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

Camila Alvarez, head sommelier and consultant, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Le Meson in Montreal

Wine List Review of Le Meson in Montreal, Canada

Camila Alvarez

Meson

La Meson:

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 Camila Alvarez, head sommelier and consultant.

Bonjour Camila,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you join our CorkRules Family from Paris!

CA: 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: Today we are talking about &ldquo;Le Meson&rdquo; wine list.

It has a great energy and wine list to match.

Camila I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their extensive wine list?

CA: Hi Robert, the wine list is very extensive, and I was surprised about the different sections of the wine list, from Spanish wines through the different grape varieties in different styles. I was surprised about the sommelier selection with the indigenous varieties and the Texas selection.

RT: That&rsquo;s great, as you looked at the list did you see anything jump out at you?

CA: Thinking about the indigenous section starting with Spanish Corpinnat designation, in the Catalan region. Xavier Gramona, one of the most famous producers in the region and Enoteca Cuve is made from 12 Grand cru in the region.

Something interesting to taste and different than other sparkling wines.

RT: Ooohh those sound great.

So, Camila, their list seems to have lots of ways we could go but was there anything that you would say is a &ldquo;must-try&rdquo;?

CA: A classic Rioja, is a must try in this wine list. Faustino is a winery in Rioja with more than 100 years of history. The vintage 1985, still good to drink with red aromas and full deep body, gran reserve must be aged minimum 30 months in oak.

RT: So, this list has so many great choices, what other wines would you suggest for our second or third course?

CA: Armenian wines is something different to try and one of the first countries producing wine with Georgia. Yacoubian Hobbs 2015 is made in Vayots Dzor region and the red grape variety Areni is made in a volcanic soil which gives structure and red flavors like red plum and strawberry. For a third course, Vintage Port of Barros 1998 is founded in Vila Nova de Gaia the classic port area, vintages ports are only made in exceptional years from a blend of wines of the same year. The wine is matured in cask for two years and is then bottled, better to demand to decant this type of wine to open the aromas of coffee, nuts, and vanilla.

RT: Ooh, Terrific. Camila, speaking of price, sometimes people have a budget in mind.&nbsp; any other great value wines you&rsquo;d point us to?&nbsp;

CA: Bierzo is a wine region in the Leon community of Spain, great value wines. For example Raul Perez with his cuve Ultreia St Jacques, expressive from the terroir, aged in oak for 10 months but still very easy to drink, the grape variety Mencia is full here.

RT: Now Camila, what if I have a big client dinner or special occasion where I want to take it up a notch?

CA:&nbsp; Elegant and nice for a good dinner is Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero 2002, is a perfect blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet sauvignon, elegant full of red and black plum flavors, blackcurrant and spicy notes.

RT: Cava is always a good call for me, especially with seafood and Spanish food. &nbsp;

CA: I 100 percent agree

RT: Camila, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Le Meson&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go back and try your great suggestions.&nbsp;&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.

&nbsp;

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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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