<a href="https://majorfood.getbento.com/new-york-city-and-boston/">Dirty French</a>&nbsp;is a bistro-style restaurant in Lower Manhattan and Miami &nbsp;that serves classic, traditional French dishes and brings them into contemporary New York by utilizing modern techniques and adding bold twists inspired by our current love of global cuisine.

But when it comes to the wine list, French wines dominate and they are curated from every region, including the lesser-known Savoie region. So let&rsquo;s head over to the mountainous region of the Alps and explore the wines of Savoie.

Where else in the world can you ski in your shorts and sip champagne, and breathe in the pristine alpine air while goat bells ring in the distance? This is Savoie. The eastern border of France and just a short drive through Mont Blanc and you&#39;re in Switzerland and Northern Italy, but we&rsquo;re here for the wine. So let&rsquo;s pop the cork on what the experts have to say about wines from this region.

Savoie&rsquo;s 2,000 hectares of vineyards stretch across four areas: Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isere, and Ain. This mountainous region provides plenty of sloping hillsides while the large lakes help moderate the climate. The cooler temperatures and shorter summer work well for white wine grapes such as &nbsp;In fact, 70 percent of the wine produced in Savoie is white. Of all 23 grape varieties planted here, five are white and only two are red grape.

The most popular white wines from Savoie are produced from the following varietals.

Jacquere produces an early drinking, lively dry wine with flavors that range from floral and fruity (pear, white peach, grapefruit) to mineral and flinty. This varietal is the most commonly grown and used.

Altesse or Roussette &nbsp;is a white variety that ages well, achieving a noted complexity after just a few years in the bottle. Roussanne is known in Savoie as Bergeron, an aromatic wine with firm acidity.

Chasselas produces light-bodied, easy-drinking dry wines that are best drunk young. Gringet is a native varietal in this region, but despite its heritage here, it has only 54 acres of varietals, perhaps because it produces low-alcohol, easy drinking white wines, however, this grape has also produced some elegant and refreshing sparkling wines.

&nbsp;

Moving on to red wine from Savoie; the main red grape varieties are mondeuse and persan. Mondeuse is a native grape first cultivated by the Gauls, a Roman writer noted the grape as being &ldquo;the grape variety that ripens amidst the snow&rdquo; This grape brings a deep purple color to the wine with a well-structured acidity and well-integrated tannins that allow the wine to age well.

Persan is also a native variety but it is difficult to grow and prone to downy mildew. It produces dense tannins and acidity, and while wine from this grape can be harsh when young, it ages well and can kept for over ten years. &nbsp;

Of course, although these are the grapes that provide wine with interesting notes and are designed to thrive in this environment, today&rsquo;s winemakers in this region often turn to the more well-known varietals that can also thrive here and are more resilient to changing weather patterns.

To find a few of the best bottles on the wine list at this restaurant, head on over to<a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/dirty-french/episodes/19">&nbsp;the CorkRules&rsquo; podcast on Dirty French</a>&nbsp;where certified sommelier Michaela Quinlan shares her expertise and offers a few professional suggestions on wines to choose and, most importantly, enjoy.

Cheers!

&nbsp;

About the CorkRules Podcast:&nbsp;Each week we pour a glass and share top restaurant wine list picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the wine list thanks to sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

About CorkRules:&nbsp;CorkRules, the first digital wine app experience aimed at making it easier for you to navigate the restaurant wine list, provides you with personalized wine recommendations from your favorite restaurants. Through CorkRules you can find the perfect wine for every occasion based on your preferences, connect with friends and wine experts to discover new wines to try and learn about wine. CorkRules makes it easier to discover and drink what you love. &nbsp;

Dirty French is a bistro-style restaurant in Lower Manhattan and Miami  that serves classic, traditional French dishes and brings them into contemporary New York by utilizing modern techniques and adding bold twists inspired by our current love of global cuisine.

Dirty French Wines from Savoie

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

Carbone

Michaela Quinlan

Carbone NYC 2022

RT: Hello and welcome back to CorkRules! The wine podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate all your favorite restaurant wine lists!

I&rsquo;m, Robert Tas along with Maria Valetta, certified Sommelier and wine educator,

Hello Maria

MV: Hi Robert. I&rsquo;m looking forward to our wine list review today&hellip; It&rsquo;s a restaurant I&rsquo;m familiar with because I&rsquo;ve been to their location here in Las Vegas, but the original is in your hometown of NYC&nbsp;

RT: That&rsquo;s right Maria, today we are talking about Carbone NYC and things are about to get saucy!

MV: I&rsquo;m ready!

RT: Known for its HEFTY portions of SAUCY Italian-American favorites, served in a swanky setting, Carbone rightfully became a foodie destination the minute it opened its doors on Thompson street in 2013. Reservations are still incredibly tough to snag at this retro-refined, glamorous spot. Inside you&rsquo;ll find unique artwork by Vito Schnabel, server uniforms designed by Zac Posen, and a tiled floor inspired by The Godfather Movie !!!! , And the food&hellip; ,,, will make you want to Mangia Mangia!

Maria I can&rsquo;t wait to see what you think of their extensive wine list.

MV: I really love how well Carbone does elevate Italian-American cuisine..- it reminds me of the way I grew up and the kind of food we ate&hellip; especially for our early Sunday suppers. I have to say, &nbsp;This list has all the top Italian hits&hellip;and I&rsquo;m not talking about Louis Prima,

RT: Although you&rsquo;ll hear his songs in the background for sure

MV: Oh Yes it def that kind of place.. but I was talking about the Italian wine Top Producers! From Bruno Giacosa my favorite producer in the NW of Italy in Piedmont to Fontodi in Tuscany&hellip; to Emidio Pepe in the eastern region of Abruzzo Who famously grows the Montepulciano grape. I want to drink it all. But they also have an excellent collection of high-end producers from America as well&hellip;

RT: Well that sure makes sense given it&rsquo;s an Italian-American concept

MV: Right!

