Chablis &ndash; 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&rsquo;s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is. 

According to popular belief, Chablis is the name of a French grape variety. However, it is not. Chablis is actually a wine region part of Burgundy, in northern France. The climate here is very cool and lately very challenging with spring frost killing the vine buds, or hail crushing the grapes before mature in summer time. The grape grown is always Chardonnay giving sleek wines with a high acidity and aromas of green apple, lemon and chalk. Compared to a lot of other Chardonnay wines, Chablis does not have aromas from oak ageing. Some wines are aged in French oak, but if so, the barrels used will be too old to inflict any flavor. Instead, the body of the wine will get a little bit rounder. Comparing to some Chardonnay with an oily texture and flavor of butter and vanilla, this is far off. Due to this, many who claims not to like Chardonnay will drink Chablis on a regular basis.

Chablis has four quality levels depending on where in the region the grapes are grown; Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. Looking to volume, Chablis will be the dominant one. The vineyards are split into the different classifications depending on soil type, exposure to sun and other environmental factors. The Grand Cru vineyards will receive the most sun giving them a bit more ripe fruit aromas and higher concentration. Petit Chablis is not grown on the chalky soil typical to the region, making the style lighter and with less mineral notes.

The setbacks the region has faced in the last couple of years due to the northern climate have been dire. The late spring frost, summer hail and early autumn rain have all had a part in ruining the crop, giving the producers less grapes than what would be possible almost every year in the last eight years. This means that prices are on the rise, so if you like Chablis, now would be the time to invest!

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

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

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

Pastis

Alexis Rogers

Pastis&nbsp;

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Alexis Rogers, Wine Educator and&nbsp; Restaurant Sommelier

Hi Alexis, 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,&nbsp; value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

AR: Always a pleasure, Robert. Happy for the opportunity to talk about the legendary Pastis.

RT:&nbsp; Pastis is one of those famous NY restaurants that even non-New Yorkers know about - not least because it was featured prominently in an episode of Sex and the City when a character, frustrated that she couldn&#39;t get a table complained that &ldquo;10,000 restaurants in NY and everyone is at Pastis&rdquo;. That&rsquo;s not fiction though! This stylish, golden-lit oyster bar was the place to see and be seen by actresses, models, fashion designers and artists from 1999 until it closed its doors in 2014. It was revived 5 years later and has fully reclaimed its fashionable prestige in the Meatpacking District. Serving a traditional French menu, Pastis has an exclusively French Wine List to match. Alexis, let&rsquo;s talk French Wine!

AR: Robert, there are a few things I like doing more. As a 2022 French Wine Scholar Candidate, it&rsquo;s kind of ALL I talk about these days. To begin I thought we&rsquo;d really lean into the theme and start off with their famous Escargot in garlic parsley butter and pair that with a bottle of lush, creamy, elegant Meursault Chardonnay from Burgundy. The list here at Pastis offers two options.

RT : So here is where a lot of people get tripped up on a wine list. They have narrowed it down to what variety they&rsquo;d like and from where, but if there are multiple options, how do you pick?

AR: My tactic is sort of like the dichotomous key concept - asking gradually more specific &ldquo;this or that&rdquo; questions all the way down until you get your answer. So we already know we want Meursault - and we want Mersault because the wines from here are full-bodied and rich to match the buttery escargot. So now we have other factors to consider and price is usually the next one - especially because we know that Burgundian price tags can get really crazy. The 2 bottles offered at Pastis are nearly the exact same price, so now we look to producers. Our first bottle is from Domaine de Montille This is not only one of Burgundy&rsquo;s finest producers, but it&rsquo;s in the running for one of France&rsquo;s best. They have connections to winemaking in the region going back to the 1750s. Solid option. The second producer is Jean-Michel Gaunoux. While lesser well known, the family has still been making wine in Burgundy for 150 years and has received acclaim from several important wine critics. So, with 2 great producers at the same price, it looks like our choice will come down to vintage. The Montille is a 2018 and the Gaunoux is a 2017. 2017 is rated a bit higher and that extra year of aging is going to help those flavors develop a little bit more. So my choice is the 2017 Jean Michel Gaunoux Meursault.

