Making A Break

AT Roca
Esparter 2015
Parcel•la única
Brut Nature
D.O. Classic Penedès
100% Macabeu
Mètode Tradicional, zero dosage, organic, hand-harvested, sustainable, indigenous yeasts, and indigenous grapes
Vineyard: Costers de l’Ordal
Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs, Penedès, Catalunya, Spain
Winemaking Family: Agustí Torello Roca (son), Agustí Torello Sibill (father), & Lali Torello Sibill (aunt)

Pale yellow with very tiny bouncing bubbles. Crisp and bright scents of pears, apples, mellow brioche, and a smidge vanilla that delightfully grows. Sipping and here come those crunchy pears snd apples, brioche again but more, like a bite of vanilla-lemon curd cake, a dash of all spice, with a rounded lick of limestone. Delightfully creamy and would be fabulous with crispy BACON!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: it’s ok. More fruity but I like it better on its own

AT Roca may have only been founded in 2013, but the family had an established history in Cava through Agustí Torello Mata. Branching out they made a break from D.O. Cava to D.O. Classic Penedès. Why is this special? Well, according to the official site in order to join, it’s required to be 100% organic (they are the 1st appellation in the world to require this), 100% Penedès (promoting the ancestral and indigenous varieties), and 100% Reserva (at least 15 months in the cellar). The family and team at the AT Roca project are very dedicated to the varying lands of Penedès and getting “maximum expression of the old vineyards”. They have the ability to choose the vineyards and not just be tied to an inheritance. This helps them in their delicious goal of consistently making wines that, “reflect the liquid history of its region” which is absolutely beautiful. 🥂

#wine #brutnature #sparklingwine #bubbly #atroca #esparter #classicpenedes #Macabeu # #winelover #vino #vin #organicwine #winetime #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic #bacon @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Penedès #Penedes #Catalunya #Spain @atroca_wines @josepastorselections @cheezits

Say it Loud and Proud

Dyke Beer
Tallgirl Gose
Brewed with Blackberry, Lingonberry, Raspberry, Himalayan Pink Salt
4.9% ABV
Brewed & Packaged by Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. Brooklyn, NY
Co-founded by Sarah Hallonquist and Loretta Chun (organizers of Dyke Bar Takeover founded in 2017)

Pink grapefruit cocktail pour with small white foam. Strawberries, and raspberries first greet my nose followed by a whiff of grapefruit mixed with old fashioned fruity bubblegum. Sipping raspberries, tartness of the lingonberry, edge of blackberry, salt, and a lick of a lime wedge. It’s crisp, fresh, light, perfect for summer and is brewed in honor of: “Transwomen, Femmes, Drag Queens & the all the tall queer girls in our community.”

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly good and brings out the berries

You know the old saying when life gives you lemons? Well, we all got a pandemic and “Dyke Bar Takeovers” had to shift gears and thus “Dyke Beer” was born. Everything I’m reading about Sarah and Loretta…well they are damn cool. They celebrate LGBTQIA+ and their spaces and saw a need in the lesbian bars they loved for better beer. Not just cheap whatever on tap but a really good craft beer. It’s more than that though. As they say on their site, “People could grab a Dyke Beer to go and bring home some solidarity with them. Dyke Beer says, ‘You exist and you are important.’” For now, there’s only a saison ale and this gose (which is also their special PRIDE beer), but according to their IG there’s a new seasonal one coming in September. BTW just from picking up this beer I’ve learned there are less lesbian bars now than there were in 1980. That kind of blew my mind.

#beer #dykebeer #craftbeer #gose #sourale #LGBTQIA #pride #pairswithcheezits #worldbyglass #cheezit #GreenpointBeer #beerstagram #beerlife #beersofinstagram #wine #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #Brooklyn @BeerBoutiqueNYC @dykebeer

Raised Environmentally Ethical

Matthiasson Family
Tendu 2019
Cortese
Organic, sustainable, vegan
Sourced from: Lost Slough Vineyard, Clarksburg, Yolo County, CA
Winemakers & Farmers: Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson

Delightfully dancing pale yellow green. Sniffing musky melon, lime, tangelo, kumquat, nectarine, and salty rock. Ooh that was lovely! Sipping lime and lemon, just a super tiny bit of fresh honeycomb, light white donut peaches, and surprise! a hint of coconut, and a lick of a river rock. Everything just smoothly balances and begs for shrimp tacos and some spicy guacamole.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: doesn’t do a lot, so I vote no.

