<a href="https://www.felicerestaurants.com/">Felice</a>&nbsp;is an Italian restaurant located on Manhattan&rsquo;s upper east side. Owner Jacopo Giustiniani opened this establishment in 2007 and it has been a popular spot where diners can experience authentic Tuscan cuisine while sampling Italian wine&nbsp;from the extensive Italian-focused wine list.

Italy has 20 wine regions each with unique characteristics in climate and terroir, and this list is inspired by the spirit of the Italian countryside and the wines of Jacopo&rsquo;s family&rsquo;s vineyard.

So just how do the Italian wine regions&nbsp;differ and how does the terroir inform the wine?

First of all, it is important to recognize that in addition to the differing wine regions, there are also subtle differences in the grape, and there are about 350 official Italian wine varieties.

So let&rsquo;s start with the most prominent and popular Italian wine regions and only DOC wines. D.O.C stands for &ldquo;controlled designation of origin&rdquo;; this is a quality assurance label for Italian wine. If you want to go a step higher, D.O.C.G. labels offer the highest level of control, guaranteed.

The three Italian wine regions&nbsp;most well-known for producing high-quality table wines are: Veneto, Tuscany, and Piedmont.

Veneto is in the northeast, a region that borders Slovenia. The terrain is diverse and ranges from the Alps to the Adriatic sea. Varietals grown here include an abundance of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. However, it also is home to wines from Valpolicella and Soave. Valpolicella&rsquo;s wines range from soft and approachable to rich and concentrated but, in general, these wines are dry, fruity and juicy with a trademark sour cherry note. &nbsp;Wines produced in Soave are often a blend of Garganega, chardonnay and Trebbiano di Soave &nbsp;or, as it is also known, verdicchio.

These wines are dry, crisp, and refreshing, notes of lemon with a saline mineral tang thanks to the area&rsquo;s volcanic soils.

Heading to Piedmont in the east, this mountainous region&#39;s most well-recognized wine locations are Barolo and Barbaresco, both known for their nebbiolo-based wines. However, the weather and land alter the flavor of the grape. The soils in Barbaresco are mostly limestone-based soils of Barbaresco means less tannin while the Barolo wines have two different taste styles, sandstone or limestone. Varietals grown in sandstone tend to be bolder while limestone-based varietals are lighter.

&nbsp;

A little to the south lies beautiful Tuscany, and one of the most well-known wines from this region is Chianti, a red blend made primarily with sangiovese grapes, a savory varietal with a name that is derived from the Latin sanguis Jovis, &quot;the blood of Jupiter&rdquo;. Not sure if that&rsquo;s a good selling point for wine, but it sounds great. The middle of Tuscany has a Mediterranean-type climate with hot summers and mild winters. &nbsp;This area is where the sangiovese reds are produced: Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmignano.

Of course, there are many, many more varietals grown and many more wonderful wines to taste. For more information on <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/felice/episodes/16">Italian wines at Felice</a>&nbsp;that should not be missed, listen to this 5-minute <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/felice/episodes/16">CorkRules podcast episode </a>with certified sommelier Whitney Grant.

Cheers!

&nbsp;

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

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;

Felice is an Italian restaurant located on Manhattan’s upper east side. Owner Jacopo Giustiniani opened this establishment in 2007 and it has been a popular spot where diners can experience authentic Tuscan cuisine while sampling Italian wine from the extensive Italian-focused wine list. Italy has 20 wine regions each with unique characteristics in climate and terroir, and this list is inspired by the spirit of the Italian countryside and the wines of Jacopo’s family’s vineyard.

Italian Wine Regions Explored at Felice

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

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, joins Robert Tas to talk about the wine list at Audrey, a traditional south-eastern inspired restaurant with a menu that serves local and seasonal products to showcase the best of the South.

Wine List Review of Audrey in Nashville, Tennessee

Tina Johansson

Audrey

Audrey

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, Robert. Today we&rsquo;re talking about Audrey, a restaurant in Nashville. It&rsquo;s run by Sean Brock, a chef many will recognize from his interesting episode in Netflix Chef&rsquo;s Table. Audrey is his flagship restaurant and as all of his cooking it&rsquo;s devoted to the flavors and produces of the Southern cuisine. The name Audrey actually comes from his grandmother who has inspired Brock&#39;s cooking.

RT: Yes, and as focus is on local and seasonal products the menu here is ever-changing to showcase the best of the South. The menu consists of classics like cornbread, heirloom apples and grits, all cooked and presented with a modern take. How would you like grilled deer skewer with hickory oil, or ember-baked Candy Roaster squash? I&rsquo;m very intrigued!

TJ: So am I! Both by the food menu, and by the wine list. The list shows real width. It has all the classics like Burgundy, Rioja and Napa Valley, but also unknown origins like Greece or Slovakia showing all that is the world of wine today. The sparkling wine section is also quite big here. It&rsquo;s the type of list where there is something fun for everyone.

RT: Sounds like a real interesting list. So, what would be your pick with a classic Southern dish like Jimmy red grits, here served with cured egg yolk and bay laurel? It&rsquo;s quite unique flavors from the almost extinct Jimmy red corn, a variety Sean Brock helped bring back from near extinction.

TJ: I would do as the Italians do in the northern part of the country with their polenta and pair with a lighter style of red wine, but something more fruit-driven to match with the red corn used here. So let&rsquo;s travel to the south of Italy and to Sicily with an extremely juicy red from Vino di Anna, the 2017 Jeudi 15. Fresh enough to cut through the creaminess of the grits but with enough red berry flavor to also handle the natural sweetness of the red corn.

RT: Yes, what a fun wine! And since I know you said that the list is very broad, is there something extra fun to drink in Audrey? Something you might not come across on many other wine lists?

TJ: Yes, so many bottles! Like I said they hold wines from fun origins like Slovakia and Greece, but the one wine that catches my eye is the 2021 Testalonga El&nbsp; Bandito. It&rsquo;s a Chenin Blanc from South Africa with skin contact. All the color, flavor and also tannins that gives astringency comes from the skin of the grapes. When you make red wine, you always keep the skins in the juice during fermentation to capture all of this in the wine, but for white wine usually you don&rsquo;t. But, in a skin contact white the skins are left in just like with red wine. That means the color turns more to orange than white and the wine is more structured and flavorful. For me it&rsquo;s a great style of wine to pair with food!

RT: Sounds like a fun style of wine, I know skin contact wines are getting more popular so it&rsquo;s definitely something to try for those who haven&rsquo;t yet. And finally, if you were celebrating a birthday in Audrey, what would be your special bottle for the night? Maybe something sparkling since you said they had quite a big section, both with Champagne and other sparkling?

TJ: Yes, I would definitely choose one of their fun sparkling wines! And even though they keep wines from almost every wine making country here, I&rsquo;m a sucker for Champagne so I would celebrate with the 2018 Marie-Courtin Blanc de Noirs, made from pinot noir only in a richer style, very suited for the food here.

RT: That sounds great, I can&rsquo;t wait to dine, and of course drink, in Audrey. Thank you so much for another episode, 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.

END

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

Trefethen is a family-owned winery located in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Since our founding in 1968, we have been committed to producing high-quality, estate-grown wines that showcase the unique terroir of our vineyards.

Sleek, brick-walled Italian option for pasta, pizza & entrees prepared with local ingredients.

Grape the Wine Co.

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

Due Amici

Chêne Bleu

Rose NV

Blend

Vaucluse, France

Jas des Vignes Rose, IGP Alpes-de-Haute-Provence NV

France

Château de Saint Cosme

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Shiraz/Syrah

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Vins Breban Cotes de Provence Domaine de Paris Rose NV

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Caprili

Rosso di Montalcino NV

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Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Cascina Radice

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Villanova

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Nani Rizzi

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Kokomo

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Kokomo Cuvee Red, North Coast NV

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Roederer Estate

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Delle Venezie, Italy

Trapiche

Astica Malbec 2016

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