Certified sommelier Maria Valetta explores the <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/smith-&amp;-wollensky/episodes/6">wine list of Smith and Wollensky</a>&nbsp;on the upper east side of New York City. Top wine varietals under the spotlight include a 2020 Louis Jadot Macon Village, the PAX 2019 Gamay, the 2018 Aperture Cabernet from Sonoma showcased on their Captain&rsquo;s Pocket List Page or the 2018 Hourglass Blueline Estate Cabernet from Napa.

When it comes to defining wine, you can categorize them by region, varietal, or style, but to really get to grips with understanding the world of wine, it makes sense to go to the source. The grape.

The type of grape is known as the varietal, and whereas once upon a time the varietals were specific to a region, in contemporary vineyards, varietals are planted, crossbred, and potentially, genetically modified. Additionally, the flavors, skins, and chemical compounds of each varietal will change depending on the terroir, temperature, and weather.

There are over a thousand different varietals of wine grapes but the following eight are the most commonly known grape household names. chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, &nbsp;pinot gris, and riesling, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, and pinot noir.

However, beyond these eight common varietals there exists a large and adventurous world of wine varietals to explore, each with its own unique characteristics based on environment, age, and production method.

At <a href="https://www.smithandwollenskynyc.com/">Smith &amp; Wollensky</a>, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Willamette Valley to experience how a light tannin red works well with the meaty fish. Pinot noir is a lighter-bodied wine with notes of cherry, cranberry, and rose. It&rsquo;s drier and has a higher acidity with smooth tannins. The higher acidity and tannins pairs well with oily, meaty fish dishes. The tannins help bring out flavor that is carried in the fat, and in symbiosis, the fat tempers the tannins&rsquo; astringency, which allows the other characteristics in the wine to rise on the palate.

And with the Lobster, &nbsp;try a bottle of the Louis Jadot, Macon-Villages Chardonnay

Burgundy, and see how the chardonnay&rsquo;s notes of yellow citrus, pear, green apple pairs well with the rich seafood. Chardonnay is a full-bodied white that won&rsquo;t be overpowered by the richness of the lobster. When pairing wine with food, just like every good match, it&rsquo;s all about bringing out the best in each other.

On CorkRules podcast episode five, Maria identifies a few value wines on the list that should not be missed, she points out a few outliers that are well worth trying, and she shines a light on the meaning of verticals to help demystify the world of wine.

Cheers.

At Smith & Wollensky, prime, dry-aged steaks are the cornerstone of their menu, but if fish, lobster or oysters are on your mind, you won’t be disappointed with the Cold Water Lobster Tails or the Scottish Salmon Waldorf. Pair the salmon with the Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the

Top Wine Varietals at Smith & Wollensky

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

Le Crocodile

Sam Hohl

Le Crocodile

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 Sam Hohl, wine educator and certified sommelier

Hello Sam, great to have you back for another great wine list.

SH: 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:

Le Crocodile

Overview

Located in Williamsburg&rsquo;s Wythe Hotel, Le Crocodile is a neighborhood brasserie servicing classic French cuisine. Their wine list offers plenty of French selections that would complement their dinner menu, along with some bottles from Italy and Spain.

To Start

There are so many great places to start on this wine list, but one that would be lovely, especially with any of the seafood on the menu would be the 2017 Cuv&eacute;e Marie Gros Manseng. This crisp white wine comes from the Jurancon region in Southwest France. It has notes of green apple and citrus, along with some salinity and minerality. The acid would make it a great pairing with their oysters or scallops with ginger, parsley, and lemon.

Another fun option that caught my eye was the 2019 Celler Frisach Vernatxa Garnacha Blanca. As fun to say as it is to drink, this organic Spanish wine was fermented and macerated with the skins, making it an orange wine. The result is a full-bodied wine with notes of tropical fruit, fennel and citrus. It has high minerality and good acidity too, making it so fun to sip on.

Value Bottle

A great value bottle on the list would be the Magali Signature C&ocirc;tes de Provence Ros&eacute;. This crisp ros&eacute; brings all the romantic and refreshing notes classic to Provence ros&eacute;s, with notes of nectarine, strawberry and grapefruit. It&rsquo;s great with vegetables, pork or poultry, so pair this up with the leeks with vinaigrette and hazelnuts or the roasted chicken with herb jus and you&rsquo;ve a match.

Special Occasion

If you&rsquo;re looking for a celebratory bottle to make the night memorable, the 2017 Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot&nbsp;Grand Cru would be an excellent choice. Clos de Vougeot is one of the largest and most famous grand cru vineyards in northern Burgundy. This pinot noir is rich, with fine tannins and high acidity. It has notes of red berries and herbs, with subtle vanilla and spice influences from some oak aging. Pinot noir is such a food-friendly red, and this bottle would be amazing with the duck leg. This bottle is bound to make the night special!

Sam, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Le Crocodile&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go 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;

&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

Bodegas Faustino is one of the most famous and respected wine producers in Spain. Founded in 1861, the company has been producing award-winning wines for over 150 years. Bodegas Faustino is known for its commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability.

Modern Italian eatery in a vintage space with vaulted ceilings, a beer garden & a basement bar.

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

Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink

The Pinot Project

Pinot Noir 2021

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Gotham Project

Pacific Standard Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Barbara County, USA

La Miraja Barbera d'Asti Superiore Le Masche, Italy, Piedmont 2020

Barbera

Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Broc Cellars

Love Red 2020

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

COS

Frappato (di Vittoria) 2018

Frappato

Terre Siciliane, Italy

Arianna Occhipinti Sicilia SP Bianco, Italy, Sicily, Sicilia 2021

Sicily, Italy

De Forville

Barbaresco 2017

Nebbiolo

Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy

Caprili

Brunello di Montalcino 2016

Sangiovese

Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Le Vigne di Sammarco

Primitivo di Manduria 2018

Primitivo

Primitivo di Manduria, Italy

Domaine de la Patience

Rouge NV

Carignan

Vin de France, France

Cirelli, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2020

Abruzzo, Italy

Brovia

Barolo Unio 2018

Nebbiolo

Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Bibi Graetz

Toscana Casamatta Bianco 2019

Vermentino

Toscana, Italy

Roger Coulon

Heri-Hodie Grande Tradition Premier Cru Brut, Champagne NV

Champagne, France

Tasca d'Almerita

Tascante Buonora Etna Bianco 2019

Carricante

Etna, Italy