<a href="https://balthazarny.com/">Balthazar </a>is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let&rsquo;s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let&rsquo;s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

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From north to south, the various wine regions have distinct characteristics in climate and soil, and of course, each region grows the varietals that are best suited to thrive, but because the climate and terroir inform the texture, sweetness, age of vine and harvest time of the grape, the flavor of the same varietals differ depending on the location. &nbsp;

There are over 200 indigenous wine varietals, some are well-known and loved, chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. These are the friendly bottles you can call up on a Friday night to kick back with because you know what to expect; but there are others that are lesser-known varietals like persan, prunelard noir, and lival. You might order a bottle of these strangers if you&rsquo;re looking for a little adventure.

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At Balthazar, they offer wines from every region, but let&rsquo;s explore the wines of Bordeaux. Why? Because the popular merlot and cabernet sauvignon originated from Bordeaux and when you think Bordeaux, you automatically think red. In fact, ninety percent of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

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Bordeaux wine country&nbsp;is divided into two main regions: the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The terroir of the Left Bank

Well, one of the biggest differences between the Left and Right banks is what&rsquo;s in the soil. The Left Bank is warmer and the soil has more gravel, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc thrive here. Cabernet Sauvignon needs more heat than merlot to ripen and release the sugars that deliver bold black fruit flavors, high levels of tannin and acid. Additionally, the gravel ensures good drainage and holds heat better than the clay soils of the Right Bank.

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The Right Bank terroir has more clay and limestone, and the climate is cooler and wetter. Merlot ripens in the slightly cooler temperature of this area, and the wetter, cooler clay soil helps nurture smooth tannins and a mix of red and black fruit flavours.

For more tips and recommendations, check out this CorkRules&rsquo; <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/balthazar/episodes/17">wine review podcast</a>&nbsp;episode where certified sommelier Maria Valetta reviews Balthazar&rsquo;s wine list.

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About the CorkRules Podcast:&nbsp;Each week we pour a glass and share top restaurant wine list picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the wine list through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

&nbsp;

About CorkRules:&nbsp;CorkRules, the first digital wine app experience, makes it easier for you to navigate the restaurant wine list, and provides you with personalized wine recommendations from your favorite restaurants. Through CorkRules you can find the perfect wine for every occasion based on your preferences. Connect with friends and wine experts to discover new wines to try and learn about wine. CorkRules makes it easier to discover and drink what you love. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Balthazar is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let’s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let’s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

Bordeaux Wines at Balthazar

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

Pastis

Alexis Rogers

Pastis&nbsp;

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Alexis Rogers, Wine Educator and&nbsp; Restaurant Sommelier

Hi Alexis, 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,&nbsp; value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

AR: Always a pleasure, Robert. Happy for the opportunity to talk about the legendary Pastis.

RT:&nbsp; Pastis is one of those famous NY restaurants that even non-New Yorkers know about - not least because it was featured prominently in an episode of Sex and the City when a character, frustrated that she couldn&#39;t get a table complained that &ldquo;10,000 restaurants in NY and everyone is at Pastis&rdquo;. That&rsquo;s not fiction though! This stylish, golden-lit oyster bar was the place to see and be seen by actresses, models, fashion designers and artists from 1999 until it closed its doors in 2014. It was revived 5 years later and has fully reclaimed its fashionable prestige in the Meatpacking District. Serving a traditional French menu, Pastis has an exclusively French Wine List to match. Alexis, let&rsquo;s talk French Wine!

AR: Robert, there are a few things I like doing more. As a 2022 French Wine Scholar Candidate, it&rsquo;s kind of ALL I talk about these days. To begin I thought we&rsquo;d really lean into the theme and start off with their famous Escargot in garlic parsley butter and pair that with a bottle of lush, creamy, elegant Meursault Chardonnay from Burgundy. The list here at Pastis offers two options.

RT : So here is where a lot of people get tripped up on a wine list. They have narrowed it down to what variety they&rsquo;d like and from where, but if there are multiple options, how do you pick?

