Posted on

A True Treasure

Galgo Wines
Uva Attack Airén Ancestral 2020
Pét-Nat
100% Airén
Organic (certified since 1998), dry farmed, hand harvested, vegan, unfined, and unfiltered
Alcázar de San Juan (Ciuded Real), Castilla La Mancha, Spain
Partners in wine: Ezequiel Sanchez-Mateos and Jesús Sánchez-Mateos Campo/Bodega La Tercia

Golden yellow shining pour with lots of teeny bubbles and some crunchy natural bits. Right after popping the crown cap vanilla hits me in the nose then gently hangs out with fennel fronds, cream or better yet Oreo centers, light coconut, and some floral funk fun. Tasting a mishmash of bright citrus and lemon rind, a vanilla touch that rounds out to lemon cream soda, and then a smidge of grassy goodness. Bright, fresh and beautiful and makes your tastebuds go kaboom!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: even more crisp and apples and sharp, but it loses a lot of the grape’s beauty.

As I’ve said in a previous post, Sanchez-Mateos has the best job in the world! Owning Galgo Wines gives him the opportunity to travel, meet interesting souls that have the same love of wine, and when everything is just right and in synch, he can team up with the perfect match for each new project. Uva Attack Airén Ancestral pairs Ezequiel with Bodega La Tercia and their 80+ year old Airén vines (some pre phylloxera). Oh these are a treasure! The grapes are treated with kid gloves and carefully selected (they’re even double sorted in the cellar) so only the best ends up in your glass. They’re a gift or as it says on Galgo’s site, “Child of the earth, the best wine is not necessarily the most expensive, but the one that is shared.” Pass one on to the one you love.

#PétNat #petnat #uva #wine #vino #vin #organicwine #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #CastillaLaMancha #Spain #Airén #Airen #GalgoWines #BodegaLaTercia #ReservaYCata @docwineshop @docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits

Posted on

Peace, Harmony, and Panxu

Celler Tuets
Conscious Wine
Tot Rosé 2019
Parellada, Macabeo, Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscat of Alexandria, Tempranillo, and Syrah
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested
Tarragona, Penedès, Catalunya, Spain
Winemaker: Albert Domingo Navarro

Reddish orange dark rosé. At first, scents of forest floor natural funk that turns into woodland flowers and mossy earth, tangy cherry, oranges, plums, and a small grind of mace. Linger a while and a smidge of caramel comes out in the end. Sipping raspberries, blackberries, cherries and cherry jolly ranchers. Hmmm…Jolly ranchers. Why are they so good and memorable? Also blueberries, strawberries, that head into a dried cherry bite. Just the right amount of fruit sweet with the right balance of funk/hay…delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Ugh NO

My first glance at Albert and I thought of guys I knew in Athens, GA back when I was in college. Shouldn’t judge by looks, and assume someone is super crunchy natural, but yeah, from what I’m reading he is and also at peace or in synch with nature and understands how it comes through in his wines. His creations are “Conscious Wines”, and they’re happy, joyous, and honest. Each grape of Tot Rosé lives in their own little individual home or “little piece of land” until that special singular day when they are all hand harvested so they can commingle in stainless. On their own each grape could tell the tale of their sweet plot, but together they bring you a tapestry-like novel that tells you the journey “from the vine to the bottle”. Side note: I am totally fascinated by Albert’s buddy, Panxu who is an enormous pig that looks like a gentle giant. There’s a great video of them taking a Sunday stroll on IG https://www.instagram.com/p/CAUnT2NpbJr/ Seriously adorable!

#wine #Rosé #rose #rosado #ConsciousWine #naturalwine #winelife #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #fruitofthevines #Spain #organic @docwineshop @docwinebar @celler.tuets @worldbyglass

Posted on

Party Pig!

La Mongestine
Bob Singlar 2020
Vin de France
Merlot 40%, Marselan 10%, Pinot Noir 40%, Roussanne 10%
Organic, minimal intervention, & on its way to biodynamic
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France
Owners: Harry and Celine Gozlan
Winemaker: Maxime Gamard

Color shining cran-raspberry lollipop. It’s a light red masquerading as a rosé so give it a little chill. Take a little sniff and there’s raspberries, strawberries, dark plums, cherries, and a little natural funk wiggling there in the air and if you give it a time out…poof it’s gone. (Also if you wait a loooong time there is a whiff of hazelnut.) Tip and sip and absolutely freaking delicious! There’s raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry (giving that little tart spark). It’s fresh and light but this young little piggy has some depth and wonderment. Ok piggy doesn’t really fit, Bob is a wild boar, and from the looks and the glouglou…he’s a party animal. Dare I say, I could see him cheering on a rugby match.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just makes it more fruity

