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Take A Hike

Fabulas
Fortitudo 2023
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOP
100% Montepulciano
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable, hand harvested, sheep in the vines
Pretoro, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
Nico Ciavalini & partners

Strawberry rose sunrise. Sniffing and there’s strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries, cool mineral river rock, pomegranate juice, red currants, and a touch of balsamic reduction…truly just a touch. Sipping away and all of the scents with a dribble of blackberry, a little blood orange on the back, yellow plums, and it’s juicy, fresh, lively, and so easy to drink so be careful or the whole bottle will be gone in a flash.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Just don’t…step away from the bag

Fabulas’ vines grow within Majella National Park (a UNESCO Global Geopark) and their bottles represent 7 female warriors of the region, mythical tales, history, and traditions. Fortitudo weaves the stories of bandits (briganti) that used to roam the mountainside, caves, etc. and taunt the authorities/soldiers by carving messages into Tavola dei Briganti (limestone slabs) like this quote, “Read my memoirs my dear readers. In 1820 Victor Emanuel, King of Italy, was born. Before 1860, this was the kingdom of flowers, now it’s the kingdom of poverty.” You can still see these marks of resistance and others from shepherds inscribing their names to live on through time. All you need to do is just take a hike, enjoy a moment of peace in nature, and follow in the footsteps of days long past.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #abruzzo #Italy #tedwardwines #Fabulas #fabulasbio #docwinebar #docwineshop

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A Bottle Can Change Your Life

Domaine De L’ange Vin
Opera du Vin
Fêtembulles 2022
VDF
Pét-Nat
100% Chenin Blanc
Natural, organic, unfined & unfiltered
Loire Valley (Jasnieres – Coteaux du Loir), France
Jean-Pierre Robinot & family

During the pour looks like a lager with a big head and as the fizz calms down it’s just a lovely yellow gold with tiny bubbles. Sniff and floating up are brioche & a toasty comfort, pears & apples both fresh & baked, cool spring house smell, light honeysuckle, a squish of mandarin, lemon, & lime, and green spring shoots. Sipping and those apples & pears again but much more crisp with a light brioche bite, lemon/lime crisp, tiny pop of mango & maybe even a little bit of pineapple, mineral water salt/spritz, and a savory twinge of ginger.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: mmmm delicious

Mr. Robinot didn’t grow up in a family that had a vineyard to inherit. Bitten by the wine bug at 22 by a special bottle that rerouted his life path. In Paris he also found like minded friends, and over time opened the natural wine bar L’Ange Vin & started a wine magazine (Le Rouge et Le Blanc) with a friend. So I guess it would only be natural that he would want to take his passion further by making his own wines. He was still juggling time with the bar and taking the train back and forth to his hometown Chahaignes. Eventually his vines & land won his full attention, and the family (wife Noella & daughter Juliette) moved back to his roots. Now they have two wine lines, “Domaine de L’Ange Vin” that’s created from grapes he nurtured is on his own land & “Opera du Vin” made with fruit sourced from friends. Oh and Juliette has joined her father in the vines and also in their artistic creations which you’ll find on their labels that are eye catching & beautiful and of course attract magpies like me. Cheers! 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Pét-nat #petnat #loirevalley #France #zevrovineselections #jeanpierrerobinot #domainedelangevin #docwinebar #docwineshop

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You Don’t Have To Break The Bank

Vallevò
Costa Dei Trabocchi 2023
Terre Di Chieti IGT
Rosato
100% Montepulciano
Rocca San Giovanni, Abruzzo, Italy
Coop technical director: Gianni Pasquale

Sunset rose-pink orange stained-glass (in the 80s would be coral). Sniffing watermelon, strawberries, crushed cherries, grapefruit-light, orange zest, fresh tarragon and some other herbal whiff that I can’t put a name on but maybe marjoram. All of the scents are in the taste with a good squeeze of lime tingle on my lips & tongue, and just fresh & freewheeling.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Nope…don’t ruin a good thing

