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

Junoon

Cecilia Bonet

JUNOON &ndash; NEW YORK

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Cecilia Bonet, certified sommelier.

It&rsquo;s great to be back together again for another episode.

CB: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that those lists can sometimes be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list with confidence, find those hidden gems, 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 we are talking about a sophisticated Indian restaurant located in the Union Square/Flat Iron area -Junoon which in Hindi means passion. Serving modern high-end yet authentic Indian food, in an elegant setting with a killer wine list to boot.

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Cecilia, I&rsquo;m excited to hear you take on their wine list?

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Top Level View

Superb selection of wine by the glass, from quality to variety. The offer of Half bottles and Magnums are also great!

The wine list is very well structured which makes it easy to read it. It is extensive and offers many interesting options.

It has an Incredible variety, believe me, if there is something you are looking for, you will most likely find it here.

RT: So, I personally never feel comfortable pairing Indian food, where shall we start?

Unique Stuff

Robert, before I recommend the gems of this wine list, let me say that It is not always easy to choose wines, much less when we want to pair them with cuisine such as the Indian.

The elements to consider when pairing Indian food are the spices, the sauce and the seasoning. We are talking about very aggressive spices such as cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger and garlic. In these cases, the beverage must take a secondary role in the complexity of the spices.

But our goal would be finding a wine that stands up to these flavors. And here are some suggestions to keep in mind&hellip;

The NV Chartogne-Taillet, Brut Ros&eacute; is a delicate champagne from a small family estate, sourced from just 11 hectares of vineyards growing in the Montagne de Reims. The lower the alcohol, the better it will pair with spicy dishes. Choosing sparkling wines can be refreshing, because It helps to neutralize the heat, and I love the cleansing effect of the bubbles.

This wine pairs especially well with the Saloni Maachi.

RT: Excellent suggestions but folks like me who love our reds?

For those of you who prefer a red wine, I found the 2016 Antica Terra, Coriolis, produced in Dundee Hills, Oregon. It is a Pinot Noir with character but still velvety, created in one of the best vintages of the region, from a pretty small winery and led by Maggie Harrison, winemaker. My suggested pairing would be the Mushroom &amp; Truffle Khichdi.

RT: Terrific, did you see any great value wines on their list?

Value Wines

I would say that the 2019 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, Kabinett, &Uuml;rziger W&uuml;rzgarten, from Mosel. This Kabinett, or better said off-dry German Riesling, is very versatile with species because of its sweetness. The residual sugar in wine helps to coat our tongues and calm some of the heat we feel from our spicy favorites. A good pairing it could be the Malvani Fish. The fruity notes and bright acidity of the wine help to carry the spices in the dish and balance its richness.

RT: All right this seems like a list with a lot of choice, what about for the special occasion or big client dinner?

Bigger budget/Special Occasion

I&rsquo;d love to recommend the 1999 Ch&acirc;teau Musar, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon Blend from Lebanon. Chateau Musar is located in Bekaa Valley, 24 km from Beirut, where the wine culture goes more than 6,000 years back.

The 1999 Musar delivers a level of elegance, harmony and energy that makes it a brilliant vintage for this wine. The &#39;99 has explosive notes of spice, herbs and dark fruits, but with soft tannins. The 1999 is destined to be one of the great Musars.

But if you have a chance in your life to taste an emblematic wine, I wish you a chance to drink the 2015 Domaine du Pegau, Cuv&eacute;e da Capo, Ch&acirc;teauneuf-du-Pape.

Made only in exceptional vintages, the Cuv&eacute;e da Capo is a powerful, deeply nuanced wine with fruit and earth complexities. Black-cherry and red-plum flavors with some smoke and fur. It&#39;s soft and silky on the palate yet composed.

Ch&acirc;teauneuf-du-Pape is the appellation which sits towards the bottom of the Rh&ocirc;ne Valley, close to the border of Provence, and the name means &ldquo;pope&rsquo;s new castle&rdquo;.

This wine is not only unique because of its character, and its history, but also because it is one of the few Chateauneuf that still makes the blend with its 13 permitted grape varieties, but mostly Grenache, Syrah and Mourv&egrave;dre. It is a lovely option as this wine,

These two wines for example would go very well with a lamb chops dish.

RT: Cecilia, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Junoon&rsquo;s wine list.

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.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

End

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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

Tortoise Creek is a boutique winery located in Lodi, California, that specializes in producing high-quality wines from the best vineyards in California. They are known for their commitment to sustainable farming practices and their dedication to creating wines that are true to their varietal and regional characteristics.

Traditional Argentine meals & cocktails are the draw at this airy, modern restaurant with a patio.

Eddy V's Prime Seafood Restaurant

The View

Il Capriccio

Clarity

Bellissimo Restaurant

Bellissimo

Sandbar

Mirabelle Restaurant & Tavern

Mirabelle at Three Village Inn

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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La Riojana

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