AR: My tactic is sort of like the dichotomous key concept - asking gradually more specific &ldquo;this or that&rdquo; questions all the way down until you get your answer. So we already know we want Meursault - and we want Mersault because the wines from here are full-bodied and rich to match the buttery escargot. So now we have other factors to consider and price is usually the next one - especially because we know that Burgundian price tags can get really crazy. The 2 bottles offered at Pastis are nearly the exact same price, so now we look to producers. Our first bottle is from Domaine de Montille This is not only one of Burgundy&rsquo;s finest producers, but it&rsquo;s in the running for one of France&rsquo;s best. They have connections to winemaking in the region going back to the 1750s. Solid option. The second producer is Jean-Michel Gaunoux. While lesser well known, the family has still been making wine in Burgundy for 150 years and has received acclaim from several important wine critics. So, with 2 great producers at the same price, it looks like our choice will come down to vintage. The Montille is a 2018 and the Gaunoux is a 2017. 2017 is rated a bit higher and that extra year of aging is going to help those flavors develop a little bit more. So my choice is the 2017 Jean Michel Gaunoux Meursault.

RT: I like the method! And that sounds like it&rsquo;s going to be a great bottle! While famous for their buttery escargot and icy oysters, the real culinary legends at Pastis are the steak sandwich with gruyere and their steak frites, living permanently on everybody&rsquo;s Must-Try list. What are we pairing with either of these?

AR: There are so many options here but I think Bordeaux is the most obvious, Bordelain price range is the stuff of legend. A good percentage of the world&rsquo;s most expensive bottles hail from this highly influential region. The first question with Bordeaux is which &ldquo;bank&rdquo; - and no, I don&#39;t mean which bank to rob in order to afford them. All bottles of Bordeaux are blends but the wines from the Left Bank of the river system are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and those from the Right Bank are based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc. For our meal, and out of my own personal preference, I&rsquo;m going to go with the Right Bank. I&rsquo;ve selected a glass of Chateau des Laurets 2015 from St Emilion. Again we see that dependable 2015 vintage - a classic vintage in St Emilion. This Merlot and Cab Franc blend would be a fantastic pairing whether you go the route of the sandwich or the frites.

RT: Nothing better than a juicy steak and a glass of Bordeaux! It&rsquo;s one of those classic pairings that even wine beginners know. So, Alexis - you and I are talking about French wine and you haven&#39;t mentioned Champagne yet&hellip; I feel like you pick a bottle of champagne in almost every episode we have you on&hellip;

AR: Haha, well that&rsquo;s only because I&rsquo;m saving the best for last! For me, a meal isn&#39;t complete until a sweet treat is served. Dinner is usually just an excuse for me to have dessert. Here at Pastis, the profiteroles are the obvious choice. These delicious cream puffs are served with bittersweet chocolate and vaNULLla ice cream. Champagne just feels right here. While browsing the list, my eyes alighted upon the Billecart- Salmon Brut Rose and I stopped looking. This bottle is the gold standard for Rose Champagne, not to mention the favorite of most sommeliers. While not inexpensive by any means - usually found for around $200 or so on restaurants lists, this beautiful wine drinks wayyyy above its price tag. Billecart Salmon is the longest single, family-owned Champagne house dating back to 1818. Their vivid, crystalline red berry and citrus notes and the superfine persistent mousse are a result of a technique pioneered by the house in the 1950s called cold settling. The result of which is an astonishingly bright, pure wine. Absolutely beautiful at any point in the meal, and a near-universal pairing, Rose Champagne is always for the win and this really is the best one. In my humble opinion, that is.

RT: With all those accolades and all that praise, I&rsquo;ll have to pick up a bottle! Or better yet, head over to Pastis and enjoy it with the in crowd. Thank you Alexis for sharing your obvious passion for the wines of France and helping us out with the list at Pastis! 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.

END

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Kim Crawford is a premium wine producer based in the South Island of New Zealand. The winery is known for producing high-quality wines that showcase the unique terroir of the region. With a focus on sustainability and minimal intervention winemaking techniques, Kim Crawford is committed to producing exceptional wines that are both delicious and environmentally responsible.

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