Vallevò’s line is a part of the co-op winery Cantina Frentana that proves you can have a very, very good wine that doesn’t have to break the bank. There was an importer/distributor (before taking them on) who had doubts when hearing the price point from a group of Italian winemakers checking out CA wineries. They met again at Vintaly and this time there were bottles to taste and those doubts fluttered away. Other than the wine the label also piqued my curiosity as to what is this seaside structure? Turns out it’s called a trabocco that’s an old fishing platform with long wooden rods which held fishing nets that can be raised and lowered by winches. Now you’ll often find they’ve been adapted from their original use into restaurants where you can dine on delights from the sea & local fare and feel the breeze & waves rock you into a peaceful summer afternoon. Oh and from what I read, make sure you make a reservation way in advance or you’ll miss out on the 🦪🦑🦐.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #rosato #abruzzo #wineemporium  #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Rebel Angels

Velenosi
Prope 2021
100% Montepulciano
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Hand harvested
Vineyards located in the district of Controguerra
Winery: Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy
Wine Team: Ercole & Angela Velenosi, Filippo Carli & Luca Fioravanti (winemakers), and more

Deep inky ruby purple. Sniff and there are scents of dark cherries & plums, some tart cherries too, roses, violets & a little iris, smidge of coriander & cardamom (maybe some toasted too), touch of tobacco, and dried figs & cherries. Tasting cherries & plums tart & smooth, a  dried mix of cherrplulmfiggycot, blackberries, red & black currants, a pinch of black pepper with a teeny bit of cardamom, a little singed blood orange zest in the back, and not so dark but not so sweet chocolate.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: tangy crunchy good

Velenosi creates wines from Marche & Abruzzo and their lands are so near but divided by just a small border between them. Hence the name for their Prope wines which translates from Latin into “close to”. As they say on their site, “Wine is an art capable of making people dream”. These Abruzzo dreams are depicted on their labels & they “chose the inspiration of Osvaldo Licini, a local painter. He is just like Montepulciano: they both represent the true nature of the territory. Licini, a melancholy rebel, depicts gigantic angels riding horses fluttering between the ground and the sky which upon meeting their own reflection or their kindred spirit free themselves in space and time, holding each other’s hands as if dancing. It was love at first sight with Licini and also with his rebel angels which we have chosen for Prope. These angels partly represent us and partly belong to us.” Cheers to these rebellious angels and everyone that keeps this artistic wine dream alive.🍷🪽♥️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #montepulciano #baronfrancois #Velenosi #docwinebar #docwineshop

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My Kind Of Monster

Il Mostro  (Poggio Anima’s experimental project)
Longana 2020
Rosato Frizzante
Terre Di Chieti IGT
100% Montepulciano
Organic
Abruzzo, Italy
Wine team: Owners: Ronnie Sanders & Lori Simon; Winemaker: Nicola Jasci
Vineyard: Jasci & Marchesani’s Monteodorisio Vineyard

Watermelon ruby with very active bubbles. Creamy joyful start filled with spritz bubbles tickling my nose. There’s lovely watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, a pinch of blueberry, and maybe a little Frankenberry. Sipping watermelon, strawberries, pomegranates, and some very happy bubbles that lead to a little tiny blackberry bramble at the back with the very slightest white pepper.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nope!

Ok, maybe I didn’t read the same children’s fables as the rest of y’all but I had never heard of “Longana”. What an amazing fantastical creature! Part goat, part water creature and most of all part alluring, intelligent, mysterious woman. This isn’t like a Siren that seductively calls you to your demise, even though she has been known to attract/enchant men. Her gift is the ability to communicate with the spirits of nature, which as a winemaker, I think would make a good partner. Maybe that’s why this wine is so addictive! BTW this is one bottle you’ll want to grab a few because you will plow through it and be left longing like I am now. One last thing I want to add, I just realized today how many wines I’ve tried from Vine St. Imports, and well…it’s quite a few to put it lightly. Each and every single one was unique and fabulous, so cheers and raising my glass too you! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Abruzzo #Montepulciano #ilmostro  #PoggioAnima @vsiwine @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Alchemy, Anarchy & Hope

Agricola Cirelli
Wines of Anarchy
Vino Bianco Frizzante
100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfiltered
Abruzzo, Italy
Winemakers: Francesco and Michela Cirelli

