&nbsp;

Memorial Day weekend signals the official kick-off to summer, and what better way to celebrate than a backyard barbecue with friends and family? But for the wine lovers out there, the usual pairing of burgers and beer can feel a little, well, uninspired.

Fear not, fellow geeks! Let&#39;s ditch the predictable and dive into three exciting wine options that will have you sipping and savoring alongside the sizzling BBQ.

1. The Smoky Sangiovese for the Grill Master:

Sangiovese, the backbone of Chianti Classico, is a fantastic choice for the grill. It offers bright acidity to cut through rich meats and smoky flavors that complement the char from the grill. Look for bottles from regions like Montalcino (Brunello di Montalcino) or Montepulciano (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) for a touch more structure and depth. Feeling adventurous? Explore a smoky Sangiovese from lesser-known regions in Tuscany like Maremma or Colli Senesi for a truly unique pairing.

<a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Castello-di-Volpaia-Chianti-Classico-2021-w5240771pj">Castello di Volpaia - Chianti Classico 2021 - $23.99</a>

Castello di Volpaia is located in an 11th century village that bears the same name.&nbsp;It sits on a hilltop just north of the town of Radda in Chianti, 2,024 feet above sea level, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. One of the most historical wineries of the region, Volpaia is owned by the Mascheroni-Stianti family and benefits from some of the highest altitude southern exposure vineyards of the area, delivering certified organic Sangiovese-based wines of finesse and elegance with a terroir approach.

Wine Spectator: 92 Points

A racy version, this boasts black cherry, blueberry, violet and iron flavors. A firm line of tannins works in concert with the acidity, while flashes of Mediterranean scrub peek through. Mouthwatering finish. Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2032.

Vinous: 92 Points

The 2021 Chianti Classico is an absolute joy. Fragrant, silky and super-expressive, the 2021 captures all the finesse of Radda. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, orange peel and mint are all beautifully delineated in a vibrant, mid-weight Chianti Classico that has so much to offer. This is a fine showing. - Antonio Galloni

2. The Gamay Gems for the Lighter Fare:

Don&#39;t relegate Gamay to Beaujolais Nouveau! This versatile grape thrives in cool climates, producing wines with vibrant acidity and juicy red fruit notes. Cru Beaujolais wines like Fleurie or Morgon offer a delightful complexity, while Gamay from other regions like the Loire Valley in France or even New York State can be surprisingly delicious with lighter grilled fare like chicken or veggie burgers.

<a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Michel-Lafarge-Bourgogne-Rouge-Passetoutgrain-L-Exception-2020-w08026475m">Michel Lafarge - Bourgogne Rouge Passetoutgrain L&#39;Exception 2020 - $36.99</a>

Size:&nbsp;1.00 ha (2.47 ac) /&nbsp;Variety:&nbsp;50% Pinot Noir, 50% Gamay /&nbsp;Vine Age:&nbsp;Planted in 1926 /&nbsp;Terroir:&nbsp;Clay limestone soil /&nbsp;Viticulture:&nbsp;Certified organic (Ecocert) and biodynamic (Demeter) /&nbsp;Vinification:&nbsp;100%&nbsp;de-stemmed, lightly crushed, pneumatic press, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 15-18 months in barrel, unfiltered.

Decanter: 93 Points

A deeply lovely fruit character, with plenty of forward red berry fruit nicely dressed with floral notes and a silky, fine texture which is set off by a lively and refreshing acidity. A perennial favourite and exceptional indeed. This is produced from a blend of half Pinot Noir and half Gamay, both from 95-year-old biodynamically worked vines.&nbsp;The grapes are destemmed and fermented on native yeasts prior to ageing over two winters in cask. &nbsp;Drinking 2022 -2030&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charles Curtis MW

Wine Advocate

The 2020 Bourgogne Passetoutgrain l&#39;Exception bursts with aromas of sweet red berries, petals and orange rind. Medium-bodied, bright and lively, with powdery tannins and a tightly knit core, don&#39;t underestimate this bottling: it will really reward some patience, and especially so this year. Drinking 2023 - 2040&mdash; William Kelley&nbsp;

3. The Sparkling Extravaganza for Pure Fun:

Let&#39;s not forget the fun factor! Sparkling wines are fantastic BBQ companions, offering a refreshing palate cleanse between bites and a festive air to the occasion. Explore beyond the usual Prosecco and delve into grower Champagnes for a truly celebratory experience. For something different, try a Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna in Italy. These slightly sweet, fizzy reds are perfect with grilled sausages or spicy dishes.

