Chablis &ndash; 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&rsquo;s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is. 

According to popular belief, Chablis is the name of a French grape variety. However, it is not. Chablis is actually a wine region part of Burgundy, in northern France. The climate here is very cool and lately very challenging with spring frost killing the vine buds, or hail crushing the grapes before mature in summer time. The grape grown is always Chardonnay giving sleek wines with a high acidity and aromas of green apple, lemon and chalk. Compared to a lot of other Chardonnay wines, Chablis does not have aromas from oak ageing. Some wines are aged in French oak, but if so, the barrels used will be too old to inflict any flavor. Instead, the body of the wine will get a little bit rounder. Comparing to some Chardonnay with an oily texture and flavor of butter and vanilla, this is far off. Due to this, many who claims not to like Chardonnay will drink Chablis on a regular basis.

Chablis has four quality levels depending on where in the region the grapes are grown; Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. Looking to volume, Chablis will be the dominant one. The vineyards are split into the different classifications depending on soil type, exposure to sun and other environmental factors. The Grand Cru vineyards will receive the most sun giving them a bit more ripe fruit aromas and higher concentration. Petit Chablis is not grown on the chalky soil typical to the region, making the style lighter and with less mineral notes.

The setbacks the region has faced in the last couple of years due to the northern climate have been dire. The late spring frost, summer hail and early autumn rain have all had a part in ruining the crop, giving the producers less grapes than what would be possible almost every year in the last eight years. This means that prices are on the rise, so if you like Chablis, now would be the time to invest!

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

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

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

Dear Margaret

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Dear Margaret, an authentic French Canadian restaurant in Chicago.

Wine List Review at Dear Margaret, Chicago

Tina Johansson

Dear Margaret

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier.

Hi Tina, thanks for being back with us on another episode of CorkRules, - a podcast where we help simplify and demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants. We talk with certified sommeliers and wine professionals who point out interesting bottles, classic food and wine pairings, hidden gems, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

TJ: Thank you, happy to be back Robert.

RT: Today we&rsquo;re diving into the wine list of Dear Margaret in Chicago. It&rsquo;s run by chef Ryan Brosseau who opened the restaurant in honor of his grandmother Margaret just over two years ago and it&rsquo;s already a success. Margaret was French-Canadian so of course the food here is as well, but still working with local producers.

TJ: Yes, how about duck leg cassoulet or caramelized sweet potato with black garlic? They also have a healthy selection of fine cheeses which is hard to say no to. Everything is presented with a comforting, homemade vibe which very much lives up to the romantic image of one&#39;s grandmother&rsquo;s cooking. The wine list is quite short with about 20 listings each of red and white, but despite that, they manage to represent the world of wine quite well with wines from classic areas like Chablis and Champagne, to areas on the rise at the moment like New York and Bierzo in Spain.

RT: I do like the more rustic cooking from time to time and with all the accolades this restaurant has gotten in two short years, I&rsquo;m sure the food is even better than it sounds! So what are we drinking first, something fresh to start off with together with servings like the Pommes Dauphines with oyster mousse? Maybe they have something Canadian on the list?

TJ: I&rsquo;m afraid there&rsquo;s nothing Canadian on the list, yet at least! But I would propose we start with something from another cool climate region &ndash; Nahe in Germany. The 2020 D&ouml;nnhoff Oberh&auml;user Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett, so Riesling with a bit of sweetness to handle the high acidity that comes naturally in a wine from such a cool climate. The sweetness will also go great with the sweetness coming from the fried potatoes.

&nbsp;

RT: Off to a good start with a producer like D&ouml;nnhoff. What else would you drink with the hearty food cooked in Dear Margaret?

TJ: Why not go to red next, something with a bit of body and fruit concentration to handle the flavors. They hold the 2018 Enrique Mendoza La Tremenda, the Mendoza family is one of the leading producers of Alicante in southern Spain. The Monastrell grape used is perhaps not very well known outside of Spain, but it gives ripe and generous fruit aromas but with a good tannin structure. And fairly priced like so many of the bottles on the list here!

RT: Continuing with something from a very warm climate instead that is, what a fun comparison. What&rsquo;s your best wine on the list then? The bottle to pick for a big celebration to make the night extra special?

TJ: Since the list is a bit short it&rsquo;s a bit easier to choose just one bottle for once. There is one wine that really stands out to me. The 2018 Domaine du Closel La Jalousie, a Chenin Blanc from Savennieres in the central Loire Valley of France. It&rsquo;s one of my favorite producers of Chenin Blanc because all of their wines have a deep fruit concentration but sharp acidity. It&rsquo;s the kind of wine you could also age for a long time, if you&rsquo;re patient enough to wait that is&hellip; I can tell you straight away that I won&rsquo;t be, so I&rsquo;d be happy to have this with some of the cheeses here that we talked about earlier. For me, this is one of the best wine styles with a selection of different kinds of cheese.

RT: I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll be patient either, so I&rsquo;ll take you up in that celebratory bottle as soon as possible. Thank you for your great recommendations, Tina.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us 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 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 wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

END

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Bocca di Lupe

Gap Weekend: A Film Shoot in Wine Country

Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

L'Auberge Chez Francois

Andrew Edmunds

Salt Seafood and Oyster Bar

Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Stags' Leap Winery is a historic estate located in the prestigious Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. The winery has a legacy of producing some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in the region, with a focus on terroir-driven wines that are both powerful and elegant. The estate is known for its stunning Victorian-style winery, which has been beautifully restored to its original grandeur.

Simple yet modern Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar & menu of hot entrees like ramen & teriyaki.

28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen

28-50

Bleu Provence

KOCHINYC

Kochi

Wally's

Hav & Mar

Bern's Steakhouse

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

Aoyu Sushi

Available Wines
Total Wines - 6

Kellerei Eisacktal - Cantina Valle Isarco

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Berticot

Daguet Terroir de France Sauvignon Blanc NV

Sauvignon Blanc

Vin de France, France

Claude Vialade Limoux Barrique Chardonnay, France NV

Chardonnay

France

Pacifica

Evan's Collection Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

Oregon, USA

Stowell Cellars

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Central Coast, USA

Berticot

Honore de Berticot Sauvignon NV

Sauvignon Blanc

France