The Feast of the Seven Fishes, a tradition deeply rooted in Italian-American heritage, is an extravagant seafood banquet celebrated on Christmas Eve. This age-old custom brings families together to enjoy seven (or more) fish courses paired beautifully with select wines. Let&#39;s delve into this delightful culinary journey and explore some exquisite wine pairings for each course.

1. Antipasto Platter &ndash; Vermentino

We start our feast with an antipasto platter featuring marinated anchovies, octopus salad, and calamari rings. The ideal pairing here would be a bottle of Vermentino from Sardinia&#39;s renowned producer <a href="https://www.saratogawine.com/Pedres-Vermentino-Di-Gallura-Docg-Thilibas-2022-750ml.html?utm_source=winesearcher&amp;utm_medium=paidprodlisting&amp;utm_content=928250&amp;utm_campaign=prodfeeds&amp;v=20L">Cantina di Gallur</a>a. Known for its vibrant acidity and mineral-driven flavors of lime zest and green apple, it perfectly complements the briny taste of seafood appetizers.

2. Linguine alle Vongole - Soave Classico

Next up is linguine alle vongole; pasta tossed in white clam sauce garnished with parsley. To accompany this dish we suggest <a href="https://www.plummarket.com/store/2022-pieropan-soave-classico-veneto-022-0.html">Pieropan&rsquo;s Soave Classico</a> made from Garganega grapes grown in volcanic soils around Veneto region offering floral aromas coupled with notes of almond that blend harmoniously with clams&#39; delicate flavor profile.

3. Shrimp Scampi - Chardonnay

For the third course comes shrimp scampi saut&eacute;ed in garlic butter sauce served over spaghetti or risotto where a Californian Chardonnay like <a href="https://www.sokolin.com/2019-ramey-chardonnay-russian-river-valley?utm_source=Wine+Searcher+Feed&amp;utm_medium=Product+Feed&amp;utm_campaign=Products&amp;sku=100991-750-AI">Ramey Russian River Valley</a> Chardonnay works wonders due to its full-bodied character combined with crisp citrus flavors which cut through rich buttery sauces while enhancing shrimp&#39;s sweetness.

4. Fried Calamari - Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Fried calamari needs something light yet flavorful such as <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Desiderio-Bisol-and-Figli-Brut-Prosecco-di-Valdobbiadene-Crede-2021-w0013904x7">Bisol&rsquo;s Prosecco Superiore DOCG</a>. This sparkling wine from Veneto region is made using Glera grapes and offers a delightful balance of fruitiness, acidity, and effervescence that complements the crispness of fried calamari without overpowering it.

5. Baccal&agrave; - Verdicchio

Baccal&agrave; or salted cod stewed with tomatoes and olives calls for something like <a href="https://www.mwwinepark.com/products/13708294/umani-ronchi-casal-di-serra-verdicchio-2021">Umani Ronchi&rsquo;s Casal di Serra Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore</a>. Made in Marche region from Verdicchio grape variety, this white wine has subtle notes of citrus fruits along with a hint of almond which pairs well with the robust flavors of baccala.

6. Grilled Swordfish - Etna Rosso

Grilled swordfish served alongside caponata requires a medium-bodied red such as <a href="https://www.stirlingfinewine.com/products/14037159/benanti-etna-rosso-2019">Benanti&#39;s Etna Rosso</a> made primarily from Nerello Mascalese grapes grown on volcanic soils around Mount Etna in Sicily. Its bright acidity combined with delicate tannins and earthy undertones make it an excellent match for grilled fish dishes.

7. Tiramisu &ndash; Vin Santo

No Italian feast would be complete without dessert; Tiramisu paired beautifully with <a href="https://www.saratogawine.com/Avignonesi-Vin-Santo-Di-Montepulciano-2010-375ml.html?utm_source=winesearcher&amp;utm_medium=paidprodlisting&amp;utm_content=924363&amp;utm_campaign=prodfeeds&amp;v=20L">Avignonesi&rsquo;s Vin Santo di Montepulciano</a> crafted predominantly from Trebbiano Toscano (or Procanico) grapes dried over straw mats before being aged in traditional oak barrels called caratelli. This sweet Tuscan wine exhibits rich honeyed flavors complementing tiramisu&#39;s creamy texture while balancing its sweetness perfectly.

The Feast of Seven Fishes not only celebrates the joyous holiday season but also showcases Italy&#39;s rich seafood cuisine enhanced by their diverse range of wines spanning across various regions each possessing unique terroir characteristics reflected within every bottle produced there.

Remember, these are just suggestions; feel free to experiment according to your personal preference because at the end what matters most is the joy of sharing good food and wine with loved ones during this festive season.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, a tradition deeply rooted in Italian-American heritage, is an extravagant seafood banquet celebrated on Christmas Eve. This age-old custom brings families together to enjoy seven (or more) fish courses paired beautifully with select wines. Let's delve into this delightful culinary journey and explore some exquisite wine pairings for each course.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Delectable Holiday Tradition Paired with Exquisite Wines

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

Sazon

Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Sazon, in Santa Fe New Mexico. 

Wine List Review of Sazon, Santa Fe

Sam Hohl

Sazon:

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 Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier.

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Hello Sam,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.

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MQ: Hi Robert!

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RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules, which is now available in the Apple App store to demystify wine lists because we know from experience that sometimes when we get that&nbsp; list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

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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.

