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Finding Paradise By The Stars

Hager Matthias
Riesling Terrassen 2022
100% Riesling
Certified biodynamic (Demeter)
Mollands, Kamptal, Austria
Owner & winemaker: Matthias Hager

Shining medium gold, Breathing in pears, something like an Oreo center, refreshing cool spring house scents from my childhood home, white peaches, smidge of grapefruit but not overly strong, tangerine, Valencia orange blend & blossoms, and apricot. Sipping and this lovely glass that brightens my spirits. There’s pears, apples, apricots, a citrus spark & lemon lime sizzle, honeysuckle, and way in the very back the teeniest ginger winks flirtatiously.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Brings on a citrus rolling wave

Matthias has his head in the stars, oh and also the moon, sun, planets, etc. In other words, he is devoted to biodynamics and follows Maria Thun’s calendar (related to the cosmic rhythm) that guides the farmer/winegrower when to plant, tend, and harvest. This is so much better than me reading my daily horoscope. Anyway, he and his family are very in tune and devoted to their lands & vines…as they say, “For us, biodynamic viticulture means much more than ‘just’ making wine. It’s much more about understanding the context of life”. Wine is also as Mattias’ brother Hermann says is his “challenge” to pair with food that he has accepted with their “gourmet paradise” Weinbeisserei. The restaurant (culinary experience) has beautiful views of the vineyards, wonderfully crafted meals with ingredients sourced from locals or from his garden & his Turopolje pigs (they are really cute), and of course the properly selected wines. I guess they truly have found their paradise. ✨✨

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #biodynamic #austria #riesling #worldbyglass #Weinbeisserei #volkerwineco #hagermatthias #docwinebar #docwineshop @hager_matthias @volkerwineco @docwinebar @docwineshop

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“Music as an Emotional Tasting Note”

Weingut Weninger
Rózsa Petsovits 2022
Syrah, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Blaufränkisch
Grapes are from Austria & Hungary (Syrah)
Biodynamic, hand harvested (take a look at the t-shirts)
Vineyards across the border Hungary/Austria
Horitschon, Austria
Franz & Petra Weninger

Deep shining rose with salmon glints. Breathing in watermelon, strawberry, raspberry, whiff of hay that fades but reappears here and there, plums, cherries, apples, red currants, and a bit of orange zest (there’s a lot in this little glass). Sip and all of the scents are there in the taste, with a squeeze of lime & a shave more of deep citrus zest, and a sweetness that reminds me of the rock candy made from cane sugar my parents bought me as a child on special occasions. It’s bright, light, fresh and joyful.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Zingy

At first I thought I’d be writing about Franz’s grandmother Rózsa Petsovits since this bottle of deep rosé is named after her, but then I found out about “Sound of Terroir” their music project. Franz gathered musician friends with a proposal or challenge to “visualize the different taste of Blaufränkisch grown on 3 different grounds” (Sopron [Steiner], Mattelburgenland [Dürrau], & Südburgenland [Saybritz])  and express what they tasted & how it made them feel. Oh and they also had to come up with instruments made from the vineyard or cellar materials. With trial and error they sorted out using bottles, barrels (designed a barrel-zither), and even a hose-trumpet. Not sure how much wine was consumed, but from that tasting they began to sort songs that paired with each bottle and then adapt them to work with these new musical instruments. Next up they had to find a performance space since the cellar didn’t work for pretty obvious reasons, so they ended up at the Liszt House which is pretty appropriate and cool. All of this played out pretty fast over a few days too, so pretty amazing wrangling a whole orchestra with homemade instruments and filming the performances. They pulled it off, and you can check out the videos on their site. Franz and friends had achieved as quoted, “Music as an Emotional Tasting Note”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #biodynamic #austria #Hungary #winemusic #Liszt #dnswines #WeingutWeninger #Weninger #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @franz_weninger @dnswines

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It’s All Art

Christoph Heiss
Malinga
Hotrot 2022
50% St Laurent, 40% Rotburger (Zweigelt), 10% Muller Thurgau
Organic, hand harvested
Kamptal, Austria

Shining like stained-glass garnet with light purple pops. This bottle loves a good chill. Right after the cork is pulled there’s a touch of wild scents that starts to fade, cherries, earth, raspberries, blackberries, orange/lemon zest, a spice blend I am still figuring out and it turns out to be cardamom. Now sipping and boom! There’s so much at once…tart and sweet cherries, blend of raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, a tart tingle that sort of sizzles, young plums, a warmth is added to the sizzle that almost feels like a hot pepper but not the taste, and again cardamom joined with violets.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: deliciously juicy