Harry and Celine Gozlan took on Domaine de la Mongestine in 2017, but the land has a very long history (you can still find artifacts like pottery, etc in the earth) and had at one point been pretty much abandoned. They lucked out though because it was replanted in 2001, and certified organic in 2014. Another plus is they have a fabulous winemaking team that keeps it natural. If you want to see what they’re doing behind the scenes, you can even do a workshop to find out more about the whole organic process from vineyard to cellar, which I think would be a whole lot of enlightening fun. You’ll respect that bottle in your hand even more.

#frenchwine #wine #vin #VindeFrance #organicwine #skincontact #Provence #France #bobsinglar #winelife #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Merlot #Marselan #PinotNoir #Roussanne @docwineshop @docwinebar @lamongestine @SkinContactWines @cheezits

Posted on

Anyone Game For a Mosh Pit?

P.A.N.K.
Báró 2020
Rosé Pét-Nat
100% Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch)
Organic, hand harvested, spontaneous fermentation, unfiltered, unfined, and undisgorged
Köveskál, Balatonfelvidék, Hungary
Winemaker: Attila Pálffy

Pink orange with a tiny magenta rim and lots of tiny bubbles with a white foam pour. Creaminess is the first waft right after popping the crown cap and still there post pour. Next up are all sorts of blossoms, raspberries, and light strawberries.  Now for the taste and ZING! It’s a mosh pit of raspberries, crancherry cocktail, blackberries, and a tiny smidge of strawberry preserves. A shake of salted lemon zest jumps in with that creaminess that’s still hanging out.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nah, the mosh pit becomes a slow waltz with a partner that keeps stepping on your toes. BLEH

7th gen winemaking family (Pálffy Pince), Attila Pálffy has his side project which shows his heritage’s knowledge and his rebellious side. P.A.N.K. is his creative outlet and experimental flare. From what I’m reading, he manages to tick off the Hungarian “wine police” with his haze and bio side which fits his love of punk and is very evident in his craft aesthetic. Once again, I am on the search for who the label artist is. It’s a bit of street art, fine art, and on this one and others a touch of the animals in Attila’s world. Báró is his friend’s greyhound dressed in a tough rock vibe. Can’t you just see him grabbing the mic and belting out something that would irritate your parents. Keep on howling Báró and Attila!

@vinewinenyc @pankandbor @vinopank @palinkerie @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #vinho #vino #vin #Rosé #rose #rosato #Pétnat #petnat #worldbyglass #cheezit #vinewinenyc #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Kékfrankos #Blaufränkisch #wineinfluencer #Hungary #naturalwine #punksnotdead

Posted on

Keeping My Head Above Water

Nightmare Brewing Company
Mizuharitsuke
Triple India Pale Ale brewed with Moshio Salt
Triple Dry hopped with Pacific Sunrise, Talus and HBC 630 hops
11.3% ABV
North Haven, CT
Founder and Phantom Brewer: Billy Powell

Deep hazy orange-golden with a white head that fades. Before even pouring, I can smell pineapple! After it’s in the glass that pineapple is still persistent, and then mango, and tangerine. It’s crisp and fresh and super nose friendly. Sipping that mango and pineapple along with papaya, lychee, and melon…it’s a delicious tropical fruit bowl with a shake of salt (I always put salt on fruit. Makes the flavor pop more). There’s also a little grass hanging out in the back This would be so good with pulled pork or actually pour it over the pork before you start slow cooking it. Yum!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: GROSS! If you could only see how scrunched up my face is.

I’m a saltaholic, but I did not know the history of Moshio salt that ranges back 2,500 years. The labor intensive production had kind of been lost until a 1984 dig on Kami-kamagari isle unearthed a treasure trove of pottery, shakers, and clues to how the salt was derived from the seaweed/seawater process. There’s a modern adaptation now, but it’s still a whole lot of work. Now, to address Mizuharitsuke’s label. That’s a whole other can of worms or seawater. It’s a really truly gruesome form of crucifixion (from Japan) where you’re tied to a cross during low tide and then here comes the waves and then high tide. If lucky you pass on day one, if not…well you might be there a while to think about your transgressions. I think I’ll stay on good behavior while sipping my IPA and keeping my head above water.

