<a href="https://1803nyc.com/">1803</a>&nbsp;is a Cajun restaurant that brings a little of New Orleans&rsquo; eclectic culture to the streets of New York. It&rsquo;s a sexy, sultry space with a penchant for Deep South decadence and jazz. For a memorable culinary experience, this is the place to bring a date.

Cajun cuisine was developed by Acadians (who were originally French) when they were deported from Acadia (an area that stretched from Massachusetts to Gaspe, Canada) to Louisiana during the 18th century. The Acadians developed a unique cuisine that was a melting pot of &nbsp;West African, French and Spanish cooking techniques. This rustic fare was based on locally available ingredients, including crawfish, shrimp, pork and sausage and aromatic green bell peppers, onion, and celery. These vegetables are known as &quot;the trinity&quot; by Cajun chefs, to which they may add parsley, bay leaf, green onions, dried cayenne pepper, and dried black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.

So, what style of wine pairs well with Cajun food?

Steer clear of full-bodied reds that are rich in tannins. These wines are too heavy for the spices and the tannins will taste metallic when combined with seafood or spice. If you have your mind set on a red wine, consider choosing a lighter pinot noir or gamay that are low in tannins and won&rsquo;t overpower the spice or clash with the aromatic flavors.

However, it may be wiser to stick with white when dining Cajun style. Thanks to the abundance of locally-sourced seafood, catfish and shellfish dominate Cajun recipes. A riesling or gewurztraminer are wines that pair well with any Cajun seafood dish, these light German wines are well-structured and can handle heavier dishes without contradicting or altering the flavor of the spices.

If the dish is heavy with tomatoes, a medium-bodied and acidic red wine works well to match the acidity in the tomatoes. If the wine is low in acidity, the high acidity in the tomatoes will make the wine taste flat and metallic. So, with tomato-based sauces choose a Rioja, zinfandel or pinot noir. &nbsp;You could also choose a &nbsp;full-bodied white such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or Chenin blanc.

Of course, there are many more high acidity wines and low tannin wines to choose from, for expert advice, enlist the help of the sommelier, or pop over to the CorkRules <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/1803/episodes/15">podcast with certified sommelier Grace Hood </a>where she identifies a few bottles of bubbles and offers expert advice on wines to pair with Cajun food. &nbsp;

&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;

1803 is a Cajun restaurant that brings a little of New Orleans’ eclectic culture to the streets of New York. It’s a sexy, sultry space with a penchant for Deep South decadence and jazz. For a memorable culinary experience, this is the place to bring a date.

Pairing Wine with Cajun Food at 1803

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

Christos Steakhouse

Rachel Peacock

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Christos Steakhouse

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules! A podcast where, in each episode, we will review a wine list from one of your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your

host Robert Tas along with Rachel Peacock, Sommelier and cellar worker helping to create some of your favorite wines from Washington state. Hey Rachel, welcome back to the show.

RP: Hi Robert! Thanks for having me.

RT: All right, today we&rsquo;re doing a rundown on Christos Steakhouse in Astoria, Queens. They offer a traditional white tablecloth experience featuring USDA dry-aged cuts alongside some classic Greek and Mediterranean

fare. Rachel, any first impressions here?

RP: Sure, this menu looks great to me for a night that you want to indulge in some beautifully executed comfort food. And first glance at the wine list you have several of the usual suspects you&rsquo;d expect from a steakhouse. I like how they distinguish themselves though with a nice selection of Greek wines to complement the cuisine.

RT: It&rsquo;s nice to get out of the dichotomy of cabernet and red meat as the only steakhouse pairing.

RP: Right, this is a bit more adventurous and gives you an opportunity to try something different. I don&rsquo;t have anything against that pairing either, but we want to try to

elevate your options.

RT: Absolutely, our audience is pretty savvy. We&rsquo;ll get to the Greek wines in a minute, but can you briefly break down the rest of the list?

RP: Yes, there&rsquo;s a few things I like about this list. Right away they give you a set of select Cabernets they&rsquo;d recommend, and within that they include some lovely reserve bottles.

RT: So, there&rsquo;s some range.

RP: Oh yeah, you could dine here and be perfectly happy with a $50 bottle of Greek wine or you could go with some really elevated and aged Bordeaux. If you want to keep it classic go for the

&lsquo;14 Joseph Phelps Insignia off their reserve list. It&rsquo;s not reinventing the wheel, but this is exactly where a wine like this shines. This is an opulent cab heavy-Bordeaux blend that will sing with that Porterhouse.

RT: What if we want to branch out of cab territory, can you give us a few more options?

RP: Yeah, the Earthquake Zinfandel from Michael David is a really nice pairing with a variety of cuts, and goes especially well with lamb, pork or really anything with a char, so it&rsquo;s a great option. This is from Zin country,

Lodi, and this 2017 vintage has scored really well but it&rsquo;s still a value bottle. It has blackberry and strawberry notes and a lot of structure. This Zin also has a lot of spice, and thus makes it a versatile pick with this menu.

RT: That sounds like a great option.

What about for your more delicate cuts, like a filet?

RP: I have sommed at a steakhouse before, and it always made me want to cry when someone would order a

beautiful and delicate filet mignon next to some huge oaked Cabernet just because they thought that&rsquo;s what they were supposed to do. And even though it&rsquo;s my job to steer them away from that, you don&rsquo;t always succeed. If you&rsquo;re going to go for a really lean cut, try a Pinot Noir. Again, I&rsquo;m not the first to give this advice but it works well for a pairing.

RT: What would you suggest?

RP: the &lsquo;16 Les Cousins Pinot from Beaux Freres is the standout to me here. It has lovely black cherry notes and great acid structure with a subtle earthiness. Just a lovely wine that will complement a lot of the lighter

fair on this list.

RT: Great, and finally we need to at least touch on the Greek wine since it&rsquo;s so prominent here...

RP: Totally, and there&rsquo;s great options for both red and whites. Greece has a super-rich history within the wine world that we don&rsquo;t have enough time to dive into the depth of, so I picked a great white to round out this list.

Christos has a variety of amazing seafood and we need a strong mineral-driven white. If you&rsquo;re not super familiar with Greek wine, the &lsquo;16 Gai&rsquo;a Assyrtiko is a great introduction. This hails from Santorini and is one of the most recognized styles and regions. This wine is known for its lean character, possessing tropical fruit and lemon, and a bit of Mediterranean saltiness. The Gai&rsquo;a offering here is a pretty meaty iteration at around 13% abv, it&#39;s less fruit-driven than some of its counterparts and has more pronounced minerality. So, we already know this is our pick for oysters and the whole Seafood bar. I&rsquo;m craving this with the Saganaki though.

&nbsp;RT: Wow, that sounds incredible. What a great jumping-off point for this wide-ranging menu. Rachel, thanks once again for guiding us through some of the high

points of Christos&rsquo; list. 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 quickly as possible.

We look 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;

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Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

L'Auberge Chez Francois

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Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

AXR is a small, family-owned winery located in the heart of Napa Valley. We specialize in producing high-quality, small-batch wines that showcase the unique terroir of the region.

Provencal fare takes center stage at this popular French bistro convenient for a pre-theater stop.

Mandolin Aegean Bistro

The Surf Club

Itamae

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Veranda

Boia De

Huertas

Kesté Pizza & Vino

Keste Pizzeria

Taverna di Bacco

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Leyland Brooklyn

Junoon

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

Saju Bistro

Available Wines
Total Wines - 2

Louis M. Martini

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

'Pichon Comtesse Reserve 2021

Pauillac, France