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A Glass of Stars

Papras Bio Winery
Pleiades 2019 (Orange Wine)
Roditis 100%
PGI Tyrnavos Greece
Biodynamic  and wild yeasts

A glass of orangey gold that is sparkling like the stars they’re named after. Breathe in orange peel, grapefruit, salt, orange blossoms, and floral. As it spends time opening white pepper smokiness appears. I’m feeling something of a beer here. Let’s give this a sip…orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and pineapple. Wow that’s a lot of fruit, yet dry. There’s also lovely smoke, spice, salt and oh so tart. Let it hang out for a while and you can taste orange blossoms and there’s that white pepper again. A beautiful spot-on orange wine. Also if you like Gose beer like I do, you’ll love this wine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Mellows out the tart yet it’s still lurking somewhat there.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @kthmapapra_domainepapra  @eklektikon @cheezits #Papraswine #wine #Roditis #beer #gose #orangewine #Pleiades #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #biodynamic #Greece

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True Friendship

Les Tètes
Tète Blanche
Le Pressoir, Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, Loire, France
Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Roussanne
Biodynamic and native yeasts

A drop of golden sunshine. A fresh breeze of citrus, grapefruit, white floral, slate and a bit of toasted vanilla. You know, like those cookies you had when you were a kid. Drink in the citrus, apple, pineapple, a lick of granite, and those beloved toasted vanilla cookie again. Lovely, smooth and a beautiful wine to accompany the new Martin Walker novel, “The Shooting at Château Rock”. Absolutely love his “Bruno Chief of Police Series”. His books always take my brain to France, the wonderful people, the beautiful food, and of course the lovely wine. I highly recommend escaping with one of them.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Makes it more juicy and fruity and tart. Brings out the sharp tart apple

Les Tète Blanche is a wine project created by four friends: Nicolas, Philippe, Baptiste, and Vivien and they say, “Les Tétes is about friendship, and wines you drink with friends.” Which leads me to another group of four friends of a different feather, the infamous “Golden Girls”: Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and the colorful and amorous Blanche Devereaux. Do any of you remember Blanche’s tropical bedroom? Well, it turns out it has quite a following. I hadn’t even finished typing her full name in Google, and the hallowed bedroom popped up. Turns out the set design team had to keep the bedspread under lock and key while they were not filming. Read more about it here, and raise a glass to friendship!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @docwinebar @zevrovineselections @cheezits #wine #worldbyglass #lestetes #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #france #loire #sauvignonblanc #cheninblanc #chardonnay #roussanne #goldengirls #blanchedevereaux

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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

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WINE MEMORIES 9.28.19

Sicus
Cartoixà 2016
Winemaker Eduard Pié Palomar
Baix Penedès
Catalunya Spain
xarel.lo (Cartoixà)

Lovely gold color. Nose is light citrus maybe faint orange or tangerine, slate, salt and white pepper. Swig and it’s tart, tangy, a little pepper, citrus (lemon and tangerine), and a small bit of pear. It’s a crisp and clean quencher. Biodynamic and wild yeasts, but not one ounce of funk. Honestly, I cannot remember if I got this wine here, or brought it back from Spain, so going to give credit to all where I may have picked this up.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @vinewinenyc @despananyc @sicus.edv @cellersicus @vilaviniteca #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #vinewinenyc #xarello #spain #Catalunya #biodynamic @worldbyglass 

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Following the White Rabbit

Château La Franchaie
Lapin Blanc 2018
Winemaker Eric Dubois
Anjou France
Chenin blanc

A glassful of the immortal lyric from Spandau Ballet, GOLD! Then take a deep breath of cardamom, salt, lemon, hibiscus, and some earthy freshly picked daisies.

Get ready to follow the white rabbit, if you dare take a sip. There’s pear, tart apple or crab apple, salt, granite, and deep flowers like honeysuckle. Keep on imbibing and it becomes smoky, heady, decadent and a hint of vanilla. I see beautiful dreams heading my way this evening, or it may take another turn and I’ll encounter the infamous vorpal bunny.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: clean and sharp

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @docwinebar @spandauballet #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #chateaulafranchaie #anjou #france #montypython #Lapin #vorpal #ericdubois #cheninblanc #spandauballet #fruitofthevines

 

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Take Me Back to the Plaça

Baudili 2019
Viticultor Ramon Jané
Bottled by Celler Mas Candí (which is a partnership between Ramon and his best friend oenologist Toni Carno)
Les Gunyoles D’Avinyonet
Catalunya Spain
Xarel.lo 50%, Macabeo 50%

Biodynamic

Color is a glistening pale golden. Breathe in a bit of a sea breeze of salt, some tangerine, grapefruit and something herbal like rosemary. Now I’m craving jamón. Time for the glou-glou and there’s apples, pears, some tart lemon, clean slate and a lot of love. What I wouldn’t give for some grilled sardines, a dozen oysters, and some squishy cheese. Take me to the plaça, let me feel the sun on my face, get a little pink (maybe from the sun or maybe from the wine), and break out the cribbage board. Let’s take the afternoon off!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Brings out lemon and a tart zing

@vinewinenyc @MasCandí @trumpetwine @cellermascandi #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #vinewinenyc #xarello #macabeo #spain #Catalunya #biodynamic #glouglou @worldbyglass @cellermascandi

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A Little Slice of Heaven

Meinklang
Prosa 2019
Dry Sparkling Rosé
Burgenland Austria
Biodynamic
Pinot noir

A beautiful glass of deep red grapefruit with bubbles. Inhale and there’s berries, tangerine, orange peel, a touch of pepper, some salt and mineral. Now for the lovely swish and sip. It’s zingy. There’s raspberries, oh and beautiful strawberries as it opens up. There’s a smoothness, citrus zest, grassy, and dry. This is fresh fun happiness which is so welcome right now. Let’s hang out on the porch swing, listen to the cows and maybe gossip a little bit.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it tart but less dry. Brings out lemon

The family run farm and vineyards of Meinklang are located in what looks like one of the most beautiful places on earth, and is located inside the WHS of Neusiedlersee. The whole place runs like the “circle of life”. The vineyard is enriched by the compost they produce on the farm, from the cows (which grace the label), sheep, and horse poop. They also have wild herb ground covering throughout the vineyard, along with stinging nettles and thistles. They take in the importance of cultivating the wildlife, the insects, etc. that all play a part in vineyard and farm. In one part of their vineyard they created what they call eco-islands (27 in all) that break up the continuing vines. Each one has a single fruit tree and black elderberry shrubs, which benefit the critters, bugs, and birds. Ok, how much more can I love this family. They have shrews and hedgehogs! They also let their Pinot Gris run free. No pruning here. They’ve dubbed it “Graupert” which is a word from the Burgenland dialect used to describe someone slightly scruffy-looking. I bet this kind of describes a lot of us working from home right now. Going to have to find out how to pronounce this before my next online office meeting.

Neusielder See – Seewinkel National Park stretches through Austria and Hungary. The lake is incredible and the marshlands are just beautiful. It’s perfect place for birding because 1000s of migratory birds pass through, and it’s a great place for those of us that love toads and frogs. Come on, there’s nothing like sitting outside by a lake in the evening hearing those deep throated sounds. Oh and as for the birds, I had never heard of the Great Bustard before. Yes, all of my birding friends feel free to shame me. Wow, what an incredible bird, especially when it displays for courtship or conflict (video found on youtube from Rainer Raab).

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @meinklang_farm @docwinebar @Meinklang @ @cheezits #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #pinotnoir #austria #biodynamic #GreatBustard #Burgenland #zevrovineselections