The holiday season is a time for celebration, and champagne is a popular beverage of choice for many. Whether you&#39;re looking for a high-end champagne to mark a special occasion or a more approachable option for casual gatherings, there are plenty of choices to consider.&nbsp;

By the way, we love champagne with all kinds of food (seafood, fried chicken, spicy food, etc) and is more than just for a quick toast at midnight.&nbsp;

High-End Champagnes:&nbsp;

When it comes to high-end champagnes, names like <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/MoA-t-and-Chandon-Dom-Perignon-Brut-2013-w87575582p">Dom Perignon</a> and Krug often come to mind. These prestigious champagnes are typically reserved for special occasions and are known for their exceptional quality and craftsmanship. <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/MoA-t-and-Chandon-Dom-Perignon-Brut-2013-w87575582p">Dom Perignon</a> is produced by Moet &amp; Chandon and is named after the Benedictine monk who is often credited with discovering the champagne-making process. Krug, on the other hand, is known for its rich and complex flavors, thanks to its unique production methods, including fermentation in small oak barrels. These won&#39;t disappoint! Yum!!&nbsp;

More Approachable Options:&nbsp;

If you&#39;re looking for a more approachable champagne that still offers great quality, there are plenty of options to consider. <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Ruinart-Brut-Rose-w2136832vx">Ruinart Rose</a> and <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Charles-Heidsieck-Brut-Blanc-De-Blancs-w1263779l4">Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blanc</a> are two examples of champagnes that are well-regarded but are often more affordable than their high-end counterparts. <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Ruinart-Brut-Rose-w2136832vx">Ruinart Rose</a> is known for its delicate, fruity flavors, while <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Charles-Heidsieck-Brut-Blanc-De-Blancs-w1263779l4">Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blanc</a> is a type of champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, resulting in a crisp and elegant taste. Solid choices!&nbsp;

Blanc de Blanc:

Blanc de Blanc is a term used to describe champagnes that are made exclusively from white grapes, typically Chardonnay. This style of champagne is known for its light and crisp flavors, making it a popular choice for those who prefer a more delicate taste. Blanc de Blanc champagnes are often a great option for pairing with seafood or light appetizers.&nbsp;

Lower-End Examples and Spanish Cava:

If you&#39;re looking for lower-end champagne options, there are plenty of choices to consider. <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Piper-Heidsieck-Brut-Cuvee-w504046291">Piper-Heidsieck&#39;s Brut Non-Vintage</a> is a great affordable option that still offers great quality and flavor. This champagne is known for its fresh and lively taste, making it a great choice for casual gatherings. In addition to champagne, <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Gramona-Brut-Corpinnat-Imperial-2017-w91087350j">Spanish Cava</a> is another great option to consider for all budgets. Cava is a sparkling wine that is produced in Spain using the traditional champagne method, and it offers great quality at a more affordable price point.&nbsp;

Whether you&#39;re looking for a high-end champagne to mark a special occasion or a more approachable option for casual gatherings, there are plenty of choices to consider. From prestigious names like <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/MoA-t-and-Chandon-Dom-Perignon-Brut-2013-w87575582p">Dom Perignon</a> and Krug to more affordable options like <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Ruinart-Brut-Rose-w2136832vx">Ruinart Rose</a> and <a href="https://www.grapesthewineco.com/wines/Gramona-Brut-Corpinnat-Imperial-2017-w91087350j">Spanish Cava</a>, there&#39;s a champagne out there for every taste and budget.&nbsp;

Cheers to the holiday season! #drinkwhatyoulove #bubbles

The holiday season is a time for celebration, and champagne is a popular beverage of choice for many. Whether you're looking for a high-end champagne to mark a special occasion or a more approachable option for casual gatherings, there are plenty of choices to consider.

Bubbles for the Holidays!!

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

Spago Las Vegas by Wolfgang Puck

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas hit the high spot Spago on Las Vegas Boulevard. 

