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?

When talking about sparkling wine, most tend to think about Champagne. Champagne is a wine region in northern France, exclusively making sparkling wine. The method used here is even called the champagne method, meaning the wines ferment a second time in the bottle with added yeast and sugar, creating bubbles captured in the bottle. When the fermentation is done, the bottle will be opened to remove the yeast sediment, creating a beautiful and clear wine. At the same time, dosage will be added. Dosage is a mix of the same wine as well as sugar. The more sugar used in the mix, the sweeter the final wine will be. This method evolved due to the cool climate in this region, creating wines with a very sharp acidity. By adding a bit of sugar, the acidity will be perceived as softer, making the final wine more balanced.

The most common labelling term for dosage is Brut. This is a dry Champagne that is allowed a few grams of sugar to achieve this balance. Dry wines could also be labelled as Brut Nature or Zero Dosage, indicating that no sugar at all has been added providing an even crisper style of bubbly. Extra Brut is the term in between, with just a tad of added sugar, even lower than Brut. This scale is used for most sparkling wines around the world when made with the same method as Champagne, for instance in wine regions for Cava in Spain and Franciacorta in Italy.&nbsp;

However, other scales of measuring the sugar level and the sweetness in the wine can be used. For the sparkling wine Prosecco, made in northeast Italy, the labelling terms are a bit more confusing. Brut is still used for a dry wine, but the term Extra Dry means the wine will have a bit of added sweetness and Dry tells you that the wine is actually semi dry, containing up to 32 grams of sugar per liter. That is four times more than a common Brut usually have today. Misunderstandings can therefore be quite common!

A wine with more sweetness will appear more flavorful and with riper fruit aromas, while a dry wine will be crispier with citrus aromas. Which style is the best is up to personal taste, so get to tasting!

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

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

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 Left Bank Restaurant

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit the French restaurant Left Bank where they specialize in fine dining and fine wine. 

Wine List Review of West Bank, Vail, Colorado

Grace Hood

Left Bank

Left Bank

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 Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hey hey 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. Today Grace and I will be chatting about the French fine dining bistro, Left Bank. Grace, you mentioned you used to go have desert there?

GH: hahah I did indeed! Left Bank is a very popular spot in the town of Vail, so it was often times hard to get a reservation. So instead, I would go sit at the bar and have their sauterne flight and their souffle which was one of the most beautiful deserts I&rsquo;ve ever seen. &nbsp;

RT: Love the sound of that. Well, where should we start with the left bank menu? Champagne?

GH: Of course we should Robert. Haha for bubbles I would do either the Bollinger special cuvee&nbsp;or if you wanted a vintage champagne, the 2010 Dom Perignon sounds to be pretty fabulous

RT: Oh, it does indeed. Thanks for pointing those out. What direction are you steering us in when it comes to the white wine selections?

GH: So Left Bank has their wine list organized by region which is really fun. If were going lighter whites &ndash; we&rsquo;re gonna be looking into Alsace and the loire valley. In the Alsacian section, I would go with the 2020 Pierre Spar Pinot Blanc, in the Loire section I would choose the 2019 Ladoucette Pouilly fume, 

RT: &nbsp;Love both of those &ndash; super floral and refreshing. How about something a little weightier when it comes to whites?

GH: That&rsquo;ll take us to the Rhone Valley and of course to Burgundy. For a white Rhone choice &ndash; I would go with the 2017 Condrieu from Domaine Guigal. And then for a white Burgundy, they have a lot of epic selections, but if I had to pick one &ndash; im going with the 2018 Pouilly Fusse from Domaine Leflaive. &nbsp;

RT: Two classic choices &ndash; love to see it. Thanks for those Grace. Alright, where are you steering us when it comes to reds?

GH: Starting off with some lighter Styles and regions. Wow their red Burgundy section is .....dare I say....affordable? I know that&rsquo;s an oxymoron but like, for the price point and the quality of the wine. Its really remarkable. It&rsquo;s hard for me to just pick one red Burgundy of course b/c I love pinot so much, but I would go with the 2011 Vosne Romanee from Bouchard

RT: Wow that is a really affordable price for that year and style. Good job Left Bank, alright Grace want to hit us with some options for your other favorite grape?

GH: Oh you mean northern Rhone Syrah? Haha you know me too well. They have 2018 Cote Rotie from Domaine Gangloff which is always a classic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

RT: Oh totally. Love that vineyard. Alright, where are you going to direct us when it comes to Bordeaux?

GH: How about I hit you with a left bank and right bank? &nbsp;

RT: Sounds like a plan

GH: For my fellow right bank Bordeaux drinkers like yours truly, b/c I like merlot more than Cabernet, yes I know don&#39;t come for me in the comments section haha, Im gonna go with the 1998 Chateau Pavie Decasse Grand Cru. 

RT: Oh, wow that baby is ready to drink. And what would your pick be for a left bank for our cab drinkers?

GH: Gonna have to be a classic &ndash; 2004 Chateau Palmer Margaux 

RT: Merci Beaucoup - Grace thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list here at Left Bank. &nbsp;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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End

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

BRAT

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

Nino Franco is a family-owned winery that has been producing Prosecco for over a century. The winery is located in the heart of the Valdobbiadene region, which is known for producing some of the best Prosecco in the world. Nino Franco is committed to using traditional winemaking techniques to produce high-quality Prosecco that reflects the unique terroir of the region.

Stylish, energetic restaurant & tequila bar serving contemporary Mexican dishes & cocktails.

The American Express Centurion Global Lounge Network

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

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