Certified sommelier Maria Valetta explores the <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/smith-&amp;-wollensky/episodes/6">wine list of Smith and Wollensky</a>&nbsp;on the upper east side of New York City. Top wine varietals under the spotlight include a 2020 Louis Jadot Macon Village, the PAX 2019 Gamay, the 2018 Aperture Cabernet from Sonoma showcased on their Captain&rsquo;s Pocket List Page or the 2018 Hourglass Blueline Estate Cabernet from Napa.

When it comes to defining wine, you can categorize them by region, varietal, or style, but to really get to grips with understanding the world of wine, it makes sense to go to the source. The grape.

The type of grape is known as the varietal, and whereas once upon a time the varietals were specific to a region, in contemporary vineyards, varietals are planted, crossbred, and potentially, genetically modified. Additionally, the flavors, skins, and chemical compounds of each varietal will change depending on the terroir, temperature, and weather.

There are over a thousand different varietals of wine grapes but the following eight are the most commonly known grape household names. chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, &nbsp;pinot gris, and riesling, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, and pinot noir.

However, beyond these eight common varietals there exists a large and adventurous world of wine varietals to explore, each with its own unique characteristics based on environment, age, and production method.

At <a href="https://www.smithandwollenskynyc.com/">Smith &amp; Wollensky</a>, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Willamette Valley to experience how a light tannin red works well with the meaty fish. Pinot noir is a lighter-bodied wine with notes of cherry, cranberry, and rose. It&rsquo;s drier and has a higher acidity with smooth tannins. The higher acidity and tannins pairs well with oily, meaty fish dishes. The tannins help bring out flavor that is carried in the fat, and in symbiosis, the fat tempers the tannins&rsquo; astringency, which allows the other characteristics in the wine to rise on the palate.

And with the Lobster, &nbsp;try a bottle of the Louis Jadot, Macon-Villages Chardonnay

Burgundy, and see how the chardonnay&rsquo;s notes of yellow citrus, pear, green apple pairs well with the rich seafood. Chardonnay is a full-bodied white that won&rsquo;t be overpowered by the richness of the lobster. When pairing wine with food, just like every good match, it&rsquo;s all about bringing out the best in each other.

On CorkRules podcast episode five, Maria identifies a few value wines on the list that should not be missed, she points out a few outliers that are well worth trying, and she shines a light on the meaning of verticals to help demystify the world of wine.

Cheers.

At Smith & Wollensky, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won’t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Top Wine Varietals at Smith & Wollensky

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

Trattoria Dell'Arte

Grace Hood

Trattoria del Arte

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Bonjourno Roberto!

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about those wine lists. We created CorkRules to help demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

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.

RT:&nbsp;So today we&rsquo;re chatting about Trattoria Del&rsquo;Arte. Grace what are your initial thoughts?

GH: Well, as I always say, you can&rsquo;t go wrong with Italian! Their wine list is an easy 1 page, mainly focusing on Italian wines, with some French and American thrown in there as well.

RT: Awesome! Should be pretty straightforward. Where shall we start?

GH: If we&rsquo;re thinking about kicking it off with sparkling, they have this lovely small production of Italian sparkling called Franciacorta, which is really hard to find outside of Italy so def worth trying out at Trattoria Dell Arte. If you wanted to go with a more classic vintage champagne, then the Bollinger Brut Rose would be a great choice as well.

RT: Awesome. Always love trying new hard-to-find wines. What are you thinking for whites?

GH: Oh man.&nbsp;They have a lot of great Italian whites on the menu. If you&rsquo;re for something on the lighter side, I would do the 2020 Pinot Bianco from the Alto Adige. If you&rsquo;re feeling something with a little bit more weight and citrus to it, the 2020 Soave Classico from the Veneto region would be a great choice. And for our chardonnay drinkers out there, Italy actually does a lovely chardonnay. When it comes to style, it kind of meets somewhere in the middle of an American chardonnay and a French Chardonnay. They have a 2018 chardonnay from Tuscany which would do the trick, and that&rsquo;s actually the white wine pick in the Sommelier Selections portion of this list, so I must know what I&rsquo;m talking about hahaha.

RT: Love it. I haven&rsquo;t had Italian chardonnay in a while. Will have to give it another try again soon. Now we know the Italians are famous for their reds. What would be your recommendations on this list Grace?

GH: Oooh, there are so many good ones to choose from. I&rsquo;m definitely feeling this 2015 Barbaresco from Gaja, which is one of the most famous and high-end producers in Italy. Could also do another piedmont producer and go with this 2013 Barolo from the A Baroli vineyard.&nbsp; 

RT: Oh yum either of those would be a great choice. Now, what if we&#39;re looking for a heavier bolder red?

GH: Then it&rsquo;s gotta be this 2015 Camarcanda, another one from Gaja.&nbsp; Or you could go with this 2009 Brunello di Montalcino from the Biondi Santi vineyards.

RT: Two great super Tuscan options Grace. Can&rsquo;t go wrong with either. Now how about some value wines?

GH: Thankfully this list is pretty affordable overall! But if it were me choosing for the table, I would go with the 2020 Vermentino from Colli di Luni for a white, and this 2018 Barbera D&rsquo;alba from Elvio Cogno 

RT: Delicious and affordable. Just how we like it. Now, how about a special occasion bottle?

GH: If we&rsquo;re going special occasion white, I&rsquo;d choose the 2018 Grand Cru Chablis from Moreau. And then for a special occasion red, I&rsquo;d do the 2010 Montepulciano d&rsquo;Abruzzo from Emidio Pepe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

RT: Amazing Grace. Great choices as always. Thank you for helping us navigate the wine list at Trattoria Del&rsquo;Arte.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; 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. Follow us on social media @CorkRules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

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

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.

Meson

Brasserie Mon Chou Chou

BondST

Buenos Aires Restaurant

Buenos Aires

Meadowsweet

Casa Mono

Atera

La Cava

LAVO Italian Restaurant

Lavo

Quality Italian

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

Azure

Francois Lurton (Hacienda Araucano), Reserva Carmenere, Colchagua Valley NV

Central Valley, Chile

Viognier

Domaine de la Janasse NV

France

Bernard Magrez

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Rivarose

Brut Prestige Rose NV

Grenache

Méditerranée, France

Joseph Drouhin

Chorey-Les-Beaune NV

Pinot Noir

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France

Ernest Rapeneau

Selection Brut Champagne NV

Blend

Champagne, France

Matteo Pictor Pape Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone 1990

Rhone, France

Château Soussans

Margaux 2013

Blend

Bordeaux, France

Buenos Aires

Red Blend NV

Mendoza, Argentina

André Delorme

Blanc de Blancs Brut Reserve NV

Chardonnay

France

Veuve Parisot

Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

Blend

Loire Valley, France

Danzante

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Delle Venezie, Italy