<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

Dante

Josh Ardizzoni

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we review a Wine List from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Josh Ardizzoni, certified sommelier and wine consultant

JA: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

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 those lists can sometimes be intimidating and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list with confidence, 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.

&nbsp;

RT: Today we are discussing Dante &ndash; Greenwich Village&rsquo;s legendary Italian-bent caf&eacute;, once crowned &ldquo;World&rsquo;s Best Bar.&rdquo; Although the cocktail program gets so much well-deserved attention, Dante is also a fabulous destination for European-centric food and wine. Josh, I&rsquo;m excited for you to share some favorites from this charming list.

JA:&nbsp; Hello Robert, super excited to delve into Dante. If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the wood fire.

RT: So, this isn&rsquo;t a huge wine list but being so focused on Italy, Spain, and France, there are definitely a lot of unfamiliar offerings for the average diner. Will you walk us through a few recommendations?

JA: Of course! First, what&rsquo;s important to know here is that although the range of wines available on Dante&rsquo;s list is fairly limited, it&rsquo;s been nicely curated down to just those really lovable essentials. When I think of restaurants that feel like this one, I don&rsquo;t need to spend a fortune to have a memorable bottle of wine &ndash; it&rsquo;s more like picking out the right cozy sweater out of the closet on a cold day. Dante really nails that vibe.

RT: I&rsquo;m always looking for that great bottle with a great story that doesn&rsquo;t need to break the bank. What wines would you recommend that fit right into this experience?

JA: I can&rsquo;t think of a better match for all the gorgeous antipasti on the menu than &ldquo;Monte Grande&rdquo; Soave Classico from the Pra winery &ndash; a really concentrated expression of the Garganega grape from the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Floral, citrusy, textured&hellip; a little bit off the beaten path but this is one of Italy&rsquo;s top white varieties, very well balanced and able to lift up food beautifully.

RT: Soave sounds so interesting. Other special white wines to find here?

JA: Sometimes the best discoveries are about the producer and this list features bottles from really excellent winemakers. I&rsquo;m going for Chardonnay from Saint-V&eacute;ran in southern Burgundy made by husband and wife team Frantz Chagnoleau and Caroline Gon. This is one of the best little estates in the humble Maconnais region and is a great find on a list like this &ndash; playful, quaffable, and above all delicious!

RT: How about for reds? If I&rsquo;m ordering some heartier dishes like the wood-grilled fishes or beef, where do we go?

JA: A terrific value and something interesting is the Menc&iacute;a from Algueira. This is a fresh, vibrant wine from the Northwest of Spain, in Galicia. For me, good Mencia is like Pinot Noir infused with peppery and woodsy herbs, flavors which are a beautiful match for the dishes here. The wine director has also been generous enough to offer a delightful young Barolo expression from one of my favorite producers, G.D. Vajra. Their most open and early-drinking bottling is called &ldquo;Albe&rdquo; and can be found in great little spots like Dante for under $100. That&rsquo;s what I call an opportunity.

RT: It really seems like there are lots of values to be found, and lots of exploring through these European regions to do.

JA: Lists like this where there isn&rsquo;t really any fluff allow you to confidently go out and experiment with the magic of food and wine. Pairings like marinated olives with spicy, floral Fiano or wild boar rag&uacute; with a big rustic red from Priorat are happening here every day. You&rsquo;ve gotta go there, open a few bottles, and eat to your heart&rsquo;s content. That&rsquo;s what it&#39;s all about.

RT: Josh Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate the Dante wine list.

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.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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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

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