CorkRules - Episodes | The Progress

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About this Episode

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the delicious wine list at The Progress, a restaurant defined by the chef proprietors as: A vehicle for a completely local production. Innovative banquet-style meals served with memorable wines. The greatest dinner party ever. In addition to identifying the best value and must-try bottles on the list, Grant shares a little background information on the producers.

Wines reviewed include:

2017 Stumpf Pinceszet Kekfrankos, Hungary
2020 Maison des Ardoiseres Silice, Savoie
2015 Dagueneau Silex, Loire’s Pouilly-Fume

Transcript: The Progress

The Progress

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where we 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, great to have you back for another great wine list.

GW: Hello 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 wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, 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.

The Progress is part of the restaurant group behind State Bird Provisions and the Anchovy Bar in Sf and has a super passionate team that is dedicated to great, innovative food, fantastic cocktails and a very well-thought-out wine list. I’m excited to take a look at what they have to offer as they’re a favorite of mine in SF.

RT

Let’s kick it off with some cocktails. I’d go for the Last Voyage featuring Jamaican Rum, sesame, banana, almond and lime to be a nice way to ease into my evening but if you like something with a little more depth then go for the Alter Ego with Japanese whisky, lapsang, and amaro.

RT

There is a great BTG selection as well so I’d go for the 2020 Hammerling Gamay/Pinot noir brut rose which is a really cool sparkling producer over in Berkeley doing a great job with bubbles. A fun white btg is the 2020 Maison des Ardoiseres Silice from Savoie in the Alpine eastern part of France making clean, crystalline whites like Jacquere that is always great value for buck. For an interesting red btg I’d get a glass of the 2017 Stumpf Pinceszet Kekfrankos from Hungary which is medium to lighter body red that is really easy and fun to drink and definitely out of the box thinking.

Let’s move on to by the bottle, shall we? For bubbles, I’d go for the Pierre Peters Grand Cuvee de Reserve from Le-Mesnil sur Oger in Champagne. Piere Peters is an iconic grower producer that makes benchmark sparkling wine of distinction and age-worthiness. Another great option is 2016 Under the Wire sparkling pinot noir from Hirsch in Fort Ross Seaview. Under the Wire is the sparkling passion project from Chris and Morgan from Bedrock Wine Co. so of course, I must make a shout-out for this wine. It’s very rare to see this wine anywhere so this is a great chance amazing domestic bubble.

Moving on to whites, I love the Orxite Sotelo ‘Nebola’ from Monterey and is a blend of Arinto and Albarino which is super bright, fresh, and easy drinking and a great value. If you want to splurge a bit then the 2015 Dagueneau Silex from Loire’s Pouilly-Fume is an iconic SB from a legendary producer and is packed with minerality, drive, and focus which is also a fun wine to play around with food pairings as well. I would also point out the 2018 Von Winning, Kalkofen GG from the Pfalz as another great wine to match with various courses on their menu as well.

There is a great selection of white burgundy and a lot of interesting wines from else ware as well but we don’t have too much time to get into the other great options on this list.

On that note, let’s move on to reds. There is a very good selection of California Pinot noir but one that stands out to me is the 2018 Radio-Coteau Direke vineyard on the Sonoma Coast which is an organically farmed hillside just off of the Bodega highway. This is a beautiful Pinot Noir with lots of structure, perfume, and lift in the glass and would be an ideal wine with food. If you’re looking for Burgundy, though, then a great splurge would be the 2016 Bruno Clair 1er cru Clos du Fonteny from Gevery Chambertin. Talk about another benchmark producer from one fo my favorite villages in Burgundy. These wines are some of the best expressions of Pinot Noir in the world and are made with such distinction and care for a love of place.

For you Robert, I’d go for the 2016 Brandini Resa 56 Barolo which is a fabulous year for Barolo and I love the wines of Brandini for the weight and intensity while still maintaining perfume and grace and a truly wines to be an extension of the table.

One other honorable mention for me is the 2018 Bucklin Ancient flied blend Zinfandel from Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley. I think Will Bucklin is such a thoughtful grower and winemaker. His vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in Sonoma planted around 1885 and these wines age beautifully as well.

Lastly, I’d cap off my evening with a nice glass of Amaro Montenegro to serve as the perfect chef’s kiss to a wonderful evening at the Progress.

Cheers!

Grant , Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate The Progress’ wine list. I can’t wait to go try your great suggestions.

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 for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.

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

Thank you.