Wine List Review of Spago, Las Vegas

Grace Hood

Spago

Spago

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode, 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: Happy to be here as always Robert!&nbsp;

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. Today we will be reviewing the crown jewel in the Wolfgang Puck portfolio, the iconic Spago. Can&rsquo;t wait to hear your thoughts Grace.&nbsp;

GH: Thanks Robert! Quick story about the Spago. Back in 2012, I took my sommelier tests at the Montage Beverly Hills, which is right down the street from Spago. When you take the sommelier tests, they are administered by Master sommeliers, and one of the somms teaching our class and proctoring our exams was none other than Christopher Miller, who at the time was the wine director of Spago. I see so much of his influence on this wine list, so excited to dive into it.

RT: Dive in we shall! Where would you like to start?

GH: Oh man well at 60 pages, this wine list isn&#39;t so much a list but a small novel haha but of course we will start with sparkling! If you&rsquo;re looking for a traditional small production boutique style non-vintage champagne, I would go with this premi&egrave;re Cru Vilmart and Cie. Or if you&rsquo;re into champagne with a little age on it, you could do the 2002 Krug Reims. 

RT: Two great calls. Can&#39;t go wrong with either of those. What is sticking out to you when it comes to white wine?

GH: Well, they basically have every classic style you could ask for here at Spago! But they especially love their Riesling&nbsp; - they have a full 5 pages dedicated to it. And that&rsquo;s such a sommelier niche thing to do. We&rsquo;re notorious for loving Riesling. One of our fellow Cork Rules sommeliers Alexis is a Riesling fanatic! On the Spago list, I would go for 2006 Franz Kunstler from Rheingau if you want a German Reisling, the 2011 Trimbach if you want an Alsatian Riesling, or the 2013 from Domaine Wachau if you&rsquo;re feeling Austrian. 

RT: Resiling from everywhere for everyone. We love to see it. Now how about something more medium bodied for our white wine drinkers who might not be into Riesling as much as Alexis is?

GH: hahahah we love you Alexis! Some other outstanding whites on the Spago menu mmmm I&rsquo;m loving the look of this 2015 Chateau Palmer which is a white Bordeaux. Another stand out 2015 from France would be this Gangolff Condrieu which is viognier from the Rhone Valley, and it drinks like liquid gold.

&nbsp;

RT: Liquid gold sounds too good to be true. But I totally see that. Speaking of liquid gold, we can&rsquo;t forget out chardonnay drinkers.

GH: Oh, I would never dream of it hahah for our chardonnay fans, we&rsquo;ve got some classics for sure. The Spago menu has a small selection called the Wolfgang Puck Wine Collaborative which are wines that are only created for Wolfgang Puck establishments, so definitely a special selection list! They have a 2015 Paul Lato Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley which would definitely appease any American chardonnay fan.

RT: Oh how fun. I love trying specialty projects. Such a unique experience. Alright Grace &ndash; where do we start when it comes to red wine on the Spago list?

GH: Starting off light with the wine love of my life pinot noir &ndash; my Oregon pick would be the 2016 Lingua Franca from the lovely and talented Larry Stone. My california pick would be this 2012 Aubert from the Sonoma Coast. And my Burgundy pick would be 2011 Benjamin Leroux Volnay.

RT: Wow those are some beautiful wines. Great choices as always Grace. I know you&rsquo;ll never steer us wrong with pinot noir. How about some medium bodied reds? I know you love your syrahs as well.&nbsp;

GH: I sure do Robert! For a California syrah, it&rsquo;s going to have to be this 2012 Sine Qua non Touche. My Washington pick would be the 2007 Bionic Frog from Cayuse. And for France, I would do this 2005 Chateau de Fonsalette from the Cotes du Rhone

RT: Love the sound of those. Anything inspiring you in the Italian and Spanish section?

GH: Oh for sure! For Italian - I&rsquo;m loving the look of this 2006 Barolo Monfortino from Giacomo Conterno. And for Spanish, gonna have to be a classic &ndash; a 2002 Bega Silicia Unico. 

RT: Oh wow either of those would be out of this world. Now what are we thinking for cabernet? They probably have pages and pages at Spago

GH: Oh they sure do Robert! So much good wine to choose from. But I&rsquo;m gonna go with two 1999 vintages - the Harlan Estate from California, and the premier cru from Ch&acirc;teau Mouton Rothschild. 

RT: Killer choices as always. Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Spago.&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@</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.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

&nbsp;

End

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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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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