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Long Dreamy Drinker

Timber Ales and Casa Agria collaboration
Lost Memories
Imperial Stout aged on coconut and almonds
12% ABV
North Haven, CT
Brewer: Jason Stein

Darkest black coffee with a small caramel head. Smells like several boxes of assorted Girl Scout cookies have been opened, and I want to go wild in them. There’s rich chocolate, toasted coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and shortbread (my fave cookie). Oh this baby is thick and dense. Tastes like all of the scents and tons more coconut. This is a long drinker, and is better than a slice of chocolate cake or shall I go so far as to say a 4 tiered flourless chocolate cake. Heavenly and devilish at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Ack! Blerg! NOPE!

Lost Memories is a perfect name for this beer, since it stirred all sorts of cookies from the deep depths of my brain. Cheers to Timber Ales and Casa Agria’s working together and blowing my mind on how good an Imperial Stout can be.

@timber_ales @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelvepercentbeerproject @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #timberales #imperialstout #jasonstein #worldbyglass #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #northhaven #CT

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Devotion to Pure Tradition

Illahe Vineyards
Estate Grüner Veltliner 2019
Willamette Valley
Sustainable, hand harvested, mature plants are dry farmed, family owned, certified salmon safe, and horse-powered vineyards
Dallas, OR
Owners, growers and pioneers: Lowell and Pauline Ford; Winemaker, owner and president: Brad Ford

Shimmering light gold. Super inviting scents of honey, crisp apple, a smidge of light allspice (light but pie worthy), firm pears, slate, and a whiff of cedar. Flavors like a pear apple pie with a honey graham crackers crust, some gooseberries, a smidge of a fresh green garden shoot, and pinch of white pepper. It’s a light and dancing and just darn good.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: well, it just stays refreshing and delicious

This truly is a full on family affair that started with an immigration from Russia to Canada and then finally Oregon. They strive to make handcrafted wines with great respect to the land, the water (and salmon) and tradition. Some of the wines don’t even have any electricity used during their creation. The majestic Percheron horses, Doc and Bea (now in retirement), deliver the grapes from the vineyard and mow between the vines. In the case of their 1899 Pinot Noir project, there’s even more. Brad had visited France and wanted to embrace the traditional ways, so he got the horses, made the harvest and winemaking all by hand and foot, including the bottling process. Yes even putting the wine in the casks and bottling, by sorting out a bicycle powered pump. Please watch the video. Then when it comes time for it to go to the distributor, it gets loaded on a mule driven stagecoach, then into canoes on the Independence River (3 day trek) and then the last 11 miles are on bicycle. That’s romantic devotion to pure tradition.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @illahevineyards @cheezits #wine #vin #vino #cheezit @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #GrünerVeltliner #GrunerVeltliner #pinotnoir #sustainable #biodynamic #WillametteValley #Oregon #Percheron

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Uncondemned History or No One Expects the Bunny Inquisition

Collaboration between Andre Gomes-Pereira & Portuguese Story
Não Condenado 2019
Vinho Tinto
Fernao Pires & Trincadeira
Organic, low intervention, hand harvested, and vegan
Encostas d’Aire, Lisboa, Portugal
Winemaking team: Andre Gomes-Pereira (Quinta do Montalto) & Portuguese Story

Stained glass ruby window. Breathing in dark cherry, plums/prunes, tobacco, allspice, and a little earth. First taste I don’t even want to dissect it. It’s a light juicy smooth sweet that grows into so much more. Here we go! Again cherries but not sure how dark, plummy tartness, tobacco tingly, and earth that turns into dark baking chocolate. It just keeps flying all over the place with each sip. I love thinking I’m drinking from vines 120 to 150 years old, and being touched by their history.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out more sweet from the fruit.

Years ago, families often had backyard vines that they cultivated for themselves and family, just like your normal home garden. Nowadays, often these plots get forgotten or left behind when the kids moved on. As it says on the back of the bottle, “The vineyard has been tended by someone who is currently 89yo.” Here’s where Andre Gomes-Pereira & Portuguese Story come in. They decided to save some of these ancient twisted vines with deep roots that would have been condemned, hence the name Não Condenado (Uncondemned). They have also embraced the traditional Portuguese method, “palhete”, fermenting red and white grapes together. This really old way of winemaking kind of got left behind for a while, but is seeing a resurgence, to which I say WooHoo! What is the saying, what is old becomes new again or back in style again. I’m not saying we need to bring out our 80s acid washed jeans. No, no, no! Do you want those medieval rabbits from the label unleashed on you? This is an embrace to the natural ways of the generations past.

