CorkRules - Episodes | Bar Sprezzatura Sprezzatura

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About this Episode

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Sprezzatura, a laid-back but wholly elegant Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Grant kicks off with a review of their creative cocktail menu before moving on to bubbles that will delight your guest, and on to the wines to elevate your dining experience.

Wines reviewed include:

Ca’del Bosco Franciacorta, Lombardy
Frappatto by Valle Dell’acate, Sicilia
Rosato de Narello Mascalese by Graci, Mt. Etna

Transcript: Sprezzatura

Sprezzatura

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 Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier.

Hello Grant, it’s great to be back together for another episode.

GW: Hi Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let’s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists 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, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

Bar Sprezzatura

New to SF’s One Maritime Plaza is the California version of a Venetian bacaro, a traditional bar that serves wine and small plates called cicchetti. They have savory bar snacks like cheese, caviar along with larger plates like beet-filled casunziei and sepe al nero starring light-as-air whipped Biancoperla polenta. Yum! They have a great wine list as well so let’s dive in and see what we find.

As always, I love to start with a cocktail so right off the bat I love Mr. Vespa featuring Mezcal, Gin, Gentian, Lemoncello, and thyme olive oil but another fun one is the Ciao, Bella! Which has Ruby red grapefruit & pink peppercorn sorbet, Gentian Amaro, and prosecco which a pretty perfect if you ask me. You can order spritz galore as well!

Moving on to the wines now I always like mentioning bubbles first and there is some fun ones here. I’d go for the sparkling rose by Apres Sol made from Longanesi in Ravenna which is really clean, light and fun and fits the vibe of the restaurant well. If you want something a bit more classic then there’s always Ca’del Bosco Franciacorta from Lombardy which is made is the same method as Champagne. I love Italian bubbles, though, so you don’t convince me with a struggle.

For whites and rose I would go for the Cataratto by Caruso & Minini in Sicilia which is breezy, light and fresh making it perfect for dreaming of the Italian sun but a fun rose is the Rosato de Narello Mascalese by Graci on Mt. Etna, also is Sicilia which is a sign that I’ve been watching too much of the White Lotus at home!

Moving over to reds, I like the Dolcetto by Elio Grasso. Dolcetto means ‘the little sweet one’ which is really soft, red-fruited, fresh, easy to drink, and great with food. Just because it’s called the little sweet one does not mean that the wine is sweet, however, it is dry and ready to be an extension of the table. Going back to Sicilia, I’d go for the Frappatto by Valle Dell’acate which is a wonderful, light-bodied, easy-drinking wine to get down with but for you Robert, I’d order the Allegrini Amarone Classico from the Venito which is going to be stronger but still have beautiful ripe red and black fruit and will stand up to bigger meals. Another bigger option is the Aglianico by Cantina Del Taburno out of Campania. Ahlianico is the ‘Barolo’ of the south with lighter color wines but big tannins and acid that ages well and stands up to fattier dishes.

Lastly, since we’re at this little Italian getaway here in the Bay Area, I love to finish a meal like this with some Amaro and in this case, they have one of my favorites, Amaro Nonino.

Bellissimo!

RT: Grant Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Bar Sprezzatura’s wine list. I can’t wait to go try them myself.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Grant 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 all our episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists and of course please download the CorkRules app to help you navigate all your favorite restaurants.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.