Malinga is Christoph’s business within a business, or should I say a natural wine venture within his family’s winery & vineyards. Honestly from all the pics it looks like a beautiful life and he’s someone with a true appreciation for the art in the bottle as well as on it. Here’s a quote from one of his posts, “Malinga has achieved a big goal. Labels are more than just printed paper. They have the power to represent the ideas and the attitude of the winemaker and spread those into the world”. So very true, and Hotrot’s label and that post led me to find another artist Anika Katzengold. Her drawings and tattoos are well…just breathtaking. In fact, rather than call them tattoos, to me they feel like a moving abstract artwork come to life on the body she uses as a canvas. Check out her work on Malinga’s labels and on her IG page @a.nik.a.katzengold_______ and take a look into how she works her visions from thoughts to reality. https://www.instagram.com/p/C30jH21srFi/?img_index=1

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #organic #wineislove #winetime #malinga #tattoo #art #austria #worldbyglass #volkerwineco #docwinebar #docwineshop @malinga._.wines @volkerwineco @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Pairs with Fosse

Weingut Wurzinger 
Früg Orange 2022
Grüner Veltliner 70%, Roter Traminer 30%
Organic
Tadten, Burgenland, Austria
Owners & winemakers: Josef & Pia Wurzinger

Shining rose gold just like my great-great-great grandmother’s ring I still have. Breathing in tangelo, lemon & lime, a salty breeze with a little aromatic white pepper, crisp apples, roses and a touch of good old wisteria, peaches, and fresh rained on slate. Sipping away and all the scents are in the taste with more peach, orange rind, lovely pears & apples, and in the back a little fresh cut grass with puff of smoke & mineral lick. This is delicious and very easy to drink so call a friend or two to join in because it’s a whole liter.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: so perfectly smooth

Ok maybe I’m just not that cool, but I had never heard of the 60’s dance called the Frug. Massive thank you to Weingut Wurzinger and Jenny & Francois for leading me down a YouTube rabbit hole. It’s a hip shaking stylish groove that if done right can make you look pretty suave & mod (in my case probably looks more like Elaine from Seinfeld dancing). When I first saw Fosse’s, “The Rich Man’s Frug”,  I have to admit the first thing that popped into my head was the courtship maneuvers of the Hooded Grebe 🤣. Please check out these two videos and definitely grab a liter to start your dance party right. 🪩💃🕺

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #naturalwine #worldbyglass #winelover #austria #winetime #orangewine #letsdance #fosse #Früg #frug @weingutwurzinger @JennyandFrancois @docwineshop @docwinebar

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Let Nature Be The Artist

Johannes Zillinger
Revolution
Ancestral Pet Nat NV
Gruner Veltliner (mostly), Riesling (15-20%)
Organic/Biodynamic (Demeter)
Niederösterreich, Austria
Winemaker: Johannes Zillinger

Shiny golden with tiny active white bubbles. Floating upward are scents of apples, light young firm peaches, a little something hazelnutty that turns into baguettes and a pinch of baking spice. Sipping tart apple, whiff of smoke that comes and goes, lemony spark kind of like Kas Lemon soda, yeasty goodness like the bread we’ve all been making for the past 2.5 or whatever years, good shake of salt & small bit of white pepper.It’s just vibrant, crisp, and keeps your mouth alert.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: bleh

Johannes Zillinger’s dad raised him right…the organic way (since 1983) and “viewing the vineyard as a habitat”, so when his time came to shine, Johannes took it another step further with bio certification. From the moment you pop onto their site, his ideals and passion about it are emblazoned right there on the home page and throughout the site, so I’m just going to let his words tell the tale. “Being ORGANIC is not a trend, it’s a lifestyle and we have been living it for over 35 years. Avoiding all sorts of chemistry is our philosophy. Regarding the environment, natural water, nutrition and particularly in terms of wine. A healthy soil is the key to remarkable and exciting wines. Especially if no boundaries are being set for the development of wines in our beautiful cellars.” And he also let’s nature be the artist which I love that sentiment, “The most beautiful pictures are painted by nature; with minimalistic wine making in the cellar we frame those artworks.” BTW does anyone know who creates his gorgeous labels? Each one is has a circular view of a natural moment with a white line work butterfly floating in on a black label except this “Revolution” Pet Nat. Hey, you know me, I’m always curious in artists in all forms. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #petnat #sparklingwine #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #biodynamic #artist #Niederösterreich #Austria @blisswineimports @vinewinenyc @johannes.zillinger @cheezit