Golden with a touch of haze. Well, that’s a welcome nose tingle of pear, pineapples, lemon zest, green apples (touch of cider), allspice, and a mix of a little fresh cut grass (but not that much) & herbal flowers. Sipping those crisp pears and green apples again, with lemon fizzy, young apricots, a pinch of that pineapple, a fresh grassy springiness like a little of my homegrown sorrel, a touch of spice (think pear pie), and roasted almond slivers that just lightly hangs in the back a bit. This stuff rocks!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: darn, darn good

If you have a moment, please go to Agricola Cirelli’s site. Francesco’s eloquent writings that weave images of his beautiful home, vineyard, farm, family, and childhood memories are… how should I put it…he paints with his words. They’re genuine, natural, and beautiful just like the wines. Yeah, yeah there’s a big ol’ tat on the bottle, but just read his words, “When I make wine, I imagine I am an alchemist preparing a magic potion. An antidote to misery, a balm for healing old wounds, a drink that makes us forgive but not forget.” An existential declaration, a message of unconditional love.” This is an elixir we need right now. This is a bottle of revolutionary love, but not just that…this grounds us and gives us hope.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #organic #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Abruzzo #Trebbiano #zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @cirelliwines @cheezit

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Guided by the Stars

Antica Tenuta Pietramore
Methode Ancestrale
Pét Nat 2019
100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Colli Aprutini IGT
Abruzzo Italy
Organic, biodynamic, hand-harvested, and indigenous yeasts
Winemakers: Maria Pia Leone & Massimiliano Bartolomei

Light straw yellow with seriously active bubbles and some sediment, and the final pour is dark gold orange with crystal sediment. After popping the cap off, wow! Hadn’t even poured it yet. There’s exotic flowers, a whiff of hay/yeast that comes and goes but this is the first glass and later it has drifted away. Next comes pears, honey, lemon zest, salt, and something herby like a pinch of some oregano and rosemary and oddly a hint of cinnamon. Sipping and exciting tingling on my tongue. Those bubbles keep rocking. Again pears, golden apples, Valencia oranges, a good squeeze of lemon, light honey, salt, and a faint Italian herbal shaker mix. There’s also dryness and at end a bit of ginger. Whoof that’s a whole lot, but is such a delicious song when you drink and don’t dissect, it’s just amazing. I really enjoyed Vanita but this is a whole different beast.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Bring’s on the zest!

Pietramore’s wines have the most beautiful bottles, with a different stone and constellation on each bottle. Andrea Castelletti (art and creative director) took the name of the winery: Pietra – stone and amore – love; then brought in their biodynamic aspects of cultivation and winemaking which I’ve mentioned before, including the pass of the moon, the connection of the earth and sky,…. and is also represented through these ancient constellations. Many constellations have a mythic tale, but Chamaeleon was designated by Dutch navigators who often chose exotic creatures to help them traverse the seas at night. This little lizard combined by the slice of stone on the label holds a little secret too…it glows in the dark! Leave the bottle out in the light for a while, then find the darkest spot in your home, and you’ll get to enjoy this little surprise too.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Pietramore @communalbrands @andreacastelletti @cheezits #wine @worldbyglass #cheezit #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #sustainable #biodynamic #organic #vegan #abruzzo #italy #ColliAprutini #trebbiano #PétNat #petnat #Chamaeleon #chameleon #constellation

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Rosato, Rosè and Roses

Tenuta I Fauri
Baldovino 2018
Rosato
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
Montepulciano 100%
Sustainable farming
Winemaking family: Luigi and Valentina Di Camillo (brother and sister)

This is a cherry red Rosè. Elegant fresh breath of flowers and more specifically roses. Cherry and strawberries start to pop in too, the more it warms. Delicious swig that has my tastebuds dancing. Definitely cherry, plummy and strawberry sweetness. It’s fruity but not overwhelming. It’s more refreshing, oh and something floral in the taste too. Wait something woody nutshell emerges, but not bad. The more I think about it, it’s almond and not the shell. Been eating quite a few when we were locked down. Yes, I do eat other things than just Cheez-It’s.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: say goodbye to the almond and hello to a gush of fruit

