Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards">James Beard Awards!</a> These talented individuals and establishments have demonstrated exceptional skills and contributed to the culinary world in remarkable ways. Here&#39;s a praise for each winner:

&nbsp;

Outstanding Chef: Rob Rubba of Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C., showcases a mastery of flavors and a commitment to sustainable and plant-based cuisine.

Outstanding Restaurant: Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia, PA, captivates diners with its impeccable service, innovative dishes, and an inviting atmosphere.

Best New Restaurant: Kann in Portland, OR, brings a fresh and exciting culinary experience to the city, pushing boundaries and delighting taste buds.

Outstanding Restaurateur: Ellen Yin, the driving force behind High Street Hospitality Group, including Fork, a.kitchen + bar, and High Street Philly in Philadelphia, PA, has created a dining empire known for its exceptional quality and diverse offerings.

Outstanding Hospitality: The Quarry in Monson, ME, stands out for its warm and welcoming atmosphere, ensuring that guests feel truly cared for.

Emerging Chef: Damarr Brown of Virtue in Chicago, IL, has emerged as a rising star, showcasing culinary creativity and a deep passion for his craft.

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Margarita Manzke of R&eacute;publique in Los Angeles, CA, creates stunning desserts that are as visually captivating as they are delicious.

Outstanding Bakery: Yoli Tortilleria in Kansas City, MO, crafts artisanal tortillas that elevate any meal with their authentic taste and texture.

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Ototo in Los Angeles, CA, offers an impeccable selection of wines and other beverages that enhance the dining experience with every sip.

Outstanding Bar: Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, HI, is a haven for cocktail enthusiasts, delivering exceptional libations with skill and flair.

Best Chef: Midwest: Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger of Fairchild in Madison, WI, create a culinary symphony, fusing local ingredients with inventive techniques.

Best Chef: Mountain: Kris Komori of KIN in Boise, ID, showcases the diverse flavors of the region, combining culinary traditions with contemporary flair.

Best Chef: South: Natalia Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, PR, celebrates the vibrant flavors of Puerto Rican cuisine with a modern twist.

Best Chef: Northeast: Sherry Pocknett of Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, RI, captivates diners with her creative dishes rooted in indigenous ingredients and traditions.

Best Chef: Southwest: Andrew Black of Grey Sweater in Oklahoma City, OK, dazzles diners with his innovative approach to regional ingredients and bold flavors.

Best Chef: Southeast: Terry Koval of The Deer and the Dove in Decatur, GA, showcases a deep understanding of Southern cuisine, blending tradition with contemporary techniques.

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic: Chutatip &ldquo;Nok&rdquo; Suntaranon of Kalaya in Philadelphia, PA, takes diners on a culinary journey through the flavors of Thailand, beautifully balancing authenticity and innovation.

Best Chef: New York State: Junghyun Park of Atomix in New York, NY, crafts refined and intricate dishes that pay homage to Korean cuisine with a contemporary twist.

Best Chef: California: Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks, CA, showcases the rich and complex flavors of Thai cuisine, creating a memorable dining experience.

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific: Vince Nguyen of Berlu in Portland, OR, presents a menu that celebrates the bounty of the Pacific Northwest, highlighting local and sustainable ingredients.

Best Chef: Texas: Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen in Houston, TX, brings the vibrant and diverse flavors of Thai street food to the heart of Texas, creating an unforgettable culinary experience.

Best Chef: Great Lakes: Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama in Chicago, IL, craft innovative Filipino-inspired dishes that celebrate the flavors and traditions of their heritage.

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Special mentions for the wine-related categories:

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Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Ototo in Los Angeles, CA, impresses with its curated wine selection, showcasing a diverse range of varietals and regions.

Outstanding Bar: Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, HI, offers an exceptional selection of wines, spirits, and cocktails, ensuring a memorable drinking experience for all.

&quot;At CorkRules we&rsquo;d like to congratulate&nbsp;the winners of the 2023 James Beard Awards! You inspire us with your passion and innovation. The restaurant industry continues to reimagine itself and these winners are leading the inspiration&rdquo;, Robert Tas, CEO/Founder of CorkRules.

Cheers to all the winners.&nbsp;

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 James Beard Awards! These talented individuals and establishments have demonstrated exceptional skills and contributed to the culinary world in remarkable ways. Here's a praise for each winner

2023 James Beard Award Winners Spotlight

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

Cecilia Bonet

Taverna di Bacco

Taverna Di Bacco

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 Cecilia Bonet, wine educator and certified sommelier.

Hello Cecilia, great to have you back for another great wine list.

CB: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s 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.

Top Level View

With a short wine list, they introduce us into Italy with just one page. There is a great selection of wines at a fair price, although you will not find the most recognized producers. So, let me walk you through it.

Unique Stuff

Fi&agrave; Nobile 2012 Cerasuolo di Vittoria

The name of the only DOCG in Sicily comes from &lsquo;Cerasa&rsquo;, cherry in the Sicilian dialect. It is a blend produced from the indigenous varieties nero d&rsquo;avola and frappato.

This Cerasuolo is a unique wine, easy to drink for its youthful flavours and aromas of cherry, strawberry and pomegranate, due to the particular soil and climate in which the grapes are cultivated.

As Cerasuolo di Vittora has excellent levels of natural acidity, it is a wonderful food wine. Pair the wines with a variety of dishes! I&rsquo;d say try it with the Spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce.

Value Wines

Trebbiano d&rsquo;Abruzzo, Contesa 2016 is the wine I&rsquo;d like to suggest.

Although Abruzzo is well known for its red wines and for good reason, this region has a plenty of whites that are worth exploring.

The trebbiano grape has been grown in central Italy since Roman times. This Trebbiano d&rsquo;Abruzzo has perfumed aromas of yellow apples, is creamy on the palate with orchard fruit flavors, sweet spices and a lemony acidity.

A perfect pairing for the RIGATONI with chicken ragu&#39; alla parmigiana and peas.

Bigger budget/Special Occasion 

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010 Rinieri

Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence and has a warmer and drier climate than Chianti.

The sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.

The Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010, produced by Rinieri is a magnificent wine that will appeal to those who love the softer and richer side of Brunello. With precision and complexity, this full body but still elegant wine, shows violets, dark cherry and blackberry, softened by spice.

A truly fantastic wine to enjoy with STINCO D&#39;AGNELLO: braised lamb shank with parmesan risotto.

Cecelia, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Taverna di Bacco&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go 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;

&nbsp;

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

Peirano Estate is a historic winery located in the heart of the Lodi AVA. They are known for producing high-quality, estate-grown wines that showcase the unique terroir of the region.

Stylish indoor/outdoor lounge at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess serving cocktails & bar bites.

Eddy V's Prime Seafood Restaurant

The View

Il Capriccio

Clarity

Bellissimo Restaurant

Bellissimo

Sandbar

Mirabelle Restaurant & Tavern

Mirabelle at Three Village Inn

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The Plaza Bar

Available Wines
Total Wines - 9

Canyon Road Chardonnay, California NV

California, USA

Canyon Road

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Canyon Road

Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

St Michel Luxe Brut Rose Columbia Valley Washington NV

Washington, USA

Dr. Loosen

Dr. L Riesling NV

Riesling

Mosel, Germany

Fable

Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Kind Stranger Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, Washington, Columbia Valley NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Washington, USA

Sonoma-Cutrer

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

California, USA

Sonoma-Cutrer

The Cutrer Chardonnay NV

Russian River Valley, USA