Hello, fellow CorkRulers! As the holiday season approaches, it&#39;s time to dust off your cocktail shakers and wine glasses. Whether you&#39;re hosting a small gathering or simply enjoying a quiet evening by the fire, we&#39;ve got you covered with some fun and festive wine-based cocktails. From spritz to negroni, champagne to ros&eacute; fros&eacute;, let&#39;s dive into the merry world of holiday libations!

1. Aperol Spritz

Let&#39;s start with a classic Italian cocktail, the Aperol Spritz. This vibrant orange drink is a perfect aperitif to kickstart your holiday celebrations.

Ingredients:

- 3 parts Prosecco

- 2 parts Aperol

- 1 part soda water

- Orange slice, for garnish

Instructions:

Fill a wine glass with ice, pour in the Prosecco, followed by the Aperol. Add a splash of soda water and garnish with an orange slice. Simple, yet delicious!

2. Negroni Sbagliato&nbsp;

Next up is the Negroni, a sophisticated cocktail with a bittersweet twist. This ruby-red concoction is sure to warm you up on a chilly winter night.&nbsp;

Ingredients:&nbsp;

- 1 part sparkling wine or prosecco&nbsp;

- 1 part Campari&nbsp;

- 1 part sweet vermouth&nbsp;

- Orange peel, for garnish&nbsp;

Instructions:

Stir the gin, Campari, and vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with an orange peel. Cheers to that!

3. Champagne Cocktail

No holiday celebration is complete without a bit of sparkle! This classic Champagne cocktail is a timeless choice for any festive occasion.

Ingredients:

- 1 sugar cube

- 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters

- Champagne

- Lemon twist, for garnish

Instructions:

Soak the sugar cube in Angostura bitters and drop it into a Champagne flute. Fill the glass with Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist. Let the celebrations begin!

4. Ros&eacute; Fros&eacute;

Last but not least, let&#39;s shake things up with a frozen delight - the Ros&eacute; Fros&eacute;. This icy cocktail is a fun and refreshing twist on traditional ros&eacute; wine.

Ingredients:

- 1 bottle of ros&eacute; wine

- 2 cups of strawberries

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Instructions:

Pour the ros&eacute; into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Blend the strawberries and sugar in a blender until smooth, then add the ros&eacute; cubes and lemon juice. Blend until it&#39;s slushy and serve immediately. It&#39;s a froz&eacute; kind of holiday!

So, there you have it, wine lovers! Four fantastic wine-based cocktails to brighten up your holiday season. Remember, the key to a great cocktail is not just the ingredients, but also the company you share it with. So, raise a glass, share a toast, and enjoy these festive drinks with your loved ones. Happy holidays!

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Hello, fellow CorkRulers! As the holiday season approaches, it's time to dust off your cocktail shakers and wine glasses. Whether you're hosting a small gathering or simply enjoying a quiet evening by the fire, we've got you covered with some fun and festive wine-based cocktails. From spritz to negroni, champagne to rosé frosé, let's dive into the merry world of holiday libations!

Celebrate the Holidays with Wine-Based Cocktails: A Fun Guide

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

L'artusi

Maria Valetta, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas talk about Italian wines at L’Artusi,

Wine Review of L'Artusi

Maria Valetta

L'Artusi

L&rsquo;Artusi

RT: Hello and welcome back to CorkRules! The wine podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate all your favorite restaurant wine lists!

I&rsquo;m, Robert Tas along with Maria Valetta certified sommelier and wine educator also known as Maria the Wine Blonde

Hello Maria

MV: Buongiorno Roberto! We are talking Italian wines again

RT: WE sure are&hellip; so Let&rsquo;s talk about L&rsquo;Artusi in New York&rsquo;s west village &nbsp;&ndash;

Opened in December 2008, L&#39;Artusi is named for Pellegrino Artusi, and his self-published cookbook,The Science of Cookery and the Art of Eating Well, (in Italian though of course ) today this restaurant is still the place to go,&hellip;..for expertly executed Pasta.

This 110-seat restaurant features two floors of comfy banquette seating, an extended traditional bar, a cheese bar, AND a chef&#39;s counter which is THE best spot for getting a close-up look at all the beautiful Italian comfort food being plated from the open kitchen.

