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Smell Everything

Inconnu
Kitsune 2019
Red blend
Hand harvested, indigenous yeast fermented, unfined & unfiltered
Grapes sourced from organic & regeneratively farmed parcels
Napa, CA
Laura Brennan Bissell

Deep maroon with a glowing ruby rim. Pouring and dark cherry scents float up mingling with a little oak/cola (RC to be precise) but not overpowering (oak & I have a complicated relationship but this is a welcome one), blackberries & raspberries, dried cherries, plums/prunes, and touch of earthy depth that includes a growing mishmash of juniper, a comforting warm spice, zest and a tad of cedar. All of the above scents are in the taste that has a lively bright tang and smooth glide at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: hard to describe on how it heightens everything but it is delicious

The sense of smell for all of us is so important, easily taken for granted, and can touch every one of us in different ways. In my dad’s case, sometimes I wonder if his works…my schnoz is ultra hyper which is a good thing most of the time unless you are on a sweaty NYC subway in the heat of July. Reading about Laura’s (on her site’s bio) and as she says, “Smell has been the driving force for many decisions in my life…I want to smell everything.” Smelling everything hits home with me & I’m sure does too with all y’all wine lovers out there.

As I read more about Laura’s personal wine world, I feel like I did her a disservice by doing exactly what she didn’t wish. “Just like my life, I wish for my wines to be distilled into a poetic form, and not to have their entrails spread apart on a surgical table. There is pain and suffering, there is joy, chaos, recklessness at times, but more than anything, a quiet optimism that every day of our time here is yet another chance to experience something beautiful.” Sorry, if I pulled out a scalpel and diced Kitsune into singular scent & flavor notes, because this bottle is a performance of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (strength, beauty, grace, wonder) & an encapsulation of a time in your life that I’m so happy to have now experienced.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Napa #california #Kitsune #Inconnu #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @inconnuwine

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A Grape Spa Treatment

Azienda Agricola Pasquale Petrera
Fatalone
Bianco Spinomarino
Greco 2022
100% Greco
Puglia I.G.T.
Gioia delle Colle, Spinomarino, Puglia, Italy
Organic, dry farming, sustainable, green manure, and zero emission
Winemaker: Pasquale Petrera

Shining yellow straw. Delightful scents of creamy lemon curd, honeydew, irises, lillies with some roses thrown in, pears, pinch of baking spices, over ripe cucumbers, and a salty breeze. Sipping crisp pears, crab apples, white peaches, and a bouquet of lilacs, roses, irises & honeysuckle. There’s also a shake of salt, lick of granite, and over time a sprig of thyme. 

Pairs with Cheez-Its: a full on NOPE

Fatalone has been around since the 1800s but didn’t starts bottling till 1987. In the old days, it was bring your own bottle and fill’er up. Spinomarino is their only white wine, and those vines were not planted till 1990. Such a beautiful exotic heady and very unique wine. Kind of fits their name Fatalone. Filippo Petrera (2nd generation of this family) had the nickname of Il Fatalone which pretty much translates to “Lady Killer” or seducer. Kind of perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift which will be here before you know it, so get to ordering! Back to the winemaking team who are an essential part nurturing this bottle of love. They go above and beyond in making sure the grapes have the utmost care throughout the whole process. They even went as far as soundproofing the cellar and piping in classical music and nature sounds. Now that’s quite a spa treatment. ❤️🌹

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #winetrain #puglia #italy #organic #Spinomarino #bonvivantimports #docwinebar #docwineshop #Fatalone ##Fatalonewines @bonvivantimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @FataloneWines

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Allô, Wine Calling

Domaine Les Foulards Rouges
Octobre 2023
VDF
Syrah, Grenache
Organic, indigenous yeast, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Montesquieu-les-Albères, Rousillion, France
Jean-François Nicq

Shining garnet stained glass. Breathing in a big bowl of mixed fruit like raspberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, smidge of figs, plums, and next up are irises, white pepper, a tiny puff of smoke/earth & tomato leaf. Taking a sip and wow! All of the aforementioned is there including tomato leaves, now joined with green tomato (fresh not fried) & tart young cherry tangy, a little sizzle on the back, and it’s light, bright, fresh and obviously young in a good way.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: more flowers emerge

