Syrah and Shiraz. Two different names for the same grape variety, but also the name of two different styles of wine. Originally from France but spread around the world today, it has found its own identity in regions far away from the original origin.

The black grape Syrah comes from the French Rh&ocirc;ne valley and it&rsquo;s still very much planted there. Here, it&rsquo;s the only variety used in Hermitage and Cornas, and also used in blends with other local grapes in areas like Ch&acirc;teauneuf-du-Pape and C&ocirc;tes du Rh&ocirc;ne to mention a few. The grape name won&rsquo;t appear on the label though since in France, and in Europe in general, the origin is of more importance than the grape variety.

As France is writing the wine region instead of the grape on the label, countries outside of Europe favors writing the grape variety over the region. Due to this, the term Shiraz is commonly seen on wine labels as it&rsquo;s almost exclusively produced outside of Europe. The origin of the name Shiraz, instead of the French Syrah, is said to be Australian. When wine production here advanced, Syrah vines were sent from France to be planted, however the mistake of writing Scyras instead of Syrah was made and eventually that transformed to the Shiraz we know today. It&rsquo;s in Australia Shiraz has made a name for itself, just like with Syrah in Rh&ocirc;ne. The most premium area for Shiraz would be the Australian Barossa Valley, an area known by many today.

Even though the names are different it is still the same grape variety. They are made in different styles though, where Syrah often tends to be more austere with flavor of dark berries, black pepper, licorice and leather. A Shiraz wine on the contrary would be described as a more full-bodied style with riper fruit and berries, and often a higher alcohol due to the warmer climate the grapes grow in. Today, winemakers around the world choose to label their wine either as Syrah or Shiraz depending of the style they make and the image they want to convey. In either case it&rsquo;s a fantastic grape with different expressions, which will be your favorite?

Syrah and Shiraz. Two different names for the same grape variety, but also the name of two different styles of wine. Originally from France but spread around the world today, it has found its own identity in regions far away from the original origin.

The black grape Syrah comes from the French Rhône valley and it’s still very much planted there. Here, it’s the only variety used in Hermitage and Cornas, and also used in blends with other local grapes in areas like Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône to mention a few. The grape name won’t appear on the label though since in France, and in Europe in general, the origin is of more importance than the grape variety.

Decoding the wine label: Syrah or Shiraz?

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

Rachel Peacock

French Louie

French Louie

&nbsp;

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where, in each episode, we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Rachel Peacock, Sommelier, WSET 3 candidate, and cellar worker helping create some of your favorite wines from Washington state. Hey Rachel, so nice to have you.

RP: Hi Robert! Thanks for having me, this is a great topic. I love dissecting wine lists and getting inside the thought process of the wine directors creating stunning pairings that really elevate the cuisine. For this episode, we are reviewing French Louie&rsquo;s list, and there are some standout choices to bring your meal to the next level. As a somm, I see this time and again, where a customer&rsquo;s wine selection can really make or break the entire meal.

RT: Great, that&rsquo;s exactly what we&rsquo;re looking for! CorkRules is an effort to demystify the wine list for the average consumer because we know not everyone who enjoys wine is an expert, nor do they need to be! Wine should be for everyone.

Our goal is to give you some general education on food and wine pairings, specific to a different restaurant each show. We are going to hack this list for you, so to speak, with a variety of routes to choose from. Today is a classic because this list is all about French wine.

RP: Right, and French Louie has a really thoughtfully curated list, which basically does half my job for me!

RT: So just a few notes about the restaurant, French Louie is a French-American bistro near downtown Brooklyn, in a really warm and beautifully designed space. Owners Doug Crowell and Chef Ryan Angulo are industry veterans serving up beautifully executed classics in the lexicon of Parisian bistro cuisine.

So, Rachel, what&rsquo;s your overall impression of the list?

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RP: This is a list that is after my own heart. I love the simplicity. They are bringing you a nice array of what they know is going to pair well with this food: Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux and to a lesser extent some options from Alsace, the Loire and Rhone Valley. They also offer some American counterparts of these varietals and styles, which is great too.

RT: That&rsquo;s sort of a &lsquo;greatest hits&rsquo; list of French wine regions. What really stood out to you?

RP: Well, they seem to love their Pinot Noir, and I love what they&rsquo;re selling. They&rsquo;ve found some great selections at reasonable price points! Namely, I&rsquo;m looking at the 2015 Gevrey- Chambertin from Georges Lignier et Fils. This is a great producer from one of the most coveted communes of Burgundy. It&rsquo;s going to be light bodied enough to pair with their steelhead trout offering but it still maintains enough acid and structure that it would be completely delicious with the Duck au Poivre as well. You can expect black currant and cherry notes from this wine along with violets and the rusticity that Red Burgundy is known for. Game and leather notes and licorice undertones should be starting to show themselves as well. This is a great introduction if you want to familiarize yourself with more Burgundy.

RT: I&rsquo;m salivating over Duck and Pinot now, but what else caught your eye?

RP: Well, I really feel like Americans don&rsquo;t drink enough Bordeaux Blanc, and this would totally be the place to do so!

&nbsp;

RT: Tell me more about that&hellip;

&nbsp;

RP: Everyone is so focused on the reds of Bordeaux, but the whites really have so much to offer. Most typically they appear as some sort of combination of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, the former two varietals most often. While white Bordeaux can present itself as a light, grassy, citrus-driven white, the most coveted Bordeaux Blancs are rich and complex with baked apple notes that emanate a unique umami flavor.

The offering from French Louie really typifies the lighter style from Jean Marc Barthez. It&rsquo;s so refreshing and delicious and I could see a way to pair a whole meal around this bottle. This is a serious value bottle too.

RT: So, what would be your ideal meal with this bottle and their dinner menu?

RP: Naturally I would start with some oysters. This bottle is Sauvignon Blanc driven and aged in stainless steel so it&rsquo;s going to help facilitate the minerality we want with that pairing. Next, I&rsquo;d move on to the chilled sweet pea soup. Again, those grassy notes with the spring peas will be amazing. For my main course, the gnocchi Parisienne would be a stand-out with the broccoli walnut pesto. The fat of this dish and the acid of the wine will really balance one another. This would be a light but fulfilling meal and it&rsquo;s always so satisfying to pick out a wine that complements every course.

RT: Wow, that meal has me wanting to celebrate Spring and all things green. Sounds incredible. Finally, if there&rsquo;s one bottle to really impress a client or a date, what would you go for on this list?

RP: That&rsquo;s easy. This is a value list to begin with, so there really isn&rsquo;t anything inordinately expensive and the higher-end bottles they do carry are quite fairly priced. So naturally, my eye gravitates toward the Champagne, which really can be paired with most courses beautifully.

RT: I am always looking to add more Champagne in my life.

RP: Me too, I really am a sucker for a good bottle. In this case, go for the vintage! They offer a 2002 &ldquo;Cuvee Nicolas Francois&rdquo; from Billecart Salmon, a legendary producer. This is a solid vintage and highly rated, with notes of apricot and brioche while maintaining austerity and great acidity. I&rsquo;m absolutely loving this option, and it&rsquo;s a screaming deal at this price point if you ask me.;)

RT: Wow, what a great rundown on some French classics! Rachel, thank you so much for guiding us through some of these staples at French Louie. I fully plan on heading there for oysters and Champagne soon. To our audience, thank you all for joining us and we hope you take away some ideas for pairing.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us an 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 look 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.

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END

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