If wine is an expression of the terroir, soil that is heavily laden, or even lightly sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers must surely affect the jus. Indeed, master sommeliers and renowned winemakers are turning to age-old organic practices in both growing the vines and making the wines. The goal is to rejuvenate the terroir and bring the art of winemaking back into the marketplace because as all savvy winemakers know, sustainable luxury is a growing trend that future generations of wine lovers are embracing. From the growing popularity of Pet Nat wines to wine is eco-friendly packaging, the next generation of consumers are asking for environmentally friendly solutions.

Many old-world wineries are quick to understand the benefits of sustainable practices in both the vineyard and the winery, and they are implementing sustainable growing, packaging, and delivery solutions.

A Green Deal Report on Wine

The European Union&rsquo;s Green Deal announced in 2020 has put sustainability firmly at the heart of the current and future policymaking in Europe. (1) And The study on the state of play of sustainability initiatives in the wine appellation sector attached &ldquo;provides insights and recommendations to the European wine appellation sector on potential future approaches to sustainability, taking into account the urgency to respond to the challenges posed by climate change, among others, and the ambitious targets set by the EU&rsquo;s sustainability agenda for agriculture and food production.&rdquo; (2)

Within the European wine appellation sector, the majority of PDO wine producer groups strongly agree that the definition of &lsquo;sustainable wine&rsquo; involves primarily efforts that are associated with the protection of the surrounding environment and local heritage and namely:

<ul>
	<li>&lsquo;Protect biodiversity and the landscape&rsquo; (68% of the respondents).</li>
	<li>&lsquo;Prevent harming the natural environment while producing the wine (e.g., reduction of pesticides, fertilizers, water, no in-row weeding etc.)&rsquo; (65%); and,</li>
	<li>&lsquo;Preserve regional or local heritage and traditions&rsquo; (57%). (3)</li>
</ul>

Consumers Are Asking for It

According to the study, the most prominent drivers pushing a PDO wine producer to develop or adhere to a sustainability initiative are that:

● &lsquo;Consumers are asking for it&rsquo; (93% respondents selected this driver as one of the five most important ones);

● &lsquo;They want to protect biodiversity and the landscape&rsquo; (88% respondents selected this driver as one of the five most important ones).

● &lsquo;They want to limit the impact of wine production on the environment&rsquo; (83% respondents selected this driver as one of the five most important ones); and,

● &lsquo;They feel it is the right thing to do&rsquo; (82% respondents selected this driver as one of the five most important ones and 34% respondents selected this option as the most important driver). (4)

A Sustainable Wine Industry

Floods. Fires. Famines. Once upon a time these national and international disasters were a once in a lifetime occurrence. Now they are the new norm for most countries across the globe.

Winemakers from California to Queensland have seen the seen the impact of climate change in their vineyards, and they have no choice but to rethink how they will manage the vineyard to cope with rising temperatures, increased or decreased rainfall, and nutrient-depleted soil.

In a recent podcast with wine author and educator Jane Anson, Robert Tas and Jane discuss how the wine industry is moving forward, how packaging plays a role, and how to change people&rsquo;s perception of what luxury is in a sustainable future.

&nbsp;

If wine is an expression of the terroir, soil that is heavily laden, or even lightly sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers must surely affect the jus. Indeed, master sommeliers and renowned winemakers are turning to age-old organic practices in both growing the vines and making the wines. The goal is to rejuvenate the terroir and bring the art of winemaking back into the marketplace because as all savvy winemakers know, sustainable luxury is a growing trend that future generations of wine lovers are embracing. From the growing popularity of Pet Nat wines to wine is eco-friendly packaging, the next generation of consumers are asking for environmentally friendly solutions.

The Future of Wine - Sustainable Luxury

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

AFICI

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit Afici, a contemporary, fine dining restaurant with a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. 

Wine List Review of Afici, San Francisco

Grant Wood

Afici

Afici

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grant,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

SH: Hi Robert! Great to be back.

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience that, sometimes when we get that&nbsp; list handed to us, well&hellip; 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:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. Today Grant and I are reviewing

Afici SF

&nbsp;

Here we have a new hot spot on Folsom Street where prefix is that game showcasing classic Italian and French flavors and techniques by Chef Eric Upper. With a four-course $125 tasting menu with luxury supplements like caviar and wagyu, you&rsquo;re sure in for a treat at Afici.&nbsp;

They have a great cocktail program and a wonderful wine list to match so let&#39;s dive in and see what excites us.&nbsp;

For cocktails, I&rsquo;d go for the &lsquo;Blessed&rsquo; featuring Diplomatico Planas Rum, chaparral, chinola passion fruit, citrus and egg whites which is sure to get things shaken. I also love the &lsquo;California Dreamin&rsquo; with Argonaut Brandy, huckleberry, avocado orgeat, coconut milk, sherry and nutmeg which is divine.&nbsp;

Moving on to bubbles let&rsquo;s start off strong with the 2013 Guy Charlemagne &lsquo;les coulmets&rsquo; BdB Grand Cru which is classic and great for celebrating but a great value wine that you can always rely on is the 2014 Schramsberg BdB which at $75 on their menu is not bad at all.&nbsp;

Moving on to whites, right away, I love the 2017 Rivers-Marie &lsquo;Bearwallow vineyard&rsquo; from Anderson value. I think TRB does a great job with this style of chardonnay that rides that knife edge between freshness and minerality but still carries weight and intention. A great Burgundian alternative would be the 2016 Alain Chavy &lsquo;Les Champs Gains&rsquo; 1er Cru from Puligny-Montrachet is another classic and works well with food.&nbsp;

If you&rsquo;re looking for an Italian white then I really enjoy the 2020 Specogna &lsquo;Identita&rsquo; from Colli Orientali del Friuli which would be another great wine to match with a variety of their menu items.&nbsp;

Let&rsquo;s move on to reds, shall we? For new world picks, I would go for the 2019 A.Rafanelli Zin from dry creek which is such a classic and is a very food-friendly Zin for their menu. If you want Napa Cabernet then I think the 2014 Corison St Helena Cab is a no-brainer and well-priced on this list.&nbsp;

Now for old world classics there is some great Burgundy on here but I&rsquo;m immediately drawn to the 2014 Dom Levet &lsquo;Les Journaries&rsquo; from Cote Rotie which is a wine I love and I think would work well with their menu. Another eyebrow raising wine on this list is the 2017 Vega Sicilia &lsquo;Pintia&rsquo; Toro from Castilla Y Leon which is a powerful wine from arguably one of the best producers in Spain.&nbsp;

I know you like Barolo, Robert, so here I would order the 2016 Aldo Conterno &lsquo;Bussia&rsquo; which is an amazing Barolo from one of the best years of that last decade or so.&nbsp;

Lastly, a sweet ending to a great menu would be the 2009 Ch Guiraud from Sauternes by the glass which is again another classic but never disappoints.

RT: Grant, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Afici.&nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; If you would like Grant to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">CorkRules</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">.Com</a> 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.

&nbsp;

End

&nbsp;

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Raptor Ridge is a family-owned winery that produces estate-grown Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. The winery is committed to sustainable winemaking practices and minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery.

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Decoding the wine label: Alto

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Expert Insights

Decoding the wine label: Alto