Tenuta I Fauri was founded in 1978 by Domenico Di Camillo (Luigi and Valentina’s dad). This is another lovely story, of a family falling in love with wine and passing it down the generations. Also brother and sister both studied oenology and then came aboard the family business. Quite the power team with some great PR. They were picked by Forbes back in 2019 as one of five small wine producers to watch. From this bottle alone, I can definitely see why.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @tenuta.ifauri @wineberry.newyork @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #italy #chieti #abruzzo #rosè #rosato #rose #montepulciano #tenutaifauri

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A Spiritual Emotion

Antica Tenuta Pietramore
Vanita 2019
Methode Ancestrale
Vino Frizzante
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 100%
Abruzzo Italy
Organic and Biodynamic
Winemakers Maria Pia Leone & Massimiliano Bartolomei

Color is golden with a dusting of cloudy sediment. Take that first deep breath, and savor the lemon and grapefruit. Next come the slate and something herbal I can’t identify, but it gives it this wilderness spice hint. Still swirling and honestly I’m always a fan of a bit of sediment. It’s like having the prize in the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks. You can’t wait to get to it. On with the sipping… there’s apples, salt, grapefruit, lemon, and ginger. It’s fresh and zingy bubbles and a touch of earth. This is definitely a pét-nat to pack along to go sit buy the river and relax.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Just bubbly happiness. Brings out the apples

Visiting Antica Tenuta Pietramore’s site and you’re greeted with a beautiful quote, “The pleasure of wine: a spiritual emotion”. Winemakers Maria Pia Leone and Massimiliano Bartolomei (her husband) have a deep love and care for their land and the vines that they cultivate. They’ve dedicated themselves to keeping everything organic and biodynamic. They’re also bio-vegan using what they call “green manure” which is planting legume plants between the vineyard rows and then as the plants grow, they pass on nutrients to the vines. Very cool, and I’m sure a lot of work, but it definitely pays off in the health and quality of their wines. Their grapes are harvested by hand, and so are their olives which are turned into a cold pressed bio and organic olive oil. The serene pics of their land and the neighborhood surrounding make me want to get on a plane right now and discover all I can about Abruzzo.

The three comunes/provinces mentioned on Pietramore’s site are Chieti, Teramo, and Pescara which they state are the best terroirs in Abruzzo, so here go my travels.

The northeastern side of Chieti touches the Adriatic and that area is known as Costa dei Trabocchi. Beautiful sandy and pebbly beaches, rocky cliffs, and trabucchi that extend out into the sea. A trabucco is an old fishing contraption/structure built of wood and is also grounded in rock. They look like shacks at the end of a long deck, that have crane-like extensions with nets that can be lowered by a winch when the fishermen see fish headed their way. From what I’m reading some of these old buildings have been transformed into restaurants, and as for others, the Italian government has provided funding for historical preservation. Such a nice slice of history.

Moving on to Teramo. Since we’ve already had a taste of the coast, I’m turning my eyes to Gran Sasso d’Italia, which is also located in Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. There are old tales that Gran Sasso was a sleeping giant. Now it’s a majestic attraction that draws hikers, climbers and others that just want to enjoy a day in nature. There are three different summits and it’s tallest is the Corno Grande, which also happens to be the tallest point in the Apennine Mountains. The different levels of Gran Sasso also include areas where sheep roam and graze and wildflowers are abundant. There’s also quite an assortment of wildlife and some of them are quite rare such as the Apennine wolf, European wildcats and the Abruzzo chamois which is a goat-antelope (I had no idea this creature ever existed and it is cute!)

Now to Pescara…Let’s stop off at the Museo Delle Genti d’Abruzzo, which documents the history of the people of Abruzzo beginning in palaeolithic times. The museum strives to keep passing down all the traditions, religions, folklore, and cultural transitions, to make sure that future generations will know where they come from and what shaped their society into what it is now. Here’s a little bit of Pescara history for you. Back in 1969, they held their first international jazz festival. Now it takes place every July (not sure how 2020 will be due to Covid) and it has drawn so many famous musicians such as Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Sarah Vaughn and the list goes on. I’ll leave it here with Mingus: Take the ‘A’ Train – Live At Montreux

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Pietramore @communalbrands @cheezits #wine #MariaPiaLeone #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #biodynamic #abruzzo #chieti #teramo #pescara #italy #abruzzochamois #trebbiano