Steve & Jill Matthiasson didn’t inherit a vineyard or any of the often told tales, but they both had a love and destiny in sustainable farming in common, oh and also UC Davis. From what I’m reading, Steve’s journey got a kickstart as a kid in Canada being sent to his cousin’s, who had a wheat farm; and later in Arizona going to a school where the kids mingled with farm animals and had their hands in gardening. Who wouldn’t grow up in love with nature and respect for the critters that inhabit it with an education like that? So now with their vineyards and also ones they source from (such as grapes for their Tendu wines), everything is all about organic, sustainability, reducing carbon footprint, and considering their feathered and furred neighbors; yet it goes further than that…they consider everything they do, grow, etc. and their impact on the environment not only just locally but globally. If only everyone could think forward like them, maybe we could start digging our way out of our climate change mess.

#wine #Tendu #winelover #vino #vin #organicwine #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Clarksburg #Napa #California #Cortese @tenduwine @matthiasson_wine @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezits

Perfume of Adventure

Vinos Malaparte
Pico Lunar Amphora
Tempranillo
Natural farming, no pesticides or herbicides, indigenous yeasts & spontaneous fermentation, aged 8 months in amphorae
Cuéllar, Segovia, Spain
Winemaking family: Mariano de Frutos, Elisa de Frutos, Ruben Salamanca

Deep purple tapestry with a ruby rim. Holding the glass up and a puff of buttery caramel that floats out and then morphs into cherries, biscotti, raisins, cola, forest fronds, and a little of the green fairy. Alcohol alert…you have been warned because it will go into hiding as a spicy dried fruit but this is 14.1%, yet it’s soooo smooth. First splash on my tongue and there’s plums, cherry and dried cherries jammy, raisins, hay (that fades), sage/thyme bouquet garni, smoke, and after a bit more breathing time it is so smooth once again. BTW this wine will make you tipsy before you know it, so beware of wine goggles. You might fall in love with more than this wine, and sometimes…well you know, it can spell trouble, oh and don’t go shopping online while drinking…you might end up with a pair of 1976 roller skates…trust me.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: FAB! Love them

My 1st Malaparte wine was their Dindi Blanco which I loved and this one brings on that same feeling but is such a different deep lush creature. The taste and smell of their natural land and all that grows and nourishes their vines just shine in their wines. I love this quote from their site, “When you walk through the vineyard, in a second, you bring clothes caught on forever perfume of adventure. The scent of thyme, lavender, rosemary, odor open field, later, hunting and feathers. And how many of those scents we are in the wine after a spring and summer of coexistence with pines, lavenders, sage, thyme, rock roses and evergreens.” Ah, it’s a celebration of Tempranillo and their part of Segovia in a beautiful bottle.

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Tempranillo #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Segovia #Spain @malapartewine @docwineshop @docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits

Good Groovy Time

Prairie Artisan Ales
Vape Tricks
Sour Ale Aged on Cherries 
5.9% Abv
McAlester, Oklahoma

Psychedelic blur of orangey red that blends up into magenta and a super pale peppermint pink head. Right out of top of the pour pops strawberries, raspberries, cherries and cherry soda with lemon zest and vanilla cream on the end. First tingly sip and oof that is a tastebud wakeup! Tangy raspberries, tart cherries, Lemonhead candy, a touch of Sour Patch Kids, and it has a little oomph to it too. So perfectly beautiful on this hot hazy day.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Whoo…it goes all Warhead sour candy pucker up! I could go either way, just depends on the day.

This is my 3rd from Prairie Artisan Ales…so far I like what I see and sip. Each has been scrumptous and somewhere in them there’s also a fun trip down memory lane of childhood flavors tucked in. Halfway through the first glass an Austin Powers vibe popped into my head. “Vape Tricks” is just asking to turn on some good ol’ Strawberry Alarm Clock and get groovy with some “Incense & Peppermints”!

