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Our Friends In The Fields

Celler Credo
Miranius 2020
100% Xarel·lo
Penedès D.O.
Organic, biodynamic, dry farmed, hand harvested, indigenous yeast
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Penedès (Barcelona), Catalonia, Spain
Xarel·list & winemaker: Ton Mata (Josep Mata Capellades’ grandson)

Golden starlight glass. Sniff and here come tart pears, apple blossoms, lemon zest. light tangerine fades in and out, and then there’s a roll in the green meadows that leads to grass stains on my jeans, and finally toasty brioche goodness mmmmmmmm. Tiny sip and it’s already lovely and slightly frisky. There’s pears blended with mellow golden delicious apples, lemon/lime spritz w a touch of cucumber juice, and that brioche toasty is is linger a bit in the back but will surely fade, along with a lick of salt and slate. It’s crisp, fresh, and makes up your mouth but not with a jolt…more of a nuzzle.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out the citrus pop

Damn I love Celler Credo’s wines (Recaredo’s still white wine label)! First encounter was at La Vinya Del Senyor with Credo’s ꓕⱯNƎꓒꓕⱯꓤ or ‘Ratpenat’ (or in other words: bat) was a lovely introduction. If you buy a case, it can transform into a bat shelter…how cool is that because they’re beneficial to not only the vineyards but the world. “The bat is the only flying mammal on Earth and can kill between 600 and 1,200 insects per hour.” From the labels alone, you can see Ton Mata & Cellar Credo love the creatures that roam the vineyards, fields & skies above; and respect, nurture, and coexist with them. As with the bats, this little ‘Miranius’ sleek and shifty fox can also help them with some pest control while munching on an evening bite. 🦊

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Xarello #fox #bat #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Penedès #Penedes #catalunya #catalonia #Spain #organic @vinyadelsenyor @vinewinenyc @cellercredo @cheezit

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Fine Wine & Good Deeds

Forlorn Hope
Zincenzo! 2020
Carbonic Zinfandel
100% Zinfandel
Rorick Heritage Vineyard
Murphys, Calaveras County, CA
Organic, hand-harvested, carbonic maceration, unfiltered & unfined
Winemaker: Matthew Rorick

Sunset ruby orange streaked sky. Breathing a little earthy musk and schistiness at first that blossoms into cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. I am so glad I chilled this (chilling is said to be optional). Sipping delicious juicy blend of cranberry, cherry, strawberry, raspberry, salt & smoke with a little olive pit, and a bit of earthy forest darkness or as said before it’s the schist. This is one bottle that will get me in trouble because it is so frisky, friendly, and has a depth that I don’t know if I can leave it alone.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Delightful and even more addictive

This bottle was a total surprise for me. I love Forlorn Hope wines! The surprise part was I didn’t know I was receiving it. This was one of the bottles in Vine Wine’s “6 Bottles for Ukraine” box. You’ll get 3-4 bottles of red and the rest could be white, rose, or bubbles for $100 ((LINK IN BIO)). “All of the revenue from these six packs will be donated directly to World Central Kitchen, chef Jose Andres humanitarian organization. Currently he is working in Lviv cooking meals for displaced people and refugees, as well as partnering with restaurants in Ukraine to pay them to make meals locally. This is a cause close to our heart, feeding people and supporting local business. If you would like to donate directly you can head over to https://wck.org/ to learn more.” I don’t know how long they will be doing the boxes, but if you can get one, you’ll be doing a good deed while enjoying some fine wine! 🇺🇦

#ukraine #standwithukraine #Україна #🇺🇦 #kyiv #stopwar #зупинитивійну #supportukraine #ятебелюблю #wine #вино #love #Zinfandel @wckitchen @vinewinenyc @forlornhopewines

