Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It&rsquo;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.

One of the most well-known countries for high quality sweet, and partly sweet, wines would be Germany. This is based on old climatic factors since it used to be a very cold country, sometimes struggling to fully ripen the grapes. Unripe grapes will result in a wine with a very high and sharp acidity. To solve this and make the wines more drinkable winemakers resorted to keeping part of the sugar in the wine to balance the acidity.

This style of wine has had quite a bad reputation as they once were made in large volumes from lesser grapes, resulting in a low quality product. Today, the production is very different and the semi-sweet wines are often very good and there are a number of styles to explore, often made from Germanys most iconic variety, Riesling.

In Germany wines are sorted into different quality levels depending on the sweetness of the grape must before fermentation. The riper the grapes, the better the quality was the device when the system was born. Even though that might not be true today, the system is still in place. The six different levels existing today are called pr&auml;dikat, the first one being kabinett. Kabinett is the driest style, though in reality often off-dry or even sweeter. Great with dishes like ceviche with a slight chili heat to them. Next up is sp&auml;tlese and auslese, both of which could technically be dry wines, but almost always end up as semi-sweet or sweet. The following three are all dessert style wines called beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese or eiswein depending of the production method. These are all great, but designed for dessert pairings only.

If you&rsquo;ve tried these styles and would still prefer a style without sweetness, look for the term trocken on the label as it translates to dry in german. Despite the high quality of sweet wines Germany also produces some exceptional dry white wines, regarded as some of the best in the world. In other words, a country with many talents.

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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

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

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

Camille’s

Sam Hohl, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas take a trip to Camille’s in Rhode Island. 

Wine List Review of Camille's, Rhode Island

Sam Hohl

Camille's

Camille&rsquo;s

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a Wine List from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier and wine educator.

Hello Sam,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.

&nbsp;SH: Hi Robert!

&nbsp;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 when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or 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.

Camilles

&nbsp;

Overview

Camilles is located in Providence, Rhode Island and has been open since 1914! They&rsquo;re known for their classic Italian dishes and elegant atmosphere, and of course their wine selection.

Where to start

This wine list features lots of Italian options to complement the menu along with plenty of California bottles, and includes some New and Old World selections too. There&rsquo;s some wonderful choices in a variety of price ranges so it really is great if you&rsquo;re looking for something tasty and affordable or something to celebrate over and you like a particular style.&nbsp;

Starting off with a white I&rsquo;d go for the 2018 Jermann &ldquo;Dreams.&rdquo; This is a chardonnay from the Friuli region of Italy, and is food-ready. This bottle has tropical notes and stone fruit, some honey and vanilla tones and is balanced by minerality and zingy acid. Try with the clams casino or the Gulf Shrimp wrapped with Prosciutto di Parma since this bottle will pair well with shellfish but it can also stand dishes with a little meatiness.

For the red lovers out there the 2015 Col D&rsquo;Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Nastagio will be a great choice. This bottle comes from the largest organic estate in Tuscany and has farmed their vineyards, their olive groves and even their gardens organically since 2010. It&rsquo;s got a really beautiful balance of tannins and acid along with notes of dark cherries, vanilla, dried herbs and leather. It&rsquo;s going to pair well with flavorful and savory dishes like the arancini with mushrooms or the bolognese made with simmered beef.

Value

This list has lots of value options to satisfy whatever your preference is, but one that I would go for is the 2018 Zenato Lugana San Benedetto from the Veneto region of Italy. It&rsquo;s made from the Trebbiano di Lugana grape from vineyards surrounding Lake Garda. This white wine is zippy and bright with notes of tangerine and peaches and hints of banana. It&rsquo;s got a beautiful herbaceousness to it and some mineral qualities too. It will be complemented by some fresh and tropical flavors, so it would be fun to try with the sesame crusted Ahi with coconut lime risotto.

Celebratory 

There&rsquo;s plenty of celebratory bottles on here no matter what your go-to type of wine is. For me, I&rsquo;m thinking it&rsquo;s a big delicious Italian dinner- I&#39;m going to go with the 2013 Gaja Barbaresco. Gaja is a very well-known Italian producer and has been making wines for 5 generations in Piedmont. This particular vintage is highly praised, so getting the opportunity to experience this bottle is really special. It&rsquo;s got wonderful structure and complexity and lovely round tannins. All of the red cherry and strawberry notes are complemented by spice and leather. There&rsquo;s subtle dark fruit and floral tones as well. It&rsquo;s going to shine alongside one of their steaks, or the pistachio crusted lamb would also make this bottle sing!

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Camille&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself. &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.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

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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 del Rosario is a family-owned winery located in the heart of Spain's La Mancha region. Since its founding in 1962 by Antonio Perea, the winery has been dedicated to producing high-quality wines that showcase the unique character of the region's grapes. With a focus on traditional winemaking techniques and a commitment to sustainable practices, Bodegas del Rosario is a true gem of the Spanish wine industry.

Meson

Brasserie Mon Chou Chou

BondST

Buenos Aires Restaurant

Buenos Aires

Meadowsweet

Casa Mono

Atera

La Cava

LAVO Italian Restaurant

Lavo

Quality Italian

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

Slap Shotz Gastropub

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

California, USA

Beringer Main & Vine

White Zinfandel NV

Zinfandel

California, USA

Mondavi Family Vineyards

C K, Moscato, California NV

California, USA

California Landscape

The Falls Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Paso Robles, USA

Josh Cellars

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

California, USA

Hess Select

Sauvignon Blanc NV

Sauvignon Blanc

North Coast, USA

Josh Cellars

Joseph Carr, Chardonnay NV

Sonoma County, USA

Noble Vines

181 Merlot NV

Merlot

Lodi, USA

14 Hands

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Columbia Valley, USA

Josh Cellars

Legacy Red Blend NV

California, USA

Kris

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Grigio

Delle Venezie, Italy

Mark West

California Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

D.V. Catena

Cabernet - Malbec NV

Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina