Wine Tasting and Dining Out: A Starter Guide to Exploring the World of Wine&nbsp;

Dining out at great restaurants offers a wonderful opportunity to indulge in exquisite cuisine, delectable flavors, and memorable experiences. Elevating your dining experience with the perfect wine pairing can take your meal to a whole new level. For beginners, navigating the world of wine tasting and food pairing may seem overwhelming, but fear not! We are here to guide you on this exciting journey and make it fun and encouraging.&nbsp;

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Understanding Wine Colors and Types&nbsp;

When it comes to wine, color can provide valuable insights into its flavor profile and characteristics. Let&#39;s start with white wines. Pale yellow or light golden hues are often associated with white wines, which range from crisp, bright wines to rich, oaky varieties. For example, a Sauvignon Blanc typically displays a pale, straw-like color, while a Chardonnay can have a deeper, golden hue due to oak aging.&nbsp;

Moving on to red wines, these can range from translucent ruby shades to deep, dark reds. A lighter-bodied red wine, like a Pinot Noir, will have a more transparent, ruby color, while a full-bodied red, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, will be much darker and closer to a deep, intense red or even purple.&nbsp;

Beyond color, aroma profiles, acidity levels, and tannins play a crucial role in defining a wine&#39;s body and structure. Aromas can range from fruity and floral to earthy and herbaceous. For instance, a Pinot Grigio may have refreshing notes of citrus and green apple, while a Syrah might exhibit aromas of dark berries and spices.&nbsp;

Acidity provides a wine with a lively and refreshing character. Wines with high acidity, such as a Riesling, pair well with lighter dishes and can cut through richer/spicy flavors, adding brightness to each bite. On the other hand, wines with lower acidity, like a Merlot, can offer a smoother, rounder mouthfeel.&nbsp;

Tannins, present in red wines, contribute to their structure and texture. They create a drying sensation in your mouth and give red wines their characteristic grip. Lighter-bodied reds, like a Beaujolais, have much softer tannins, while full-bodied reds, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, have more pronounced, firm tannins.&nbsp;

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Food Pairings and Wine Recommendations&nbsp;

Pairing the right wine with your meal can enhance both the wine and the food, creating a harmonious balance of flavors. Let&#39;s explore a few types of cuisine and the wine recommendations that complement them beautifully.&nbsp;

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Italian Cuisine:&nbsp;

Italian food is renowned for its rich flavors, vibrant spices, and hearty ingredients. Whether you&#39;re indulging in pasta, risotto, or pizza, an Italian red wine, such as a Chianti or Barolo, with its firm tannins and robust flavors, will complement the bold flavors of Italian cuisine. For those who prefer white wine, a crisp and refreshing Pinot Grigio or a buttery Chardonnay pairs exceptionally well with creamy pasta dishes or seafood pastas.&nbsp;

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Steakhouses:&nbsp;

When it comes to steak, red wine is the natural choice. A full-bodied red, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a bold Malbec, pairs perfectly with the richness and intensity of a well-cooked steak. The deep flavors and firm tannins of these wines complement the richness of the meat and create a wonderful harmony on your palate.&nbsp;

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Fish and Seafood:&nbsp;

For lighter, delicate seafood dishes, such as grilled fish or shrimp, a crisp and refreshing white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling is an excellent choice. These wines provide a bright and zesty counterbalance to the subtle flavors of fish. If you&#39;re opting for a bolder fish dish like salmon or tuna, a medium-bodied red wine like a Pinot Noir or a light and fruity ros&eacute; can add a touch of complexity to the meal.&nbsp;

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Greek Cuisine:&nbsp;

Greek cuisine offers a beautiful blend of herbs, spices, and fresh ingredients. Aromatic white wines such as Assyrtiko or Moschofilero pair wonderfully with the vibrant Mediterranean flavors of Greek dishes. These wines have a refreshing acidity and citrus notes that add brightness to classic Greek dishes like moussaka or grilled lamb.&nbsp;