RT: So where should we begin, what would you order at Carbone

MV: Well after you have a cocktail to start,

MV: You should begin to peruse the menu for something to wash down all that red sauce&hellip; or gravy (which is what my Nana called it)

Carbone is a great place to go with a group of friends so I would order the Arnaldo&nbsp;Caprai&nbsp;(ca-Preye) Montefalco Sagrantino &#39;Collepiano&#39;2012&nbsp; (Magnum) For a magnum this is a great price, and you have plenty of wine to go around that way. Montefalco is a region in landlocked&nbsp; Umbria that grows the indigenous&nbsp; Sagrantino grape. Arnaldo basically brought this grape back to existence it&rsquo;s a grape that needs a lot of age to simmer the tannins, so the 2012 is going to feel integrated, with supple tannins loads of baked black cherries and plums and an herbal anise, long-lasting finish.

RT: Sounds Complex and love that it&rsquo;s a magnum giving you access to 2 full bottles of wine for the table

MV: Plus it&rsquo;s fun to try these indigenous Italian grapes!

RT: sounds like a good value too&hellip; and other value wines you would recommend? Say it&rsquo;s date night&hellip;but it&rsquo;s a Monday and I&rsquo;m not trying to blow my weekly budget yet?

&nbsp;

MV: I&rsquo;m going to stick with Italian because there are a lot more options for the price point you&#39;re looking for. Order the

Castello dei Rampolla 2019, a Chianti Classico, mostly comprised of the Sangiovese grape. AND the key word here is Classico (it&rsquo;s from the original most central, highly prized part of the chianti region in Tuscany). I recently had a 2009 Rampolla and wow was it epic&hellip;..all this tomato paste, Chocolate, and some dried oregano were just shining through the concentrated cherry flavors. &nbsp;Another plus, this winery uses biodynamic methods! Pair it with the Spicy rigatoni vodka!

RT: And what about that Friday Date night Wine&hellip; I want to kick the weekend off right:

MV: I&rsquo;m going to give you two wines to splurge on&hellip; an Italian and an American to stick with the restaurant theme!!

My Italian Pick is the Super Tuscan Marchesi Antinori&nbsp;&#39;Tignanello&#39;, 2018 (they also have a 2015 for $50 more if you want a little more age).

&nbsp;Super Tuscans are always impressive and by Super Tuscan, I mean wines made in Italy in the region of Tuscany that intentionally includes non-Italian grape varietals&hellip; typically producers will use cabernet sauvignon or Cab Franc or Merlot and/or Syrah. And some are pricier than others, but the &ldquo;Tigi&rdquo; (which was the first super Tuscan wine produced) is actually not insanely priced here- I just opened a bottle of 2018 recently and while it&rsquo;s still young, it&rsquo;s not awkward by any means. A little decanting and it shows a lovely chewiness and a rich fruit character this wine is mostly Sangiovese but beefed up with some Cab Sauvignon and a dash of Cab Franc.

RT: And your American Pic?

At the same price point as the Tigi, is The Eisele Vineyard Altagr&aacute;cia Cabernet Sauvignon 2018- it&rsquo;s an accessible wine from a legendary vineyard in napa Cali, This is going to be punchy no doubt, but the black currant, wild blueberries, and black pepper are sure to win you over especially when paired with one of their charcoal cooked steaks! So Centanni!

RT: Saluti! Well, that&rsquo;s all we have time for on today&rsquo;s episode&hellip;thank you Maria for helping us navigate Carbone&rsquo;s wine list.&nbsp; Thank you&nbsp; EVERYONE for joining us here on CorkRules, Remember the only rule in wine is &ldquo;Drink what you LOVE&rdquo;.

MV: Have a favorite wine List? Let us review it here on CorkRules. Send us your requests at <a href="mailto:info@corkrules.com">info@corkrules.com</a> and remember to Check out all our episodes on CorkRules.com.

&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

Mateo

Les Jamelles, Viognier, Languedoc 2020

Languedoc, France

Contratto

Millesimato Extra Brut 2016

Blend

Italy

Diatom

Bar-M Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

Chardonnay

California, USA

Daniele Conterno

Langhe Nebbiolo 2019

Nebbiolo

Langhe, Italy

Delas

La Galopine Condrieu 2018

Viognier

Condrieu, Rhone, France

Fortulla

Sorpasso 2011

Blend

Toscana, Tuscany, Italy

Moreau-Naudet

Petit Chablis 2019

Chardonnay

Chablis, Burgundy, France

Sottimano

Langhe Nebbiolo 2020

Nebbiolo

Langhe, Piedmont, Italy

Rizzi Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont 2020

Piedmont, Italy

Grgich Hills Estate

Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2018

California, USA

Domaine Didier Fornerol Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 2019

Burgundy, France

Domaine Chatelain

Selection Sancerre 2020

Sauvignon Blanc

Sancerre, France

Domaine Faury

Saint-Joseph Rouge 2019

Shiraz/Syrah

Saint-Joseph, France

Cigliuti, Barbera d'Alba, Serraboella 2018

Barbera d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy

Barton & Guestier

Chablis Chardonnay 2020

Chardonnay

Chablis, France