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RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

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Cork Rules

Saz&oacute;n

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Overview

Saz&oacute;n is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and features modern takes on classic Latin American dishes made by their James Beard Award winning chef. They also offer an award winning cocktail and wine program to accompany their carefully curated menu.&nbsp;

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Where to start

This is definitely a special spot- along with their delicious Mexican-inspired cuisine they also feature an extensive range of spirits, with a focus on tequilas and mezcals. You can do tasting dinners here as well with featured wine and spirits which sounds like a blast. The wine list here is categorized into 5 sections and one is for Mexican wines, which is so exciting to be able to explore what Mexican wines have to offer!

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The 2019 Bruma &lsquo;Ocho Blanco de Carignan&rsquo; would be a really great start to the night. This is from Bruma winery located in the Valle de Guadalupe wine region, which is where a majority of Mexican wine is produced. This bottle is unique in that it&rsquo;s a Blanc de Noir, so they use a red grape to make a white wine, like the method usually used for Champagne. The red skins don&rsquo;t have contact with the wine so it&rsquo;s just the juice used to make the white wine. This bottle will have notes of lemon, peach and melon. It&rsquo;s going to be creamy on the palate with zippy acid, making it wonderful with shellfish and cream based dishes, so you could try it paired with the shrimp enchiladas.

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If you&rsquo;re looking for a red you could try the 2019 Solar Fort&uacute;n Petit Verdot. Solar Fart&uacute;n winery is also in Valle de Guadalupe where the vineyards are made up of Southern Rhone and Bordeaux grape varietals. 2019 was a great vintage for this Petit Verdot and it brings beautiful blueberry notes along with violet and hints of savory herbs. It&rsquo;s a natural pair with this menu since it&rsquo;s so good with rich meats or dishes with lots of spices and flavor.

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Value

There&rsquo;s some wonderful range on this list, and the 2021 Casa Magoni, &lsquo;Manaz&rsquo; is an exciting choice at a great value. Camillo Magoni is the winemaker behind Casa Magoni and he is from Italy but has been making a name for Mexican wines in Baja California for over 50 years. This bottle is half Friano and half Viognier. You&rsquo;ll get really lovely floral qualities from the Viognier, along with notes of green apple and grapefruit. There&rsquo;s some subtle tropical fruit flavors as well.

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Another value find would be the 2020 Casa Jipi Nebbiolo. Casa Jipi is located in the San Vicente Valley region of Baja California. This Nebbiolo is going to be full of blueberry and blackberry fruit along with hints of pepper and chocolate. It&rsquo;s aged in stainless steel so it&rsquo;s going to be a bit more fruit forward than a Nebbiolo aged in oak. This is a bigger wine that has nice tannins so it&rsquo;s definitely a food wine and it will hold up to something like the Black Pepper Crusted Tenderloin on the menu.

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Celebratory

There are some really nice options on here to make your night special. First, the &lsquo;Heredad Reserva&rsquo; from Segura Viudas would be a beautiful choice for some bubbles. They&rsquo;re located in the Pened&egrave;s wine region located about an hour from Barcelona. This Cava is made from 75% Macabeo and 25% Chardonnay. This bottle will have notes of pastry, honey and delicate citrus. It&rsquo;s going to be a really refreshing and uplifting choice to celebrate with!

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There&rsquo;s also a Reserve Selection where you can find some really stand-out higher end bottles. One that caught my eye was the &nbsp;2015 Dominio del &Aacute;guila, &lsquo;Pe&ntilde;a Aladas&rsquo; Gran Reserva. This would be a gorgeous red to celebrate with. It&rsquo;s from the Ribera del Duero region and is a blend made primarily with Tempranillo. It gets barrel aged for four years and has flavors of silky dark fruit along with tobacco and chalk. It&rsquo;s full bodied with a long finish to savor. This is just a beautiful vintage and under 2300 bottles made so it&rsquo;s a special one to find.

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RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Sazon&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

To our audience, Thank you all for Joining us here on CorkRules.

&nbsp;

If you would like Sam 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 cue as quick as possible.

&nbsp;

Also please download the CorkRules app where we have all your favorite restaurants, and you can get personalized recommendations and connect with your friends.

&nbsp;

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. Please check out our the app or website for all our latest episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

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Thank you.

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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

Château Fage is a family-owned winery located in Graves de Vayres, Bordeaux, France. The winery has been producing high-quality wines since 1789, and has a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Château Fage's wines are known for their elegance, balance, and complexity.

Upmarket, Korean-style grill offering premium cuts of beef such as dry-aged prime ribeye.

Dante

Geronimo

La Mercerie

Bar Primi

Kirby’s Steakhouse

The 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

Jeong Yuk Jeom Korean BBQ

Goldschmidt Vineyards

Chelsea Goldschmidt Merlot NV

Merlot

Alexander Valley, USA

Château d'Anielle

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru NV

Blend

France

Tree Fort

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Paso Robles, USA

Schug

Sauvignon Blanc NV

Sauvignon Blanc

Sonoma Coast, USA

Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay NV

Monterey County, USA

Talbott

Kali Hart Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

California, USA

Kim Crawford

Sauvignon Blanc NV

Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough, New Zealand

Clos de los Siete

Clos de Los Siete (by Michel Rolland) NV

Blend

Mendoza, Argentina

Trefethen, Riesling Dry, Oak Knoll District NV

California, USA

Joseph Carr Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon NV

California, USA

Belle Glos

Balade Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Château Puy-Blanquet

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru NV

Blend

Bordeaux, France

Jordan Winery Chardonnay NV

Russian River Valley, USA

Alpha Omega

Two2 Red NV

Blend

Napa Valley, USA

The Prisoner

Red Blend NV

Zinfandel

California, USA