Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they&rsquo;re grown in, even though they&rsquo;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.

This white grape variety is called Pinot Gris in its home country, France. Gris means gray in French and it refers to the unusual color of the grape skins. The color can differ from grey, slightly purple or even orange or pink. For white grape varieties these colors are quite uncommon. Due to this it is sometimes used for blush wine, light ros&eacute; styled wine that is. The name is similar to the black grape Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris is actually naturally mutated from this variety hundreds of years ago.

The same grape is also grown in Italy under the name Pinot Grigio. They grape may have originated in France, but it&rsquo;s here in Italy where the most acres are planted to the grape. Even though it&rsquo;s the same variety, the styles made are worlds apart. The French style, made in the wine region Alsace, can be full-bodied with intense aromas of peach and honey even though the wines are not sweet. The colored grape skin can also give these wines a deeper golden color. The Italian style finds its home in the Alps in the northern part of the country. The cool climate here provides fresh and light styles of wine, with aromas of green apple and lime often meant for early consumption.

Today the grape can be found in other countries like the USA and New Zealand where the chosen name of the grape stated on the label tends to link back to the style made either in France or Italy. Both styles can be great and it depends on the occasion which one that should be opened. The richer style made in Alsace is perfect to flavorful food where the elegant Pinot Grigio is best as is or to raw fish or seafood. Which is your favorite?

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

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

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

Bacchanalia

Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at Bacchanalia, an award-winning restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia

Wine List Review of Bacchanalia, Atlanta

Sam Hohl

Bacchanalia

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier. Hello Sam,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.

MQ: Hi Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to 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, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT:

Cork Rules

Bacchanalia

Overview

Bacchanalia is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is known for their inspired takes on American cuisine. You&rsquo;re invited to settle in and create your meal from their 4 course prix fixe menu while indulging in some of their incredible wine selections.

Sam, I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what you think of their wine list?

Where to start

This wine list accompanies the theme here perfectly, with large selections of American wine and French wine. They also have some great choices from other new and old world regions too, and so many options to pair with their four-course menus. This experience is a lot of fun because you get to really customize what direction your meal is going in, which could sway your wine choice too if you didn&rsquo;t already have something in mind! They also have a sommelier to assist with choosing wine that goes with the selections you&rsquo;ve made from the menu, but there&rsquo;s absolutely some bottles from their list we can dive into as well!&nbsp;

To start off I&rsquo;d go for the 2020 Fourneaux 1er Cru from Samuel Billaud. Samuel is from a family of winemakers who&rsquo;ve been producing wines in the Chablis region for years and are well known for their production standards and exceptional wines. In 2009 Samuel set off to craft wine on his own, and using the knowledge he gained from his father and grandfather he has made his own name for being a master at creating these beautiful wines and really representing all the terroir has to offer- he&rsquo;s now known as one of the best winemakers in the Chablis region.This bottle is going to have persistent and refreshing acidity, citrus notes and a streak of salinity as well, all coming together for a really complex sip and a long finish to savor. This would be great paired with some oysters to really compliment the briny qualities in each.

The 2016 Pinot Noir from Day Wines in Oregon would be a wonderful red to start with. Grapes are sourced from Momtazi Vinyards in the Willamette Valley, which are farmed biodynamically. 30% of the Pinot Noir grapes are fermented with the whole cluster of grapes, which means the stems are included and it adds structure and tannic qualities to the wine. The wine is aged in 90% neutral French oak, so it&rsquo;s not going to have heavy notes of vanilla or spice from the oak aging. This bottle is going to have great dark fruit flavors, black cherry, earthy soil tones, all balanced by mineral qualities. Try it with the steak tartare with sesame and kimchi- the acid and light body of the wine would be great with the delicate quality of the raw steak and umami from the sesame, making for a really playful way to start the meal.

Value

The 2018 Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec would be a great value bottle. Grapes for this Malbec were sourced from Luj&aacute;n de Cuyo located in the Mendoza province of Argentina, an area famous for their Malbec wines.This bottle is juicy with both dark fruit and raspberry notes, flavors of crushed stone and some pepper and spice from oak aging.It has tannins that are present without being too grippy on the palate.Great richness balanced by acidity so it&rsquo;s fun to drink and even more fun with some food! It would be a good pair with the lamb with artichoke and aioli and would stand up to the fatty and bright notes in the dish.&nbsp;

Celebratory 

The 2014 Bollinger, Grande Ann&eacute;e Brut would be a celebration all its own! The Bollinger family has been producing wines since 1829 and their House of Champagne is located in &Auml;y, France. They have 179 hectares of vines, and pride themselves on their Pinot Noir grapes, which take up 60% percent of their vineyard, which they refer to as the backbone of their House. The common blend for Champagne is usually 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay but for Grande Annee they use a slightly different ratio of 61% Pinot Noir to 39% Chardonnay, striking harmony between depth and freshness. This bottle will have delicate bubbles, some citrusy tones, stone fruit, roasted nuts and some salinity on the finish. So much going on, super fun to drink and definitely a food-worthy bottle too! If you&rsquo;re feeling like you need a luxury overload, you could go with the Foie Gras Terrine, or maybe their triple cream cheese with honey and Sourdough? Or if you&rsquo;re on to the second course the duck with eggplant and pole bean would be lovely. Either way, this bottle is sure to elevate your evening!

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Bacchanalia&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself.&nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Sam 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.

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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

Chiarli is a historic family-owned winery in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. With over 150 years of experience, they specialize in producing high-quality Lambrusco wines using traditional methods. Their commitment to quality and innovation has earned them a reputation as one of the top Lambrusco producers in the world.

Spanish tapas & full entrees served in a modern, upscale-casual setting with an outdoor patio.

Craft

Craft L.A.

Barbrix

Wally's

The Belvedere

Spago Las Vegas by Wolfgang Puck

Spago

Jeune Et Jolie

Cucina Urbana

Rossoblu

Petit Trois

Cowboy Star

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

Miro Spanish Grille

Freixenet

Cava Cordon Negro Brut NV

Blend

Cava, Spain

Clos du Bois

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

North Coast, USA

Voga

Moscato NV

Moscato

Provincia di Pavia, Italy

Clos du Bois

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Gris

California, USA

Freixenet

Cava Gran Cordon Negro Cuvee Especial NV

Blend

Cava

Marqués de Cáceres

Rueda Verdejo NV

Verdejo

Rueda, Spain

Legaris

Ribera del Duero Crianza NV

Tempranillo

Ribera del Duero, Spain

Marqués de Cáceres

Rioja Crianza NV

Tempranillo

Rioja, Spain

J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks, USA, California, Central NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Central Coast, California, USA

Kim Crawford

Sauvignon Blanc NV

Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough, New Zealand

Noah River

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Borsao Bodegas

Cabriola NV

Grenache

Aragon, Spain

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Signature Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Paso Robles, USA

Lagar Da Condesa

O Fillo da Condesa Albarino NV

Albarino

Rias Baixas, Spain

Codornu Cava Original, Spain, Cava NV

Macabeo-Xarello-Parellada Blend

Spain