#beer #cheezit #vapetricks #pairswithcheezits #worldbyglass #craftbeer #sourale #ale #beerstagram #beerlife #beersofinstagram #wine #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #McAlester #Oklahoma #strawberryalarmclock @BeerBoutiqueNYC @prairieales @cheezits

Wine Saves the World

Bodegas Neleman
Nucli 2020
Macabeo 70%, Sauvignon Blanc 30%
Organic, vegan, dry farmed, and a nifty stopper
Casas del Rey, Valencia, Spain
Founder: Derrick Neleman
Winemaker: Diego Fernández Pons

Warm inviting gold glassful. Breathing in a swirl of honeysuckle and peach swirl, pear, hint of smoke and a little salty, and a smidge of tangerine in the back. Sipping and here come those peaches again but this time joined with lychee, lime, and a tiny grapefruit squirt. It’s all followed with white pepper and some fresh cut grass. So crisp and fresh and makes me feel like I’m back in Spain sipping outside at a table of La Vinya del Señor while people watching and snacking on one of their lovely meatballs. Can’t wait to travel again…

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: luscious!

Derrick Neleman…this guy has my dream life! Looks like this Dutchman fell for Spain pretty hard (I know how that feels) and purchased a winery that used to be a co-op in the tiny Casas del Rey (they say there are only 30 residents now and all I can say is wow to that!). He also says his wines are, “Good Wines To Save The World” and he’s right. They’re organic and vegan but there’s more than that too. He and his crew are doing everything to limit their carbon footprint and believe firmly in using real cork. There’s a special design and it’s really cool. No corkscrews necessary! Just follow the instructions printed on it and twist and pop. Also I’m seeing online that he has a beer or beers named Vrolijkheid (Cheerfulness). Is this true and where can I find a bottle? Who wouldn’t want a good glass of cheer!

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #beer #organicwine #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Valencia #Spain #Macabeo #SauvignonBlanc @bodegasneleman @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezits

Rouge Rebel

Domaine No Control
Délire du Désordre 2019
Vin de France
Gamay
Converting to organic, biodynamic practices, hand harvest, and unfiltered
Auvergne/Beaujolais, France
Winemaker: Vincent Marie (he also has exceptional taste in music 🤘🎸)

A swirl of dark ruby & purple. Before we get any further let it breathe. Decant this baby and out will pop and crack some leather, bright cherry, vanilla whiff, then here come the flowers. There’s roses, lilacs, lilies, and everything just keeps exploding and also some barny (not the dinosaur) funk. On with the show…sipping cherries & dried cherries, olive pits, smidge of leather, and a whole bunch of juicy goodness of cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries laced with balsamic. Is it rustic…is it punk or is it a mix of all with funk?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smooths it all out

This bottle intrigues me like the silent bad boy with the leather jacket and motorcycle that did doughnuts in mom’s flower patch but still manages to pick me a bouquet. Maybe our 2nd rendezvous with this rebel tonight will let me see a bit more his soft sensitive side. Or maybe I’ll just roll with this Gamay Auvergne/Beaujolais fusion mix and crank some “Rage Against The Machine”.

#wine #vinho #vino #vin #Gamay #rageagainstthemachine #pairswithcheezits #worldbyglass #cheezit #vinewinenyc #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winelife #naturalwine #organic #Auvergne #Beaujolais #France @vinewinenyc @vincentnocontrol @steven.graf.imports @cheezits

Fossil Fueled Wine

Weingut Stephan Steinmetz
Elbling 2020
Sustainable, hand-harvested, and working in rhythm with nature
Mosel, Germany
Winemaker: Stephan Steinmetz

Shining shimmering starlight with a little hints of green interplanetary life. Breathing in a valley breeze of crisp apples and pears, a squeeze of peach, a little fresh melon, lemon wafts, smoke, and lovely salt. Fresh summer sipping much in line with the sniff. Crunchy apples and pears, and a good shake of salty mineral, light peach, lemon spritz, and a teeny tiny leaf of parsley. 

