It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to the legendary winemaker, Miljenko &quot;Mike&quot; Grgich. His passing marks an end of an era in the world of wine; his legacy, however, will continue to inspire generations.

Born and raised in Croatia, Mike found his passion for wine at a young age. His journey led him across oceans where he became instrumental in putting Napa Valley on the global viticulture map. In 1976, at what came to be known as The Judgement of Paris - one of the most pivotal moments in modern wine history - Mike&#39;s Chateau Montelena Chardonnay outshone its French counterparts. This monumental victory not only brought international recognition for California wines but also shattered preconceived notions about New World Wines.

Grgich Hills Estate was born soon after this historic event and quickly gained fame for producing some of America&rsquo;s finest wines like <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Grgich-Hills-Cabernet-Sauvignon-Napa-Valley-2018-w3230104mo">Cabernet Sauvignon</a>, Zinfandel and Merlot alongside their signature <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Grgich-Hills-Chardonnay-Napa-Valley-2020-w1289321q5">Chardonnay</a>. Each bottle crafted under Mike&#39;s meticulous supervision bore testimony to his commitment towards quality over quantity &ndash; a principle that won them numerous accolades including consistent 90+ scores from critics such as Wine Spectator and Robert Parker.

But even amidst all these achievements abroad, Mike never forgot his roots. He returned home to Croatia establishing Grgić Vina on the Pelje&scaron;ac Peninsula where he produced Posip (white) and Plavac Mali (red), bringing international attention back onto Croatian wines.

The impact left by Mike Grgich extends beyond just awards or high critic scores; it lies within every vineyard inspired by his sustainable farming practices; within every sommelier who appreciates the balance between tradition and innovation; within every sip savored by a connoisseur who recognizes quality when they taste it.

As we mourn this great loss today let us also celebrate what he stood for &ndash; a testament to the power of passion, hard work and an unwavering belief in one&#39;s craft. We raise our glasses to you, Mike Grgich - for teaching us that wine is not just about tasting notes or vintage years but about people, places and stories. Your life&rsquo;s work has forever changed the landscape of winemaking; your spirit will continue to inspire it.

Rest in peace, dear maestro. The world of wine is richer because of you.

It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to the legendary winemaker, Miljenko "Mike" Grgich. His passing marks an end of an era in the world of wine; his legacy, however, will continue to inspire generations.

Legendary Winemaker Mike Grgich, Key Figure in the Judgement of Paris, Passes Away at 100, Leaving a Lasting Impact on the Global Wine Community

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

Atera

Camila Alvarez

Atera:

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Camila Alvarez, wine sommelier and consultant.

Bonjour Camila,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you join our CorkRules Family from Paris!

CA: Hello Robert!

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 wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, 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 talking about Atera New York&hellip;.It has a great energy and wine list to match. Maria I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their extensive wine list?

CA: A long wine list, from France, USA, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. They also have different vintages from the same producer which allows comparisons to be made. A remarkable proposal in this wine list is the sweet and fortified wines, I have not seen many wine lists with this specialty, and I find it incredible, all the methods of sweet and fortified wines are in this wine list.

RT: That&rsquo;s great, as you looked at the list did you see anything jump out at you?

CA: Well still I am surprised about the fortified and sweet wines from this wine list. The sherry wine from Equipo Navazos, &ldquo;La Bota N. 24&rdquo; is wine that was selected from the oldest fino solera, on average this wine has 20 years. As I expected, this wine is so complex in aromas, flowers, almonds notes, some toffee, a little bit of dry fruits.

RT: Ooohh those sound great.

So, Camila, their list seems to have lots of ways we could go but was there anything that you would say is a &ldquo;must-try&rdquo;?

CA: This wine list is colossal, amazing and difficult to choose only one must try.

From the old world, I want to suggest an area of France that is not so famous, but that produce amazing wines. From Savenni&egrave;res AOP, this appellation is in Val de Loire, for white wines.

The wine is from Nicolas Joly, Les Vieux Clos 2019, it is one of the best in the Savenni&egrave;res sub-appellation, the golden colour and the aromas of anis, lime and honey are found in the mouth, this wine has a great potential of aging.

