<a href="https://ko.momofuku.com/">Momofuku Ko</a>&nbsp;is an award-winning restaurant in NYC that offers an exceptional dining experience. &nbsp;It won two Michelin stars in 2009 and has maintained that status ever since. It was also awarded three stars by the New York Times in 2015, and in 2019, it was ranked No. 76 on the World&rsquo;s 50 Best Restaurants list. With credentials like this, you&rsquo;d expect a top-quality wine list and you would not be disappointed.

So, if dining Japanese, which wines pair well?

Japanese cuisine is quite varied and includes a wide range of seafood dishes, tempura, sushi and sashimi, pork, chicken, ramen&hellip;, the flavors and textures are diverse, which means we need a wine list with a variety of options.

With sushi and sashimi, you can go wrong with a crisp, clean white wine like a gr&uuml;ner veltliner. A white wine with high acidity and lemony, citrus notes works well with seafood. Sauvignon blanc also pairs well with sushi, and, of course, Champagne also works well.

If you opt for a bowl of ramen or miso soup, the strong umami calls for a bolder wine that won&rsquo;t be overpowered nor overpower. Consider choosing a fortified wine like an Assyrtiko from Greece or even a Manzanilla sherry. However, many ramen dishes use soy sauce, in this case, a light-bodied pinot noir will also work well.

Fried, battered and grilled dishes like tempura, katsu, karaage and agedashi tofu pair well with aromatic and full-bodied whites, such as chardonnay or pinot gris. However, light to medium reds can also work spectacularly well. Think pinot noir, gamay or grenache.

If you are thinking of dining at Momofuku Ko, &nbsp;check out the CorkRules<a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/momofuku-las-vegas/episodes/23">&nbsp;podcast </a>episode with certified sommelier Michaela Quinlan. She navigates the wine list at &nbsp;Momofuku Ko and offers a few stellar suggestions.

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 through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

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;

Momofuku Ko is an award-winning restaurant in NYC that offers an exceptional dining experience.  It won two Michelin stars in 2009 and has maintained that status ever since. It was also awarded three stars by the New York Times in 2015, and in 2019, it was ranked No. 76 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. With credentials like this, you’d expect a top-quality wine list and you would not be disappointed.

Pairing Wine with Japanese Food at Momofuku Ko

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

Geronimo

Josh Ardizzoni

La Mercerie

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, wine consultant,

Hello Josh,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you back.

JA: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists 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.

RT: Today we are heading down to Soho, to the handsome contemporary French all-day caf&eacute; La Mercerie. I just love the idea of this restaurant &ndash; tucked inside the Roman and Williams Guild, home to an acclaimed design firm. The restaurant is every bit at stylish and comfortable as their hosts. Josh, I know you are an all-out lover of all things French to dissect the chic wine list they offer.

JA: Thanks, Robert. Can&rsquo;t wait to share some thoughts on the all-French list at La Mercerie. There&rsquo;s something so ambitious yet so sure about going all-in on France. There&rsquo;s enough variety and quality to go around, of course, but it&rsquo;s about how you make it work thematically. La Mercerie nails the idea perfectly.

RT: Great. Tell me a little bit more about what you mean.

JA: Sure. Let me start with an example &ndash; picture yourself at a restaurant in the early afternoon, having a leisurely lunch with the sun pouring in the windows. I&rsquo;m calling for oysters on the half shell and a bottle of Batard-Langelier &ldquo;Didascalie&rsquo; Muscadet. This is from a standout producer in Muscadet in the western Loire, near the Atlantic, and it&rsquo;s made from Melon grapes which are somehow neutral and fresh but able to be transformed into very mineral expressions that sommeliers love. It&rsquo;s a slam dunk pairing and conveys the whole aesthetic that I think this concept goes for&hellip; the transportive type of experience that takes you somewhere else for a bit.

RT: Sounds nice&hellip; we can all use a bit of an escape when we go out to dine. And Muscadet doesn&rsquo;t cost an arm and a leg, right?

