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

Cracked by Chef Adrianne

Tina Johansson, WSET Diploma Graduate and Michelin restaurant sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard restaurant, a fine-dining steakhouse in Miami.

Wine List Review of Chef Adrianne's in Miami

Tina Johansson

Chef Adrianne's

Cork Rules Script

Chef Adrianne&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, happy to be back for another episode and with a new wine list to dig into.

RT: Glad to hear. Today we&rsquo;re talking about Chef Adrianne&rsquo;s Vineyard restaurant, a modern, fine-dining steakhouse in Miami inspired by the wine country of Napa Valley. Chef Adrianne Calvo opened the restaurant 15 years ago when she was only 22 years old, and today she&rsquo;s one of the most successful chefs in Florida. The menu is focused mainly on the steaks, but with big variation and influences from around the world. You can find flavors from Japan, Italy and Peru to mention a few so the menu holds something for everyone.

TJ: And talking about the wine list it&rsquo;s sorted by grape variety and not by origin which is rather uncommon, but I quite like it since it&rsquo;s an easy way to make guests more comfortable with the wine list in front of them. I think we all know wine lists can be quite intimidating from time to time. Since all wine is from the American west coast (with just a few exceptions like Champagne from France) it keeps the list very easy to navigate. It&rsquo;s a very short list but with a fair pricing in general and that always makes me happy to see.

RT: Yes, I&rsquo;m eager to see what highlights you&rsquo;ll pick out from the wine list this time. Let&rsquo;s start with something fun. What do you suggest as the perfect bottle in Chef Adrianne&rsquo;s for a celebration? What wine of theirs will make a special night here even more memorable?

TJ: Let&rsquo;s celebrate with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon &ndash; the restaurant is inspired by Napa after all. They hold Stags Leap Wine Cellars Artemis, a full-bodied and oaky style of Cabernet that would be a match for many of the great steaks here. This is also the winery that in a way put Napa Valley on the World map since their Cabernet Sauvignon won in a blind tasting over some of the best French Cabernets in the infamous Judgment of Paris in 1976. That kind of says a lot!

RT: It really does, it&rsquo;s a winery all wine lovers should try at some point. To continue, if I&rsquo;m in the mood for a bottle of white, what am I drinking then? Their starters hold a lot of fish like ceviche with yellow chili and chargrilled octopus with chorizo. What are you pairing with this?

TJ: I would suggest something more aromatic to balance the spicy and flavorful elements, but still with a fresh acidity to not overpower the courses. Let&rsquo;s stay in Napa Valley for the white as well and drink Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc. It&rsquo;s your classic Sauvignon Blanc with green, herbal notes and ripe melon aromas, but a bit rounder due to spending a few months in oak barrels.

RT: Great! Always fun when the Napa whites are highlighted a bit as well, it&rsquo;s hard for them to shine in the shadow of the region&#39;s famous reds.

TJ: I agree, there&rsquo;s a lot of good white wines here as well!

RT: So besides Chef Adrianne&rsquo;s great Napa Valley wines, do you have any more gems from the list? One last great bottle?

TJ: Yes of course. Let&rsquo;s go back to red and finish with a lighter style but with great fruit concentration that could handle the milk-fed veal chop or even the Black Angus on the menu if you&rsquo;re in the mood for that. They hold Kistler Russian River Valley Pinot Noir which is just a beautiful and elegant style of red, and really showing a more contemporary style of American winemaking.

RT: Not a bad bottle to end on, 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.

END

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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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