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Sushi:&nbsp;

When enjoying sushi or other Japanese dishes, the key is to choose a wine that won&#39;t overpower the delicate flavors of the food. Crisp and dry white wines like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner work well, as do light-bodied reds like a Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir. These wines complement the delicate fish and soy-based flavors without overshadowing them.&nbsp;

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Navigating the Wine List and Talking to a Sommelier&nbsp;

The wine list at a restaurant can often be extensive and intimidating, but don&#39;t let that discourage you from exploring and choosing the perfect wine for your meal. Here are a few tips to help you confidently navigate the wine list:&nbsp;

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1. Consider Your Personal Preferences: Think about the varietals and flavor profiles you enjoy. Are you more inclined towards red or white wines? Do you prefer lighter or fuller-bodied options? Sharing these preferences with your sommelier can help them guide you towards the right choices.&nbsp;

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2. Discuss Price Points: Talking about your budget can feel awkward, especially when dining with a group. However, providing a price range to your sommelier can help them suggest wines that fit your budget without compromising on quality.&nbsp;

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3. Seek Advice from the Sommelier: Don&#39;t hesitate to ask for recommendations or advice from the sommelier. They are there to help you navigate the wine list, understand the flavors, and find the perfect pairing for your meal. A knowledgeable and friendly sommelier, like Andrea Morris from Essential at Christophe, can make the process enjoyable and educational.&nbsp;

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Introducing CorkRules - Elevating Your Dining Experience&nbsp;

To further enhance your dining experience, we recommend using CorkRules, the only app designed specifically for ordering wine at restaurants. CorkRules offers a range of features that can elevate your dining experience and wine selection process:&nbsp;

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1. Share Wine Lists with Friends: With CorkRules, you can easily share the wine list with your friends before dining out. This allows you to discuss and decide on the perfect bottle together, ensuring everyone&#39;s preferences are catered to.&nbsp;

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2. Reserve Wines at Favorite Restaurants: CorkRules allows you to reserve specific wines at your favorite restaurants ahead of time, ensuring that the bottle you desire is waiting for you when you arrive. Also lets you spend more time with friends/guests. &nbsp;

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3. Share Your Wine Preferences: By sharing your wine preference/profile with restaurants through CorkRules, you can receive personalized service, recommendations and a more tailored dining experience. This innovative feature helps the restaurant staff curate a wine selection that suits your taste perfectly.&nbsp;

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Learning and Growing Together&nbsp;

As you embark on your wine tasting and dining journey, remember that learning is a continuous process. Don&#39;t be afraid to explore new varietals, experiment with food pairings, and seek guidance from sommeliers in reputable restaurants like Le Bernardin and Pastis. With a little knowledge, some confidence, and the assistance of innovative apps like CorkRules, you can elevate your dining experiences, one sip at a time. So gather your friends, discover new flavors, and cheers to a wonderful culinary adventure! &nbsp;

Dining out at great restaurants offers a wonderful opportunity to indulge in exquisite cuisine, delectable flavors, and memorable experiences. Elevating your dining experience with the perfect wine pairing can take your meal to a whole new level. For beginners, navigating the world of wine tasting and food pairing may seem overwhelming, but fear not! We are here to guide you on this exciting journey and make it fun and encouraging.

Wine Tasting and Dining Out: A Starter Guide to Exploring the World of Wine

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

Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels

Alexis Rogers

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels

Compagnie des Vin Surnaturales

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

&nbsp;I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Alexis Rogers, wine educator and 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, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

AR: Glad to be here, thanks for having me.

RT:&nbsp; Today we are talking about Compagnie des Vin Supernaturels Wine Bar NYC in lower Manhattan. Compagnie comes to us from the same group behind Experimental Cocktail Club. This chic wine bar is known for their bangin&rsquo; Happy Hour featuring 25 wines by the glass and another 450 wines from around the world. The list is 70% French and is lovingly compiled by Sommelier Caleb Ganzer while Chef Eric Bolyard put out beautiful seasonal small plates perfect for pairing. Alexis, I know you&rsquo;ve picked out some great French wines for us&hellip;.