When I first saw this label, my brain went straight to Pet Shop Boy’s “My October Symphony”, but it actually refers to the month it’s released each year. The Domaine’s name was a what I should have been paying more attention to…Jean-François Nicq and Bijan Mohamadi (childhood friends) originally bought the vineyard property back in 2001, and decided to dub it with the name of the Prix Maison de la Presse winning historical/thriller/adventure novel “Les Foulards Rouges” (The Red Scarves) by one of their favorite authors, Fréderic Fajardie (also known for his political leanings, works of noir, and screenplays). Let’s just say learning about him took me down a rabbit hole this past weekend. Then I stumbled into another one or should I say a whole prairie dog burrow, when I found out about the documentary “Wine Calling” that includes Les Foulards Rouges along with other like minded natural winemakers. Check it out, there’s a Bourdain soundtrack vibe, it’s free on Tubi, and also it’s “Un film produit sans sulfites.”

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #naturalwine #winecalling #France #worldbyglass #winecalling #lesfoulardsrouges #docwinebar #docwineshop #LesFoulardsRouges @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebarny

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Drink Life Slowly

Esporão
Monte Velho Tinto 2021
Vinho Regional Alentejano
Aragonez 40%, Trincadeira 35%, Touriga Nacional 20%, Syrah 5%
Alentejo, Portugal
Winemkaers: Sandra Alves & João Ramos

Deep goth dark ruby with a light ruby rim. There’s scents of cola, prunes, dark plums & cherries, mission figs, raspberries, over time blueberries wave hello, a pinch of earth & iron. Sipping raisins, prunes, dark plums, tart & dark cherries, dried mission figs, also some rustic tangy young cherry, and a welcome burn that fades and smoothes.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: everything goes more rich and smooth so YES

When I took my first few sips, my hands just took over and typed, “I want to be on vacation”. Well, Esporão wants that for us too, or actually more than just a quick break but to learn to move forward slowly, to breath deeply, to care for our environment, enjoy silence, and live in the moment. Here’s their manifesto and it’s definitely worth a read.

The world moves at a faster pace than ever.
But to many of us, it looks like we’re going nowhere fast.
Fast is surrendering our privacy for instant access to memes.
Fast is downing a double espresso while rushing to work.
Fast has us watching five seasons of a show on Netflix in one gulp.
Fast has made the week speed by because we were too busy
to stop and look around.
Fast isn’t forward.

We’re from the slow country.
We have a different pace of life.
And it makes life look pretty good.
Slow is smart. Slow is a skill. Slow is progress.
So if you’re in a hurry, drink wine slowly.
Drink life slowly.

There are many ways to move forward. This is ours.
Esporão.
Slow Forward.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #portugal #Alentejano #Alentejo #slowforward #thisisEsporão #Esporão #Esporao #vinewine #vinewinenyc @esporaoworld @vinewinenyc

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Youthful Memories

Domaine de Rochebin
Bourgogne Aligoté AOC 2021
100% Aligoté
Sustainable
Azé, Mâconnais, France
Mickaël Marillier (son) Jean-Pierre (father), & Laurent Chardigny

Warm shimmering golden. Breathing in pears, apples, allspice, mace & other pie spice, lemon/lime squeeze, touch of salt, and apple & orange blossoms floating on a warm breeze. (Have you ever been in the middle of an apple orchard and a gust kick up the blossoms swirling all around you? Growing up in an orchard, I’d anticipate Spring and the magical fairytale land that would come with the first budding/blooming scents to the moments of watching the petals flutter upward, sideways, down and decorating my hair and clothes. Was a beautiful spring blizzard that was almost like a dream and so happy to have the memory to hold in my heart.) Now back to sipping this lovely glass…all of the scents are right here in the taste with a bit of an apple tree twig (a little bark & greenery), a teeny touch of honeysuckle nectar, Valencia orange & lime zest.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious like cheddar cheese on warm apple pie

I have no why I kept bypassing this bottle in the fridge because turns out it’s exactly what I needed right now even with the chill outside. As you can tell from above, it brought up warm happy youthful memories that I hold deep in my mind and heart…nothing like those innocent joyful moments. Sometimes to jostle those recollections it only takes a taste of a warm cookie, the feeling of fresh crisp early morning walk as the streetlights are still on and the sun is just breaking, or in my case just a fragrance of simple blooms from an elegant glass of wine. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #Bourgogne #Burgundy #France #worldbyglass #domainederochebin #massanois #docwinebar #docwineshop @docwineshop @docwinebar

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Rescued From The Sun

Chateau d’Issan
Margaux AOC 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 40%
Hand harvested
Cantenac, France

Deep purple of the most dark metal band feel with a cherry/maroon rim. First sniff and there’s cherry, plums/prunes, oreo cream, a little cola, and after that it’s off to the races with all the berries…blueraspstrawboysen, black currants, pinch off light cinnamon, touch of myrtle, and an oak whiff. Sipping and there’s cherry (fresh & dried), same goes for the plums, cassis, blackberries (pits & all), cedar & oak shave blend that is waaaaay in the back and hide and waves and hides again, smidge of juniper, and a touch of darkness but not scary…like that sexy brooding bad boy from college that has that wry smile. It’s still fresh and continuing to morph…over time that berry jumble emerges blueraspstrawboysen, dried figs, a little forest floor, slight puff of smoke, and then the sweet part I’m tasting reminds me of chewing sugar cane….so pure. This is a smooth operator with a welcome teeny tiny burn in the back and pairs great with Good Omens Season 2.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: actually pretty good

I had no idea what to expect with this bottle. It was originally found in an abandoned shopping cart in a parking lot and had been there for hours in the blazing summer heat 🥵. Can someone please tell me how anyone can forget and leave a wine behind especially one with a pedigree and history as Issan? It was supposedly poured at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine & Henri Plantagenet, enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson & many other illustrious figures, dubbed 3rd Grand Cru Classé en 1855, and as their motto says, “Regum mensis aris que deorum”(For the table of kings and the altar of Gods). Anyway since no one ever came to claim, it was rescued, delivered to me, and ended up on my table where it was greatly appreciated by this humble wine lover who is neither a king or a deity. Oh and as you can tell it didn’t get a sunburn. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #France #Margaux #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #chateaudissan

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Sailing Into Love

Château Frédignac
Coince Ta Bulle
Pét-nat 2022
Merlot 100%
Organic (Nature & Progrès), unfined, unfiltered, indigenous yeast
Saint-Martin-Lacaussade, Blaye Gironde, France
Vincent L’Amoulier & Ludivine Lemaitre

Deep electric magenta streaked with a touch of orange sunset and teeny white bubbles. Scents start flowing out of strawberries, raspberries, cherries of all sorts, a touch of good natural deep funk, balsamic reduction, blackberries, spring flowers, cherry blossoms, orange & zest, shake of salt, and pinch of white pepper. Taking a sip and there’s such a lovely bright citrus combo sizzle, all the before mentioned berries along with cherries, a natural depth, smidge of balsamic, pinch of cinnamon, pineapple gummy bear, salt kick, and it’s all just delightfully fresh and crisp.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: fabulous so just do it

Château Frédignac is a winery built on love. Several generations ago in 1919, a sailor (Jean-Marie L’Amouller) while visiting Blaye liked what he saw in both the area & a young lady. As love for both bloomed, he decided to put down roots on dry land and a farm was born (cows, grains, & vines). Over time it became all about the grapes and how they thrived due to the Gironde terroir. The current couple/generation (Vincent & Ludivine) stepped up to the helm in 2012, and achieved organic farming certification on 2014. They look to the future and how they can shape, respect, and grow together with their environment & biodiverse flora & fauna (they planted 100 olive trees in 2023 too). They also remember the past & their estate founding great grandfather, and as a tip of the hat to Jean-Marie they have named “Cuvée La Favorite” after the ship that brought him to the land & family they all love then & now. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #organic #wineislove #winetime #Pét-nat #Pétnat #petnat #gironde #France #merlot #worldbyglass #boivinselection #châteaufrédignac #docwinebar #docwineshop @fredignac @docwineshop @docwinebar

 

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Naturally Nudo

Corte Pagliari Verdieri
Vén Crüd
Sabbioneta Rosato IGP
Lambrusco Sobrara
Biodynamic certified
Mantua, Lombardy, Italy
Mimma Vignoli

Deep rosato with a touch of orange (80s magenta) sunrise with fine light pink bubbles, and it deepens the longer it’s open and more electric. Breathing in raspberries, strawberries, mandarin & zest, a touch of cream, Circus Peanuts, light lemon lime squeeze, salt/seltzer, and a dash of white pepper. Sipping those raspberries/strawberries joined with a swish of watermelon & a citrus spark, shake of salt, little white-pepper with a smidge of something green/herby, and an exhale of teeny French breakfast radish. It’s crisp, dry, alive, zingy, and lip vibrating magic.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: it’s everything with more berries

