Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers&rsquo; 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.

Xinomavro is an interesting grape. The name translates to &ldquo;sour black&rdquo;, and it&rsquo;s quite telling as the wine can have deep color and high acidity. It makes medium-bodied red wine with a marked astringency, red and black fruit aroma and can develop forest like notes, just like how the grape Nebbiolo would be described. In general, the Nebbiolo wines are less full-bodied though, as the climate where they&rsquo;re grown is slightly cooler. Nebbiolo is most famous from the Barolo region in northern Italy, and many are looking to find styles similar to it today, paving the way for grapes like Xinomavro.

Xinomavro is mainly planted in northern Greece with the region Naoussa making the best examples today. It can be planted elsewhere as well, and even some vineyards in other countries can be found nowadays. Some choose to blend the variety with softer grapes like Merlot, but the most prestigious ones are usually Xinomavro only and further aged in oak barrels. Many of these wines can age in the bottle for many years, just like Barolo, and usually shines the most when they do. Besides red wine, the grape is used for ros&eacute; and sparkling white wine as well, some of very good quality.

As the world of wine becomes more curious, and well-known wines like Barolo becomes more and more expensive, Greece and its wines is something everyone should keep an eye on.

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

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

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

Winemaker and entrepreneur, Josh Phelps talks to Robert Tas about his company Grounded Wine Co. 

Interview with Josh Phelps of Grounded Wine Co.

Robert Tas

Josh Phelps, Grounded Wine Co.

Music Intro:

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we typically review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. But today I have a special winemaker guest.

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along Josh Phelps, founder and winemaker of Grounded Wine Co. Josh is produces wine across the west coast and has long family history and pedigree in winemaking. He brings innovative techniques to winemaking and has received numerous awards for his juice from Wine Spectator and others.&nbsp;

Josh, thank you for joining us here on CorkRules.

JP: &hellip;

So, Josh, let&rsquo;s start with talking about your wines from Ground Wine Co, I recently had the pleasure of trying your cab sauv at a restaurant in NY and thought it was great. Can you share how you started and your vison, what&rsquo;s different than other CA winemakers?

JP: Talk about the history, location, wine style, etc.

RT: How has your approach evolved over the years?

JP: &hellip;

RT: Can you talk more about how you view the different terroirs because your making wine all over Washington and CA?

JP: &hellip;

RT: Any plans for other states? Countries?

JP: &hellip;

RT: So, you seem to bring a different energy, vibe and set of tools to winemaking, can you tell us about your thinking here?

JP:&hellip;

RT: So, let&rsquo;s pivot to the wine world. There are some big challenges facing the wine world &ndash; climate, consumer changing habits, post covid, distribution. Given where you sit, what are your thoughts?

JP:&hellip;

RT: In talking with your dad, I know you bring a lot of the business/marketing chops to his and your businesses, as a winemaker how do you think of marketing in today&rsquo;s world and getting your wine into the hands of new consumers?

JP:

RT: One of the challenges, I see how do we get younger people into wine? I read your parents, like mine, introduced you to wine at a young age. What can the industry do to get your generation into wine?

JP:

RT: Josh, Thank you for this fabulous discussion about your wines, winemaking and the wine industry. It&rsquo;s been a pleasure to have you. It&rsquo;s inspiring to be a part of this community. &nbsp;&nbsp;

JP:&hellip;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for all our latest episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists and fabulous wine content and please download our CorkRules app which has all your favorite restaurant wine list&rsquo;s, make personalized recommendations, and allows you to connect with your friends. &nbsp;&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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End

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BRAT

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