<a href="https://balthazarny.com/">Balthazar </a>is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let&rsquo;s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let&rsquo;s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

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From north to south, the various wine regions have distinct characteristics in climate and soil, and of course, each region grows the varietals that are best suited to thrive, but because the climate and terroir inform the texture, sweetness, age of vine and harvest time of the grape, the flavor of the same varietals differ depending on the location. &nbsp;

There are over 200 indigenous wine varietals, some are well-known and loved, chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. These are the friendly bottles you can call up on a Friday night to kick back with because you know what to expect; but there are others that are lesser-known varietals like persan, prunelard noir, and lival. You might order a bottle of these strangers if you&rsquo;re looking for a little adventure.

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At Balthazar, they offer wines from every region, but let&rsquo;s explore the wines of Bordeaux. Why? Because the popular merlot and cabernet sauvignon originated from Bordeaux and when you think Bordeaux, you automatically think red. In fact, ninety percent of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

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Bordeaux wine country&nbsp;is divided into two main regions: the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The terroir of the Left Bank

Well, one of the biggest differences between the Left and Right banks is what&rsquo;s in the soil. The Left Bank is warmer and the soil has more gravel, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc thrive here. Cabernet Sauvignon needs more heat than merlot to ripen and release the sugars that deliver bold black fruit flavors, high levels of tannin and acid. Additionally, the gravel ensures good drainage and holds heat better than the clay soils of the Right Bank.

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The Right Bank terroir has more clay and limestone, and the climate is cooler and wetter. Merlot ripens in the slightly cooler temperature of this area, and the wetter, cooler clay soil helps nurture smooth tannins and a mix of red and black fruit flavours.

For more tips and recommendations, check out this CorkRules&rsquo; <a href="https://uat.corkrules.com/balthazar/episodes/17">wine review podcast</a>&nbsp;episode where certified sommelier Maria Valetta reviews Balthazar&rsquo;s wine list.

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About the CorkRules Podcast:&nbsp;Each week we pour a glass and share top restaurant wine list picks, providing you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the wine list through sommelier recommendations, suggested food pairings and expert insights

&nbsp;

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;&nbsp;

Balthazar is an iconic French Brasserie in the heart of Soho, Manhattan, and indeed, it is so very French. The waiting staff, the decor, the clientele and the vibe is reminiscent of a typical French cafe. Elegantly casual, but let’s move on to the wine list. The wine list is all French, and as such, most wines are made from French grape varietals, so let’s take a look at the nuances and notes of a few varietals that are the foundation of the wine.

Bordeaux Wines at Balthazar

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

Botanica

Grace Hood

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hi Robert! Happy to be here as always.&nbsp;&nbsp;

RT Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about those wine lists. We created CorkRules to help 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;Today we will be reviewing the Silver Lake hot spot, Botanica. Grace you mentioned you&rsquo;ve spent a bit of time in Silver Lake?

GH: Oh yeah &ndash; for those of you not familiar with the neighborhoods of LA, Silver Lake is like the Brooklyn of Los Angeles. Lots of artists and hipsters and Instagram-worthy restaurants haha. Def a cool and trendy spot to hang out.

RT: Haha I totally get that vibe. Now, what are your thoughts on Botanica&rsquo;s wine list?

GH: So Botanica has a few elements to it, it has a little grab and go market as well as a sit down restaurant, and is definitely known for its interesting selection of organic, biodynamic natural wine. I&rsquo;m interested to see what they have on the list!

RT: Totally. So where would you start?

GH: So they&rsquo;re menu is very farm-to-table. And they have a lot of types of wine to complement those fresh flavors. If we wanted to start with some bubbles, they have an interesting non-vintage sparkling called Smarazen, which is a petnat of trebbiano and malvasia which are old-school indigenous Italian varietals. Or if you wanted to go with a traditional champagne, you could do the non-vintage Arpege Premier Cru Blanc de Blanc from Pascal Douqet. 

RT: Oh those both sound delicious and refreshing. What caught your eye in the white wine selections?

MV: I love me some light aromatic whites, especially when it comes to fresh farm-to-table food where you really don&rsquo;t want to bog down all those colorful vibrant flavors from the garden. I&rsquo;m definitely interested in this 2017 Weissburgunder pinot blanc from Austria, or the 2020 Bel Gruner Veltliner from the Czech Republic. It&rsquo;s really fun to see these smaller countries represented on the Botanica list. I always say the way to learn about wine is to continuously try things you haven&rsquo;t had before so your palate can build up its muscle memory.

RT: Totally. You have to train it like you train your body in a gym! Love it. Now I feel like since LA is always so sunny and warm, everyone is drinking rose, correct?

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GH: Ahaha totally &ndash; southern California is rose day all year round type of place. And they have some lovely selections on the Bontanica menu. If you want a domestic rose, I would do the 2020 Dreams on Layaway which I think is such a fun name for a wine, it&rsquo;s a pinot noir rose from the Santa Cruz regions in California and will be lovely on a warm socal day. Or if you wanted to go with an old-world rose, you could do 2019 Velius which is rose from barbera grapes coming from the Emigla Romagna region of Italy.

RT: Fantastic. I&rsquo;m sure both of those would be an awesome complement to the freshness of the Botanica menu. Now what about some picks for our red wine drinkers?

GH: You got it, Robert. One that caught my eye was this 2020 Cuvee Rouge de Causes which mentions it is comprised of 16 different white and red grapes from the Langedoc region in France. They might as well call that wine the southern rhone kitchen sink hahaha. If you&rsquo;re looking for a more traditional red, the 2010 Cantomorro cabernet from Italy would be a really nice lush rich option. I like that it already has 12-years-of-age on it so it&rsquo;ll be mellow but still full-bodied.

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RT: Oh wow those are such interesting options. Thanks for pointing those out. Now how about some value bottles and some for a special occasion?

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GH: For a value white, I&rsquo;ll have to go with the 2020 Les Sarges which is sauvignon blanc from the Loire valley in France. Value red hmmm I think I would do the 2020 Bottle Neck which is blend of syrah and grenache from the Languedoc. For your special occasion bottles &ndash; going to have to be the 2016 Essentielle Champagne from Elise Dechenes. Special occasion red &ndash; go with the 2019 magnum of Burgundy, and thank me later when you&rsquo;re the most popular person in Silver Lake haha

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RT: Awesome Grace. Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate the Botanica wine list.

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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@</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">CorkRules</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">.</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">c</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">om</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. Follow us on social media @CorkRules and @wineswithgrace

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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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End

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Kim Crawford is a premium wine producer based in the South Island of New Zealand. The winery is known for producing high-quality wines that showcase the unique terroir of the region. With a focus on sustainability and minimal intervention winemaking techniques, Kim Crawford is committed to producing exceptional wines that are both delicious and environmentally responsible.

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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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