In the vineyards where the sun does dance,

Beneath the sky&#39;s eternal expanse,

A nectar flows, both bold and refined,

The essence of wine, a gift to find.

&nbsp;

Within its depths, a symphony unfurls,

Notes of passion, as life gently swirls,

From grape to glass, a transformation true,

An alchemy of nature, ancient and new.

&nbsp;

In the vineyards, time becomes a dream,

As golden memories glisten and gleam,

Each sip a portal, a journey to explore,

A taste of life&#39;s essence, forevermore.

&nbsp;

Like the wine that ages with loving care,

Life too evolves, beyond compare,

From youthful vigor to wisdom&#39;s embrace,

Each chapter written with its own grace.

&nbsp;

The wine&#39;s aroma, a fragrant tale,

Whispers of stories that will never fail,

To stir the senses, ignite the soul,

As life&#39;s rich tapestry begins to unfold.

&nbsp;

In every glass, a vibrant reflection,

Of joy and sorrow, of love&#39;s affection,

For wine, like life, is a fleeting art,

A celebration of moments, held close to the heart.

&nbsp;

So raise your glass, let laughter flow,

In wine, in life, let your spirit grow,

Savor each sip, let passion entwine,

For in wine and life, the essence divine.

&nbsp;

The Promise of Wine

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

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas take a trip to the Parkway Grill where they review the wine list.

Wine Review of the Wine List at Parkway Grill, California

Grace Hood

Parkway Grill

&nbsp;

Parkway Grill

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 Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hey Robert how&rsquo;s it hanging?

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. Today we will be talking about a Pasadena local&rsquo;s favorite &ndash; Parkway Grill. Grace what are your initial thoughts on this place?

GH: Well, they are referred to as &ldquo;The Spago of Pasadena&rdquo;, so that definitely caught my attention!&nbsp; I love that they specialize in a seasonal menu, and also have their own on-premise garden, which is always such a unique thing for a restaurant to have, especially ones in major metropolises, ya know?

RT: Totally &ndash; urban gardening is rare to come by. What is the Parkway Grill wine list looking like?

GH: They&rsquo;ve got a pretty classic list! Lots of old-world and new-world bottles are represented. Variety of price points. Definitely, lots of options for every palate. &nbsp;

RT: Fantastic &ndash; should we dive right in with sparkling?

GH: I meannnnn if you insist Robert hahaha. If you wanted to go with a traditional style vintage champagne, I would go with the 2005 Perrier Jouet &nbsp;Belle Epoque. However, if you wanted a special production of domestic sparkling, they have a 2012 brut rose from the Frank family vineyard in napa which would be a real treat! I&rsquo;ve actually never seen a Frank family sparkling so it&rsquo;s definitely small production.

RT: Oh that&rsquo;s so fun &ndash; I didn&rsquo;t know Frank Family made sparkling. Would definitely be one to try out for sure. Now, what caught your eye on the whites?

GH: Oh man they have a lot to choose from! If we&rsquo;re thinking domestic &ndash; they have a 2015 Chardonnay from one of my favorite Willamette Valley producers, Bergstrom. Or if you wanted to go with something a little more unique, they have a 2017 Viognier from Alban which is a vineyard in the central coast. I personally prefer California viognier over California chardonnay, so if theres any fellow viognier lovers out there, DM me hahah

RT: Yum! I forget about viognier sometimes. It&rsquo;s a great alternative to chardonnay, and pairs really well with food. Thanks for the reminder, Grace! Now I&rsquo;m sure the Parkway Grill has a killer selection of reds &nbsp;

GH: Oh do they ever Robert! It was hard to pick just a few. But some really delicious vintages that caught my eye were the 2009 Ribero del Duero from Vina Sastre out of Spain, as well as the 2016 Laurene Pinot Noir from Domaine Drouhin Oregon. Ohhh I also see they have 2012 Red Blend from Joanta which is a real tasting vineyard out of santa ynez valley, and also a 2012 Sine Qua Non which are very hard to come by! &nbsp;

RT: Oh, wow those all sound delicious. I&rsquo;ll take one of each! Now Grace what would be your picks for some value wines at Parkway Grill &nbsp;

GH: If you&rsquo;re bougie on a budget like yours truly, I would start off with the Naverean Cava Rose, followed by the 2017 Aligote Bourgogne from Paul Pernot, and finish with 2014 Tintilla from Vara y Pulgar from Spain. 

RT: Great selections. Now, what about some of those special occasion bottles?

GH: Ohhhh well they have a 2009 Cristal which would make any palate happy. And for a special white? The 2017 Puligny Montrachet from Domaine Jean Pascal et Fils. And then for a baller red bottle? Gonna have to be the 2014 Gaja Barbaresco

RT: Amazing. Love those choices. Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Parkway Grill. 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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Coquerel is a family-owned boutique winery located in the heart of the Napa Valley. Founded in 2005 by Gary and Christine Coquerel, the winery produces small batches of handcrafted wines using traditional winemaking techniques. The winery is known for its focus on the varietals of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

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Alexis Percival is a New York City based CMS certified sommelier, consultant and event planner who puts the art in party.

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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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