<a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Saetti-Rosso-Dell-Emilia-Viola-Lambrusco-2022-w10029770n">Saetti - Rosso Dell Emilia Viola Lambrusco 2022 - $23.99</a>

Luciano Saetti makes stunning, evocative Lambrusco just outside of Modena. He is of a generation that decided to return to traditional methods and eschew modern practices that contributed to Lambrusco&#39;s poor reputation. The 2.8 hectares of vines he works were planted by his family in 1964. Prior to his taking over, they sold off most of their fruit to the local coop.

Luciano, however, thought that they could do better and so after a successful first career as an egg distributor in Modena, he founded Vigneto Saetti in 1998. He saw the value in the family&rsquo;s old vines of a particular local strain of the Lambrusco grape called Salamino di Santa Croce. It&rsquo;s thick-skinned, tight-bunched, darker-colored and higher in natural acidity than some other more common varieties of Lambrusco.

Bonus Tip: Consider the weather! If it&#39;s a scorcher, opt for lighter-bodied wines like Gamay or chilled reds like Sangiovese. For cooler evenings, a bolder Zinfandel or a GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourv&egrave;dre) could be delightful.

So, this Memorial Day weekend, ditch the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. With these exciting wine options, your BBQ will be a celebration for the taste buds as well as a toast to good times with loved ones.

&nbsp;

Memorial Day weekend signals the official kick-off to summer, and what better way to celebrate than a backyard barbecue with friends and family? But for the wine lovers out there, the usual pairing of burgers and beer can feel a little, well, uninspired.

Fear not, fellow geeks! Let's ditch the predictable and dive into three exciting wine options that will have you sipping and savoring alongside the sizzling BBQ.

Memorial Day BBQ Bash: 3 Wines to Geek Out Over (While Grilling)

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

Brennan's Restaurant

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, joins Robert Tas to review the wine list at Brennan’s, a New Orleans restaurant that has been open since 1946.

Wine List Review of Brennan's, New Orleans

Tina Johansson

Brennan's

Brennan&rsquo;s

RT: Hello and Welcome to Corkrules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier.

Hi Tina, thanks for being back with us on another episode of CorkRules, - a podcast where we help simplify and demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants. We talk with certified sommeliers and wine professionals who point out interesting bottles, classic food and wine pairings, hidden gems, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

TJ: Thank you Robert! Great to be back.

RT: Today&#39;s restaurant is Brennan&rsquo;s, a New Orleans classic which opened in the 1940s and has their roots in the Louisiana Creole cooking traditions. The Creole cuisine is a mix of French, Spanish and Western African cooking together with the traditions of the local southern food made here. The menu includes dishes like seafood gumbo, buttermilk roasted chicken, and the more unusual turtle soup.

TJ: Yes, it&rsquo;s a fun menu packed with flavor! And the wine list is huge! This is the kind of list I would prefer to look at in advance so I know exactly what they offer. If not, I would just end up spending the first 30 minutes of the dinner flipping through the wine selection. I&rsquo;m sure you know what I mean.

RT: I sure do, the bigger the list the harder it is to choose just one bottle!

TJ: Yes, thankfully I don&rsquo;t have to limit myself to just one bottle this time. I would say the focus of the wine list is on classic areas and producers, like top Bordeaux and Rh&ocirc;ne wines but they have more unusual labels as well and even a section for sustainable picks!

