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Collaboration, Inclusion & Breaking Down Cultural Barriers

Caruso E Minini
Arancino
Bianco Macerato
Catarratto
Terre Siciliane IGP
Organic & sustainable
Marsala, Trapani, Sicily, Italy
Wine team: Stefano Caruso & Mario Minini (co-founders), and Giovanna & Rosanna (Stefano’s daughters)

Light orange golden and as it opens it deepens. Sniffing Valencia orange & blossoms, honeysuckle, mandarins, light tangerine, persimmon, wild flowers and sea breeze. Sipping and all of the scents are right there along with fresh picked basil, marjoram, thyme, parsley and a little shake of salt. It’s so crisp, fresh and delightful.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Big yes

This is my 2nd Caruso E Minini wine, and I just love their labels, but I didn’t know the history until now. Turns out the illustrations are created by people from Turin’s Laboratorio Zanzara. The program is a non-profit that is “dedicated to the integration and creativity of people with intellectual and behavioral disabilities, under the direction of Gianluca Cannizzo”. They work from pics & objects from Marsala & then combine their ideas with a touch of Matisse’s style. While creating, they can share ideas, chat, and grow. As it says on Laboratorio Zanzara’s site, “I make, therefore I am” is the starting point to find fulfillment, both as individuals and as a group. It’s a path of giving back and active participation in society”. The collaboration of the winery & lab “exemplifies how art and business can come together, proposing a new language capable of breaking down cultural barriers; a fusion of taste and beauty, destined to leave an indelible mark on the mind and heart”. Cheers to this project and their others that are a creation of love.

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Hare’s To Character

Famille Brunier
(produced by their Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe)
Pigeoulet Rouge 2023
Vin de Pays du Vaucluse
55% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 15%  Carignan, 8% Cinsault, 7% Mourvèdre
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, & battles the moths (Eupoecilia ambiguella & Lobesia botrana) by sexual confusion
Bédarrides, France
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier (brothers), Nicolas & Manon (Frédéric’s son & daughter), Édouard (Daniel’s son)

Shining cherry/raspberry. Breathing in cherries, raspberries, plums, blueberries, red currants, a tangle of lavender/rosemary/thyme, and a light bit of licorice. All of the scents are in the taste but with even more grace & a sweetness but not overly. On the exhale there’s now more earth and a little peat. Such an easy drinker & so full of vibrant life that can turn a cold grey day into blue skies & rainbows.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: step away from the box

The Famille Brunier has a longstanding & well acclaimed history (over 125 years) in wine; and more than likely at least one of their bottles has crossed your path from such as Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Domaine La Roquète, and Domaine Les Pallières (with Kermit Lynch). This fun bunny or aka Pigeoulet (“little one” translation from local dialect) hopped onto my lap when I was browsing wines to relax with while watching the latest season of “Drops of God”. BTW I’m still on the fence on how I feel about season 2…anyone else catching up on it? Would love to hear your thoughts.  Back to the Bruniers, they let their wines speak for themselves. As they say on their site, “Personality and balance are the two key words that guide our decisions and actions.” Well, this hare’s blend is full of that mentioned personality and heartwarming & smooth balance. I’d follow this little joyful character down rabbit holes any day. 🐰🍷

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A Glass To Snuggle Up To

Quinta do Passadouro
Vinho Tinto 2019
55% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Francesa, 10% Touriga Nacional, 10% Field Blend from old vines
Duoro DOC
Pinhão, Portugal

Inky maroon with purple pops. Sniff and a little oak dances through & mingles with dark cherries, black olives, wildflowers, blackberries, black currants, plums, and a pinch of warm spice & anise. Tasting and there’s dark cherries joining the blackberries, blueberries, black currants & plums & a red currant or two with a not quite ripe tart raspberry, licorice, horehound, and the teeny tiniest of vibrating tomato leaf appears & then tells you you didn’t see them…or shhh they were never there it’s all an illusion. Everything smooths out into an elegant, graceful sip. You know…this wine pairs well with a lot, but honestly I prefer just snuggling up with a glass while watching the snow fall.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: this is one of those moments of YES!

Yes, I’ve had my fair share of Passadouro wines over the years, but when I saw this bottle, I knew it was time to revisit this old friend (actually brought 2 home). While the Genetta genetta on the label may look somewhat like a cute kitty you want to rescue, it’s better to leave them in the wild. I think the best description I found was on discoverwildlife.com: “Genets resemble the love child of a cat crossed with a smidgen of mongoose and a touch of marten, with a soupçon of lemur thrown in for good measure.” These nocturnal creatures are also great for natural pest control since they’re generally carnivores and love snapping up rodents, birds, bugs, and other small critters; but they’re also know to enjoy figs, olives & the like. It would be such a wonderful dream to travel to Portugal, sit out in the dark in a vineyard, and get to see one unclose & personal on its agile nightly hunt.

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A Dog’s Tale

Lubanzi Wines
Red 2023
Shiraz
Certified organic Ecocert
Swartland, South Africa
Charles Brain & Walker Brown and their team

Deep purple pour with maroon glints. Sniffing raspberry, rosehips, cherry, blackberries, boysenberry, dried Mission figs, plums & their blossoms, and  a little smoke. Sipping and there’s plums (bright & dark with pits, skin & all), cherries, blackberries, boysenberry, singed orange peel, dates & dried fig, again that smidge of smoke, and at last black pepper tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Party time!

You have to love a wine named after a dog. The story told is Charles Brain & Walker Brown (originally from USA) while they were exchange students in South Africa (2014) went on a backpacking adventure. On their second day a “wandering dog” joined their trek. Locals called him “Lubanzi” and he followed alongside them for 6 days/100 miles until one night he just disappeared. Was he really a dog, their protector, or a spirit animal? It’s fitting that their kindred traveling friend’s name is now emblazoned on their wines. In 2016, they moved back to ZA with a plan. They brought the right people & grapes into their lives, and wanted to give back to the country they so loved. Lubanzi Wines “pledged 50% of our net profits to back the Pebbles Project, a Non-Profit that works with the low-income families who live and work on South Africa’s wine farms. They focus on growing families by providing resources and improving access to high-quality health care & educational services.” Charles & Walker are truly not only making great wine, but also making positive impact for people, offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions, and making our planet a better place. As they say, “We believe in the power of business to change the world.” ❤️🍷