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

28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, and Robert Tas go overseas to the U.K. where they review the wine list at 28-50 Marleybone 

Wine List Review of 28-50

Tina Johansson

28-50

CorkRules Script

28-50

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 for having me Robert! And excited to dive into the wine list of 28-50 on Marylebone Lane in London. They have a sister restaurant in Chelsea, both of which they call &rdquo;wine workshop and kitchen&rdquo;. I don&rsquo;t know about you, but I&rsquo;m instantly intrigued by that.

RT: Me too! It&rsquo;s like a wine bar but with more focus on food. They&rsquo;re open all day, from breakfast til late and the food is European with dishes like white asparagus with smoked almonds or lamb loin with spring greens. How does the wine list look to you Tina?

TJ: Very good! The selection by the glass is fun and changing often, and the bottle list is quite classical with many famous labels and a few hidden gems. You can also find a few back vintage wines due to them having connections with private collectors of wine who let them sell their bottles in the restaurant. That&rsquo;s a cool initiative I haven&rsquo;t seen before.

RT: Yes, I agree! And, if you&rsquo;re not sure what you want you can always ask the sommelier, or opt for their three-course meal with matching wine. But now I&rsquo;m getting thirsty, How about we start with a nice white this time?

TJ: Sounds great to me! I have my eyes on the 2019 Didier Dagueneau Silex, a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley of France. When I first tried this wine I realized how versatile of a grape Sauvignon Blanc can be. It doesn&rsquo;t have to be overtly aromatic and green, it can have yellow fruits and minerality like this one. Dagueneau is a trail blazer and one of the most well-known producers of Loire today.

RT: Yeah, these wines can be quite hard to come by as well so it sounds like a perfect time to try it if you haven&rsquo;t already! So what about a bottle of red? Anything else that&rsquo;s a must try?

TJ: Well yeah. To continue on the same theme, the Loire Valley that is, they have one of the most iconic reds from the region on their wine list as well. It&rsquo;s the 2010 Clos Rougeard Le Clos, made from Cabernet Franc. It was made by the equally iconic Foucault brothers up until they sold the estate in 2017 so it&rsquo;s one of the original vintages that are extra hard to come by today. A real so called unicorn wine.

RT: What a bottle. Not easy to find, and not the most affordable one either&hellip; Even though it&rsquo;s hard to pace yourself when you&rsquo;re looking at a list like this one, is there something with a more moderate price tag to drink?

TJ: Of course, not every bottle needs to be a famous label. Wine is supposed to be fun! Besides, I think we&rsquo;ve taken enough advantage of the private collectors cellar by now. So, for our last wine there&rsquo;s an amazing Barbera from Piedmont in Italy on the list, the 2019 Reva Barbera d&rsquo;Alba. Reva is an up and coming producer just starting to get some well deserved attention. Their Barbera is elegant yet full of fruit flavour without getting too luscious like some other styles being made with the grape.

RT: Fun choice, Barbera is an underrated grape variety in comparison to Nebbiolo growing in the same region. Thank you for picking that one out for us, and for being back with us 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&nbsp;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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