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Fresh and elegant

Ooh Elbling you are such a youthful ancient grape! I can just see the Romans partying with you. All your very fresh and salt goodness fed by Obermosel’s fossil/shell rich fields and the natural care of the Steinmetz family. They do as much as possible by hand, and dwarf sheep live and tend to the vineyard (not sure if they are in the entire vineyard or just the grapes for the “Unkultiviert”). Honestly they are so ruggedly wooly cute! BTW back in December 2020, they had a wine & wool pairing through their wine retailer Frau Hauptmann and Zwei Rechts wool shop. It may not be from the vineyard dwarves, but it is merino, and I can raise a glass to that.

#wine #wein #vin #vino #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Elbling #sheep #winelife #Mosel #Germany #cheezit #worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #weingutstephansteinmetz #stephansteinmetz #sussexwinemerchants @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezits

Roses, Satin, and Romantic Notions

Forti del Vento
AltoFhrà 2018
100% Dolcetto
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested, and native yeasts
Ovada, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy
Owners and winemakers: Tomaso Armento, Marco and Manuela Tacchino

Light red and somewhat plummy. Fragrances of cherries, cranberry, raspberries, a dozen roses, lilacs, and some natural forest funk that runs out the door. First sip and there’s a little exciting tingle on my tongue. Next are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and all so deliciously juicy. Also a tangy spark in the very back of my mouth. Smooth easy sipping…like relaxing back on a satin pillow.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Ack! No!

Their name alone conjure up dreams of castles, period dramas, and winds fleeting over the hills of Castelletto D’Orba (as I’ve said before, I’m a hopeless romantic). Guess that’s why I love the stories of the young taking on the mantle of the old and recreating their inherited land (from their grandparents) and winemaking skills into natural, organic, bio, and have been proudly accepted as a member of Vinnatur. They (Tomaso, Marco and Manuela) have such high standards and most importantly respect for their part of the world, and have a very important rule of their cellar, “Do not remove or add anything to the wine, so it can be the expression of the vineyard.” Sounds simple, but it takes a lot of patience, knowledge, practice, and of course the best ingredient…love.

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #organicwine #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #dolcetto #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Piemonte #Italy @fortidelvento @docwineshop @docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits

Country Wine & a City Snack

United Colors of Wine
Giallo 2019
Albana and Trebbiano Romagnolo
Organic, indigenous grapes, hand harvested, spontaneous fermentation, unfined & unfiltered
Brisighella (Ravenna), Romagna, Italy
Winemakers: Andrea Marchetti & Paolo Babini (Vigne nei Boschi).

Cool it but not too much…say like 58F. It’s a lovely glass of coppery orange/amber. Breathing in a whole lot…there’s orange rinds, apple and some apple cider vinegar twinge, celery, and grass. The apples are back again, along with hazelnuts, caramel, brioche, chamomile, and it has a total Manzanilla vibe waving it’s little scarf at me flirtatiously. A little bIt more and it lightens up and brings in some wild flowers, and is ever evolving. Tasting and that scarf starts waving again. Delightful crunchy apples, rhubarb, a sprinkle of hazelnuts or almonds, grassy/herby/hay/tangy/rustic mix, orange rind, and again a little brioche just a smidge in the back with a apple cider twinge, and white pepper. Smell and taste in total synch.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: I am very scared to try this…ok so it’s good, really good.

So there’s only 501 bottles of 2019’s Giallo. I had no idea! So happy to be one of a few from all over the world. It’s unique and tons of the spirit of the countryside where the Albana and Trebbiano Romagnolo grew in their own separate vineyards. They do get to mix it up together for 90 days with their skins too. Quite a little steel party until the bottling of this new very natural fun baby. I know this would be good with fried sardines, and you may think I’m crazy, but honestly I’m craving a fresh baked extra salty pretzel and a naked dirty water dog. Why not? A country wine for a city snack.

#wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #unitedcolorsofwine #PaoloBabini #winestagram #winelife #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #Romagna #Italy #organic #Trebbiano #Albana @cheezits @andrea_marchetti @steephillwine @antosicurezza