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No Cheez-Its For You

Club 44
Rosé 2025
Grenache & Syrah blend
Méditerranée IGP
Provence, France

Shining light pink salmon. Let it breathe a little or maybe more than a little post cork popping because there’s a lingering old burning fan belt about to snap smell. There’s grapefruit & tangerines, hibiscus, honeysuckle, and white peaches. Sip and there’s raspberries, strawberries, white cherries, white peaches, lemon/lime/tangelo splash, and a sprinkle of salty sea breeze. Ok, I can’t do this…if I want to be honest a lot of people will kick back this bottle and not have a second thought. Unfortunately, I can’t just turn off my brain. Something about that fan belt hanging around and then there’s a flavor that reminds me too much of Hello Kitty candy and an overwhelming pinkness that old school Barbie would embrace. So it’s a no for me, and don’t even bother cracking out the Cheez-Its. This wine is going to get very well acquainted with the kitchen sink.

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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The Grape That Almost Got Away

Domaine Les Grande Vignes
Pineau D’Aunis 2022
VDF
Certified organic & very grounded in biodynamics
Thouarce, Anjou, Loire, France
Famille Vaillant

First off, give this bottle a bit of a chill…you’ll be rewarded. The pour is a light raspberry maroon. Giving it several good sniffs and out pops tart cherries & cranberries, gooseberries, red currants, boysenberry,  a natural depth & darkness that eases over time, green & pink young wild strawberries, and for some of us that remember what a pencil is there’s some of that fresh shaved lead. Sipping all of the scents blended but with a lighter & even more smooth feel yet that natural twang still hanging around along with a few raspberries, smidge of rose hips, and a touch of pink & white pepper. It’s lovely, light & fun with a touch of elegance.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nah

This is my very first experience with Pineau d’Aunis, and I started wondering why. This little grape was adored by royalty in the 13th century, and there’s debate if it was the original claret (King Henry III loved his imported vin clairet). It was a mover and a shaker until it wasn’t. This grape is prone to have rot issues & of course the whole phylloxera blight (damn aphids), and it’s also a bit like Goldilocks where it needs the terroir to be just right…in other words it can be a pain in the butt unless you are a grape whisperer. By the early 70s it was almost lost. Luckily this little grape had winegrowing fans that decided to save it and give it a chance to shine again. For all the heroes that kept Pineau D’Aunis around and those that continue to naturally nourish it to thrive for the rest of us to imbibe, I raise a cool glass to you! 🍇🍷

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Small Roots Branching Out

Casa Vinicola Botter
Tor del Colle
Pecorino 2025
Terre D`Abruzzo IGT
Organic
Headquarters: Fossalta di Piave, Veneto, Italy
Luca, Annalisa and Alessandro Botter (3rd gen)

Pale straw starlight. Breathing in pears, light tangerine, white peaches, apricots, and a pinch of a blend of fresh mint/basil/fennel. Everything I’m smelling is here with honeycomb, apples, grapefruit, green watermelon rind, a bit of walnut on the back, and those herbs are tingling a bit liveliness.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: most definitely

Casa Vinicola Botter started out with small roots in 1928 by Carlo & Maria Botter. They started as a small store selling wine in casks & demijohns (I love those bulbous beautiful bottles) and now they have grown into a Veneto based venture that’s keeping with the regions traditions & embracing the future while also branching out to further territories with their Toe del Colle line. Even with all this growth they are still family run, and they care about the imprint they leave on their lands, all that reside & grow in it, and also our planet. As it says on their importer’s site, “Their environmentally-friendly outlook can be seen in their efforts to minimize pollution, waste, and reliance on non-renewable energy across the production chain. This mission also inspired Casa Vinicola Botter to achieve their certified-organic status, which they have held since 2009”. I say bravo on their looking forward to pave a better life for the next generations, and also on this lovely Pecorino that helped me weather another hot NY night!

