Learning about wine can be an exciting but challenging journey. With thousands of wine varieties, regions, and winemaking techniques to discover, it&#39;s no wonder that many beginners feel overwhelmed (as do we) when starting their wine education. However, numerous resources are available to help people build their wine knowledge, and wine magazines are among the best tools for aspiring oenophiles (wine geeks).

Wine magazines offer a wealth of information that can guide and educate readers about the vast world of wine. Whether you are a beginner looking to dip your toe into the wine industry or a seasoned connoisseur seeking to expand your expertise, there is a magazine out there to suit your needs. Let&#39;s take a closer look at some of the top wine magazines and what they offer.

<a href="https://www.winespectator.com/">Wine Spectator</a> is a highly respected publication that has been at the forefront of the wine industry since its inception in 1976. This magazine aims to educate and entertain readers by covering wine regions, winemakers, and tasting notes. Wine Spectator is known for its in-depth articles, comprehensive wine ratings, and exclusive interviews with industry experts. While Wine Spectator can be enjoyed by wine enthusiasts of all levels, its content is especially appreciated by intermediate to advanced wine lovers looking for detailed insights and wine recommendations.

If you&#39;re just getting started in the world of wine, <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/">Wine Enthusiast</a> is an excellent resource to begin your journey. This magazine caters to beginners and covers a wide range of topics, including wine basics, varietal profiles, and wine and food pairing suggestions. Wine Enthusiast also offers comprehensive buying guides, tasting notes, and expert reviews to help readers navigate their wine choices. With its approachable content and focus on education, Wine Enthusiast is a great magazine for beginners seeking to build a solid foundation in wine knowledge.

For those with a more adventurous palate and a desire to explore the global wine scene, <a href="https://www.decanter.com/">Decanter</a> is a must-read and our favorite periodical. This UK-based magazine provides a global perspective on wine, highlighting various wine regions, producers, and styles from around the world. Decanter offers in-depth features, wine travel guides, and expert opinions on emerging trends in the industry. With its emphasis on international wines and insider knowledge, Decanter appeals to wine enthusiasts who are looking to broaden their horizons and discover new and exciting wines.

If you&#39;re looking for a wine magazine that breaks away from traditional norms while still providing valuable content, <a href="https://noblerot.co.uk/shop/magazine">Noble Rot</a> is a fascinating choice. Noble Rot takes a more unconventional and playful approach, focusing not only on wine but also on the intersection of wine and culture. This magazine combines wine with art, music, and literature, resulting in a unique and entertaining reading experience. In addition to articles on wine regions and producers, Noble Rot features interviews with influential figures in the wine and culinary world, as well as thought-provoking essays that delve into the cultural significance of wine. With its creative and unconventional approach, Noble Rot appeals to wine lovers who appreciate a more eclectic and multidimensional perspective on wine.

No matter which wine magazine you choose, the key is to find a publication that aligns with your interests and level of wine knowledge. Explore different magazines and see which ones resonate with you the most. Remember, building wine knowledge is a journey, and these magazines are excellent resources to guide you along the way. Cheers to your wine education! Learning about wine can be a challenging but rewarding endeavor. Wine magazines such as Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, and Noble Rot offer valuable content and resources to help individuals build their wine knowledge. From comprehensive wine ratings and in-depth articles to beginner-friendly guides and unconventional perspectives, these magazines cater to wine enthusiasts of various levels and interests. So, whether you&#39;re just starting your wine journey or seeking to expand your expertise, these magazines are readily available to provide you with the information and inspiration you need to explore and appreciate the wonderful world of wine.

Learning about wine can be an exciting but challenging journey. With thousands of wine varieties, regions, and winemaking techniques to discover, it's no wonder that many beginners feel overwhelmed (as do we) when starting their wine education. However, numerous resources are available to help people build their wine knowledge, and wine magazines are among the best tools for aspiring oenophiles (wine geeks).

Our favorite wine magazines to help your wine journey:

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

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Barbrix a wine shop and restaurant hotspot in Los Angeles 

Wine List Review of Barbrix, Los Angeles

Grace Hood

Barbrix

https://www.barbrix.com/wine

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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 Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

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GH: Happy to be here as always Robert &nbsp;

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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.

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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.

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RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. Grace what great spot are we reviewing today?