@vinewinenyc @portuguesestorywine @mfwwineco @quintadomontalto @cheezits #wine #vinho #vino #vin #redwine @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #organic #vegan #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #Lisboa #Lisbon #Portugal #FernaoPires #Trincadeira #medievalrabbits

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Debonaire with a Flair

Fabre Montmayou 
Torrontés 2020
Torrontés 100%
Hand harvested and sustainably farmed
Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
Valle de Uco (vineyard)
Owner and winemaker: Hervé Joyaux Fabre

Pale starlight straw. Fragrances of peaches, melon, apricots, a lemon/lime spritz, honeysuckles, a rain soaked sidewalk after a summer storm, and a little salt. Sip and it’s a very inviting blend of lemon/lime, peach, melon, lovely lychee, a salty lick, and slate. It’s bright and luscious but not overpowering.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Deliciously tones back some of the heady floral. It would probably be great with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Originally from Bordeaux and from a family of wine negociants, Hervé Joyaux Fabre ventured to Argentina in the early 90s searching for some old vines with great terroir. He succeeded with finding Malbec from 1908, in Mendoza, and Fabre Montmayou was born. Eventually he branched out to another winery in Rio Negro, Patagonia. Now they hold a long list of awards and acclaims (including IWC 2018 Red Winemaker of the Year) for a multitude of wines. When I got this Torrontés, I knew I had read something about Hervé Joyaux Fabre before, but it took me a few minutes and then a book dig and realized he was mentioned in 2011’s “The Vineyard at the End of the World” (by Ian Mount). He was described as “a Frenchman prone to wearing ascots and gaucho pants”. I’m not so sure if he still dons the pants, but after taking a glance at his website there’s a lovely pic of him and his wife (and partner in wine) Diane, and he is yes still sporting the debonair ascot. Oh and I want to add, please check out their IG page (where I found Hervé in jeans). They have the cutest snuggle bunny of a dog named Scooby Doo. His pics will brighten your day.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @fabremontmayou @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #vin #vino #cheezit #whitewine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #Torrontés #Torrontes #Mendoza #Argentina #petitpoiscorp #sussexwinemerchants #thevineyardattheendoftheworld #ianmount #ascot

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Wine Ambition

Kumusha
Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Wine of Origin Western Cape
Breedekloof Valley, South Africa
Minimal intervention, natural fermentation, vegan
Winemaker/blender, greatly lauded sommelier, and “wine whisperer”: Tinashe Nyamudoka

Shining light gold. Scents of limes, tangerines, kumquats, orange blossoms and light lily. Some of the citrus reminds me of a really good IPA but it doesn’t smack you in the face as a beer would. Its a nice small bouquet with grace, not a pub crawl. Damn this is good! Sipping and it’s a luscious blend of melons, peaches, Valencia orange, mango, light honeysuckle, and small sweet green pepper. Exhale and there is super faint smoke in the back of your mouth.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nah, why ruin a good thing

This is a very joyful wine. Like a celebration in a glass, or a toast that needs no words. This is my 2nd Kumusha, and Tinashe Nyamudoka again has impressed. Of course like I posted before he has a huge list of sommelier awards, certifications, panel memberships, and wine judging positions. None of this came easy though. Just read his story on Jancis Robinson’s site and it’s not a story of wineries passed down through family generations, but back in 2008, he worked his way from the very ground up in the restaurant industry, where he got his first wine exposure. There were ups and downs and also battles with discrimination, but as you can see he has triumphed. I am so looking forward to seeing him in the documentary “Blind Ambition” that follows four Zimbabweans who leave home for better jobs and land in South Africa and in the end are encourage to form the first Zimbabwe team to compete in The World Wine Blind Tasting Championships which is like the wine Olympics. Their Tribeca Film Festival premiere in June can’t come soon enough for me!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @KumushaWines @baobabwines @cheezits #wine #vin #vino #cheezit @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #SauvignonBlanc #BreedekloofValley #SouthAfrica #WesternCape #sustainable #biodynamic #sommelier #TinasheNyamudoka #tribecafilmfestival #blindambition

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Returning to the Start and Beginning Again

