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.

Alto means high, referring to altitude when talking about wine, in both Spanish and Italian. Recently higher altitude locations have been planted more and more. A few decades ago, these areas were not seen as suitable for growing quality grapes as the climate back then was too cool. Today, with many producers witnessing a rising temperature, and a lot of new techniques in the vineyard, these areas are finally becoming viable. The higher you plant the cooler the temperature will be, but you will also receive more sun which in turn helps ripen the grapes. The temperature will be quite warm during the day, but very cool at night. This leads to ripe fruit aromas developing during the day, followed by a cool nighttime keeping the fresh acidity in the grapes, the best of both worlds for the grapes.

In Italy this development has been very prominent in northern Piemonte in the last decade. There is now talk about an area called Alto Piemonte, comprised of a few different wine regions. They are all located higher up in the mountains, and like the most famous wines from Piemonte many are based on the Nebbiolo grape. The most well-known wine regions would be Ghemme, Gattinara, and Boca.

But Alto Piemonte is not the only area where the term is used. In quite a few cases, in both Italy, Spain, Argentina and Chile the term can be seen used as part of a producer name or even as the name of a specific wine, sometimes to convey the wine is from a high planted vineyard. It is not uncommon however for winemakers to use the term to show it&rsquo;s their highest quality wine, not a wine from high altitude.

More wine growers have shown interest in high altitude vineyards lately, and the record of the highest planted one is something a few are trying to beat. It&rsquo;s safe to say the positive effects the altitude has on the growing grapes mean these vineyards are here to stay, and terms as alto may be used in more languages soon.

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

The Morris

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at The Morris in San Francisco

Wine List Review of The Morris, San Francisco

Grant Wood

The Morris

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

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 be back together for another episode.

GW: Hi Robert!

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 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.

The Morris SF

The Morris is located in Patrero Flats and is a food, wine, and Chartreuse lover&rsquo;s dream. It was founded by Paul Einbund to be an unpretentious bistro where you can eat and drink at a world-class level. With help from Chef Gavin Schmidt, they&rsquo;ve truly created the perfect, laid-back playground for wine nurds like me. I got to dine here recently and their level of focus, attention to detail, and precise service and hospitality was inspiring. I can&rsquo;t wait to go back, order the skewered duck hearts, and dig deep into their wine list.

First, I love to start with cocktails and they&rsquo;re making magic with theirs so don&rsquo;t hesitate to start you evening with a fun and thoughtful libation to start off your dining experience. One popular drink that is a must get is the Chartreuse Slushy, which is bright and fun, but I personally love a good Hanky Panky which is gin, Antica Torino, and Amaro and is stellar.

Moving on to the wine, I always love ordering bubbles to go with apps, cheese, and charcuterie so I would go for the Bereche &amp; Fils Brut Reserve from Rilly-la-Montagne in Champagne. It&rsquo;s coming from old vines and represents all three classic Champagne varieties, CH, PN, and PM. It&rsquo;s got just the right balance of tension, fruit, and toastiness. Alternatively, though, I love the 2016 Under the Wire Sparkling Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard from the Sonoma side of Carneros but I do have a bias for Under the Wire  It is one of my favorites though and for a California sparkler, it does an amazing job of showing a sense of place and feels like a Carneros t&ecirc;te de Cuv&eacute;e.

On to whites, I love the 2018 Gonon Chasselas from the Northern Rhone. It has a brightness and a roundness to it that is very approachable and is a very unique wine for the region. Another fun wine white to look out for is the 2021 Sigalas Assyrtiko from Greece which is a wine I like a lot and would be a great wine to match with food. If you want to get a little out there and explore something with some history behind it, then the 2001 Kalin Semillon from Livermore is a truly unique wine that barely exists. It come from Semillon vines supposably from Ch. Y&rsquo;quem, planted in the 1880&rsquo;s. 2001 was the last year Kalin produced this wine since the vines have sadly been ripped out. I had this wine last year and thought it was quite magical. There is also a ton of great Burgundy on here, unsurprisingly, but I would go for the 2010 Ganevat &lsquo;Chamois du Paradis&rsquo; which is Chardonnay from the Jura and will be sure to blow your mind.

Moving to reds, right off the bat, I would go for the 2021 Les Aricoques &lsquo;Pan! Le Rouze&rsquo; which is Gamay from Savoie and is just so bright and easy going so you can&rsquo;t go wrong. A great domestic Pinot Noir to look out for is the 2017 Dom de la Cote &lsquo;La Cote&rsquo; from the Sta. Rita Hills which is from all-star Raj Parr who is making some of the most exciting PN in the central coast. I&rsquo;ve been to this vineyard and what they&rsquo;re doing and how they&rsquo;re farming is super interesting and is worth checking out.

For something a bit bigger, I would ball out with the 2011 Allemand Syrah from Cornas in the Northern Rhone. Allemand is one of the leading producers of Cornas for a reason and the wines are truly special. A domestic alternative that is killer as well is the 2019 Pax &lsquo;Sonoma Hillsides&rsquo; which is coming from great vineyards and his Syrah always has beautiful freshness, finesse, and balance.&nbsp;

If you want something Italian, I would go for the 2018 Nervi Nebbiolo from Gattinara which is always incredible quality and a very reasonable price point. If you want to expand your horizon&rsquo;s a bit, however, then try the 2011 Paolo Bea &lsquo;Vigneto Correte&rsquo; from Montefalco which is Sagrantino from one of my favorite producers in all of Italy.

For you Robert, since I know you love wine with age, and you loved the old Ravenswood that I got you. I would order the 1997 Ravenswood &lsquo;Salina&rsquo; Cabernet from Moon Mountain in Sonoma which I&rsquo;m sure would blow your mind. Joel&rsquo;s wines from the 90&rsquo;s are some of my favorites.

To finish things off, why not try a bottle of the 1875 D&rsquo;Olivera Moscatel from Madeira for under $200?

One last thing to mention is that they have an extensive selection of Chartreuse that they&rsquo;ve collected from Paul&rsquo;s travels. This not my area of expertise so I would ask for dealers&rsquo; choice and let the amazing team at the Morris take you on a journey.

The Morris has a new special place in my heart and I can&rsquo;t wait to go back and go on an adventure of taste and intrigue.

Cheers!

RT: Grant Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate The Morris&rsquo; wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself. &nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Grant 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 all our episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists and of course please download the CorkRules app to help you navigate all your favorite restaurants.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

End

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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

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