Page 115 - SOUTHERN OREGON MAGAZINE SPRING 2022

Decant

OPENS IN MEDFORD

florentine flair and a serious
wine list come to town

liza b. zimmerman ezra marcos

wo Italian sommeliers with a passion for organic foods have
set up their culinary shingle in Medford with the opening
of Decant in October of 2021. The menu features enticing
Tappetizers like foie gras and pasta, while main dishes cover a
range of quality proteins, including duck, steak, and salmon.

However, the gem of the experience at Decant for me was the unusual,
and refreshing wine list. The more-than-100-bottle list, ranges in price
from $42 for a 2020 Peyrassol La Croix French rosé to $745 for a 2010
Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero from Spain. It is a
real treat as it also offers so many Italian and European choices while
not neglecting local favorites.

Also, many of the more lesser-known bottles are poured by the glass
at a line price of $15. Jessica Colburn, one of the owners and the som-
melier, uses a Coravin to pierce the cork that reseals the cork before
the next glass pour, so the wine doesn’t oxidize. The point of Coravin,
for Coburn, “is to be flexible and have fun with the list while getting to
know people’s palate and opening their eyes to some unique wines from
around the world.” The handy invention has recently become a favorite
tool for restaurants to feature a wider range of expensive wines.

Colburn adds that the wines offered by Coravin change every day, but
“are always going to be from a higher quality producer [and usually
Italian] of at least $100 or more bottle price so guests can try something
new without having to commit to purchasing an entire bottle. We’re
trying to showcase these amazing wines to highlight the ‘Old World’
and how food friendly these wines tend to be.” The restaurant doesn’t
print “the Coravin wines on a list because I change them every week.
It is something that is verbally communicated to guests when going
over the wine list.” She concludes that if some of the wines are priced
at more than $150 a bottle then she will adjust the by-the-glass price.