Certified sommelier and CorkRules&rsquo; resident Somm, Michaela Quinlan shares her expertise on the wine list of <a href="https://ilbuco.com/">il Buco.</a>&nbsp;il Buco&rsquo;s wine cellar holds a selection of over 400 wines and includes an exciting range of lesser-known, artisan wines from Europe.

This restaurant has been called &quot;one of the best and most exciting in America&quot; by Gourmet magazine and the wine list has won <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/">Wine Spectator&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;&quot;Award of Excellence&quot; several times.

The wine cellar was created by Roberto Paris, a childhood friend of Alberto Avalle&#39;s, the co-owner. Roberto is from the small town of Foligno, Umbria and he has brought his knowledge of the artisan producers to il Buco. The selection of wines is dedicated to small lesser-known producers of artisan wines that are expressions of the soils and cultures However, on a 400-wine list, you&rsquo;d expect to see wines from the world&rsquo;s more renowned wineries, and indeed, you will find a large selection of well-known and well-loved wineries.

In the by-the-glass section, try the La Lecciaia Brunello Riserva, Toscana. Made from sangiovese from a winery in central Italy, this wine is light, fruity and dry with notes of ripe red fruit, raspberry and cherry.

Another must-try on the by-the-glass section is the Arnaldo-Caprai &#39;Cuvee Secret&#39;, Umbria. Umbria is a region famed for the quality of its wine, and this one lives up to expectations. It&rsquo;s round and soft, at the same time fresh with notes of delicate flavors and citrus. It also comes from central Italy and is made from the grechetto grape.

Moving to the north of Italy, the Magia Lambrusco 2016 from Emilia-Romagna has a dark purple hue that pours a beautiful purple fizzy head. The bubbles are small and light, the notes are floral with red fruits. Delightful on a hot summer night.

Taking a break from Italian wines, let&rsquo;s move on to Slovenia and try a bottle of the Simčič Ribolla Classic 2016. The ribolla varietal is indigenous to Slovenia and is best grown in the mild Mediterranean climate. The bouquet is soft with notes of lemon, green apple, citrus and grapefruit. This wine would pair well with the Tagliatelle (house-made egg pasta, Perigord black truffle, parmigiano or the Risotto (Principato di Lucedio carnaroli rice, Oregon porcini, thyme, pecorino di noce).

If a trip to wine country in Italy is out of the question, may we suggest a visit to il Buco where you can peruse artisan wines&nbsp;at your pleasure.

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 thanks to sommelier&rsquo;s 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. &nbsp;CorkRules will help you 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;

Certified sommelier and CorkRules’ resident Somm, Michaela Quinlan shares her expertise on the wine list of il Buco. il Buco’s wine cellar holds a selection of over 400 wines and includes an exciting range of lesser-known, artisan wines from Europe. This restaurant has been called "one of the best and most exciting in America" by Gourmet magazine and the wine list has won Wine Spectator’s "Award of Excellence" several times.

Artisan Wines at Il Buco

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

Michaela Quinlan

Root & Bone

Root &amp;&nbsp;Bone

RT: Hello and Welcome to Corkrules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a Wine List from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Michaela Quinlan, Certified Sommelier.

Hello Michaela,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.

MQ: Hi Robert!

RT:

Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or 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.

RT: Today we are talking about Root and Bone. Root and Bone is bringing Southern comfort food to NYC. If you&rsquo;re craving killer sides and fried chicken, we have the perfect wine pairing for you!

Michaela, I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their wine list?

MQ: It is acceptable to only order sides? I hope so, as I&rsquo;m ready to dive into their wine list and comfort food.

RT: That&rsquo;s really great, as you looked at the list did you see anything jump out at you?

MQ: Of course! Seeing that there is an excellent selection of menu items featuring rich flavors, I would begin with a glass of Rainstorm Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. As we love to mention location, location, location, yes, Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio, with Pinot Grigio growing in Italy. Outside of Italy, the wine is known as Pinot Gris. The same can be said for Shiraz, grown in Australia, where in other growing regions, it is known as Syrah.

Back to Pinot Gris. The fresh acidity and melon/peachy aromas and flavors bring some lightness to richer, fried food selections.

RT: That is for sure unique.

So Michaela, their list seems to have lot&nbsp;of range but was there anything that you would say is a &ldquo;must-try&rdquo;?

MQ: A must-try would be the Boundary Breaks, Ovid Line North Riesling from the Finger Lakes of NY. Always fun to support local winemakers. What I enjoy about Rieslings from the Finger Lakes is that they maintain a nice balance of citrus, dried apricot, and only a hint of sweetness. This hint of sweetness is a wonderful pairing with any spicy dishes.

RT: Resiling aren&rsquo;t they sweet?

These are some great calls.

MQ; Versatile grapes, alcohol content

RT; So you know I&rsquo;m getting thirsty and will need to order a bottle with my dinner, where would you guide us?

MQ: A crowd-pleaser for the table would be the Fleur Pinot Noir from Carneros, CA. Pinot Noir, being a thinner skinned, lighter bodied red grape, is a wonderful red wine selection that certainly won&rsquo;t overpower those favorite comfort food flavors. The classic cherry cand strawberry flavors, along with that hint of black pepper and spice will certainly compliment, dare I say, fried chicken?

RT: Ooh, Terrific.

Michaela, speaking of price, sometimes people have a budget in mind..&nbsp; any other great value wines you&rsquo;d point us too?&nbsp;

MQ: Root and Bone&rsquo;s wine list is full of great value. Another favorite to consider would be the Ghostrider Ungrafted Syrah from Lodi, CA. I will always default to syrah when looking to pair with anything smoky or off the grill. Think pulled pork. This syrah is taking the blackberry, black cherry, and spice up a notch. This selection will certainly stand up to the grill.

RT: One of my favourite combos with Fried chicken is Champagne and sparkling wine any thoughts here

MQ: xxxx&hellip;Gerrand Betrand

MQ: Absolutely!

RT: Michaela Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate The Lobster Club&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself. &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: <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.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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BRAT

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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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