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Fancy Flamingos

Weingut Strehn
Flamingo
Blaufrankisch Rosé Brut 2020
Organic (working on certification for biodynamic), sustainable
Deutschkreutz, Mittelburgenland, Burgenland, Austria
Winemaking Family: Pia Strehn, Patrick Pfneisl, Andy Pfneisl & Monika Strehn

Ruby grapefruit pink and a bit electric and very active bubbles that carry the scents swirling right up to your sniffer. Starts off with a cream/vanilla vibe, raspberries. strawberries, a hint of cherries, crisp apples, and dreaminess. Tasting and there’s a creamy feel that leads to cherries (fresh and dried and as the end of the sip ends a bit of pit), raspberries, strawberries bloom and run around in the blend, almonds and maybe a little brioche hiding that pop in and out. It’s fresh, crisp, juicy and full of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: really good and doesn’t change the taste. Snack pack worthy

Oh I totally adore Strehn wine as you can see in my previous post, “Pink Elephants? Don’t Worry It’s a Good Thing”. This time it’s a Fancy Flamingo rocking the Rosé, and reminding us as the Strehn family say, “Save our planet – it’s the only one with Blaufränkisch”. Honestly every time I see a flamingo, I think of mom because she had such a thing for these long legged wonders. After moving from my childhood abode, and coming back to visit, I noticed them encroaching in my old bedroom. First it was just one peering from my bookcase, then another beside my drawing table, and then it was like Gremlins multiplying and I couldn’t escape them. My non girly pale yellow and green room had bursts of pink popping everywhere! So I guess it is true, “Home is where Blaufränkisch is” or in my case where the rosé feathers are.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #brut #sparklingwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Rosé #pink #Blaufrankisch #austria #flamingo #rose @piastrehn @volkerwineco @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Vivacious Expression

Weingut Tegernseerhof
T- Rosé Zweigelt 2020
Sustainable, hand harvested
Wachau, Austria
Winemaker: Martin Mittelbach (5th generation)

Deep rose with a touch of sunset orange. Let it sit a little and scents float out of strawberries, red plums, raspberries, fresh picked spring flowers (includes the stems, leaves and all), and a few blades of grass. Those strawberries and raspberries reappear in the sip along with blackberries, and of all things watermelon jolly ranchers. There’s also a smooth creaminess, white peaches, a blood arrange tingle and spark, and the tiniest hint of parsley on the back. This is a happy easy sipper that will bring your tastebuds a lot of enthusiastic joy, but it’s also thoughtful and more complex than a typical rosé party down pink fest.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nah it’s not for me

Martin Mittelbach says it best on his site, “Following ancient traditions, we use our own grape selections, chosen for their agility and vitality. Quality comes before quantity. Our wines reflect our values: they impress through their expression of vineyard and grape variety rather their alcohol or sugar content. Their finesse comes naturally, in our combination of soils, climate, and traditional viniculture.” That’s what you’re going to find in this bottle of rosé…true dedicated quality and a taste of their part of the world. Martin is the conductor that brings this symphony all together, much like how the Austrian conductor, Elisabeth Fuchs directs orchestras in her expressive passionate ways. Check them both out, because I can guarantee it will bring a smile to your day. 💕

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Zweigelt #Austria #rosé #rose #ElisabethFuchs @artisanalcellars @docwineshop @docwinebar @tegernseerhof @cheezit

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Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Lesehof Stagård
Goldberg 2016
100% Riesling
Kremstal DAC
Organic
Krems/Stein a. Danube, Austria
Winemakers: Urban and Dominique Stagård

Warm golden glass. Floating in are apples & pears and their blossoms too, along with butterfly lilacs, and a little chilled pie (like what is so scrumptious for breakfast. Hey, you grow up in an orchard and fruit’s in every B. L. & D.), and a pinch of salt. Sip and again apples, pears, a little honeysuckle nectar but not really that much, a tiny lime spritz, salt, cardamon, lick of granite, and a smoky exhale.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: bright crisp snap