Mimma Vignoli, I absolutely love you! Your passion, integrity, and strength are so inspiring. So glad to be introduced to your Vén Crüd because if I hadn’t I would not been given the chance to hear how you ended up on your vine path (learning about stories like this are why I started worldbyglass). Turns out a few decades ago Mimma took on the responsibility of assisting her MIL (who had lost her husband) with the family farm. She ended up not just going there to help out but to make it grow into a naturally thriving biodiverse grange that also included vines that now produce their wines. Also became a member of the Casalasco Viadanese Organic District (picked as President but not sure how long in office) and associated with like other minded growers, slow food movement, and eating local & seasonal. She and some of the other bio buddies, were even featured in a photography exhibit by Cornelia Schmidt, “Just Conscious” which shall we say is very “au naturale” with a huge dash of fun and makes its naked is beautiful point whether with people, our environment & produce. Check out more of their honest reveals at “Just People”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #lombardy #italy #lambrusco #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #docwinebar #docwineshop #jandamorewines #CortePagliareVerdieri @docwineshop @docwinebar @mimmavignoli

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Everything Everywhere All At Once

Maison Marchand-Tawse
Morgon AOC 2021
113/3998
Sustainable
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bourgogne, France

Pascal Marchand & Moray Tawse & team

Shining garnet ruby. There’s scents growing of red currants, a little earth & puff of smoke/peat, cherries, boysenberries, a raspstrawberry combo, and a blend of tomato leaves & tobacco. Sip and there’s raspberries, cherries, pomegranate, boysenberries, blackberries (seeds & all), strawberries, blueberries, a tiny twangy orange zest, and a tobacco tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: better without

After reading the background on Pascal Marchand, my head is spinning. He’s originally from Quebec but became quite a traveler before landing in Burgundy, taking a viticulture & enology course (Beaune), and started learning from & working for the best. As he, his talents, and grape intuition grew, so did his acclaim & desire to work more natural, organic & sustainable with the wineries where he was working/consulting. That spilled over into his own “garagiste” wines where he developed good relationships with growers that were of a natural like mindset. Oh and before I forget he’s one of the “flying winemakers” who work with wineries all over the world. I swear with all he has his hands in, it was like he’s everywhere everything all at once minus the hotdog fingers. Now back to the wines he was personally making…not far down the road, his friend Moray Tawse (also Canadian & of Tawse Winery in Canada) joined Pascal in his wine venture and Maison Marchand-Tawse was born. Working together they could expand their winemaking spaces in Nuits-Saint-Georges and pick up plots for their own vines, albeit they still work with the previously mentioned trusted growers. The two men also let the grapes speak of their terroir and recognize how “each wine is different and must be nurtured in a different way, so as to help it express its full personality” which is very cool, smart, and delicious. 🍷

To my dear friend who gifted me this bottle, THANK YOU! You’ve started me down a new wine path.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Burgundy #Bourgogne #France #tedwardwines #vinewine #vinewinenyc #MarchandTawse @tedward_ws @vinewinenyc @marchand_tawse

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Refined & Rugged Treasures

Terra di Briganti
Aglianico 2020
Benevento IGT
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts
Casalduni, Campania, Italy
Winemakers: Toni and Romeo De Cicco

Dark maroon ruby. Sniff and there’s cherries, a smooth cream moment, plums, tiny prunes & dried figs, smidge of mom’s chewy’s (kind of like a caramelized brown sugar blondie) that heads into a cured black olive & pit but still smooth, and a sprinkle of oregano. First swig and there’s cherries (freshen & dried), dried cranberries, dark & tart plums, again those oil cured black olives & pits with oregano, as time goes on raspberries & young blueberries, a welcome dark earth bitter depth bite…refined, rugged, and just delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-Its:So darn good

I have officially lost count on how many Terra di Briganti wines I’ve had (in fact I think I’ve tried every single one from Steep Hill Wines), and each has been such an enjoyable treasure. Toni & Romeo’s grandparents held the land in Sannio. but the brothers were actually born in Dortmund, Germany and resided there until their family decided it was time to return to Italy. I’m so glad they did and became so intuned to their land & its history (land of the brigands), vineyards, and the surrounding & nourishing nature. Their wines make the world a brighter, fun, and at times a more elegant place (like this bottle). Now my question for them is who do they cheer for in futbol? Dortmund or….?

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #redwine #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #organic #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #futbol #Italy #Aglianico #Fiano #steephillwine #terradibriganti #docwineshop #docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @terradibriganti @cheezit