The amazing Chenin blanc in all the potential and Nicolas Joly is the pioneer in biodynamic wines, this wine is very different from other chenin blanc, there is no intervention in this wine, almost as natural wine. This wine is a must to try if you want to taste wines in different styles.

RT: So, this list has so many great choices, what other wines would you suggest for our second or third course?

CA: I would like to suggest another white wine, but from Willamette Valley from the Eyrie vineyards; the Eyrie 2018, chardonnay from Dundee Hills, It is a distinctive wine from Oregon.

Great chardonnay with similar aromas as burgundy chardonnay, vastly different from those of California. Aromatic, fresh flavours and easy to taste the minerality in this wine.

For the second course, I think great to taste some Greek wine, this country with a vast history in wine production and particular grapes varieties, it is an excellent choice for a second course. In the middle of the Naoussa region next to Macedonia, we found the wine producer Kir-Yianni and the magnificent Ramnista, Xinomavro 2004, this grape variety Xinomavro called &ldquo;the acid-black&rdquo; is the symbol of the Naoussa wine region and the most successful appellation in Greece.

About the wine, full-body wine with very soft and elegant tannins, the aromas of red grapes fruits like cherry and strawberry are one of the characteristics of this grape, maximum age potential of 9 years and it is great to with some cheese or white meat.

RT: Ooh, Terrific.

Camila, speaking of price, sometimes people have a budget in mind.&nbsp; any other great value wines you&rsquo;d point us to?&nbsp;

CA: Great value and excellent quality wine is the wine from Cornas appellation called &ldquo;Granit 30&rdquo; 2017, from the producer Vincent Paris. This wine is produced only in 6 ha, and they produce in a sustainable culture. About the wine, is a 100 % Syrah, deep red colour with amazing notes of red and black fruits, black pepper and some hint of animal notes due to the oak aging. Great potential up to 15 years. A wine with a great value for money and amazing quality.

RT: Now Camila, what if I have a big client dinner or special occasion where I want to take it up a notch?

CA:&nbsp; &nbsp;As this wine list is very large, it is a little bit difficult to choose only one. During a special dinner, I will go for a legendary winery in Italy, more exactly the Piemont, 6 Cappellano, Pi&egrave; Franco, Serralunga d&#39;Alba, 2016. This is a 100% Nebbiolo, this grape variety is like the pinot noir in terms of tannins and body, soft and elegant wine with notes of flowers like the rose and red fruits.

RT: Cabs are always a good call for me, especially with meats/steaks. &nbsp;

CA: I 100 percent agree

RT: Camila Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Atera&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go back and try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

To our audience, Thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

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.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

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

di Montalcino is a historic winery in the heart of Tuscany, known for producing some of the finest Sangiovese-based wines in the world. The winery is dedicated to capturing the unique character of the Montalcino region in every bottle.

Viva Garcia

Brera Osteria

Buddy V's

Yardbird

CHICA Las Vegas

Chica

Bar Zazu

Hell's Kitchen, Las Vegas

Brera

Jasmine

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

Pizzeta Enoteca

Pepperwood Grove

Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Cabernet Sauvignon

Central Valley, Chile

Pepperwood Grove

Pinot Noir 2017

Pinot Noir

Central Valley, Chile

Grove

Pepperwood, Chardonnay 2017

California, USA

Pepperwood Grove

Merlot NV

Merlot

Central Valley, Chile

Vino dei Fratelli

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2015

Montepulciano

Abruzzo, Italy

Stemmari

Grillo Sicilia, Sicily 2017

Sicily, Italy

Cass

Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Cabernet Sauvignon

Paso Robles, USA

Charles Smith

Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2016

Riesling

Washington, USA

Stemmari

Nero d'Avola 2015

Nero d'Avola

Sicilia, Italy

Franco Amoroso Prosecco, Veneto NV

Veneto, Italy

The Hess Collection

Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2017

Chardonnay

Monterey County, USA

Santa Margherita

Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2017

Pinot Grigio

Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy