#AvignonesiCantaloroToscanaRosso2018 
#PalladinoBarolo2018 

Two great wines from the local market. Love finding gems. Both were great and unexpected. The #barolo was off the chart. Never heard of it. 

Leathery, garnet color, strong nice, good tannin, earthy

The #Sangiovese was great value with strong fruits, tanic, with raspberry and richness. Had a little cab and merlot which made it great. 

Special experience. Love wine for the unexpected.

Robert Tas added new post.

Certified sommelier Maria Valetta explores the <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/smith-&amp;-wollensky/episodes/6">wine list of Smith and Wollensky</a>&nbsp;on the upper east side of New York City. Top wine varietals under the spotlight include a 2020 Louis Jadot Macon Village, the PAX 2019 Gamay, the 2018 Aperture Cabernet from Sonoma showcased on their Captain&rsquo;s Pocket List Page or the 2018 Hourglass Blueline Estate Cabernet from Napa.

When it comes to defining wine, you can categorize them by region, varietal, or style, but to really get to grips with understanding the world of wine, it makes sense to go to the source. The grape.

The type of grape is known as the varietal, and whereas once upon a time the varietals were specific to a region, in contemporary vineyards, varietals are planted, crossbred, and potentially, genetically modified. Additionally, the flavors, skins, and chemical compounds of each varietal will change depending on the terroir, temperature, and weather.

There are over a thousand different varietals of wine grapes but the following eight are the most commonly known grape household names. chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, &nbsp;pinot gris, and riesling, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, and pinot noir.

However, beyond these eight common varietals there exists a large and adventurous world of wine varietals to explore, each with its own unique characteristics based on environment, age, and production method.

At <a href="https://www.smithandwollenskynyc.com/">Smith &amp; Wollensky</a>, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Willamette Valley to experience how a light tannin red works well with the meaty fish. Pinot noir is a lighter-bodied wine with notes of cherry, cranberry, and rose. It&rsquo;s drier and has a higher acidity with smooth tannins. The higher acidity and tannins pairs well with oily, meaty fish dishes. The tannins help bring out flavor that is carried in the fat, and in symbiosis, the fat tempers the tannins&rsquo; astringency, which allows the other characteristics in the wine to rise on the palate.

And with the Lobster, &nbsp;try a bottle of the Louis Jadot, Macon-Villages Chardonnay

Burgundy, and see how the chardonnay&rsquo;s notes of yellow citrus, pear, green apple pairs well with the rich seafood. Chardonnay is a full-bodied white that won&rsquo;t be overpowered by the richness of the lobster. When pairing wine with food, just like every good match, it&rsquo;s all about bringing out the best in each other.

On CorkRules podcast episode five, Maria identifies a few value wines on the list that should not be missed, she points out a few outliers that are well worth trying, and she shines a light on the meaning of verticals to help demystify the world of wine.

Cheers.

At Smith & Wollensky, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won’t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Top Wine Varietals at Smith & Wollensky

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

Amelie

Grace Hood

Amelie

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Bonjour Robert

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about those wine lists. We created CorkRules to help demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that 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 today we&rsquo;re talking about the Amelie wine bar and bistro in the west village. Sounds like we&rsquo;re going to be getting into some French wines by the sound of the name, so I know you must be excited Grace haha

GH: Hahha you know my weakness for French wines Robert! Love this little French wine bar vibe. I&#39;m partial to any place that makes you feel like you&rsquo;re&nbsp;in Europe.

RT: Ohhh I totally get that. Transporting you from Manhattan to Paris. What are your initial thoughts on their wine list?

GH: This little wine bar has a lovely condensed 2-page wine list. they have it categorized by both region and style so you can really get into semantics here. Plus, not only is it approachable in size but in price point as well! There are tons of selections for under $100 so you really get the chance to explore here without breaking the bank.&nbsp;

RT: Amazing &ndash; can&rsquo;t wait to dive into some of your choices. Let me guess &ndash; we&rsquo;re going to start with sparkling

GH: &nbsp;hahaha absolutely! starting with sparkling&nbsp;you could go with a classic champagne like the Delamotte Brut, but I would personally&nbsp;try out this sparkling pinot noir from Burgundy!

RT: Predictable, what else caught your eye for starters?

GH: If you&#39;re feeling the rose all day kinda vibe, I would do the Domaine St. Victorie which is an organic grenache syrah blend from the Cote de Provence.&nbsp;

RT: Ohhh amazing &ndash; love trying new sparkling regions. What are you thinking for whites?

GH: When we get to whites, they have a rolle, which is just the French term for vermentino, from Chateau de Pourcieux&nbsp;in the Cotes&nbsp;de Provence. Now traditionally vermentino is produced in Italy, so I would be really interested to see how it tastes when it&#39;s grown in the southeast region of France.

RT: Great. Any others catch your eye?

Another white that caught my eye was the grenache gris/mourvedre&nbsp;blend from Domaine des Enfants in the Languedoc. I love blends b/c you get such a unique experience when a few different grapes are hanging out in the bottle together.&nbsp;

RT: Totally &ndash; no two blends are created equal haha. Now you know our listeners love reds. What are your hot takes for reds on the Amelie list?

GH: To start in reds, first one they have on the list is a gamay from Dominique&nbsp;Piron, that they serve chilled! Now you might be saying &quot;Grace you&#39;re not supposed to drink red wines chilled&quot; and traditionally you don&#39;t&nbsp;drink MOST red wines chilled. But gamay is the special one-off grape that is so light and aromatic that it is able to be enjoyed with a little chill on it! Perfect for a hot summer day.

RT: Oh that sounds really refreshing! I didn&rsquo;t know there were any reds you should chill. Great tip there, Grace. What about some other reds?

GH: So you&rsquo;re wanting a great medium-bodied red, they have a 2008 Lopez Heredia Vina Tondonia on the list. Super classic rioja producer and slightly older vintage. If you&rsquo;re looking for a bigger more tannic red, I would do the 2015 Villa I Cipressi Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany.

RT: Oh, yum I love a Super Tuscan. Now, Grace what about some value bottles or special occasion bottle?

GH: You got it! For affordable whites, I&rsquo;d suggest the 2020 txakolina from Spain, one of my favorite effervescent whites, perfect for summertime.

RT: Yum. Sounds refreshing. Anything higher end for us to look at?

GH: For a special occasion white I&rsquo;d go with 2017 Chassagne Montrachet from Burgundy. Then for a value red, I&rsquo;d go with the 2018 Chinon which is cab franc from the Loire valley in France.

RT: What about red?

GH: And then for your special occasion red, gotta be the 2006 premier grand cru Saint Emillion from Chateau Canon

RT: Amazing Grace. Great choices as always. Thank you for helping us navigate the wine list at Amelia.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.com">Info@corkrules.com</a> 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. Follow us on social media @corkrules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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BRAT

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Silver Gate is a family-owned winery located in the heart of California's wine country. We specialize in producing small-batch, high-quality wines that showcase the unique terroir of our region.

Upscale American fare served in a lodge-inspired setting with stone fireplaces inside & out.

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CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove