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About this Episode

Michaela Quinlan, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas take a trip to Dear Annie, a friendly restaurant with an ethical foundation. They offer a selection of fine and rare natural wines and focus on using sustainable foodways to ensure quality without compromising the environment. Sam identifies tasting notes, offers pairing suggestions, and shares a little background information on both the producers and production of the wines.

Wines reviewed include:

● 2020 Honeymoon by Martha Stouman

● 2018 Collecapretta La Selezione Delle Cese

● 2019 Patrimonio Rouge “Cru Des Agriate”

Transcript: Dear Annie

Dear Annie

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 Samantha Hohl, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Sam, it’s great to have you!

SH: Hi Robert! Great to be back.

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. Today Sam and I are reviewing

Dear Annie

Overview

Dear Annie is a wine bar located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and features a selection of unique and natural wines and serves them up alongside house-made small plates with a focus on fresh seafood and shellfish.

Where to start

The 2020 Honeymoon by Martha Stouman would be a great white to start with. Martha Stouman is a winemaker out of Sebastopol California and focuses on producing delicious wines with lots of complexity, and crafting wines with the intention of always honoring the grapes. Their process starts with acquiring healthy grapes that have been farmed without use of unnecessary pesticides or chemicals. They’re also able to grow 25% of their grapes from vineyards that are dry-farmed meaning there is no added irrigation. They also utilize only native yeasts from the grapes for the fermentation process and embrace the fact that not all grapes are going to taste the same year to year. This is a blend of Colombard and Roussanne which are fermented in neutral oak, so there will be none of the flavors that new oak barrels impart, like vanilla and spices. It’s going to have flavors of lemon, stone, honeycomb, and floral qualities too. Great acid and a lovely richness, it would be great with the olive oil poached cod.

If you’re feeling more like red, I’d go for the 2018 Collecapretta La Selezione delle Cese. If you’re a Tempranillo lover, this could be fun to try. This 100% Sangiovese is from natural winemaker Collecapretta. They get their name from the hill they farm on, meaning “Hill of the goats.” Owned by the Mattioli family and located in Spoleto, Umbria, they also grow ancient grain varieties and olives along with grape varietals indigenous to Italy. They produce only 8000 or so bottles a year so getting a chance at this bottle is fantastic. They never use chemicals in their farming or winemaking, utilize natural fermentation, and don’t use any sulfur in the winemaking process. It’s aged in barrels for 18 months giving those tannins a nice silky feel on the palate, with notes of cherry, earth and leather. Try with the grilled cheese with roasted corn and pickled poblano!

Value

If you’re looking for something that’s budget-friendly, a little different, and ultimately delicious, try the 2019 Patrimonio Rouge ‘Cru Des Agriate’. Domaine Giacometti is located on the island of Corsica in France on a truly remote part of the island. The area is exposed to a year-round hot wind that comes down off the Italian coast. The Giacometti family moved to the area in 1987 and labored to keep the vines healthy amidst the clay-granite soil and the wind. The land is also covered in maquis, which is a fragrant dense shrub that adds to the terroir in their wines. This bottle is made from mostly Niellucciu with a little bit of Grenache. Flavors of red cherry, blackberry, delicate citrus unfold, with fine tannins. Try with their marinated white beans with roasted peppers.

Celebratory

Something special and a little uncommon that caught my eye was the 2019 Love Joy. This bottle of organic sparkling Chardonnay comes from Chateau de Beru in the Chablis region of France. Chateau de Beru has been owned by the Beru family for 400 years. When phylloxera hit the vineyards in the early 20th century the vines were removed. Athénaïs and her mother Laurence own and operate the vineyards now, after their revival in 1987. Athénaïs was dedicated to implementing organic and biodynamic practices to the vineyards and using minimal intervention in the winemaking process. This sparkling wine is made using Méthode Ancestrale, which means the fermenting juice is bottled to finish fermentation- this method dates back to the 1500s which is wild. This bottle is so alive, with flavors of freshly sliced lemon, hints of apple, fresh herbs and pastry notes. It’s got lots of character and it's sure to uplift your evening! Pair it with some oysters with the lemon marmalade sauce to set off the lemon and mineral notes in both.

RT: Sam, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Dear Annie.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules. If you would like Sam 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.

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

Thank you.