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.

Alto means high, referring to altitude when talking about wine, in both Spanish and Italian. Recently higher altitude locations have been planted more and more. A few decades ago, these areas were not seen as suitable for growing quality grapes as the climate back then was too cool. Today, with many producers witnessing a rising temperature, and a lot of new techniques in the vineyard, these areas are finally becoming viable. The higher you plant the cooler the temperature will be, but you will also receive more sun which in turn helps ripen the grapes. The temperature will be quite warm during the day, but very cool at night. This leads to ripe fruit aromas developing during the day, followed by a cool nighttime keeping the fresh acidity in the grapes, the best of both worlds for the grapes.

In Italy this development has been very prominent in northern Piemonte in the last decade. There is now talk about an area called Alto Piemonte, comprised of a few different wine regions. They are all located higher up in the mountains, and like the most famous wines from Piemonte many are based on the Nebbiolo grape. The most well-known wine regions would be Ghemme, Gattinara, and Boca.

But Alto Piemonte is not the only area where the term is used. In quite a few cases, in both Italy, Spain, Argentina and Chile the term can be seen used as part of a producer name or even as the name of a specific wine, sometimes to convey the wine is from a high planted vineyard. It is not uncommon however for winemakers to use the term to show it&rsquo;s their highest quality wine, not a wine from high altitude.

More wine growers have shown interest in high altitude vineyards lately, and the record of the highest planted one is something a few are trying to beat. It&rsquo;s safe to say the positive effects the altitude has on the growing grapes mean these vineyards are here to stay, and terms as alto may be used in more languages soon.

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 travel down Highway 1 to West Hollywood, where they visit the legendary steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard, Boa.

Wine Review of Boa, California

Grace Hood

Boa

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!

GH: Hey Robert! Happy to be here :)

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. So Grace - today we will be tackling West Hollywood hotspot Boa.

GH: You had me at West Hollywood haha

RT: Hahah I love it.&nbsp; What are your initial thoughts on the wine list?

GH: I&rsquo;m loving this list! They have a very well thought out list that represents a lot of different regions, styles of wine and price points. Something for everyone here. They split it into their main wine list selections, but then when you get further into the menu, they have something called the Captain&rsquo;s selection, and those are your special collectors edition bottles! Super interested to see what they&rsquo;ve been curating at Boa

RT: I wonder who the captain is haha do we think he or she is the wine captain, or maybe a wine pirate? Haha!

GH: Jack Sparrow made the wine list, or was it black beard?

RT: Either way, they have a fantastic palate. Where should we start matey?

GH: With sparkling of course! And they have one of my favorite domestic sparklings on the menu &ndash; the Willamette Valley&rsquo;s Soter Vineyard Brut Rose, made from super high quality pinot noir from oregon

RT: Love that. You don&rsquo;t see a lot of sparkling pinot from Oregon do you?

GH: Not as much as you would think! Argyle is the most well known sparkling Oregon wine, but more vineyards are starting to realize there&rsquo;s a market and a demand for domestic sparkling, so we will definitely see more in future

RT: Delicious. Looking forward to it. What caught your eye in the white wine section?

GH: For a lighter white, they have an &Aacute;ustrian pinot gris which would be really refreshing. It&#39;s from a cooler climate and higher altitude so would just be a lot more crisp and slate stoney, rather than a pinot gris that grew in a mediterranean climate. RT: Maybe similar to an Oregon pinot gris?

GH: Yes exactly Robert! Look at you pulling out wine facts haha

RT: Hey I&rsquo;m more than just a pretty face Grace haha

GH: Brains and beauty and Bordeauxs haha

RT: What are you thinking for a more decadent white?

GH: Well they&rsquo;ve got a killer selection of domestic Chardonnays. This 2018 Groth from Napa Valley would hit the spot for those California chardonnay fans.

RT: An oaky buttery classic for sure. Now, there are a lot of amazing selections for reds. Where to start?

GH: BOA didn&rsquo;t have to go this hard on the reds, but they did it for us and we thank them haha if you&rsquo;re thinking of a lighter style red they&rsquo;ve got a 2010 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo from the famous Gaja producer out of italy.

RT: Ohhh I didn&rsquo;t even see that one! Good looking out Grace. Gaja is always fabulous

GH: Don&rsquo;t I know it! But if bouggie Italian isn&rsquo;t your thing, you could go with this 2012 Cote Rotie from Delas out of northern Rhone.

RT: Hurrah for syrah!

GH: Say it louder for the people in the back Robert! But if the people in the back shout back &ldquo;we want cabernet&rdquo; then imma hit them with the 2001 Bond Melbury from Napa Valley. 

RT: Aye Aye captain! Now what about some value bottles for our pirates on a budget?

GH: Argh matey I&rsquo;ve got some selections if your dubloons are running low hahah for whites you could go with a 2020 Gavi from Enrico Serafina. And red, I&rsquo;m looking at this 2016 Syrah from Penner Ash out of Oregon. 

RT: And what about if you&rsquo;re looking for buried treasure.

GH: The captain did not let us down. I spy a 1998 Perrier Joet Champagne that I would walk the plank for. Or this 1980 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja, I would go to Davy jones locker for

RT: Hahah I love it. Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Boa West Hollywood. 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">.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.

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

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

End

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