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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Love Your Mother (Nature)

La Collina
Lunaris Secco NV
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
Certified organic (ICEA), biodynamic (Demeter), hand harvested
Reggio Emilia, Emilia Romagna, Italy

Warm orange gold with tiny bubbles. Breathing in oranges and blossoms with a seltzer kick, citrus zest blend, lemon/lime, smidge of shortbread, and a welcome salty breeze. Sipping and all of the scents (extra lemon/lime & blossoms and maybe Sprite) are there but more open, lively and a dry bit of spice (in my mind a bit of gingerbread warmth), and one more shake of salt.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Just don’t ruin the moment

La Cooperativa Agricola La Collina isn’t just about vine & wine, it’s so much more. As they say on their site it “was established in 1975 by a group of young people from Reggio Emilia who believed that it was possible to combine life, work and assisting the socially disadvantaged.” They started off step by step keeping the farming traditional with respect for nature. First focused on grains, vines, pigs & cattle; and later adding more vegetables but leaving out a special component. They did not want any chemicals/pesticides/etc. ruining their land and sucking the life out of Mother Nature & their community; so in 1985 they headed down the organic/biodynamic route (oldest bio co-op in Italy). By 1996, the whole co-op was following the same path. Now they also have educational programs to pass on their knowledge & hands on fun to youngsters & teenagers; other classes for seniors that stir dialogue and share memories; and guided tours for anyone wanting to embrace and learn more about the farms and of course wine tourism/tasting. They just want to remind us, “The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth.” and it would benefit all if we learn to love & respect it. 🥂

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An Adventure Story

Lulumi
Rosé 2025
Pays d’Oc IGP
Natural wine
Languedoc, France
Carrie and Philippe Marchal

Blushing salmon sunrise. Sniffing and there’s strawberries, raspberries, touch of blueberries & gooseberry, cherries, mango, gentle papaya, pink grapefruit & tangelo but all easy going, and fresh spring mineral. All of the scents are there with a slight good buttery feel. It’s fresh, lovely, and oh so good. There’s just cut open watermelon & Jolly Ranchers, that citrus spark is still there but at first is an actor in the background that wanders it way toward center stage but then blends back into the crowd, smidge of sugar cane, and a lick of mineral river rock.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nope

Carrie & Philippe’s story started in the NY wine business. He was at Boulud’s “Daniel” and she was a wine rep. It’s warming my heart wondering how they realized that romantic spark had been lit. Anyway, they’re married and have two kids (girls), Lucienne and Emilie (nicknames are Lulu & Mimi) hence where they came up for the name of their wines. Now let’s backtrack to 2015, that’s when they left NY to go on their great adventure in France. They began their new life in a small town where they could just absorb and revel in the countryside, and their wines are all about that feeling. The beauty and freshness of the land, its people, the passing seasons, and all the new experiences coming their way. As they say on their site, “This story is about our adventure, and the comfort spending precious time with friends and family while sharing a meal and a bottle of wine. This is a love story, and the best love stories never end.” ❤️

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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Bottle Of True Love For A Hot Night

Domaine de Sulauze
Pomponette 2025
40% Grenache Noir, 15% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Vermentino
AOP Coteaux d’Aix en Provence rosé
Biodynamic, organic & animal powered
Miramas, Provence, France
Karina & Guillaume Lefèvre

Light salmon pinky w a flash of orange. Breathing in strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, oh heck all the berries, little whiff of roses, lemon/lime/tangelo/citrus spark, & a cool fresh springhouse mineral that just refreshes all. Sip & this is so good on this over 90 degree hot night. There’s strawberries, raspberries, boysenberry, cherries, red currants, watermelon, a little citrus (including pink grapefruit) sizzle that tones back but keeps it all so alive, & that lovely cool mineral moment again. This is a wine you want to keep around for these upcoming sweltering days.

Pairs w Cheez-It’s: perfect but you know on a hot night like tonight just don’t bother

Everywhere I look Karina & Guillaume are described as “2 of the loveliest & warm-spirited people you would ever encounter”. Their tale starts w the couple meeting while hiking across Corsica & of course love at first sight (true love). Eventually they made their home in Southern France & in 2004, Domaine de Sulauze became theirs w a little help by a French govt. program to encourage the younger gens to stop leaving the countryside for the city life. Now they have 30 ha of vines, 2 of barley, 2 of wheat, 5 of olive trees, & a great team who share in the work & creations because not only is there a winery but also a brewery, “Brasserie de Sulauze” (1st brewery in France to have biodynamic certification, so hats off to them!), a ranch “La Manade du Vieux Sulauze” managed by the Fano family, & La Miellerie de Sulauze (honey farm) w beekeeper & harvester Julie Victoria. To top it all off they also have La Salle Fénière a reception hall in a 17th century hay loft transformed into an elegant event space for parties, meetings, or 💍. How perfect a space for celebrations when you have access to all the other collective amenities right there. I think I hear wedding bells calling!