RT: I like the method! And that sounds like it&rsquo;s going to be a great bottle! While famous for their buttery escargot and icy oysters, the real culinary legends at Pastis are the steak sandwich with gruyere and their steak frites, living permanently on everybody&rsquo;s Must-Try list. What are we pairing with either of these?

AR: There are so many options here but I think Bordeaux is the most obvious, Bordelain price range is the stuff of legend. A good percentage of the world&rsquo;s most expensive bottles hail from this highly influential region. The first question with Bordeaux is which &ldquo;bank&rdquo; - and no, I don&#39;t mean which bank to rob in order to afford them. All bottles of Bordeaux are blends but the wines from the Left Bank of the river system are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and those from the Right Bank are based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc. For our meal, and out of my own personal preference, I&rsquo;m going to go with the Right Bank. I&rsquo;ve selected a glass of Chateau des Laurets 2015 from St Emilion. Again we see that dependable 2015 vintage - a classic vintage in St Emilion. This Merlot and Cab Franc blend would be a fantastic pairing whether you go the route of the sandwich or the frites.

RT: Nothing better than a juicy steak and a glass of Bordeaux! It&rsquo;s one of those classic pairings that even wine beginners know. So, Alexis - you and I are talking about French wine and you haven&#39;t mentioned Champagne yet&hellip; I feel like you pick a bottle of champagne in almost every episode we have you on&hellip;

AR: Haha, well that&rsquo;s only because I&rsquo;m saving the best for last! For me, a meal isn&#39;t complete until a sweet treat is served. Dinner is usually just an excuse for me to have dessert. Here at Pastis, the profiteroles are the obvious choice. These delicious cream puffs are served with bittersweet chocolate and vaNULLla ice cream. Champagne just feels right here. While browsing the list, my eyes alighted upon the Billecart- Salmon Brut Rose and I stopped looking. This bottle is the gold standard for Rose Champagne, not to mention the favorite of most sommeliers. While not inexpensive by any means - usually found for around $200 or so on restaurants lists, this beautiful wine drinks wayyyy above its price tag. Billecart Salmon is the longest single, family-owned Champagne house dating back to 1818. Their vivid, crystalline red berry and citrus notes and the superfine persistent mousse are a result of a technique pioneered by the house in the 1950s called cold settling. The result of which is an astonishingly bright, pure wine. Absolutely beautiful at any point in the meal, and a near-universal pairing, Rose Champagne is always for the win and this really is the best one. In my humble opinion, that is.

RT: With all those accolades and all that praise, I&rsquo;ll have to pick up a bottle! Or better yet, head over to Pastis and enjoy it with the in crowd. Thank you Alexis for sharing your obvious passion for the wines of France and helping us out with the list at Pastis! 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.

END

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Alba

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Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Campanile is a renowned wine producer located in Friuli Grave, Italy. The winery was founded in 1964 by Giancarlo Palla and has been producing high-quality wines ever since. The winery is known for its commitment to sustainability and traditional winemaking practices.

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Lavo

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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

SeventySix11 Bistro And Lounge

Murphy-Goode

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Merlot

California, USA

Fontanafredda

Briccotondo Moscato d'Asti NV

Moscato

Moscato d'Asti, Italy

Catena Zapata

Malbec Argentino NV

Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina

Sea Sun

Chardonnay NV

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California, USA

Conundrum

Red Blend NV

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Marca

Prosecco NV

Prosecco, Italy

Cass, Six Degrees, Paso Robles NV

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Piper Sonoma

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Decoy

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

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California, USA

Emmolo

Sauvignon Blanc NV

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California, USA

Kim Crawford

Sauvignon Blanc NV

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La Crema

Monterey Pinot Noir NV

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Starmont

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

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Napa Valley, USA

Banfi

Centine Rosso NV

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Tuscany, Italy

Meiomi

Rose NV

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California, USA