JA: Exactly. Muscadet is always one of the best values in white wine. In fact, the whole Loire Valley delivers so much for the dollar, especially in white wine in my opinion.

RT: I&rsquo;m all for learning about those types of key regions and village names to look for. They can give you an anchor when you&rsquo;re looking at a wine list that&rsquo;s all from foreign countries who might not even say the name of the grape on the page.

JA: Yes! And if you can, I&rsquo;d say the real key is producers &ndash; who is making the wine. The producers on this list are truly top-class. White Burgundy from Bernard Moreau, one of the most compelling domaines operating in Chassagne-Montrachet. Racy Sancerre from Francois Cotat, a name that makes hearts skip a beat for those in the know. Truly Emotional Syrahs from Franck Balthazar in some of Cornas&rsquo; oldest and best vineyards. These are all great investments if you&rsquo;re looking for a standout bottle.

RT: Tell me about some of the most exciting under-the-radar wines you see on this list.

JA: A few things pop out at me: First, Savenni&egrave;res from Thibaud Boudignon. Here we are in the Loire again! He&rsquo;s a young rising star producer in Anjou and his Chenin Blanc is full of energy, clarity, and precision. Amazing wines. Contrast that with the Bandol Rouge from Domaine Tempier. Famous for what might be the world&rsquo;s greatest ros&eacute; wine, Tempier also makes stunning reds primarily from Mourv&egrave;dre grapes, which have this crazy tension of density and verve to them. Somewhat savory, somewhat bold, but so complex. I&rsquo;d highly recommend trying it in an experience like this.

RT: Sounds like the wine list here is really in step with the restaurant concept and makes a lot of sense.

JA: It&rsquo;s not the biggest list but it&rsquo;s really well-chosen and specific. In my experience, great wines generally perform their best when they&rsquo;re in the right homes. La Mercerie deserves the chance to show your new favorite French wine.

RT: Josh, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate La Mercerie&rsquo;s 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.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

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End

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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

Priest Ranch is a family-owned and operated winery that is dedicated to producing high-quality wines that reflect the unique terroir of Napa Valley. Through a combination of traditional winemaking techniques and modern technology, Priest Ranch creates elegant and complex wines that are a true expression of their vineyards.

A menu featuring elevated Spanish cuisine in a rustic space with dim lighting & a lively bar.

Popina

The Atlantic Grill

sommeliers

Join us each week as we pour a glass and share top restaurant ‘wine list’ picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the ‘wine list’ through somm recommendations, suggested food pairings and masterclass insights.

Otoño

Bodegues Sumarroca Ya Cuvee Brut Reserva Cava, Catalonia 2018

Catalonia, Spain

La Rioja Alta

Vina Alberdi Reserva 2016

Tempranillo

Rioja, Spain

Bodegas Peique Mencia, Bierzo 2020

Bierzo, Spain

Bodegas Frontonio

Garnacha Blanca 2019

Garnacha Blanca

Spain

Mistinguett

Cava Brut NV

Blend

Cava, Spain

Sameirás

Libro 2020

Caino tinto

Galicia, Spain

Parés Baltà

Cava Pink Brut NV

Blend

Cava, Spain

Ànima Negra

Quibia (Falanis) 2020

Callet

Balearic Islands, Spain

Constantina Sotelo

Maristerra 2020

Albarino

Rias Baixas, Spain

Bodegas Aster, Ribera del Duero 2016

Ribera del Duero, Spain

Frontonio, Valdejalon, Botijo Garnacha Blanca 2019

Aragon, Spain

Hiruzta

Basque Brut Nature Rose Hondarrabi Beltza - Zuri 2021

Getariako Txakolina, Spain

Hiruzta, Getariako Txakolina 2021

Getariako Txakolina, Spain

Vina Herminia

Rioja Reserva 2020

Tempranillo

Rioja, Spain

Raimones

Engrescada Orange NV

Blend

Catalunya, Spain