Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico&hellip; 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&rsquo;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.

This development has not been historically exclusive to Chianti, leading to the creation of more than one Classico district. In general, the Classico wines tend to be slightly better as these regions are smaller and have stricter rules regarding plantings and winemaking. If not better, at least more traditional and typical of the region.

The most well-known Classico regions, apart from Chianti, would be Valpolicella Classico making red wine from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, also known as the grapes for Amarone. Valpolicella Classico is located within Valpolicella in the region Veneto, also home to two lesser known Classico regions: Bardolino Classico and Soave Classico. Bardolino Classico is located to the west of Valpolicella and produced from the same grapes, while Soave Classico, in contrast to the rest, makes white wine from the local Garganega. All great wines and certainly part of the Italian wine history.

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

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

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

Sorrel

Grant Wood

Sorrel

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier

Hello Grant, great to have you back for another great wine list.

GW: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, 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.

RT: Sorrel is an Italian contemporary restaurant located in Pac Heights that has earned a Michelin star thanks to Chef Alexander Hong who trained at Quince in SF. They are best known for making revelations via pasta and I&rsquo;m excited to see what&rsquo;s on their wine list. Let&rsquo;s start as we usually do with their wines by the glass. Right away I like the Cruse Wine Co. &lsquo;Tradition&rsquo; sparkling chard/Pinot noir coming from great vineyards across California and you know I can resist starting with bubbles.

If you&rsquo;re looking for something white and fresh, then I love the 21&rsquo; Ryme &ldquo;hers&rdquo; Vermentino from Carneros. I love this wine and is one of my go-to everyday wines that my girlfriend and I drink all the time and love what husband and wife team Ryan and Megan are doing in Sonoma.

A great red by the glass is the 2020 G.D. Vajra Barbera d&rsquo;Alba which is a perfect pairing for all things pasta.

Let&rsquo;s move on to bubbles on the bottle list. A great value Champagne on their list is the Pierre Paillard &lsquo;Les Parcelles&rsquo; extra brut from the grand cru village of Bouzy but a good splurge would be the Jerome Prevost, Meunier extra brut &lsquo;La Closerie&rsquo; from the Montagne de Reims. 

Moving forward with whites, I like the 19&rsquo; Idlewild Arneis from the Lost Hills Ranch which is fun California take on the Italian Piemontese white which is a perfect wine to go with this California take on Italian cuisine.

A fun wine to get a little wild with is the Pax, Skin-fermented Trousseau Gris from the Russian River but if you want to go a bit more traditional Italian then try the 2012 Malvasia by Kante in Venezia-Giulia. 

Changing gears to reds, I always love the 2018 COS, Nero D&rsquo;Avola/Frappato from Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico in Sicilia which is really light and fresh and easy to match with food. Stepping things up a bit is the Tuscan classic, Piemaggio &lsquo;Le Fioraie&rsquo; Chianti Classico.

Climbing the latter in body and power we have the 16&rsquo; Nada Fiorenzo &lsquo;Manzola&rsquo; from Barbaresco which is great but Robert, I know you like wines with age so for you I&rsquo;d order the 02&rsquo; Arpepe &lsquo;Sassella Rocce Rocce&rsquo; Valtellina Superiore Riserva to really get things bumpin&rsquo;.

A few local wines to take your dining experience to the next level I&rsquo;d go for the 2018 Arnot Roberts CS &ldquo;Clajeux Vineyard&rdquo; from Chalk Hill which is amazing. Another fun one is the 2016 Jonata Syrah blend &ldquo;Todos&rdquo; from Ballard Canyon, I just visited this estate that is part of The Hilt down in the Central Coast but if you a more classic iteration of syrah then look no further than the 2016 Jamet C&ocirc;te R&ocirc;tie, Rhone

Overall, this is another great list coming from a very exciting restaurant in SF.

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Cheers!

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Grant, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Sorrel&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

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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.

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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;

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And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

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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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