RT: Sounds like a great restaurant for wine lovers. So please let me in on your top bottles from the list. Maybe we could start with something from the sustainable category you mentioned?

TJ: Of course! I actually see my favorite Prosecco there. I&rsquo;m usually not the biggest fan of Prosecco but this one is more artisanal and complex, a bit unfiltered but still very fresh and crisp like the more classic Prosecco. It&rsquo;s the NV Prosecco Naturalmente from Casa Coste Piane, I was there visiting a few years back and had this wine with a lentil stew drowning in an amazing local olive oil. That&rsquo;s an experience and a wine I&rsquo;ll never forget! It might be a bit more pricey than the average Prosecco but still very much worth it. This would be your classic &rdquo;a lot of wine for the money&rdquo;.

RT: Sounds like a great start to a dinner in Brennan&rsquo;s. I&rsquo;m sure they hold some great reds as well? Something to go with the cane syrup-braised beef cheeks or the truffle venison on the menu?

TJ: They sure do! I&rsquo;d go for something extra fun &ndash; a magnum bottle! Like I said before the list is very long, and so the selection of magnum bottles is big as well. Let&rsquo;s drink something more classic next, the magnum bottle of the 2004 Ch&acirc;teau La Lagune Haut-M&eacute;doc, a third growth in Bordeaux.

RT: Great choice, a very good winery and of course extra delicious in a big bottle&hellip; I was hoping we could end the evening on a sweet note, since Brennan&rsquo;s is known for having created the dessert Bananas Foster in the early 50&rsquo;s. It&rsquo;s a sweet serving of bananas in a sauce with dark rhum and brown sugar that comes with vanilla ice cream. What dessert wine would you pair with this?

TJ: I&rsquo;m pretty sure it&rsquo;s almost mandatory to end an evening in Brennans&rsquo;s with Bananas Foster! I would want something to drink with enough fruitiness to balance the sweetness from the banana but also something caramelized from longer ageing to match the brown sugar. My pick would be the 2013 Castello di Volpaia Vinsanto di Chianti Classico. Very sweet as Vinsanto is made from raisined grapes, but with notes of sweet spices and caramel as it&rsquo;s almost 10 years old.

RT: I&rsquo;m sure in the mood for something sweet after that description. Thank you, Tina.

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: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 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 wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make

sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

END

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

Frédéric Brouca is a small family-owned winery located in the Languedoc region of France. Frédéric Brouca produces wines that are made with minimal intervention, organic farming, and traditional winemaking techniques. The winery is known for its authentic and expressive wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region.

Family-run trattoria offering hearty Italian fare in a modest setting with outdoor tables.

Mandolin Aegean Bistro

The Surf Club

Itamae

Itamae Miami

Veranda

Boia De

Huertas

Kesté Pizza & Vino

Keste Pizzeria

Taverna di Bacco

Tavern on the Green

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

Pomodoro

Riunite

Lambrusco Emilia NV

Lambrusco

Emilia, Italy

North by Northwest (NxNW)

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

Columbia Valley, USA

Poderi dal Nespoli

Nespolino Trebbiano - Chardonnay NV

Blend

Emilia-Romagna, Italy

King Estate

Sauvignon Blanc, Oregon NV

Oregon, USA

Banfi

Chianti Classico Riserva NV

Sangiovese

Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

Rodney Strong

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

Sonoma County, USA

Zenato

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Delle Venezie, Italy

Centorri

Moscato di Pavia NV

Moscato Bianco

Lombardia, Italy

Three Thieves

Red Blend NV

Blend

California, USA

Campione

Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva NV

Sangiovese

Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Montinore Estate

Pinot Gris NV

Pinot Gris

Willamette Valley, USA

Gran Passione

Rosso Veneto NV

Miscela

Veneto, Italy

North by Northwest (NxNW)

Red Blend NV

Shiraz/Syrah

Columbia Valley, USA

Dusted Valley

Boomtown Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Washington, USA

Waterbrook

Reserve Malbec NV

Malbec

Columbia Valley, USA