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.

Alto means high, referring to altitude when talking about wine, in both Spanish and Italian. Recently higher altitude locations have been planted more and more. A few decades ago, these areas were not seen as suitable for growing quality grapes as the climate back then was too cool. Today, with many producers witnessing a rising temperature, and a lot of new techniques in the vineyard, these areas are finally becoming viable. The higher you plant the cooler the temperature will be, but you will also receive more sun which in turn helps ripen the grapes. The temperature will be quite warm during the day, but very cool at night. This leads to ripe fruit aromas developing during the day, followed by a cool nighttime keeping the fresh acidity in the grapes, the best of both worlds for the grapes.

In Italy this development has been very prominent in northern Piemonte in the last decade. There is now talk about an area called Alto Piemonte, comprised of a few different wine regions. They are all located higher up in the mountains, and like the most famous wines from Piemonte many are based on the Nebbiolo grape. The most well-known wine regions would be Ghemme, Gattinara, and Boca.

But Alto Piemonte is not the only area where the term is used. In quite a few cases, in both Italy, Spain, Argentina and Chile the term can be seen used as part of a producer name or even as the name of a specific wine, sometimes to convey the wine is from a high planted vineyard. It is not uncommon however for winemakers to use the term to show it&rsquo;s their highest quality wine, not a wine from high altitude.

More wine growers have shown interest in high altitude vineyards lately, and the record of the highest planted one is something a few are trying to beat. It&rsquo;s safe to say the positive effects the altitude has on the growing grapes mean these vineyards are here to stay, and terms as alto may be used in more languages soon.

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

Benoit

Grace Hood

Benoit

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;(in each episode)&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, Wine Educator and Certified Sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hi Robert! Happy to be back!

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 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.

So, Grace - we&rsquo;re keeping with our French theme I see, but now we&rsquo;re heading from New Orleans to Europe!

GH: Hahaha totally - Excited to chat about the Benoit NYC wine list.

RT: Awesome - so what are your initial thoughts?

GH: Well, this list has a very thought-out approach - it&rsquo;s all French and American wine! It&rsquo;s always interesting to see what the wine director will choose for their establishments based on cuisine and clientele. And I am always a-ok with a wine list that is heavy on French selections b/c I personally adore French wine. France has been making wine for literally thousands of years and is arguably the most agreeable terroir in the world for the classic varietals. Wine is just a way of life in France! A lot of times it costs less than water!

RT: Au oui oui!! So where do we start when it comes to this list?

GH: So, we could go in a lot of different directions! It depends on what people feel like drinking. I think it might be fun to look at some French varietals and see what their American counterpart is on the list. For instance, we could choose the Brocard Chablis from Burgundy and put it against the RoseRock Chardonnay from Willamette Valley in Oregon. Chablis is arguably the crispiest most mineral-driven Chardonnay from Burgundy, which produces the most famous and high-end chardonnays in the world. But you might be asking &ldquo;grace why didn&rsquo;t you recommend a California Chardonnay b/c they&rsquo;re super famous for that&rdquo; - I picked an Oregon chardonnay b/c unlike in CA where they age their chardonnays in American oak, OR Chardonnay are usually aged in French oak. And the big difference between the two is going to come in the richness, the depth and the characteristics that come from both styles of oak. American oak traditionally has a way more oaky, caramel, almost creamy-like quality, which is why you end up with those big buttery chardonnays out of Napa &ndash; it&rsquo;s not the grape, it&rsquo;s the oak! Meanwhile, in OR, they&rsquo;re aging their Chardonnay in French oak which imparts more subtle, slightly nutty flavors into the wine.

RT: Wow amazing! It&#39;s incredible all the things that go into the end result of a wine. What would you think for an American vs a French red?

GH: You got it. A fun side-by-side comparison would be a French pinot and an American Pinot. And the ones I&rsquo;m going to pull out this time are the Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot from Sonoma, as well as the VOLNAY Premier Cru Dom. De Montille. The reason I picked the Russian River pinot rather any other American appellation, is b/c the Russian River in Sonoma is one of the coolest, dampest areas in CA, and thats important b/c pinot noir is a very thin-skinned grape, and thrives in those cloudy less hot areas. And on top of the prime climate, Russian River produces a ton of Burgundian clones of pinot - which essentially means rootstock that was originally grown in France, and was brought to Sonoma and planted in the Russian River. So you&rsquo;re going to have that same style of grape in both wines. I chose the Volnay over other Burgundies b/c Volnay is one of the most delicate and light French pinots, as opposed to the more weighty earthy styles like Gevrey Chambertin.

RT: Wow that&#39;s so cool - clones! Now Grace, sometimes people have a budget in mind..&nbsp; any great value wines you&rsquo;d point us to?&nbsp;

GH: Absolutely. So, in the whites, I would def go with one of my all-time favorite white wines - Sancerre, which is sauvignon blanc grown in the Loire valley of France. Drinking this wine is like putting your face in a bouquet of fresh flowers. It&rsquo;s heavenly. On the Benoit list I would go with the Petit Bateau Sancerre. On the value reds side, I would go with the Papillo CROZES-HERMITAGE, which is going to be a delicious Syrah from the northern Rhone. Syrah is grown all over the Rhone valley, but Syrahs from the northern rhone tend to be inkier, velvetier and sexier than their southern counterpart which is going to be more gravelly and earthy and spicy. Robert can I order these wines right now?? They&rsquo;re two of my favorite haha!

RT: hahaha coming right up Grace! Now, what if I have a big client dinner or special occasion where I want to take it up a notch?

GH: Oh man, well we have so many amazing options to pick from on this list. On the white side, we&rsquo;re going grand cru burgundy which is arguably going to be one of the most high-end chardonnays in the world. I&rsquo;m gonna pull the trigger and go with the 2004 MONTRACHET From Colin-Morey. This is going to be a very unique white wine experience b/c chardonnay is notoriously one of the only types of white wine that ages well. Drinking older burgundies is like a right of passage if you&rsquo;re a wine nerd. And then on the red side, we gotta go with the classic - 2003 POMEROL From Chateau Petrus, which is one of the most high-end and famous Bordeaux in the world. I was lucky enough to taste some Petrus over the winter and wow - you just totally understand why this wine is a cult classic!

&nbsp;&nbsp;RT: Grace, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Benoit.

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. Follow us on social media @corkrules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

End

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