However, CorkRules thinks the most fabulous seat in the restaurant is the Private dining room located WITHIN the 2500-bottle walk-in wine cellar that accommodates up to 14&nbsp;guests. What a perfect location for a wine dinner with family and friends. Maria let&rsquo;s hear your suggestions from this lovely Italian wine list

MV: So let me point out that this is an all-Italian wine list and it is very different from most, in that it lists the wines by region..&nbsp; breaking it down into the 20 different regions of Italy listing both white and red under each regional heading starting all the way up North with the Valle d&#39;Aosta and ending all the way down south with Sicily. I love the little maps they include for each region to help you have a sense of where each region is located within the &ldquo;boot&rdquo; BRAVO!

RT: yes I see that.. that&rsquo;s kind of fun.. so where should we start

MV: I will say on my next visit to NYC, I&rsquo;m going to hit up L&rsquo;Artusi for brunch because this brunch cocktail list is calling my name, sometimes I love a refreshing cocktail a few of them are made with wines like the Ten-Past-Twelve .. made with a sparkling Pinot Rose.. and Rum.. very interesting.

RT: I would like that. I agree a good cocktail program always complements a great wine list.. but What about their wines BTG?

MV:&nbsp; Okay Let&rsquo;s see&hellip;.

The &ldquo;Eclisse &ldquo;La Roncaia 2015 (fruili venezia giulia )

Now this is from the area of Colli Orientali in Friuli

La Roncaia was named as one of THE TOP 100 wineries in the world by The Drinks Business trade publication in 2020. This is a killer boutique winery!

The grapes are Sauvignon Blanc and the native Picolit &ndash; Picolit you often see used in sweet dessert wines from &nbsp;Friuli&hellip; it adds some lovely golden color.&nbsp; A lot of freshness and minerality here and also some roundness in the body because of partial aging in oak. this is a fantastic wine to order if you are sitting at the cheese bar. and pro tip WHITE wine is usually a much better pairing with cheese than red wine (the exception being port with blue cheese )

RT: That&rsquo;s a helpful food pairing tip Maria.

And a RED BTG?

MV: I am super interested in this Calabrian wine.. which is the toe of the &ldquo;boot&rdquo; so you have a visual reference&hellip;

The &ldquo;Terre Damia&rdquo;&nbsp; Odoardi 2014 for under $15- &nbsp;a great price.. Here&rsquo;s a wine that will intrigue you with its array of unique southern Italian grapes

Gaglioppo, Greco Nero, Magliocco Nerello Cappuccio &nbsp;how cool right?

RT: Try something new. Right?

MV: Yes, please listeners out there continue to always expand your wine palate. And try may I suggest that you try this wine with the wagyu carpaccio the heavily marbled meat with little pockets of horseradish crema, its easily one of the best appetizers in NYC!

RT: I bet it would even go well with some of the pasta dishes

MV: FOR sure, yes you could stick with wines by the glass but they have some great bottles to try.&nbsp;

RT: Then What about a unique must-try bottle?

MV: &nbsp;I personally love this Italian grape called Pigato and they have a Pigato on the menu! Woohoo~! So you have to try it.. it&rsquo;s the pigato &ldquo;Albium,&rdquo; Poggio dei Gorleri 2013. $100

I personally like white wines that can handle a little age

NO Oak here to hide this grape&#39;s beautiful characteristics.. Pigato is native to Liguria (Portofino, cinque Terre ) it&rsquo;s such an interesting wine&hellip; golden in color, with notes of melon and floral honey. With the swordfish dish, it would be stellar!

RT: Now Maria, can you help us navigate the list and find some wines that are considered a good bang for your buck?

MV: There are always some great, value wines, on any list, and this list has quite a few. Something refreshing, Easy, likable and food-friendly a great way to start the meal,.. staying in that region of Liguria try the Vermentino &ldquo;Berette,&rdquo; la Ricolla 2020&nbsp; 

Vermentino is the grape and quite a few regions besides Liguria grow vermentino - Sardinia and Tuscany are also great regions for this grape. Typically I have noticed that vermentino from Liguria tends to be more floral than the other regions, but this is Vermentino with 14 days skin contact, and then a long elevage in tank with the lees the left over yeast particles from the fermentation process so a totally different type of vermentino here.. &nbsp;this is some cool juice!

