CorkRules - Episodes | The Coast Guard House

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About this Episode

Samantha Hohl, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Coast Guard House Restaurant, a delightful location with spectacular sea views, and locally harvested seafood. Whether you want a special wine to celebrate with or one that meets your budget, or if you want to try one of the newer natural wines on the list, Sam offers suggestions on old-world and new-world wines that will meet your needs. She also reviews natural wines

Wines reviewed include:

2017 Muller-Catoir “Mandelring” Muller-Catoir Winery, Germany
2020 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, Italy
2016 Frank Cornelissen “Magma” Cornelissen, Scicily

Transcript: The Coast Guard House

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: Hey 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 NARAGANSETT RHODE ISLAND

Cork Rules

The Coast Guard House

Overview

The Coast Guard House is located in Narragansett, Rhode Island overlooking the Narragansett Bay. The structure the restaurant is located in was built in the 1800s to be used by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard House has been operating as a restaurant since the 1940s and features local ingredients and lots of fresh seafood.

Where to start

This wine list is a jam-packed 6 pages and filled with lots of variety and unique finds! You could come back here many times and try something new and surprising. This list is organized by type of wine followed by countries. There’re also some sections like “Intriguing Whites”and “Interesting Reds.”

Let's start off with the 2017 Muller-Catoir ‘Mandelring.’ Muller-Catoir winery is located in Pfalz, Germany and is managed by the 9th generation of family winemakers. This bottle is 100% Scheurebe, which is an aromatic grape variety mostly grown in Germany and Austria. It can be made into sweet wines, but this bottle is going to be dry yet fruit-forward. It’s aged in steel tanks so it’s going to have a fresh zippiness, with lots of grapefruit and subtle floral and tropical notes too. This would be balanced out nicely with salads, vegetables, or even the braised pork.

A lovely red to start with would be the 2018 Botanica ‘Mary Delany Collection’ Pinot Noir. Ginny Povall established Botanica Wines in 2009 and they’re located in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She also grows an indigenous flower on the property which is the inspiration behind the botanical theme of her wines. This Pinot is going to have lively, fresh red fruit on the palate, as well as present but soft acidity and fine tannins. There’s also some subtle floral and herbal notes as well.

Value

The 2020 Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de la salle would be a wonderful value bottle, and it’s made from an Italian grape that might not be as familiar. Pavese’s vineyards are located in Valle d’Aosta in the Alps of Italy. He only grows Prié Blanc, which is an indigenous grape to Italy that thrives in high altitudes and is mostly found in Valle d’Aosta. This varietal produces white wines that are bright and fresh with herbaceous and floral qualities. If you usually go for Sauvignon Blanc then this would be a fun try. It would also pair nicely with lots of the fresh fish or shellfish on the menu, or lighter pastas like the Little Neck Clam linguine with fresh herbs.

Celebratory

There are plenty of great choices for a celebratory bottle on this list and definitely a wide range of pricing as well. If you’re looking for something really special, I’d go for the 2016 Frank Cornelissen ‘Magma.’ Cornelissen is a well-known natural winemaker, and his vineyards are located up on Mount Etna in Sicily. He’s been making wines for over 20 years and is extremely committed to farming his land as naturally as possible, implementing organic and biodynamic practices. He uses the same philosophy for making his wines, using minimal intervention in his cellar. Magma is made from 100% Nerello Mascalese, which is a rare red grape grown mostly on Mount Etna. This type of wine often gets compared to Pinot Noir so definitely worth a try if that’s usually your thing. ‘Magma’ is made from single-vineyard grapes and only produced when there’s a really good vintage. This bottle is going to have intense red fruit flavors, some cinnamon spice and minerality as well. It’s going to be both bold and luscious. For food it’s going to be great with something gamey or meaty, like the Pappardelle with braised lamb. Only 1500 bottles were produced so the opportunity to have this wine is amazing and will definitely bring the celebration with it.

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate The Coast Guard House 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 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.

Thank you.

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