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GH: We are chatting about LA wine spot Bar Brix. This place definitely has a modern twist to it. Along with some great classic selections, they highlight some of niches of our industry that is getting a lot of buzz - woman wine makers, orange wine, pet nat wines, natural wine etc.

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RT: Oh wow they are very on trend with everything happening in the wine world. I&rsquo;m excited to get into it. Shall we start with bubbles?

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GH: Why wouldn&rsquo;t we! Hehe! They&rsquo;ve got 1 option for champagne coming from Deutz which is a very small producer. And if you&rsquo;re in more of a Frizzante mood, I would do this 2020 Prosa sparkling Rose from Austria. 

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RT: Oh wow I&rsquo;ve never heard of those. I always love discovering new producers. Thanks for that Grace. Now - what are you feeling in the white wine section?

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GH: They&rsquo;ve got some really unique selections! I am loving the look of this 2020 Xarelo from Pares Balta out of Spain. Or you could also go with a classic &ndash; Jermann Pinot Grigio. And for Chardonnay they only have 1 choice! The 2018 Domaine Eden.

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RT: 1 chardonnay on a California wine list? That can&rsquo;t be true. &nbsp;

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GH: That&rsquo;s why I love little unique independent wine spots like this. They have a vision and they stick to it. You can get Cali chard anywhere. Bar Brix is looking to highlight other Styles and grapes and I am here for it. &nbsp;

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RT: Amen to that sister. They probably have some delicious roses then. &nbsp;

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GH: &nbsp;They sure do Robert. I&rsquo;m loving the look of this 2021 &ldquo;Ode to Lulu&rdquo; Rose from Bedrock, which our fellow CorkRules sommelier Grant works at! Hey Grant! You&rsquo;re doing great sweetie hahah

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RT: Hey would you look at that! Keep up the good work at Bedrock Grant. Alright Grace &ndash; want to hit us with some unique reds?

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GH: I sure do Robert &ndash; If you&rsquo;re feeling something light but structured, you could do this 2020 Barbera d&rsquo;Alba from Sottimano Pairolero, this 2020 la Croix Rouge from Domaine de la Coche, or this 2021 Nero d&rsquo;Avlo from Due Terre Nivuru 

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RT: Very cool. Love to see these smaller producers making waves. What about some picks for those medium bodied wine drinkers?

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GH: They&rsquo;ve got a 2018 Rioja from Bodegas Ugalde. Oh, and a Grace Hood favorite &ndash; a 2015 St. Joseph from Domaine Boissonet out of the northern Rhone. And they have a really fun blend from the Willamette Valley &ndash; the 2021 Vin de Days from Day wines 

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RT: Love the sound of those. And how about rounding it out with some big boys?

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GH: They&rsquo;ve got a 2016 Tannat Cabernet blend from Chateau Peyros Madiran, as well as a 2010 Veja Sicilia &Uacute;nico 

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RT: Great choices. Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Barbrix. &nbsp;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.

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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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&nbsp;

BRAT

Bocca di Lupe

Gap Weekend: A Film Shoot in Wine Country

Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

L'Auberge Chez Francois

Andrew Edmunds

Salt Seafood and Oyster Bar

Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Catena is a renowned family-owned winery in Mendoza, Argentina that has been producing exceptional wines for over a century. Their expertise in high altitude winemaking has allowed them to craft some of the most sought-after wines in Argentina.

Texas-born chain serving big slabs of beef, seafood & a large wine list in a classy atmosphere.

Steak Frites

Alexis Percival is a New York City based CMS certified sommelier, consultant and event planner who puts the art in party.

Bob’s Steak & Chop House

Rose

Krug NV

Champagne, France

Dom Perignon NV

Champagne, France

Taittinger

Brut (Reserve) Champagne NV

Blend

Champagne, France

Gaja

Dagromis Barolo NV

Nebbiolo

Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Tenuta San Guido

Sassicaia NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Chateau de Beaucastel

Rouge, Chateauneuf-du-Pape NV

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France

Archery Summit

Estate Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

Oregon, USA

Beaux Frères

Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

Oregon, USA

Bertani

Sereole Soave NV

Garganega

Soave, Veneto, Italy

Antinori

Tignanello NV

Blend

Toscana, Italy

Cakebread

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

Napa Valley, USA

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

'Pichon Comtesse Reserve NV

Pauillac, France

Caymus

Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley, USA

Flora Springs

Trilogy NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley, USA

Louis Jadot

Macon Aze NV

Chardonnay

France