It is guaranteed to have some tannins and an orange color from the skin contact.. some salinity along with peaches and nectarines.. give it a go! A great value at $85 for a winery pushing boundaries like this!

RT: And what about for selection in the red category:

MV: Let me recommend the Conero Riserva &ldquo;Sassi Neri,&rdquo; le Terrazze 2018 from Le Marche a great option under $100 this is 100% montepuciano - the grape.. not to be confused with the town in Tuscany where you find wines called Vino nobile di Montepulciano &hellip; because that&rsquo;s actually wine made from the Sangiovese grape.

By law Conero and Rosso Conero designations have to be 85-100 percent the Montepulciano grape however they can have up to 15% Sangiovese..&nbsp; and this bottle is a &nbsp;Conero RISERVA, Riserva meaning by law it has to have a &nbsp;minimum ageing requirement and that is 2 years,

Expect dark velvety fruits, violets, hints of vanilla.. I think this is a bargain because not many people know about the wines from Le Marche.

RT: always good to find the wines not many people know about! Hidden gems!

Now, what about some fancy selections for our big spenders..

MV: ha! can we say Hey big spender&gt;&gt;&gt;&nbsp; !

Anything anything anything from Emedio Pepe he&rsquo;s a legendary producer in Abruzzo! His family-run winery has the utmost respect for the land.. never uses fertilizers or pesticides.. follows the cycles of the moon&nbsp; (meaning biodynamic) uses the old-school methods of planting, pruning and harvesting.. what you get in the glass is a wine that will transport you to the old world .. to the soil and the sun that makes up what is in your glass.. these wines are hard to find and L&rsquo;artusi has quite a few of them.. both his whites and reds.&nbsp;

RT: Wow def sounds like worth the money

MV: Absolutely. Now 2 others worth the money:

The Brunello di montalcino, Sassetti Livio - Pertimali 2004 I love the 2004 Brunellos so much.. Remember the grape in Brunello is Sangiovese (the Sangiovese grosso clone) it has that tomato paste, leather, tobacco oregano and cherry that is so fantastic with pasta!

And Here&rsquo;s another iconic producer. Paolo Scavino .. they have his Prap&ograve; Barolo 2016. This is a single vineyard Nebbiolo from the Serralunga hills of Alba in the piedmont. weighty and opulent, the tannins still super grippy. Roses,, Black Plums, truffle and spice.and everthing&nbsp; nice..

&nbsp;

RT: Food pairing with that one?

&nbsp;

MV: Anything with mushrooms or truffles. and a little steak to bind with the tannins and soften them up!

RT: Now that&rsquo;s a great food pairing tip to end on.

MV: IT sure is. I&rsquo;m starving!

Maria, thank you for ALL of your helpful wine tips and food pairing selections on today&rsquo;s episode about L&rsquo;artusi&rsquo;s wine list Follow Maria on Instagram @Mariathewineblonde. And be sure to follow CorkRules on Instagram to be the first to find out about the latest episodes and giveaways

Thank you EVERYONE for joining us here on CorkRules, remember the only rule in wine is &ldquo;drink what you LOVE&rdquo;.

MV: Have a favorite wine list? Let us review it here, send us your requests at <a href="mailto:info@corkrules.com">info@CorkRules.com</a> and be sure to check out all of our episodes on CorkRules.com; Please drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

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Rocca di Frassinello is a modern winery located in the heart of Maremma Toscana, known for producing world-class wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region. The winery is a joint venture between Paolo Panerai and Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Lafite.

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homepage

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

28 South

Catena

Malbec 1919

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Cypress Vineyards

Merlot NV

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Mirassou

Pinot Noir 2010

Pinot Noir

California, USA

William Hill

North Coast Chardonnay NV

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North Coast, California, USA

Ecco Domani

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

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Montsecano

Migrante Malbec - Pinot Noir 1919

Blend

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Mirassou

Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

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Gabriel Meffre

Gigondas La Payouse NV

Blend

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Famille Perrin

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards Rouge NV

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Famille Perrin

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards Blanc NV

Assemblage

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Domaine Roger Perrin

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Dark Horse

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