#beer #tripleipa #ipa #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit #Nightmare #NightmareBrewing #NightmareBrewingco #Moshio #pairswithcheezits #northhaven #ct @nightmarebrewingco @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @worldbyglass @cheezits

Posted on

Toe Tapping Tuba

Teutonic Wine Company
Jazz Odyssey 2020
Riesling and Gewürztraminer
Produced and bottled: Portland, Oregon
Winemaking couple: Barnaby and Olga Tuttle

Pale yellow-green like the crayon but lighter. The closer it gets to my nose, out comes magnolias, peaches, pear, apple, a lemon/lime mix, and a cooling freshness of our old springhouse. Lovely bright blend dancing on my tongue. Pears, apples and peaches mingling with honey and honeycomb, peat, and tang of a lemon sliver on the side.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out even more honey

Teutonic came about by Barnaby falling in love with how diverse German rieslings can be and later a friend saying they could plant grape vines on her farm. Oh, and Olga telling him which credit card was ok to use to buy the vines. Now they still grow their own but also source from other vineyards (Willamette Valley) but only ones that are dry farmed and preferably vines that are 20 years or older. It’s a passion and a lot of hard work, and their wines really shine. Jazz Odyssey is a bottle of fun happy dancing joy, like Old Fish Jazz Band’s toe tapping live performance of “Doctor Jazz”. Check it out and crank that tuba loud!

#wine #oregonwine #naturalwine #winelife #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #tuba #cheezit #OldFishJazzBand #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Riesling #Gewürztraminer #Gewurztraminer #Portland #Oregon #WillametteValley @docwineshop @docwinebar @teutonicwines

Posted on

Giving Your All, and Getting It Back

Ampeleia
Bianco di Ampeleia 2019
Toscana Bianco IGT
Trebbiano, Ansonica, and Malvasia Bianca
Biodynamic, organic
Roccatederighi, Maremma, Toscana, Italy
Original founders: Elisabetta Foradori, and her friends Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann
Winemaker and company manager: Marco Tait
And there’s a different sort of family behind the scenes

Warm orange golden “morning is breaking” sunlight. Easy breezy scents of oranges and orange blossoms, apples, and a little toasted brioche with a pinch of ginger. Once it touches your lips, here comes orange/lemony/tangerine zest, apples and crabapples, pears, a hint of allspice and a lick of limestone. Very vibrant and alive and a joyful moment frozen in time…or should I say I wish I was frozen. Seriously this summer heat is killing me.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just makes it a little more tart, so I could go either way

It’s a field blend party where Trebbiano, Ansonica, and Malvasia Bianca get to hang out and in the vineyard together and then be co-harvested and co-fermented. It’s a new blended family, much like Ampeleia, only the grapes didn’t get to chose their new kin. Marco Tait already had his birth family before being invited to Ampeleia by Elisabetta Foradori to join a new type that he got to pick. For around the past 20 years, Marco and his now chosen wine family have all grown together and added new people, animals, farming choices, and experiences. Having Roccatederighi as home must be such a beautiful feeling. I’ll end with a quote from Marco, “I am giving my all to Ampeleia, but she is giving me back even more.”

#italianwine #organicwine #skincontact #tuscany #Italy #ampeleia #winelife #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Trebbiano #Ansonica #Malvasia #Roccatederighi #Maremma #Toscana @docwineshop @docwinebar @ampeleia @bowlerwine @cheezits

 

Posted on

Hold My Wine!

Milan Nestarec
Youngster 2020
Morava Red Wine
Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder
Organic, biodynamic, unfiltered, unfined
Velké Bílovice, Moravia, Czech Republic
Winemaker: Milan Nestarec

Deep goth purple ink. Breathing in cherries, blueberries, and a good whiff of tangy. Here comes raisins, black currants, just picked green pepper mixed with tomato plants (not just the leaves but the whole funky plant), and fresh tilled earth. First sip and it’s full of grab the bull by the horns life! Tart plums, cherries with skins pits and all, rhubarb with a few sprigs of hay (Hey, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl), and it’s juicy. There’s also blackberries, currants, and black pepper. It’s a fun scramble jumble! Wait, I wonder what my tongue looks like. Good grief it is very, very purple. This “Youngster” is full of surprises!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oh for all things sacred…DO NOT TRY

After you have a chance to taste any of Milan’s wines, please go to his incredibly well designed website. No one breaks it all down quite like he does. Instead of going on about being artisanal and natural (shhh…which he is), he’d rather just call it normal, and his wine “everyday regular normal”…or as he says “no bullsh*t”. I love it when people just tell it like it is and also have a tongue in cheek sense of humor. You have the real honest deal here. Even down to his “Annoying But Mandatory Age Verification Pop-up” that asks, “Are you legally old enough (according to your country’s laws, that is) to say ‘Hold my beer’?” 🤣

Btw Milan’s friend and colleague, Lukáš Čech & his family, lost their house due to a tornado on 6/24. The pics are heartbreaking. Milan is such a caring man, he has set up a fund to help them rebuild: https://www.donio.cz/LukasCech My heart goes out to them.

