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

Maria Valetta, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas join forces for a fun review of the wine list at Bar Zazu where they offer wines from around the globe with a special focus on Spain.

Wine List Review of Bar Zazu, Las Vegas

Maria Valetta

Bar Zazu

Zazu 

Wine

https://www.rwlasvegas.com/pdf/barzazu-beveragemenu-feb24

Food:

<a href="https://www.rwlasvegas.com/pdf/barzazu-dinnermenu-feb24/">https://www.rwlasvegas.com/pdf/barzazu-dinnermenu-feb24/</a>

RT): Hi Everyone, welcome back to CorkRules! The wine APP &amp; podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate all your FAVORITE restaurant wine lists.

I&rsquo;m your host, Robert Tas, along with Maria Valetta, wine educator, and certified sommelier, also known as Maria The Wine Blonde on Instagram. Welcome back Maria

MV: Hi Robert, HI everyone! Stick around because today we are having fun talking tapas and interesting grapes.

RT: That&rsquo;s right, Today our podcast takes us to Bar Zazu located within the Resorts World Casino. Zazu is an upscale tapas lounge, where you can expect to be captivated visually with its colorful lighting, daring digital art, and tempting wine wall on full display. And remember, this is tapas dining at its best, making this a social, shareable experience. I think food like this, calls for one of those bottles from the wine wall, what do you think Maria?

MV: I think the sommelier put a lot of thought into curating this list. Bravo!!

If you like to try something new all the time, as I do, you are going to love the wine list at Zazu.

RT: Tell us about all the fun stuff Maria

MV: Well by the glass they have some great whites, particularly the Furmint by Samuel Tinon &ldquo;Birtok&rdquo;, Tokaj, Hungary 2018 normally this grape is used to make very sweet wine that&rsquo;s a gorgeous golden apricot color called Tokaji but this is made in a dry white wine style and is going to make those CHEESE &amp; SALUMI BOARDS really shine.

They also have an unusual ros&eacute; from Portugal, by the glass made from Syrah, the 2020 Mariella, a Vinho Regional from the Setubal Peninsula, Portugal with a beautiful label that has a mermaid with a harp on it.

For reds, the Alvaro Palacios &ldquo;Camins del Priorat&rdquo;, 2020 Garnacha from Spain 

Is going to pair so well with most all of the tapas plates here, try it with the CHARRED SPANISH OCTOPUS with chorizo, gremolata, almond, romesco

RT: Sounds great and I imagine the by-the-bottle list highlights even more interesting wine?

MV: You know it! Standouts for me of interesting wines are the Anima Negra &ldquo;An&rdquo; 2017, a Spanish wine made from a grape called Callet, native to the island of Mallorca.

This red wine is going to be floral, smoky and herbal with oaky barrel notes <s>two </s>

And this other red, made from a variety called

Tintilla , the Alberto Orte &ldquo;Vara y Pulgar&rdquo; 2018, Tierra de Cadiz, Spain in the southwestern part of the country near jerez where sherry is produced which by the way Bar Zazu has some great sherries by the glass I almost forgot to mention that!

But back to Tintilla, this grape disappeared after the phylloxera epidemic in the early 20th century but Alberto Orte recovered a few cuttings from abandoned vineyards that managed to survive phylloxera, and after many years of effort, they have managed to bring back the vines of Tintilla and are making wines now.

RT: I love when winemakers bring history into the future&hellip; It&#39;s so important to cultivate these native varieties.

MV: it sure is and while the first red is more premium the Tintilla is very affordable.

RT: Fantastic, speaking of affordable, any others you recommend in that kind of price point?

MV: for whites the Albarino Morgadio 2020, Rias Baixas this white is going to go with everything from the jamon and cheese croquettes to the Seafood Paella.

And

For another red option, the Garzon Single Vineyard 2016 Tannat from Uruguay &nbsp;sometimes the tannat grape can be a little too chewy and intense but this is a riper version that&rsquo;s layered with complexities of wild blueberries, black plums, chocolate and a black pepper finish&hellip;&nbsp; the skirt steak with green peppercorns with this bad boy for sure,

RT: Great options! And for something a little special?

MV: With this food, I really have to pick a great wine from Spain, and while definitely that wine from Mallorca I mentioned, that&rsquo;s a great option if you&rsquo;re up for spending a little more, but also need to call out the R. Lopez de Heredia &ldquo;Tondonia&rdquo; 2009, Rioja Reserva, Spain&nbsp; a beautiful wine from the Tempranillo grape that&rsquo;s always a fav and has some age on it and hard to find.

And quickly... you know what else could be fun, if you have a group, finish the evening with a bottle or glass of Madeira! They have some great older vintages of this super caramelized, nutty-flavored fortified wine, like the&nbsp; D&rsquo;Oliveiras 1977 Sercial 

it truly is a way to sip on some history.

RT: And that&rsquo;s the most fascinating part about drinking wine in my opinion.. the history.

RT: Well thank you Maria for talking about interesting wines at Bar Zazu with us and thank you, everyone, for joining us on another episode of CorkRules. Be sure to download the app from the Appstore and start getting your personal restaurant wine recommendations directly to your phone. You can find more wine educational tips from Maria on Instagram @mariathewineblonde and on the CorkRules app.

MV: It&rsquo;s here! The CorkRules App! Download it for free today from the app store so you can browse restaurant wine lists, connect with your friends, and start drinking wines you love.&nbsp;

Have a favorite wine List? Let us review it here. Send us your requests at <a href="mailto:info@corkrules.com">info@CorkRules.com</a> You can find previous episodes on your favorite podcast platform and on The CorkRules app. Be sure to follow @CorkRules on Instagram for episode updates. Prices and selections subject to change, please drink responsibly.

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Certified sommelier Alexis Percival

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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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