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

Aldo Sohm Wine Bar

Alexis Rogers

Aldo Sohm

Aldo Sohm Wine bar

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where, in each episode, we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Alexis Rogers, wine educator and restaurant sommelier

Hi Alexis, thanks for joining us on another episode!

AR: Always a pleasure Robert, even more so today as we are talking about one of my personal heroes!

RT: Well, then I&rsquo;m definitely glad we&rsquo;re doing this list today!&nbsp; CorkRules was created to demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants - an experience that intimidates most of us.

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.

Today we are discussing Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, which takes its name from its famous wine director. Said to be modeled after his own living room, this sleek Midtown joint is everything a good wine bar should be.

Alexis, the wine list does feature very cool, wine-nerdy wines and the menu has a great assortment of elevated snack plates designed to share and pair. I recently had the pleasure of going Aldo Sohm&rsquo;s Wine Bar and I loved the vibe and ambiance. But have to say it was intimidating even reviewing the list so I&rsquo;m super excited for us to tackle it.

So Alexis, why don&rsquo;t you first tell our listeners a little about Aldo.

AR: Aldo Sohm is an award-winning master sommelier and writer. He is the Wine Director at Le Bernadin - a multiple Michelin starred restaurant with more James Beard Awards than any other restaurant in New York. He has also done a lot of very cool collaborations including a French knife company to make his very own corkscrew and with famed Austrian producer, Kracher to make some killer wine. I&rsquo;m a total fangirl and just think he&rsquo;s so COOL!

RT : Haha. The measure of a good man is his wine list so let&rsquo;s take a look at that. What immediately stood out to you about this list?

AR: Being Austrian born, his pride in the wines of his native country is obvious here. He has sizable sections of both reds and whites dedicated to Austria. The whites are easy to spot on the menu because &frac12; of them are marked by grape bunches - indicating here that they are natural wines. Austria has some of the highest wine production standards in the world and they take their beautiful land very seriously. Most producers are organic, sustainable and/or biodynamic. This country&rsquo;s wines are marked by precision and their widespread use of their native grapes. The bottle that immediately grabbed my attention was 2018 Zweigelt by Kracher but I found it in an unexpected place - sweet wines. Zweigelt is a cross between 2 other Austrian red grapes - St Laurent and Blaufrankish and is bursting with bright red cherry and raspberry juices, and notes of black plum, licorice, pepper and chocolate. Now imagine these flavors concentrated into a luscious, sweet wine. This Beerenauslese level wine is very rare and would be a shame to miss. Definitely try this with the Duck Foie Gras for an absolute roller coaster ride and tactile flavor sensations. This might be rare but it&rsquo;s extraordinarily inexpensive so go for that 2nd glass for sure!

RT: That combination sounds incredible! Sometimes, you just need a glass or two of something and not a whole bottle and this sounds like a perfect example of that! Tell us more about the glass pour offerings here.

AR: I&rsquo;m absolutely in love with this By The Glass program. Personally, I would skip the bottles here and order glass by glass and small plate by small plate. Starting with the Croque Monsueir and a glass of the Franzin Quarzit Schiefer Trocken riesling from Mosel Germany. Next up are those Truffle Parmesan fries. I love bubbles with salty fried snacks so the Serrant L&rsquo;Overture Premier Cru Brut Champagne would fit the bill perfectly. The truffle and the toasty cheesy autolytic notes of the champagne will line up perfectly and the tight little bubbles will cleanse your palate of all that french-fry grease. If you&rsquo;re looking for something meatier and more substantial, Braised Short Rib with a glass of the La Banierre Crozes Hermitage Syrah will do the trick. Expressive Syrah always has a sort of smoked-meat essence to it. Meaty peppery savory goodness, meet meaty savory peppery goodness.

RT: My mouth is watering, all of that sounds incredible! I really need to make it over to Aldo Sohm for a few glasses!. Alexis, thank you so much for picking out some of these must-try pairings for us! 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:

Info@corkrules.Com 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. And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

END

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Catena is a renowned family-owned winery in Mendoza, Argentina that has been producing exceptional wines for over a century. Their expertise in high altitude winemaking has allowed them to craft some of the most sought-after wines in Argentina.

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Steak Frites

Alexis Percival is a New York City based CMS certified sommelier, consultant and event planner who puts the art in party.

Certified sommelier Alexis Percival

learn

Join us each week as we pour a glass and share top restaurant ‘wine list’ picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the ‘wine list’ through somm recommendations, suggested food pairings and masterclass insights.

Lavender Bistro - Temp. CLOSED

Turnbull, Red Blend, Oakville 2019

California, USA

Sonoma-Cutrer

Russian River Ranches Chardonnay 2016

Chardonnay

California, USA

Kim Crawford

Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough, New Zealand

Michael David Winery

Freakshow Chardonnay 2019

Chardonnay

California, USA

Michael David Winery

Freakshow Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

Lodi, USA

Meiomi

Sparkling 2018

Chardonnay

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La Crema

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019

Pinot Noir

Sonoma Coast, USA

Neyers

Vista Luna Zinfandel 2018

Zinfandel

California, USA

Oberon Napa Valley 2020

Napa Valley, USA

Kendall-Jackson

Grand Reserve Merlot 2016

Merlot

California, USA

Four Vines

Biker Zinfandel 2018

Zinfandel

California, USA

Michael David Winery

Petite Petit 2019

Petite Sirah

California, USA

E. Guigal

Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc 2020

Viognier

Cotes du Rhone, Rhone, France

Cape Mentelle

Rose 2019

Blend

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Villages

Yohan Lardy Beaujolais, Blanc 'Les Bruyeres' 2020

France