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AR: I have! But I don&#39;t actually know what the first glass is! There is an option on the glass pour list to &ldquo;Guess the Glass&rdquo;. Blind Tasters Rejoice! This is a great opportunity to test your abilities and win the bottle. I would be interested to know how specific they require your guess to be - just grape? Country? Region? Subregion? Vintage? Producer? Either way, it&rsquo;s fun and a great way to attract serious wine lovers - aside from the 40+ page wine list that is. Wine SHOULD be fun though. Blind tasting is all about narrowing down what a wine is NOT. Such as &ldquo;Finished too tart to be Napa Chard, or too minerally to be S African Chenin, a distinct rose and lychee aroma can only mean Gewurtztraminer but it&rsquo;s too lean to be Alsace - must be Germany? Cherry cola taste? That&rsquo;s gotta be Sonoma Pinot. It&rsquo;s about using clues and ruling out grapes and regions until you land on the most likely call.

RT : That DOES sound fun, you probably have to have a pretty solid foundation of wine knowledge for that though.

AR: Yes, or have tasted a lot of wines from all over the world. Speaking of wine from all over the world, this next pick is from Switzerland. It&rsquo;s the Domaine Piccard Coup de Fouet Villette Grand Cru 2018. This bottle is orange wine made from the Chasselas grape. Native to Switzerland near Lake Geneva, this grape is the classic pairing for authentic fondue. Chasselas produces wines with notes of red apple, apple blossom, melon, mint and smoke. This grape is very terroir influenced and any descriptors used to describe it can also be used to describe the country as well - crisp, clean, bright, fresh - even if they are a bit neutral. Haha&hellip; This bottle is also a skin-contact - or orange wine so we will see our varietal notes but in general, a bit more savory with added texture and funkiness. The mouthfeel on this wine is thrilling from start to finish. This unfiltered bottle has a tiny bit of cloudiness, a bit of tang, and a lil sparkle on the tongue. Well, more like a sprinkle.

RT: A Sprinkle? What do you mean? Is it a sparkling wine?

AR: No, not fully sparkling, but it does have a small amount of effervescence.

RT: That sounds like it hits all the &ldquo;wine nerd&rdquo; bullet points - obscure grape, non-classical region, orange wine. Sounds fun!

AR: Haha!!! For Sure - def a geeky wine. This next wine will also separate those in the know pretty distinctly - it&rsquo;s from Beaujolais. New or non-explorative wine drinkers will only think of the Fruit Punch-esque Beaujolais Nouveau and think this bottle &ldquo;unrefined&rdquo; But those in the know will make the joke that it&rsquo;s technically a Cru Burgundy. The bottle is Domaine Chapel Charbonnieres Fleurie. Made from the Gamay grape, Fleurie is one of 10 crus in the region recognized for making wines of exceptional quality and is noted for its feminine, floral characteristics. Tasting notes on this include juicy strawberry, rasp preserves, pink flowers, violets, hints of licorice, potting soil and crushed rocks. It&rsquo;s fruity, earthy, minerally, AND floral. These wines are just FUN to drink. Pair this low tannin, med-bodied wine with a charcuterie board as it goes with everything on it - meats, cheeses, pickles, fruit, mustards, jams - Cru Beaujolais tackles them all. This particular bottle is made from high-quality organic grapes w/ minimal intervention and no added sulphites and is a beautiful indication of the convergence of high-quality site and talented winemaking.

RT: Wow, that could be a whole meal right there! Alexis, thank you for being with us to talk about the very cool list at Compagnie Wine Bar and giving us a little insight on blind tasting, that was cool!&nbsp; 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 or wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

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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