Hey guys!

Guess where I had dinner last night? Babbo Ristorante in NYC! If you&#39;re a foodie like me, I&#39;m sure you&#39;ve heard of this amazing Italian classic Let me give you the lowdown on this place and why you absolutely need to check it out.

First things first, let&#39;s talk about the history of Babbo. Back in 1998, renowned chef Mario Batali opened this gem in the heart of Greenwich Village. It quickly became one of the hottest spots in the city, attracting food lovers from all over the world. Fast forward to today, and the restaurant is now under the expert management of chef-owner Mark Ladner, who has taken Babbo to new culinary heights.

<a href="https://www.corkrules.com/babbo/episodes/252">Check out CorkRules Podcast #218</a>&nbsp;by our very own Maria Valetta aka @mariathewineblonde.

Food: (4.5/5) - Now, let&#39;s dive into the food. The menu at Babbo is a celebration of classic Italian cuisine with a modern twist. They offer a wide variety of dishes, ranging from antipasti like the famous Grilled Octopus with Borlotti Beans to mouthwatering homemade pasta dishes like the unforgettable Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp and Spicy Calabrese. Chef Ladner&#39;s expertise really shines through in every bite, and you can taste the love and dedication put into each dish.

Wine: (4/5) - But it&#39;s not just the food that makes Babbo stand out; their wine program is equally impressive. Head sommelier Jeff Kellogg has curated an exceptional but overwhelming wine list, featuring a fantastic selection of Italian wines as well as some hidden gems from around the world. Whether you&#39;re a wine connoisseur or just enjoy a good glass of vino, you&#39;ll find something to suit your taste here. The knowledgeable staff is more than happy to help you find the perfect pairing for your meal, making the dining experience even more enjoyable.

Service: (4/5) And speaking of the staff, let&#39;s talk about the service at Babbo. From the moment you step through the doors, you&#39;re greeted with warm smiles and attentive hospitality. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the food and wine they serve, and they go above and beyond to ensure that every guest feels well taken care of. It&#39;s the kind of service that makes you feel like a VIP.

Vibe: (4/5) Finally, let&#39;s talk ambiance. If you&#39;re looking for a cozy and intimate setting for date night, Babbo is the place to be. The restaurant has a charming rustic decor, with warm lighting and exposed brick walls that exude a welcoming atmosphere. The energy is lively and vibrant, making it the perfect spot for a celebratory dinner or a romantic date night. And if you&#39;re looking to host a private event, Babbo also offers a private dining room that can accommodate larger parties.

Babbo is one the quintessential restaurants in NYC and is simply outstanding. From the incredible food to the exceptional service, this place has it all. Whether you&#39;re a fan of Italian cuisine or just looking for a memorable dining experience, Babbo is definitely worth a visit. So go ahead and make a reservation and prepare to indulge in the best of Italian flavors. You won&#39;t be disappointed!

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Back in 1998, renowned chef Mario Batali opened this gem in the heart of Greenwich Village. It quickly became one of the hottest spots in the city, attracting food lovers from all over the world. Fast forward to today, and the restaurant is now under the expert management of chef-owner Mark Ladner, who has taken Babbo to new culinary heights.

Babbo Ristorante in NYC! An Italian Classic!

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

Via Carota

Maria Valetta

Via Carota

RT: Hello and welcome back to CorkRules! The wine podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate ALL your favorite restaurant wine lists!

I&rsquo;m Robert Tas along with Maria Valetta Certified Sommelier and Wine educator. Hello Maria!

MV: Hi Robert..we are taking a taste-bud trip to Italy today&hellip;

RT: yes that&rsquo;s right Maria, today we are reviewing the wine list from Via Carota.

Via Carota is a quaint Italian Gastroteca in the West Village of NYC run by 2 self-taught chefs Jodi Williams and Rita Sodi, who both have acclaimed restaurants individually.

Via Carota, is their first joint venture, &nbsp;it&rsquo;s a walk-in only restaurant, inspired by Chef Soti&rsquo;s 17th-century family country house in the hills near Florence. Both Jodi and Rita connected over their passion for ALLl things Italian and their shared attention to detail. It is a place you return to over and over again knowing that it is WELL worth the wait to settle into one of the rustic wooden tables and dig into a bowl of cacio pepe Tonarelli (or insert fav pasta dish here) while sipping an interesting wine from one of the lesser-known wine regions of Italy.

RT: Maria, what do you think of their ALL Italian Wine List?

MV: Well to be fair... there are a few champagnes on the list so we see France having a small representation and I think that&rsquo;s always a good choice, but everything else IS Italian and I love that because Italian wines have a special place in my heart.

RT: Why is that?

MV: well, they have so many interesting varietals to discover and try, each of the 20 regions growing their own indigenous grapes. So much to discover, try and learn about&hellip; I love hosting Italian wine events!

RT: do you see a lot of those interesting grapes here?

MV: A ton! They have done an excellent job of curating a list of wines and grapes I bet you have never tried before&hellip;Arneis Teraldego,&nbsp;Nero d&rsquo;avola&nbsp;Ribolla Gialla Erbaluce, Freisia Cannonau,&nbsp;&nbsp;

RT: wow&hellip; yeah, not familiar with most of those but I&rsquo;m always up for trying something new.. where would I start?

MV: well their food menu has so many wonderful choices so as you peruse, order a glass of the Roero Arneis 2020 by Vietti as you decide on how many dishes you are going to try! LOL! You may have seen his red wines from this producer, but this is an indigenous WHITE grape from Piedmont (the NW of Italy) and I always have a few bottles of Arneis in my cellar because it pairs well with so many Italian starters&hellip; from Bruschetta to Antipasti to simple thinly sliced prosciutto the crisp zesty full-flavor of the Arneis grape is the perfect starting point.

RT: Ahhh you had me at Prosciutto&hellip;&nbsp; Now, what about bottles.. because it sounds like a bottle of white may be called for here?

MV: This is hard&hellip; there are so many Italian wines I want everyone to try! I mean you could certainly order a bottle of the Arneis.. that&#39;s never a bad idea.. haha... but There&rsquo;s more to choose from with the bottles then BTG, I see a lovely bottle of white they have on the list&hellip; one that you would definitely be drinking if you were on vacation in Italy staying in the famous area of Positano <a href="https://www.allstarwine.com/brands/I-Pentri-Beneventano-Flora-Falanghina">I Pentri Beneventano Flora Falanghina</a> 2018 perfect for the summer months&hellip;bright stone fruits, with a fresh. lemony finish it would be lovely with the extensive verdure&nbsp; (VAYDORA) vegetable selection of the food menu.

RT: Comment on Positano/Vegetable dishes/ Or wiliness to go for the white, and what about a GEM here something more reasonable but at the same time exceptional.

MV: here you go&hellip;Robert&hellip;&nbsp; they have a few wines from Guiseppe Mascarello&hellip; a family-owned winery in Piedmont (same area as Arneis) and the family is still making the wines in the same traditional way Guiseppe did. Now their Barolos on a wine menu would fetch a very high price IF YOU CAN EVEN FIND THEM&hellip; but here they offer their Freisa Toretto 2019 for under $100 and the Barbera d&rsquo;Alba Scudetto 2018, at $125. Now the Freisa will be a lighter, red-bodied wine than the Barbera, but both are lovely options with the menu offerings at Via Carota and you get to try something different!

RT: Sounds like a win-win all around with this producer&hellip;

MV: 100 percent.

RT: now we can&rsquo;t conclude without a suggestion for a killer Italian wine to make it most memorable, what would you choose Maria?

MV: I&rsquo;ll be honest- it&rsquo;s rare if I ever order the most expensive wine on the menu, but here I would...

RT: Really?

MV: yes because first of all we are still looking at their most expensive wine being under $300

RT:(versus thousands on some lists&hellip;)

MV: RIGHT! and secondly, they have one of my favs.. The Sesti Brunello di Montalcino Phenomena 2015. My hubby and I got married in the Tuscan town of Montalcino, so we drink Brunellos a lot (all Brunellos are Sangiovese, the Grosso clone in particular)&hellip; the Phenomena is basically Sesti&rsquo;s Riserva selection and the label has this cosmic cool look that changes each year. It&rsquo;s stunning, - rich dark and full-bodied.. but won&rsquo;t overpower Via&rsquo;s food. I just love the Sesti winery.

RT: So You&rsquo;ve been there?

MV: Yes, and I am hoping to go back this summer now that we can travel again!

RT: finally! I&rsquo;m looking forward to&hellip;

RT: Well thank you Maria for all your Italian wine knowledge and to all of you for joining us today. Next time you dine at Via Carota, be sure to tell them you found them on the Corkrules APP.&nbsp;And Remember, the ONLY rule in wine is &ldquo;drink what YOU LOVE&rdquo;!

MV: Have a favorite wine List? Let us review it here on CorkRules. Send us your requests at <a href="mailto:info@corkrules.com">info@corkrules.com</a> and remember to check out all our previous episodes on CorkRules.com.

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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

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