For Chardonnay lovers seeking a refreshing, value-driven alternative, Aligot&eacute;, Burgundy&#39;s &quot;other&quot; white grape, beckons with its crisp acidity, subtle minerality, and undeniable charm. Often overshadowed by its more illustrious neighbor, Aligot&eacute; is finally gaining recognition for its unique qualities and exceptional quality-to-price ratio.

A Value Proposition: Compared to Chardonnay, Aligot&eacute; offers a compelling value proposition. The grape thrives in cooler climates, yielding wines known for their vibrant acidity and lighter body. This makes them perfect for enjoying young, without the need for extensive aging, which translates to lower production costs ultimately reflected in the price tag. Wine enthusiasts can experience the distinct terroir of Burgundy at a fraction of the price of a Premier Cru Chardonnay.

Critical Acclaim: The growing popularity of Aligot&eacute; is not going unnoticed by critics. Wine Enthusiast recently declared it &quot;Burgundy&#39;s Rising White Star,&quot; highlighting its increasing quality and potential to rival Chardonnay. Renowned wine critic Burghound remarked on the &quot;impressive depth and complexity&quot; found in certain Aligot&eacute; expressions, showcasing the grape&#39;s ability to produce wines beyond their entry-level reputation.

Food Pairings: Aligot&eacute;&#39;s bright acidity and subtle minerality make it a versatile food pairing companion. It shines alongside lighter fare like fish dishes, shellfish, salads, and creamy cheeses. The wine&#39;s refreshing character cuts through richness, making it a perfect partner for creamy sauces and even lighter cuts of meat.

Domaine Stars: While Aligot&eacute; is often produced by various cooperatives, two stand-out producers are leading the charge in crafting exceptional single-vineyard expressions:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Dominique-Lafon-Bourgogne-Aligote-2021-w41675088y">Dominique Lafon</a>&nbsp;- $37.99: This renowned producer, known for their exquisite Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet wines, also crafts a stunning Aligot&eacute; with depth and complexity, showcasing the potential of the grape when treated with respect and meticulous attention to detail.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Domaine-Sylvain-Cathiard-Bourgogne-Aligote-2022-w7631962na">Domaine Sylvain Cathiard</a>&nbsp;- $66.99: This family-owned estate in the village of Bouzeron, the only appellation dedicated solely to Aligot&eacute;, produces wines known for their purity, minerality, and aging potential. Their &quot;M&acirc;con-Villages&quot; Aligot&eacute; is a testament to the grape&#39;s ability to deliver exceptional quality and complexity.</li>
</ul>

Aligot&eacute; offers an exciting opportunity for wine enthusiasts to explore the hidden gem of Burgundy. Its affordability, refreshing style, and versatility make it a perfect addition to any wine lover&#39;s repertoire. So, next time you&#39;re looking for a delightful, value-driven white wine, consider giving Aligot&eacute; a try. You might just discover your new favorite Burgundy.

&nbsp;

Aligoté: Burgundy's Unsung Hero Steps Out of the Shadows

For Chardonnay lovers seeking a refreshing, value-driven alternative, Aligoté, Burgundy's "other" white grape, beckons with its crisp acidity, subtle minerality, and undeniable charm. Often overshadowed by its more illustrious neighbor, Aligoté is finally gaining recognition for its unique qualities and exceptional quality-to-price ratio.

Aligoté: Burgundy's Unsung Hero Steps Out of the Shadows

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

Foreign Cinema

Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit Foreign Cinema, a vibrant location in San Francisco

Wine Review of Foreign Cinema, San Francisco

Grant Wood

Foreign Cinema

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.

Foreign Cinema

Here we have a one-of-a-kind, nationally acclaimed restaurant combing indie films with California-Mediterranean cooking located in the Mission. This is a very popular restaurant with great cocktails and a wonderful wine list as well. Let&rsquo;s dive in!

Let&rsquo;s start with bubbles! Right away, I like that they&rsquo;ve highlighted a section of their favorites so I&rsquo;d go for the Domaine Vouette et Sorbee extra brut &lsquo;blanc d&rsquo;Argile&rsquo; from the Cote des bar in the south of Champagne. You can&rsquo;t go wrong with Ulysse Collin extra brut BdN &lsquo;Les Maillons Congy, Cote Sezannais of course and I like the Egly-Ouriet Brut rose grand cru from Ambonnay if you want something pink!

Moving to lighter whites, the 2016 Dom Albert Boxler &lsquo;Dudenstein Sommerberg Riesling grand cru from Alsace is one of my favorites which is fresh, high acid, mineral-driven Riesling to pair with the oysters on their menu. Something fun from the Jura is the Dom Du Pelican Savagnin Ouillee from Arbois is a great choice as well. Moving over to the Loire, I like the 2017 Nicolas Joly &lsquo;Les Vieux Clos&rsquo; from Savennieres and is a leader in Biodynamics.

Stepping things up a bit if you want to splurge and impress your guests the you can&rsquo;t go wrong with the 2016 Coche-Dury Bourgogne which has all of the classic reductive and mineral characteristics that they&rsquo;re known for. A great value on here moving south into the Rhone, I love the 2016 Yves Cuilleron Roussanne, Vin des Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes which is a great producer that makes some of my favorite whites in the Rhone. Another great value is the 2019 Clos Sainte Magdeleine from Cassis in Provence. There are a lot of great Italian and Spanish whites on here as well so don&rsquo;t pass up on those either.

Let&rsquo;s move on to reds now. There&rsquo;s a great selection of red Burgundy but let&rsquo;s look at their other great reds on here for the sake of diversity. The 2018 Agostino Pavia &amp; Figli, Grignolino d&rsquo;Asti is a really fun and easy value wine to consider. I know you like your Barolo, Robert, so I&rsquo;s go for the 2011 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva, Vignolo would be a stellar wine to go with. I also love the 2012 Padelletti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva which is classic Brunello that never disappoints.

If you want to stick to some California favorites, then I&rsquo;d go for the 07&rsquo; Cain Five from Spring Mountain or even the 2014 Forman Cabernet if you want Napa Cabernet. The 2019 A. Rafanelli Dry Creek Zinfandel warms the soul for me and is a classic for Dry Creek. I also love the 2016 Cruse Wine Co. Heintz Vineyard Syrah which is peppery and floral. If you&rsquo;re feeling weird you should try the 2017 Forlorn Hope Mondeuse from the Rorick Vineyard in Calaveras County. Lastly, the 2019 Jolie-Laide Gamay Noir from El Dorado County is a really fun and food-friendly wine for a dinner at Foreign Cinema.

I think this is a really cool and friendly wine list that is meant to warm the soul and spice on your movie nights with great food and great wine.

Cheers!

Grant, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Foreign Cinema&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Grant 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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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

Sharecropper's is a family-owned winery based in Columbia Valley, USA. They specialize in producing high-quality, affordable wines that showcase the best of the region's terroir. Founded in 2007, the winery has since grown to become a respected name in the industry, with a reputation for producing exceptional wines that are both approachable and elegant.

Venerable choice serving French bistro fare in a narrow, brick-lined space with a full bar.

Popina

The Atlantic Grill

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

Le Central

Cellier des Dauphins

Cuvee Traditionnelle Grignan-les-Adhemar 2019

Blend

France

Domaine la Perdrane

Pic-Saint-Loup Rouge 2014

Assemblage

France

Domaine de la Fontainerie

Vouvray Sec 2019

Chenin Blanc

Loire, France

Anaba Turbine White, USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley 2016

White Rhone Blend

California, USA

Michel Briday

Cuvee Axelle Bouzeron 2015

Aligote

Burgundy, France

Alain Jaume

Domaine la Grangette Saint Joseph Cotes-du-Rhone Vieilles Vignes 2019

Blend

France

E16

Baby Rattlesnake Vineyard Grenache Blanc 2018

Grenache Blanc

El Dorado, USA

Domaine Le Galantin

Bandol Rose 2016

Blend

Bandol, France

Guilhem & Jean-Hugues Goisot

Saint-Bris Exogyra Virgula 2020

Burgundy, France

FEL

Pinot Gris 2017

Pinot Gris

California, USA

Dominique Piron

Beaujolais-Villages 2020

Gamay

Beaujolais-Villages, France

Matanzas Creek

Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Sauvignon Blanc

California, USA

Smith Madrone, Riesling, Spring Mountain District 2016

California, USA

Joyce Vineyards Mission Ranch Albarino, Arroyo Seco 2021

Arroyo Seco, USA

Cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast, USA, California, North 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

North Coast, California, USA