What a piece of history, the cellar has been around for close to 1,000 years, but the family roots came on board in 1786, as Lesehof Tegernseer. Fast forward to the early 1980s and there’s a name change to Lesehof Stagård after Kenneth Stagård married into the family. Now it’s Urban and Dominique and they took everything to the next level by going organic and biodynamic, and their own words some up everything best: “Unlike the generations before us, we wanted to make wines that not only quench thirst, but should also tell about us, our ideas, our vines and vineyards. We immediately switched to organic farming and defined goals that had to be achieved in slow steps. We wanted to make bold, exciting and authentic wines, wines for which evolution and tradition should be two sides of the same coin, wines that should be fun and others that should challenge. And we wanted Riesling.” Also, I think they have brought a lot of joy to this generation. Just check out their 2020 end of harvest dance https://www.instagram.com/p/CGstlgAHTzW/

❤️

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Riesling #Kremstal #Austria #organic @schatziwines @vinewinenyc @lesehofstagard.wines @cheezit

 

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Something Special Going on Here

Weingut Claus Preisinger
Puszta Libre! 2020
Zweigelt, St. Laurent
Organic, biodynamic unfined, unfiltered, spontaneous fermentation
Gols, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee, Austria
Winemaker: Claus Preisinger

Beautiful deep ruby that needs a good chill. Starting with a long whiff of smoke and salt joined with cherry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, orange zest, and a little all spice. Pace yourself because this is another one of those easy drinkers…like can potentially get you in trouble if you keep chugging easy, so beware of “wine goggles”. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you take a sip. There’s tart cherry along with a lemon spark of fresh followed by black pepper. Next up is juicy strawberry (like when you wait for them to hit that dark almost overripe red color and pick it and eat it in the garden), plums, blackberries, blueberries and white pepper on the back along with a bit of smoke. Just lively and lovely!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out the citrus zip and blueberries

Everything I’m finding about Claus Preisinger…he is so full of vibrant life (heck he’s a surfer/kitesurfer!) and in tune/connected with nature, and has a “less is more” ethic from the soil, the vines, and in the cellar. The winery and vineyards are settled near Lake Neusiedl, and this very modern architecture popping out of a peaceful lush countryside just somehow beautifully works, feels right and kind of looks magical. He really has something special going on there and knows it, as he said on “The Living Vine”, ‘I don’t have to go to an office; don’t have any traffic jams; am outside in nature and the vineyards as much as I want (and the vines demand); I just look across the landscape and feel the weather. All of this is a privilege that I appreciate (more and more).’ 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #redwine #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Zweigelt #StLaurent #organic #biodynamic #glouglou  #Austria #Neusiedlersee #ClausPreisinger @c__laus @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Happy Cows Make Happy Wines

Meinklang
Roter Mulatschak
Österreich Red 2019
Zweigelt,  St. Laurent
Biodynamic (Demeter), organic, hand-harvested, and spontaneous fermentation
Burgenland, Austria
Winemaking and Farming Family: The Michlits

Before we even get started…chill this baby which looks like a cranberry plum cocktail. Scents of fresh raspberries, cranberries, cherry but also cherry twizzler, and forest floor funky goodness. This is going to be good. There’s the cranberry again with a zing tingle, cherrylicious, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, a twinge of orange, and some earth depth and pepper. It’s dry yet lively with tiny fireworks of fruit bouncing around.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oddly not what I was expecting, it doesn’t change it at all. Pair it up y’all!

This is my second bottle of happiness from Meinklang. Last was Prosa 2019 which you can see in my post “A Little Slice of Heaven” which sums up where they live and grow their vines (located inside the gorgeous WHS of Neusiedlersee). As a farming family, their 3 sons grew up working the land and each one found their calling (from wine to tractors to animals/plants), and decided not to roam far from home. In fact, they expanded the farm so all the families have space and live in harmony together and with nature. And they have a lot of nature. There’s a whole pile of animals (cows, horses, pigs, sheep, a few chickens) and they are what fuels this whole operation. Yep, their poop is the fertilizer for the whole farm, hence the proud cow prancing on the label. And as it says on the back, “Cows are dancing, bulls are jumping, the lush pastures inhaling life. That’s <<Mulatschak>>, cheerful celebrations, joyful being.” I say raise a glass, and join in on the roaming or “moooving” party!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @meinklang_farm @zevrovineselections @cheezits #wine #vin #vino #redwine #cheezit @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Österreich #Burgenland #Austria #sustainable #biodynamic #happycows