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

Brennan's Restaurant

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, joins Robert Tas to review the wine list at Brennan’s, a New Orleans restaurant that has been open since 1946.

Wine List Review of Brennan's, New Orleans

Tina Johansson

Brennan's

Brennan&rsquo;s

RT: Hello and Welcome to Corkrules!

I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier.

Hi Tina, 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, value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

TJ: Thank you Robert! Great to be back.

RT: Today&#39;s restaurant is Brennan&rsquo;s, a New Orleans classic which opened in the 1940s and has their roots in the Louisiana Creole cooking traditions. The Creole cuisine is a mix of French, Spanish and Western African cooking together with the traditions of the local southern food made here. The menu includes dishes like seafood gumbo, buttermilk roasted chicken, and the more unusual turtle soup.

TJ: Yes, it&rsquo;s a fun menu packed with flavor! And the wine list is huge! This is the kind of list I would prefer to look at in advance so I know exactly what they offer. If not, I would just end up spending the first 30 minutes of the dinner flipping through the wine selection. I&rsquo;m sure you know what I mean.

RT: I sure do, the bigger the list the harder it is to choose just one bottle!

TJ: Yes, thankfully I don&rsquo;t have to limit myself to just one bottle this time. I would say the focus of the wine list is on classic areas and producers, like top Bordeaux and Rh&ocirc;ne wines but they have more unusual labels as well and even a section for sustainable picks!

RT: Sounds like a great restaurant for wine lovers. So please let me in on your top bottles from the list. Maybe we could start with something from the sustainable category you mentioned?

TJ: Of course! I actually see my favorite Prosecco there. I&rsquo;m usually not the biggest fan of Prosecco but this one is more artisanal and complex, a bit unfiltered but still very fresh and crisp like the more classic Prosecco. It&rsquo;s the NV Prosecco Naturalmente from Casa Coste Piane, I was there visiting a few years back and had this wine with a lentil stew drowning in an amazing local olive oil. That&rsquo;s an experience and a wine I&rsquo;ll never forget! It might be a bit more pricey than the average Prosecco but still very much worth it. This would be your classic &rdquo;a lot of wine for the money&rdquo;.

RT: Sounds like a great start to a dinner in Brennan&rsquo;s. I&rsquo;m sure they hold some great reds as well? Something to go with the cane syrup-braised beef cheeks or the truffle venison on the menu?

TJ: They sure do! I&rsquo;d go for something extra fun &ndash; a magnum bottle! Like I said before the list is very long, and so the selection of magnum bottles is big as well. Let&rsquo;s drink something more classic next, the magnum bottle of the 2004 Ch&acirc;teau La Lagune Haut-M&eacute;doc, a third growth in Bordeaux.

RT: Great choice, a very good winery and of course extra delicious in a big bottle&hellip; I was hoping we could end the evening on a sweet note, since Brennan&rsquo;s is known for having created the dessert Bananas Foster in the early 50&rsquo;s. It&rsquo;s a sweet serving of bananas in a sauce with dark rhum and brown sugar that comes with vanilla ice cream. What dessert wine would you pair with this?

TJ: I&rsquo;m pretty sure it&rsquo;s almost mandatory to end an evening in Brennans&rsquo;s with Bananas Foster! I would want something to drink with enough fruitiness to balance the sweetness from the banana but also something caramelized from longer ageing to match the brown sugar. My pick would be the 2013 Castello di Volpaia Vinsanto di Chianti Classico. Very sweet as Vinsanto is made from raisined grapes, but with notes of sweet spices and caramel as it&rsquo;s almost 10 years old.

RT: I&rsquo;m sure in the mood for something sweet after that description. Thank you, Tina.

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.

&nbsp;

END

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Peju is a family-owned winery located in the heart of Napa Valley. We are committed to producing high-quality, handcrafted wines that reflect the unique character of our vineyards. Our winemaking philosophy is based on a deep respect for the land and a dedication to sustainable farming practices.

Lively spot with bar bites, brews & a buzzy vibe, plus big-screen TVs & views of First Horizon Park.

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