Buli
Estate 44 2016
Toscano Rosso IGT
Siena Italy
Sangiovese 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Merlot 10% and Syrah 10%
Organic, hand harvested, and 70% Unilateral Cordon-spur trained (cane pruned) and 30% Guyot
Founder and owner: Robert Buly
Enologist: Diego Ciurletti
Agronomist: Alessandro Gemini
Cantina Chief: Stefano Censini

A shining garnet/ruby glass. Greeted by scents of dark cherries, deep plum, cola, and vanilla that daintily lingers and then hides and then pops back out to surprise you. There’s also earth, pine trees and needles. I feel like I’m walking through an enchanted forest. All sorts of flavors hit at first sip, so give it a little and enjoy cherries, plums, blackberries, raspberries, earth and cherry pit dark goodness, along with a shake of white pepper. This is a light bright velvety juicy red that as time goes by starts heading toward medium and can stand up and stand by to a fabulous plate of D.O.C. Wine Bar’s, Chef Stefano Baldantoni’s Lamb Chops.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out a velvet oak dancing with the cherries and plums

This is my second dance with Estate 44. Almost a year ago, I met Buli’s 2015, and have worked my way through their whole collection, and they are consistently fabulous and fascinating. They capture Podere Collalto’s (Farm on a High Hill) essence and romance. Estate 44 is especially dedicated to the Allied soldiers that liberated Tuscany, and those that did not make it back. Thank goodness, Robert’s father made it back to the States, and brought along with him a beautiful Italian wife after an adventure that included a search for wine and a strong love at first sight that even involved reenlisting in order to get permission for the marriage. For more on that check out Ruby Velvet Romance. I’m so grateful to have been able to see Italy through Robert’s eyes and writings, and taste the wonders that can come from his 5 hectares of the world. And I will add once more, someone needs to make a movie of how this family’s whole story and Robert’s wines have played out. This bottle was like a return home for me. Cheers to them all and to what the future brings!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @buliwine @darkstarimports @cheezits @stefanobaldantoni #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #redwine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #trequanda #toscano #tuscany #siena #italy #winestagram #instawine #Sangiovese #Merlot #Syrah

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Nature’s Symphony

Domaine Yves Duport
Céline
Vin de France
40% Chardonnay, 40% Gamay, 20% Mondeuse
Biodynamic, organic, spontaneous fermentation, indigenous yeasts
Bugey, France
Winemaker: Yves Duport

Pressed strawberry cherry juice on the darker side yet you can still through it. Is it a rosé or a red you can chill? Either way it is a perfect summer wine. Smooth scents of strawberries, raspberries, sweet cherries, and a little southern forest flair. Sipping strawberries, raspberries, pluots, dark cherries, a rock from the creek down the street, smoke, and touch of toasted rosemary.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: the salt makes it more bright, but I preferred the depth it had, so it’s up to you to decide.

Yves Duport has a perfect quote on his site: “Only in the plant kingdom, the vine makes us understand what the true flavor of the Earth is.” – Colette – Prisons et Paradis 1936. Within four generations of work, the domaine is now up to 12 hectares and has been organic and biodynamic since 2007. Yves lets nature (the terroir) be the composer of the songs of his wines while as I’m reading he is the conductor in the vines. Céline is their beautiful symphony birthed from the trio blend of grapes and varied Bugey soils. As I keep on sipping this song, I feel like I’m sitting on a hillside of wildflowers with butterflies fluttering around me, and breathing in that clean mountain air. Oh, a girl can dream, at least until I can soon make it reality.

@vinewinenyc @saviosselections #MaisonYvesDuport @cheezits #wine #Rosé #rose #redwine #vindefrance #vin @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #organic #biodynamic # #winestagram #instawine #nativeyeasts #naturalwine #Bugey #France #Chardonnay #Gamay #Mondeuse #Colette

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Wine with a View

Les Crêtes
Pinot Nero 2019
Valle d’Aosta D.O.P.
100% Pinot Nero
Guyot trained, hand harvested, ladybugs, and only stainless steel
Aymavilles, Valle d’Aosta, Italy
Winemaking Family: Charrère family (Costantino, Imelda, and their daughters Elena and Eleonora)

Shiny ruby ring pop color. Oh this smells delicious…caramel buttery, raspberries, plums, earth, dark cherry, cola, magnolias (how I miss climbing my great aunt’s massive tree), and maybe vanilla or sugar cookies. Dancing on my tongue are plums with some earthiness, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and a tiny bed of herbs like singed sage. It’s a juicy dry wine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: adds smoke and plummy floral goodness

