Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico&hellip; 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&rsquo;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.

This development has not been historically exclusive to Chianti, leading to the creation of more than one Classico district. In general, the Classico wines tend to be slightly better as these regions are smaller and have stricter rules regarding plantings and winemaking. If not better, at least more traditional and typical of the region.

The most well-known Classico regions, apart from Chianti, would be Valpolicella Classico making red wine from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, also known as the grapes for Amarone. Valpolicella Classico is located within Valpolicella in the region Veneto, also home to two lesser known Classico regions: Bardolino Classico and Soave Classico. Bardolino Classico is located to the west of Valpolicella and produced from the same grapes, while Soave Classico, in contrast to the rest, makes white wine from the local Garganega. All great wines and certainly part of the Italian wine history.

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

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

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

One White Street

Sam Hohl, certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at One White Street located in Tribeca, New York City. 

Wine List Review of One White Street, NYC

Sam Hohl

One White Street

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.

Hello Sam,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.

SH: Hi Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists 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.

RT: Today we are talking about One White Street.

Overview

One White Street is located in Tribeca, New York City and features globally inspired dishes that rotate with the seasons. They&rsquo;re serving up their dishes alongside craft cocktails and a curated wine list that has plenty of choices to compliment their seasonal dishes.

Sam, I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their wine list?

Where to start

This wine list is such a blast to read through. It&rsquo;s separated by the different wine styles, but then there are sections under short descriptions. For example under the white wine section, there will be a category called &ldquo;Floral and Fragrant&rdquo; or under reds another called &ldquo;Rounded and Fruit Forward.&rdquo; Then the wines are further categorized by country or region. This way of laying out the list gives the feel of reading a map. You can follow the directions that get you where you want to go- maybe somewhere familiar, or maybe somewhere totally new to you!

Okay, I couldn&rsquo;t pass up the opportunity to talk about the 2019 Baily A from Grape Republic. Grape Republic is a natural wine producer out of Japan!&nbsp; This is a red wine made from 100% Muscat Baily A which is a grape variety created in Japan in 1927. The grapes are large with thin skins and are ideal for making these light red wines. This bottle is going to have bright red fruit notes, lots of berry and a delicate candied aroma. It&rsquo;s also going to have lots of great acid, so it&rsquo;s this fun playful glass to drink. It would also be super delicious alongside the fennel-crusted duck with toasted hazelnuts and black garlic.

Value Bottle

If you&rsquo;re looking for an affordable bottle to go with your meal the

2020 Chalmers Heathcote Greco from Australia would be a great option.&nbsp; Chalmer&rsquo;s winery is located in Victoria, Australia and they have experimented with many different grape types to see what grows the best in their warm, dry region. After growing various types of grapes Chalmers honed in some of the Italian varietals, which is what brings us to this bottle of Greco di Tufo. Greco is a fuller-bodied white wine, with lots of acid and freshness. Because of the warmer growing conditions, this bottle is going to burst with lots of ripe fruit flavors like apple, lemon and quince. Its bigger flavors, fuller body and high acid make this a great match with food. Try it with the bass and snapper ceviche with the horseradish Leche de Tigre and Asian pears to make all these beautiful fruit and acid flavors pop.

If you&rsquo;re looking for a red that fits in your budget, and something a little unusual, I&rsquo;d go for the 2019 Thalvin &#39;Syrocco.&rdquo; The name says it all, a&nbsp; Syrah from Morocco! Winemaker Alain Graillot is known for his Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley in France, but while vacationing in the Zenata region of Morocco he was on a bike ride with a friend when they stumbled upon an overgrown and seemingly abandoned plot of Syrah. Alain purchased the plot and began making wines from the 100-year-old vines. The warm temperatures mixed with the coastal influence provide depth and freshness to this bottle. You&rsquo;ll get notes of jammy blue fruit, green pepper, and slight smoke. It would stand up beautifully to the bold flavors of the Foie Gras and Pastrami with pickled mustard.

Celebratory 

When I&rsquo;m thinking celebration or a special bottle, I think of something that&rsquo;s going to unfold as I drink it, and tell me a story that continues with each sip. For this type of bottle, I was drawn to the Galicia section. Here there are 7 different vintages of Emilio Rojo Ribeiro offered. Per the name, Emilio Rojo is a white wine from Ribeiro in the Galicia region of Spain. It&rsquo;s made from ancient varietals, primarily Treixadura. This is a fun section highlighting how the same wine made in seven different years will vary due to what the growing season was like in a particular year, especially in regions that are less predictable with weather. The bottle is also going to vary depending on where it&rsquo;s at in its stage of aging, which can bring totally different notes and flavors to the party. This wine is known for its notes of citrus, herbs, blossom and stone, and depending on how old the bottle is you&rsquo;ll experience different flavors coming through. If you choose the oldest vintage it will have more concentrated flavors. You&rsquo;re going to get less of the citrusy notes and more fuller fruit and floral qualities. The younger bottles will have fresh fruit notes, bright acidity along with herbaceous and mineral qualities. For a special evening, I&rsquo;d go for the 2013 bottle, which will have those herb notes, along with stone and white fruit. It will bring a nice balance of those rounded aged flavors as well as fresher fruit tones. I&rsquo;d have this with the Grilled Monk Chop, since that fish will hold up to wine with age on it. Altogether that&rsquo;s going to make for a fantastic evening.

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate One White Street&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.

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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;

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And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

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Thank you.

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