In the vineyards where the sun does dance,

Beneath the sky&#39;s eternal expanse,

A nectar flows, both bold and refined,

The essence of wine, a gift to find.

&nbsp;

Within its depths, a symphony unfurls,

Notes of passion, as life gently swirls,

From grape to glass, a transformation true,

An alchemy of nature, ancient and new.

&nbsp;

In the vineyards, time becomes a dream,

As golden memories glisten and gleam,

Each sip a portal, a journey to explore,

A taste of life&#39;s essence, forevermore.

&nbsp;

Like the wine that ages with loving care,

Life too evolves, beyond compare,

From youthful vigor to wisdom&#39;s embrace,

Each chapter written with its own grace.

&nbsp;

The wine&#39;s aroma, a fragrant tale,

Whispers of stories that will never fail,

To stir the senses, ignite the soul,

As life&#39;s rich tapestry begins to unfold.

&nbsp;

In every glass, a vibrant reflection,

Of joy and sorrow, of love&#39;s affection,

For wine, like life, is a fleeting art,

A celebration of moments, held close to the heart.

&nbsp;

So raise your glass, let laughter flow,

In wine, in life, let your spirit grow,

Savor each sip, let passion entwine,

For in wine and life, the essence divine.

&nbsp;

The Promise of Wine

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

Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit the legendary Polo Lounge inside the Beverly Hills Hotel to review their wine list.

Wine List Review of the Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills

Grace Hood

The Polo Lounge

The Polo Club

Robert Tas&nbsp;

Hello, and welcome to court rules, a podcast where we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&#39;m your host, Robert Tas, along with Grace Hood wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello, Grace. It&#39;s great to have you back for another great wine list.

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

Darling. It&#39;s wonderful to be here. As always,

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

Before we jump in, let&#39;s talk little CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists, because we know from experience that sometimes, when we get that list handed to us, well, it 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 to take your dining experience over the top. So sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. Okay, Grace, or shall I say Greta Garbo. What a fabulous spot are we reviewing today?

Grace Hood&nbsp; 00:54

Oh, darling, we have a real treat today, Robert. We will be talking about the legendary Polo Club, which is inside the Beverly Hills Hotel. Honestly, you had me at Polo Club. You can take the girl out of the Hamptons, but you cannot take the Hamptons out of the girl.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

I love it. This place. Sounds fantastic. And it&#39;s in the Beverly Hills Hotel, I think right? pretty famous for business meetings and lots of celebrities.

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

Absolutely. It is an iconic Los Angeles location. It has been described as Hollywood&#39;s commissary and it has such deep-rooted Tinseltown history. And I personally love any place that enforces a dress code. Call me old fashion, but I think exceptional places deserve exceptional sartorial choices. It&#39;s all very old Hollywood, which has always been a really big inspiration in my life. So I&#39;m super excited to dive into the Polo lounge, wine and cocktail list.

Robert Tas&nbsp; Oh, fantastic. I&#39;m really excited about this one. So where do you want to start with this legendary lounge?&nbsp;

Grace Hood&nbsp;

Well, they really love to highlight their cocktail list here. And the most special to me was definitely their 100 and 10th anniversary cocktails, which are all inspired by iconic Hollywood legends.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

Whoa, Grace, this Something tells me that you might know as much about Hollywood as you do about wine.

Grace Hood&nbsp; I actually do Roberts, I grew up watching Turner Classic Movies with my grandmother. While all the other kids were watching Disney and Nickelodeon. I was the kid obsessing over Scarlett O&#39;Hara&#39;s dresses and Gone With the Wind, or gene Kelly&#39;s dancing An American in Paris. I also took a class in history called the history of cinema in high school. And I also studied film studies in college. So besides one, I&#39;ve always been really passionate about film.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wow, that&#39;s amazing. Me too. I&#39;m a big Fred Astaire guy. So, of course, I gotta ask you, does your name come from Grace Kelly? Maybe?

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yes, it&#39;s one of the graces I was named after. I do try to have the legend of our name. Be proud and fierce and fabulous. I love

Robert Tas&nbsp; 02:54

it. You&#39;re a modern Audrey Hepburn. And speaking. Speaking of that, so what kind of inspirations did the Polo lounge using their menu?

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

Well, they started at the very beginning of the film industry paying homage to the talkies with a drink called the Mary Pickford, who was one of the first-ever screen sirens during the silent picture era. She was one of the original celebrities to move into Beverly Hills and started its popularity as a star-studded neighborhood.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wow, drink recommendations and real estate history. Grace, you always hit us with some fun facts on our podcast.

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

I&#39;m here for your entertainment Robert to educate and entertain. And speaking of entertainment. Another cocktail they have is called Elizabeth&#39;s Chocolate Martini, which of course is named for the legendary icon, Elizabeth Taylor. She was a regular at the Polo lounge, and also had many of her honeymoons at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And of course, this list would not be complete without a drink called The Rat Pack, which needs no explanation. Of course, I can just picture Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin holding court in one of those old you know, red leather booths, smoking a cigar and just draped in beautiful women.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

Absolutely. Don&#39;t forget my boy Sammy to. All right, of course. What a glamorous time to be in Hollywood. Now, what about the wine selections at the Polo lounge? Grace seems like a small but carefully curated list.

Grace Hood&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yes, sir. It&#39;s just two pages. And it just goes right to the classics. If we wanted to start with champagne, which was Marilyn Monroe&#39;s drink of choice at the Polo Lounge, we could either do a Perrier Jou&euml;t Grand Brut, Mo&euml;t &amp; Chandon Imp&eacute;rial Brut, NV or Ruinart, Brut Ros&eacute;, NV

Robert Tas&nbsp; 04:35

Totally. I can totally picture her and that iconic smile, toasting with a glass of champagne. All right, what about some whites to sip on? Why were people watching at this great lounge?

Grace Hood

Oh, if you wanted a lighter-style white, I would go with a Twomey Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma. Or if you wanted another California, you could do the Chardonnay, Patz &amp; Hall, Dutton Ranch

Russian River Valley or if you wanted to even buttery if you wanted that buttery style. Or if you wanted to French chardonnay they have a Chablis from Domaine Laroche.

Robert Tas&nbsp;&nbsp;

That sounds delicious. Now Grace, there&#39;s gotta be some classic reds too on this menu from producers to really open up while they&#39;re making deals and all those studio heads.

Grace Hood&nbsp;

You betcha Robert, if you&#39;re looking for a pinot, there&#39;s actually a special bottling made exclusively for the Beverly Hills Hotel from the Deer Bird vineyard out of Santa Barbara. I would definitely try that as you won&#39;t be able to get it anywhere else. But if you&#39;re craving a big bold red, they have one of my favorite Northern California cabernet is on the menu from Pride vineyards. And that&#39;s sure to close the deal.

Robert Tas&nbsp;

Oh, that sounds amazing. Grace, this was so much fun. Thank you for helping us navigate the beverage menu at the Polo lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. 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 an email to info@Corkrules.com or visit our website where we have that request form available. We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for all our latest episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists. And please follow us on social media at CorkRules and at wines with Grace. And finally, drink what you love. And please make sure you drink responsibly. We look forward to being with you on another court rules episode soon. Cheers.

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Laurent Montagu is a small family-owned winery located in the heart of Sancerre. The vineyards are situated on the slopes of the Loire Valley, where the unique terroir of the region produces some of the finest Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Laurent Montagu is committed to producing wines that reflect the terroir and the vintage, with minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery.

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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

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

Litchfield's

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Newton

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Nickel & Nickel

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