The Charrère family was originally from France but packed up in the 1700s for Valle d’Aosta. Starting off as a farm and mill, the generations carried on with planting vineyards, making flour and cider, and when Constantino’s father Antoine came along he eventually turned to redeveloping and enlarging the vineyards. Constantino is now carrying on his parents work (even though he had the fun job of gym and ski instructor) along with his wife and kids, and they have made Les Crêtes into the estate it is now. All of their hard work, passion and nurturing rare indigenous grapes has brought them critical acclaim and awards. One thing on their site really makes me smile. Their daughters would go out to catch ladybugs to police the vineyard from other pests. Oh and I would be remiss not to mention their beautiful “Il Rifugio del Vino” designed by Domenico Mazza. Created as a modern mountain hut, it houses a library on wine, an area for tasting and just a beautiful place to chill and take in the breathtaking view.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @lescretes @toutonselection @cheezits #wine #vino #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #pinotnero #pinotnoir #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Italy #Aymavilles #ValledAosta #DomenicoMazza #ladybug

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Small But Powerful

La Ganghija
Langhe D.O.C. Chardonnay 2018
100% Chardonnay
Only stainless steel tanks used, bottles made by Albeisa that are lighter on the environment
Treiso, Piemonte, Italy
Winemaker: Enzo Rapalino

Shiny gold with a little grassy green. Breathing in honeysuckle, lilacs, peach blossoms, peaches, pears, and golden delicious apples. Oh this is dreamy! Cue Franz Schubert’s “Trio in E-Flat” from The Hunger. Sipping sweet pears, peaches, honeydew, smoke, a little squeeze of citrus, and alick of granite. Thank you so much for letting the grape sing. Stainless steel and Chardonnay are sooooo good together.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: not bad. It sharpens all the flavors.

La Ganghija’s vineyards have been around in the family for eons, but they were selling their grapes. It took Enzo Rapalino (and his family) to jump into the business of creating their own wine. His enthusiasm for his land and the place where he grew up led him to studies in wine and in 2004, their dream took root. I love how he picked the name La Ganghija because in Piemontese it means vine tendril which to them represents “small but powerful”. Well, this little start has now grown to have vineyards that reach from Trieso to Magliano Alfieri and Madonna di Como (Alba). The family venture has an extended one too that is “Langa Style”. Enzo and 4 other guys from Langhe all studied oenology in Alba, and now bond together as friends and independent winemakers. They support each other, promote each others’ wines, and believe it’s better to be colleagues instead of rivals. That sort of friendly and professional camaraderie is beautiful.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @la_ganghija_enzo_rapalino @viaswine @albeisawines @cheezits #wine #whitewine #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Italy #Treiso #Piemonte #Langhe #Chardonnay #langastyle #thehunger #Schubert

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Put the Lime in the Coconut

Rare Form Brewing Company
Practically Magic
Coconut Lime Sour Ale
4.7% ABV
Troy, NY
Owners and founders: Kevin and Jen Mullen

Gold/green mix pour with a light white foam that fades to just the rim. Smells exactly like it says on the can, toasted coconuts and a limey squeeze. Taking a swig and that good ol’ song “Put the Lime in the Coconut” comes right to mind. There’s a citrus tingle but that coconut never leaves. Not really sour, in fact a bit sweet,  just darn refreshing and it tastes like I should be drinking this on a beach laying on a towel with the sun beating down. Hey can you pass the sunscreen?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Doesn’t change a thing. Actually pretty darn nice together and easy to bring along a bag to the beach.

As it says on the can, this beer was inspired by “Limonada de Coco” from Colombia. It hits the nail on the head. Reading about the brewery/taproom and love that they are such fans of Joy Division that they named one of their infamous NE IPAs “Troy Division”. Ok, that makes them cool in my book. Who wouldn’t want to sip great craft beer, eat pizza made from locally made sourdough and NY sourced flour, and spin some tunes from one of the best bands in history. This looks like an inviting relaxed place where you want to go because you know you’ll find at least a few of your friends at any time. Also want to give credit to Jen Mullen for all the cool branding and design work from cans, t-shirts, and their classic van. That is one fine ride.

@rareformbrewco @BeerBoutiqueNYC @cheezits #beer #sourale #ale #sour #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #troy #NY #drinkny