<a href="https://balthazarny.com/">Balthazar </a>is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let&rsquo;s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let&rsquo;s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

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From north to south, the various wine regions have distinct characteristics in climate and soil, and of course, each region grows the varietals that are best suited to thrive, but because the climate and terroir inform the texture, sweetness, age of vine and harvest time of the grape, the flavor of the same varietals differ depending on the location. &nbsp;

There are over 200 indigenous wine varietals, some are well-known and loved, chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. These are the friendly bottles you can call up on a Friday night to kick back with because you know what to expect; but there are others that are lesser-known varietals like persan, prunelard noir, and lival. You might order a bottle of these strangers if you&rsquo;re looking for a little adventure.

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At Balthazar, they offer wines from every region, but let&rsquo;s explore the wines of Bordeaux. Why? Because the popular merlot and cabernet sauvignon originated from Bordeaux and when you think Bordeaux, you automatically think red. In fact, ninety percent of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

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Bordeaux wine country&nbsp;is divided into two main regions: the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The terroir of the Left Bank

Well, one of the biggest differences between the Left and Right banks is what&rsquo;s in the soil. The Left Bank is warmer and the soil has more gravel, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc thrive here. Cabernet Sauvignon needs more heat than merlot to ripen and release the sugars that deliver bold black fruit flavors, high levels of tannin and acid. Additionally, the gravel ensures good drainage and holds heat better than the clay soils of the Right Bank.

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The Right Bank terroir has more clay and limestone, and the climate is cooler and wetter. Merlot ripens in the slightly cooler temperature of this area, and the wetter, cooler clay soil helps nurture smooth tannins and a mix of red and black fruit flavours.

For more tips and recommendations, check out this CorkRules&rsquo; <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/balthazar/episodes/17">wine review podcast</a>&nbsp;episode where certified sommelier Maria Valetta reviews Balthazar&rsquo;s wine list.

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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 through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

&nbsp;

About CorkRules:&nbsp;CorkRules, the first digital wine app experience, makes it easier for you to navigate the restaurant wine list, and 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;&nbsp;

Balthazar is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let’s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let’s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

Bordeaux Wines at Balthazar

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

Robert Tas and Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, review the wine list at Bocca di Lupo in London. 

Wine List Review of Bocca di Lupo in London, U.K.

Tina Johansson

Bocca di Lupe

CorkRules Script

Bocca di Lupo

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier.

Hi Tina, thanks for being back with us on another episode of CorkRules, - a podcast where we help simplify and demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants. We talk with certified sommeliers and wine professionals who point out interesting bottles, classic food and wine pairings, hidden gems, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

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TJ: Thank you Robert, good to be back here with you.

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RT: Today we&rsquo;re visiting Bocca di Lupo in London, an authentic Italian restaurant that have gotten many accolades since opening in 2008, due to their simple but genuine food. All 20 regions are represented on the menu, that is ever-changing to follow the seasons. They make as much as they can on their own, like pasta, sausages and mostarda and they even have their own gelato shop! A dream place for anyone into the amazing Italian cuisine.

TJ: Yeah, Italian food is one of my favorites, as is the wine. But yes, the food made here really takes me back to all the times I&rsquo;ve visited Italy and I just love it. And the wines here! The list is Italian only, they don&rsquo;t even serve champagne! I really admire restaurants that stay true to their concept like this one.

RT: Wow, not many restaurants are brave enough not to serve champagne these days. So if you want to start with something bubbly, what should you drink instead?

TJ: Well Italy actually makes some amazing sparkling wines as well. Everyone knows prosecco, but they have other styles of sparkling wine as well that are made with the traditional method, meaning the same as in champagne. To really dive into the Italian vibe here I would start with a sparkling wine from Trentino in the north of Italy. One of the Top producers here is Ferrari and one of their most prestigious wines has a place on the list here, their 2015 Perl&eacute; Nero Riserva Brut made from Pinot Noir. Fantastic start, fresh but quite full-bodied to handle different cheeses and salumi for the classic antipasti platter.

RT: Sounds delicious! I&rsquo;ve been admiring the menu and what better way than to start an evening with sparkling wine, burrata cheese and Parma ham?

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TJ: Definitely! They do something else I love here, all food has a region of origin next to them which is so cool. As you might now by now I&rsquo;m a big fan of eating food and drinking wine from the same area, so listing region for both wine and food is just the best idea. And listen to these courses; risotto nero with cuttlefish in its own ink from Veneto, the classic aubergine parmigiana from Campania and a pot dish with chickpeas, tomato and mint from Puglia. Getting hungry yet?

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RT: Yeah absolutely! And thirsty. What are we drinking with all of this amazing food?

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TJ: Well for me, a safe bet with food containing a lot of tomato is anything Sangiovese-based. They have an amazing Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany, and the Brunello DOCG area has to make their wines with 100% Sangiovese by law. So I&rsquo;d drink the Casanova di Neri Brunello called Cerretalto from 2016. A fantastic bottle!

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RT: Wow, bringing out the big guns here! Brunello wines are amazing. So Besides this one, is there anything else you must try on the list?

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TJ: Yes, I see a Freisa I would love to drink. Freisa is a less know grape variety from Piedmont that usually makes a bit lighter and fruitier styles of wine. The name Freisa comes from the Italian word for strawberry. Let&rsquo;s open a bottle of 2018 Freisa Ky&egrave; from the producer Vajra.

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RT: Sounds great, always fun to try something less common when out dining. Thank you for your recommendations today Tina. 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: Info@corkrules.Com 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 quick 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 wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

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END

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