#111
Ayza
Latest Episode
- 8/11/22 | 6:22
About this Episode
Wine and chocolate are a perfect pairing, according to many of us, but what do the wine experts think? Wine educator and certified sommelier Grace Hood joins Robert Tas to help take your wine and chocolate experience to a whole new level of deliciousness. They review the wine list at Ayza, a wine and chocolate bar with a wine menu that provides over 110 fine wines and champagnes from all over the world, and, of course, there is also a wide selection of chocolate dishes to enjoy.
Wines reviewed include:
- Moscato d'Asti from the Alasia
- 2019 Cline pinot noir from Sonoma
- 2012 St Estephe from Les Pelerins de Lafon-Rochet
Ayza
RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!
A podcast where we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I’m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace, it’s great to have you!
GH: Hey Hey Robert!
RT: Before we jump in, let’s talk about those wine lists. We created CorkRules to help demystify wine list’s because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well… 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: So today we’re talking about the wine and chocolate bar, Ayza - Grace what are your initial thoughts?
GH: I mean who doesn't love wine and who doesn't love chocolate? I've done chocolate and wine pairings in the past so this will be fun!
RT: Oh man I’m excited! So where do we start?
GH: When it comes to pairing wine and chocolate, the things to be mindful of are dryness and sugar content. It's good to pair wines with similar styles of chocolate ya know. Like milder chocolates go well with lighter-bodied wines, while chocolates with more intense flavors can stand up to fuller-bodied wines.
RT: Makes total sense. What is sticking out to you on the Ayza list?
GH: Yeah so they have a nice little list - short and sweet and super affordable. And Most of their bottle prices are under $100 so that's always awesome. They have it broken down not only into the regular categories – white, red, rose etc. But then within the categories they break it down by style - floral, citrus, herbaceous, earthy etc. you know I love a well-thought-out wine list! Makes it so much more approachable to customers.
RT: Love that. Less complicated the better. So how are you going to approach a wine and chocolate pairing?
GH: I think breaking it down by type of chocolate would be the best way to go! So, starting in white chocolate which has a sweet, buttery flavor with notes of honey and cream. Sweet wines help cleanse the palate of the rich flavors from the white chocolate. So, on the Ayza list, you could go with the sparkling Moscato d'Asti from the Alasia vineyard from the Piedmont region in northern Italy. I would say that out all the sweeter style wines out there, Moscato is one of the most well-known universally. You could also go with a Riesling as well for white chocolate - they have one from the brotherhood winery in the Hudson valley of New York. Which, super fun fact is the oldest continuously operating vineyard in America! It’s been around since the early 1800s and was one of the only wineries to be able to survive through prohibition b/c what is a brotherhood, monks! It made wine for the church so that's how it was able to stay open while the rest of the and spirits production of America shut down. People love that piece of knowledge - whenever I ask someone where the oldest winery in America is they automatically say California, but nope it's in New York!
RT: How about that! I’ll have to go visit that spot soon. Oldest Vineyard in America. How neat. So, what about milk chocolate?
GH: When we're talking milk chocolate its usually sweeter and creamier with some hints of brown sugar, vanilla, and cream. It’ll do best with a light to medium-bodied wine as to not overpower those lovely nuances of the milk chocolate. This Gewurztraminer from Chateau St. Michelle out of Washington would complement those flavors nicely. And you can even do some reds with milk chocolate. I would go with the 2019 Cline from Sonoma, or the 2017 Cote de Beaune from Bouchard in Burgundy
RT: Ohhhh yum that sounds like a great combination. Now, how about dark chocolate?
GH: So, this is arguably my favorite style of chocolate - it’s also the most healthy for you! High in antioxidants! I always have some dark chocolate-covered almonds in my kitchen. Since dark chocolate has less sugar and more pure cacao, we're going to get a lot more bitter earthy qualities to it, so we'll need a deeper richer wine to stand up to those characteristics. This 2018 Merlot from Mollydooker out of Australia would be a great pairing for dark chocolate, as well as this 2012 St Estephe from Les Pelerins de Lafon-Rochet from Bordeaux
RT: Amazing Grace. Great choices as always. Thank you for helping us navigate the wine list at Ayza.
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. Follow us on social media @CorkRules and @wineswithgrace
And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.
Thank you.
End
Want to request a Restaurant?
Interested in having a restaurant’s wine list featured in a future podcast episode? Let us know here.
Related Episodes
Craft L.A.