#redwine #Moravia #CzechRepublic #wine #pairswithcheezits #vinho #vino #vin #worldbyglass #cheezit #Nestarec #vinewinenyc #葡萄酒 #ワイン #wineinfluencer  #naturalwine @vinewinenyc @milannestarec @jennyfrancois @cheezits

Posted on

A Dreamy Grape and Homemade Pie!

Kalogris Organic Winery
Mister Helios 2019
Moschofilero 100%
PGI Arcadia
Organic, wild yeasts, minimal intervention in cellar, no filtration or fining
Mantinia, Peloponnese, Greece
Winemaker: Evangelos Kalogris

Pale twinkling starlight gold. Gentle fragrances of peaches, grapefruit that turns into mellow lemon, honeysuckle, and whisk me away sea breeze salt. A sip and a swish and here come peaches, pears, and a not heavy honey, lemon, some tangerine, and a good shake of salt that keeps it all so balanced and fresh. You could drink this one all day and graze on a beautiful seafood tower like I’ve been craving during the whole lockdown. Oh for the love of langoustine, this is lovely!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nope, nope, absolutely not. It kills this enchanting beauty

What would you do if your grandfather handed over the family house and land with strings attached? You’d follow the family dream like Evangelos Kalogris and revitalize the 1870s home, nourish an organic vineyard/winery and make it a beautiful place for guests to visit and learn its past and it’s natural present. Oh and to boot, Evangelos is right smack in the land of the Moschofilero grape (🍇 which is ever so elegant and dreamy). What could be better? Well, also having your family work by your side…that makes it even more heartwarming and special. Oh now I’m seeing one more perk, they have homemade pie! As some of you know, I❤️🥧!!!

@docwineshop @docwinebar @kalogris_organic_winery @Eklektikon @cheezits #winelovers #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Moschofilero #Mantinia #Peloponnese #Greece #pie #🥧

Posted on

You Can Be Born Again

Le Quattro Volte
Bifaro 2019
80% Malvasia, 20% Mantonico
Calabria IGP
Organic, sustainable, sheep grazed and fertilized, and a member of Vinnatur
San Marco Argentano (Cosenza), Calabria, Italy (seriously breathtaking beautiful!)
Winemaker: Daniela De Marco

Deep orange gold (60 day skin contact) that is darker at the top and flows down. Has some unfiltered goodness. Reminds me of copper plates from my printmaking days. Before we get any further, don’t over chill. You’ll lose some of the beauty, especially in the scent department…trust me because I did on one of my glasses. There’s orange blossoms, wisteria, strawberries, a little greenery of parsley or grass, also orange/tangerine/grapefruit funk, and hay. Now lets get to the sip…oranges, lemon, and then it hits with apple pear cider with that lovely tanginess. Next up is light grapefruit that makes me think IPA but not overpowering, an herb like cilantro that fades, salt and then here’s that natural hay again popping in and out. Delightful!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmm mellow and yum

Le Quattro Volte was not so long ago known as Masseria Perugini. There was a revamp of members, so a name change seems fitting. They’re now a power quartet of Daniela De Marco (winemaker), Giampiero Ventura and Emilio Di Cianni (agronomists), and the newest addition…Dario Brunori (aka Brunori Sas) whose song is now their moniker. He was inspired by the beautiful film or should I say a true work of art, “Le Quattro Volte” by Michelangelo Frammartino. Dario’s lyrics fit so well, “You can be born again, and then, be born again one more time, if you feel like it.” These four partners in wine are bringing that bit of rebirth to this beautiful, hilly, ever so natural and established piece of the world.

#LeQuattroVolte #naturalwine #winelife #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic #sustainable @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Malvasia #Mantonico #Calabria #Italy #DarioBrunori #BrunoriSas #steephillwine @lequattrovolte @docwineshop @docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits