If fine French dining is your raison d&rsquo;etre, <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/le-coucou/episodes/21">Le Coucou</a>&nbsp;is the place for you. Internationally acclaimed chef Daniel Rose made his name in Paris with his flair for French cuisine, and he brought his culinary creativity to New York where he established an elegant restaurant and exceptional dining experience.

And what better way to complement French fare than with a spectacular French wine? Bring on the Cru and let the fun begin.

But wait, should you splurge and opt for a grand Cru or will a simple cru do, and what&rsquo;s the difference anyway?

Let&rsquo;s demystify the terminology and move on to enjoyability.

Quite simply, the term &lsquo;cru&rsquo; is used within classifications of French wine to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. Cru literally means growth, and this term has been adopted in classification as a nod to the importance of the terroir.

Grand Cru is the recognized designation of higher quality wine. Grand Cru refers to the quality of a particular vineyard and the terroir in which the grapes grow. The terroir of the region that gains this accreditation is known to produce consistently high-quality vintages. Grand cru literally means great growth. The term is first found to be used in the region of Burgundy in the middle ages when the Cistercian monks and the Catholic Church classified each vineyard according to quality. In Burgundy, grand cru wines must be made with only grapes from villages that fall under a grand cru region.

Fast forward and move over to Bordeaux in 1855 when the term is officially recognized as a classification of the Left Bank Bordeaux (thanks to Napolean). The classification in Burgundy is all about the vineyards and terroir, but in Bordeaux, the classification of grand cru can be given to a winery that holds the status.

Premier cru wines are a step down from grand cru, however, since a premier cru vineyard could be literally next door to a grand cru vineyard, the difference in the quality of the wine may be negligible. Premier cru or 1er cru accounts for no more than 5% of the total Burgundian production, and grand cru makes up a tiny and exclusive 1% of production in Burgundy.

But if these high-status wines are outside of the budget, consider opting for village wines. These wines are from the same classified regions, but the yield allowed per hectare is more, allowing more of the grapes to grow, the vines themselves may be younger (old vines add complexity to wine). There are plenty of quality village wines on the market, and this is a great place for finding delicious wine at a good price.

If a white Burgundy is on your mind or you are looking for a grand cru wine, click over to the CorkRules <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/le-coucou/episodes/21">wine review podcast</a>&nbsp;with certified sommelier Grace Hood. She&rsquo;s identified a few good bottles on the wine list at Le Coucou.

Cheers!

&nbsp;

About the CorkRules Podcast:&nbsp;Each week we pour a glass and share top restaurant wine list&rsquo; picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the wine list through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

About CorkRules:&nbsp;CorkRules, the first digital wine app experience, makes it easier for you to navigate the restaurant wine list, and provides you with personalized wine recommendations from your favorite restaurants. Through CorkRules you can find the perfect wine for every occasion based on your preferences. Connect with friends and wine experts to discover new wines to try and learn about wine. CorkRules makes it easier to discover and drink what you love. &nbsp;

If fine French dining is your raison d’etre, Le Coucou is the place for you. Internationally acclaimed chef Daniel Rose made his name in Paris with his flair for French cuisine, and he brought his culinary creativity to New York where he established an elegant restaurant and exceptional dining experience.

Premier Cru & Grand Cru at Le Coucou

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

Geronimo

Josh Ardizzoni

La Mercerie

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Josh Ardizzoni, Certified Sommelier, wine consultant,

Hello Josh,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you back.

JA: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that those lists can sometimes be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list with confidence, 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: Today we are heading down to Soho, to the handsome contemporary French all-day caf&eacute; La Mercerie. I just love the idea of this restaurant &ndash; tucked inside the Roman and Williams Guild, home to an acclaimed design firm. The restaurant is every bit at stylish and comfortable as their hosts. Josh, I know you are an all-out lover of all things French to dissect the chic wine list they offer.

JA: Thanks, Robert. Can&rsquo;t wait to share some thoughts on the all-French list at La Mercerie. There&rsquo;s something so ambitious yet so sure about going all-in on France. There&rsquo;s enough variety and quality to go around, of course, but it&rsquo;s about how you make it work thematically. La Mercerie nails the idea perfectly.

RT: Great. Tell me a little bit more about what you mean.

JA: Sure. Let me start with an example &ndash; picture yourself at a restaurant in the early afternoon, having a leisurely lunch with the sun pouring in the windows. I&rsquo;m calling for oysters on the half shell and a bottle of Batard-Langelier &ldquo;Didascalie&rsquo; Muscadet. This is from a standout producer in Muscadet in the western Loire, near the Atlantic, and it&rsquo;s made from Melon grapes which are somehow neutral and fresh but able to be transformed into very mineral expressions that sommeliers love. It&rsquo;s a slam dunk pairing and conveys the whole aesthetic that I think this concept goes for&hellip; the transportive type of experience that takes you somewhere else for a bit.

RT: Sounds nice&hellip; we can all use a bit of an escape when we go out to dine. And Muscadet doesn&rsquo;t cost an arm and a leg, right?

JA: Exactly. Muscadet is always one of the best values in white wine. In fact, the whole Loire Valley delivers so much for the dollar, especially in white wine in my opinion.

RT: I&rsquo;m all for learning about those types of key regions and village names to look for. They can give you an anchor when you&rsquo;re looking at a wine list that&rsquo;s all from foreign countries who might not even say the name of the grape on the page.

JA: Yes! And if you can, I&rsquo;d say the real key is producers &ndash; who is making the wine. The producers on this list are truly top-class. White Burgundy from Bernard Moreau, one of the most compelling domaines operating in Chassagne-Montrachet. Racy Sancerre from Francois Cotat, a name that makes hearts skip a beat for those in the know. Truly Emotional Syrahs from Franck Balthazar in some of Cornas&rsquo; oldest and best vineyards. These are all great investments if you&rsquo;re looking for a standout bottle.

RT: Tell me about some of the most exciting under-the-radar wines you see on this list.

JA: A few things pop out at me: First, Savenni&egrave;res from Thibaud Boudignon. Here we are in the Loire again! He&rsquo;s a young rising star producer in Anjou and his Chenin Blanc is full of energy, clarity, and precision. Amazing wines. Contrast that with the Bandol Rouge from Domaine Tempier. Famous for what might be the world&rsquo;s greatest ros&eacute; wine, Tempier also makes stunning reds primarily from Mourv&egrave;dre grapes, which have this crazy tension of density and verve to them. Somewhat savory, somewhat bold, but so complex. I&rsquo;d highly recommend trying it in an experience like this.

RT: Sounds like the wine list here is really in step with the restaurant concept and makes a lot of sense.

JA: It&rsquo;s not the biggest list but it&rsquo;s really well-chosen and specific. In my experience, great wines generally perform their best when they&rsquo;re in the right homes. La Mercerie deserves the chance to show your new favorite French wine.

RT: Josh, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate La Mercerie&rsquo;s wine list.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; 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.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

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BRAT

Bocca di Lupe

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Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

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Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Sharecropper's is a family-owned winery based in Columbia Valley, USA. They specialize in producing high-quality, affordable wines that showcase the best of the region's terroir. Founded in 2007, the winery has since grown to become a respected name in the industry, with a reputation for producing exceptional wines that are both approachable and elegant.

Upscale chain known for its sophisticated decor, long wine list & classic steak & seafood menu.

Viva Garcia

Brera Osteria

Buddy V's

Yardbird

CHICA Las Vegas

Chica

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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

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