floral nose with hints of violets and lavender and a crushed gravel minerality. Spanish red wines are commonly thought of as being big and bold and oaky - and a lot of them are! - but wines produced from Mencia defy that stereotype and are perfect with a slight chill for summer evenings and a table full of small plates.

RT: I can't wait for those warm summer evenings! They’re right around the corner! I also can’t wait to visit ATO BOY and try this famed price fix menu!  Alexis, thank you so much for being here! 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. And finally, drink what you love and please make

sure you drink responsibly.

END

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