- 10100 Constellation Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067, USA
- 5:18 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Craft L.A., a Chef Tom Colicchio restaurant. Following his success in New York, he brought Craft’s pioneering approach to the West Coast. Grace dives into the boutique style list, and in true international fashion, she chooses bottles from around the globe, including France, Australia, Spain and beyond.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2009 Soter Brut Rose, Willamette Valley, Oregon
-
2018 Txakolina from Ameztoi, Spain
-
2017 Alber Boxler Pinot Gris, Alsace, France
Barbrix
- 5:12 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Barbrix a wine shop and restaurant hotspot in Los Angeles with a spectacular selection of women wine makers, orange wine, pet nat wines, and natural wines. Grace identifies must-try wines from the unique selection on offer.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2020 Prosa Sparkling Rose, Austria
-
2021 “Ode to Lulu” Rose, Bedrock, California
-
2020 Barbera d’Alba, Sottimano, Pairolero
Wally's
- 447 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, USA
- 7:19 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the extensive wine list at Wally's Beverly Hills, a one-stop shop for everything delicious – including a list of over 100 wines by-the-glass to explore, and five pages of Bordeaux to choose from. Wally's offers a large selection of wines from the world's finest vineyards, and Grace helps you navigate the list to choose a divine wine for your table, picnic, or wine to unwind at the end of the day.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2019 Clos du Roy Sancerre from Pascal Jolivet
-
2018 from Zind Hambrecht, Alsace
-
2019 Chateauneuf du Pape from Domaine de la Solitude
The Belvedere
- 7:12 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at The Belvedere located in the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles. This elegant, European brasserie displays a classic French-country aesthetic steeped in Southern California luxury. Guests can enjoy the culinary creations of a Michelin-star chef while indulging in a wine list that offers an equally elegant wine list. Grace recommends kicking of the evening with a bottle of top-notch bubbles, she suggests some light floral whites, a beautiful Burgundy and bold cab savs.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2009 Cristal Brut, Champagne
-
2016 Pouilly Fume, Jean Claude D’Aganeau, Loire valley
-
2004 Pillar Rock, Stags Leap, Napa
Spago
- 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA
- 7:11 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas hit the high spot on Las Vegas Boulevard, Spago, where Grace reviews the 60-page wine list to find the hidden gems, value bottles and celebration wines. Whether you lean towards a delightful white Burgundy, Italian or Spanish reds, or are a firm believer in chardonnay all day, every day, Grace finds the wine that will delight and deliver on expectations.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2002 Krug Reims, Champagne, France
-
2006 Franz Kunstler, Rheingau, Germany
-
2015 Gangolff Condrieu, France
Jeune Et Jolie
- 2659 State St Suite 102, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
- 4:17 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Jeune et Jolie in San Diego. This restaurant offers diners a choice of a 4-course menu in which guests make their own selections, but ultimately enjoy a fine dining California style, or the more casual "Le Menu du Bar”, an à la carte menu available for walk-in guests at our bar and lounge. Whether you prefer casual or formal, the wine list offers a quality selection of bottles to choose from. Grace lets her inner Francophile loose as she reviews a fabulous selection of French wines from bubbles to white Bordeaux and beautiful, bold reds.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2015 Blanc de Noir Marie Courtin, France
-
2018 Meursault from Buisson Battault, France
-
2012 Grand Cru Pauillac from Pontet Canet, France
Cucina Urbana
- 5:25 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Cucina Urbana where they serve contemporary Italian cuisine with a focus on California seasonality and the bounty of local farms. Their wine program features 200+ labels from around the world, with an emphasis on Italian and California varietals and Grace peruses the wine list to find some hidden gems, including a white Bordeaux that has been described as “liquid gold” a fabulous Cremant, which equals Champagne if bubbles are on your mind, and a unique, pinot noir rose from Sancerre.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2020 Gruner Veltliner, Manni Nossing Winery, Alto Adige
-
2017 Mayacamas, Mt. Veeder, Napa
-
2019 Grenache one from the Giovanni Montisci Vineyard, Sardinia
Rossoblu
- 1124 San Julian St, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
- 4:44 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the Italian wine list at the LA hotspot Rossoblu. This fun and funky restaurant will not disappoint serious diners and wine lovers. On the menu, you will find handmade pasta dishes, in-house butchery and salumi, and classic Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist. The wine list offers unique varietals from family-owned wineries. From sensational sparkling wines to light and zesty whites or
Grace spots the bottles that will be delicious, delightful, and sometimes, downright decadent.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2021 Vermentino, Antonella Corda Vineyard, Sardinia
-
2021 Galanghina, Marisa Cuomo, Campania
-
2016 Margaux, Chalatour de Bessan
Petit Trois
- 718 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038, USA
- 5:17 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit the French bistro Petit Trois in Los Angeles, an unassuming and unpretentious restaurant inspired by classic Parisian bistros and has won many accolades from foodies and food critics alike. They offer two award-winning wine lists and Grace reviews the wines on both to identify the approachable and affordable and the big baller bottles of French wines, including Bordeaux, Burgundies, syrahs, and stellar cab blends.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2019 Melon du Bourgnon, Muscadet
-
2011 Riesling Domaine Marcel, Alsace
-
2019 Domaine Rougeot Pommard
Cowboy Star
- 4:58 min
Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier and Robert Tas explore the wine list at Cowboy Star in San Diego’s East Village. This steakhouse and butcher shop sources ethically-raised, meat and seafood. They have a stellar wine list and a reputation to match. From bold, tannic reds to crisp, light whites, champagne that will definitely tickle the taste buds, and a few surprises in between, Grace identifies the bottles on the list that will please the most discerning palate, including a Margaux from Bordeaux.
Wines reviewed include:
-
2020 Shea Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
-
2020 Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc, Napa
-
2017 Joseph Swan from the Russian River Valley
Use the QR Code or
click on Download to install!