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Making A Break

AT Roca
Esparter 2015
Parcel•la única
Brut Nature
D.O. Classic Penedès
100% Macabeu
Mètode Tradicional, zero dosage, organic, hand-harvested, sustainable, indigenous yeasts, and indigenous grapes
Vineyard: Costers de l’Ordal
Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs, Penedès, Catalunya, Spain
Winemaking Family: Agustí Torello Roca (son), Agustí Torello Sibill (father), & Lali Torello Sibill (aunt)

Pale yellow with very tiny bouncing bubbles. Crisp and bright scents of pears, apples, mellow brioche, and a smidge vanilla that delightfully grows. Sipping and here come those crunchy pears snd apples, brioche again but more, like a bite of vanilla-lemon curd cake, a dash of all spice, with a rounded lick of limestone. Delightfully creamy and would be fabulous with crispy BACON!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: it’s ok. More fruity but I like it better on its own

AT Roca may have only been founded in 2013, but the family had an established history in Cava through Agustí Torello Mata. Branching out they made a break from D.O. Cava to D.O. Classic Penedès. Why is this special? Well, according to the official site in order to join, it’s required to be 100% organic (they are the 1st appellation in the world to require this), 100% Penedès (promoting the ancestral and indigenous varieties), and 100% Reserva (at least 15 months in the cellar). The family and team at the AT Roca project are very dedicated to the varying lands of Penedès and getting “maximum expression of the old vineyards”. They have the ability to choose the vineyards and not just be tied to an inheritance. This helps them in their delicious goal of consistently making wines that, “reflect the liquid history of its region” which is absolutely beautiful. 🥂

#wine #brutnature #sparklingwine #bubbly #atroca #esparter #classicpenedes #Macabeu # #winelover #vino #vin #organicwine #winetime #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic #bacon @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Penedès #Penedes #Catalunya #Spain @atroca_wines @josepastorselections @cheezits

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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

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Shhh…What’s That Vine Saying?

Costador Terroirs Mediterranis
Metamorphika 2018
D.O Conca de Barberà
100% Trepat
Catalunya, Spain
Organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, & as always a really cool clay bottle
Winemaker: Joan Franquet

Ruby with blue/purple hues. Take a breath and there’s some forest funk, cherry, pinch of raspberry, very small bit of roses that fade, white pepper, light rabbit tobacco (yes, rabbit tobacco…I grew up in the country), and a little licorice. Raising my glass and tasting cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries mixed with one or two strawberries, earthy funk that leads to black pepper, baker’s chocolate, and a juicy twang. It’s lively as in like biting into a fresh handful of all the above fruit.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: only makes it more smooth…but I like the tangy twang

The last Costador I encountered was Joan’s 2019 Chenin Blanc which was darn glorious, and gave me the chance to learn about his mountainous vineyards with wild boars. This indigenous Trepat is a completely other amphora delight. The vines are around 60 years old which make me feel like a youngster, and I think if these vines could talk what would their tales say. Would they whisper how the climate has changed? I bet they would speak lovingly of Joan since he has cared for them so well and organically over the years. Most of all they would probably tell us the history of the land and their heritage. You don’t have to wait for the vines, all you have to do is pour a glass and let your nose and tastebuds translate it all for you.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @costadorwines @saviosoaresselections @cheezits #wine #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #wineinfluencer #winestagram #pairswithcheezits #biodynamic #organic #Metamorphika #Catalunya #Spain #Catalan #Trepat #JoanFranquet

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Hop On and Let’s Ride!

Cellar Mas Foraster
LAMOTO 2019
Conca de Barberà DO
Trepat (mostly) and Garnatxa Peluda
Organic, hand harvested, and indigenous yeasts
Tarragona, Conca de Barberà, Catalunya, Spain
Winemakers: A family affair

Bright shiny light garnet. Ok, before we get any further here’s some instructions: chill it a little bit. Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries first hit my nose, and then cherry, plums, salt and a little earth. First sip and this is more powerful than I was expecting. This is no shrinking flower. There’s earthy cherries and plums, strawberries, raspberries, black pepper, and a little tangy bounce of happiness. This is so easy to drink…way tooooo easy. I want to drink this all day while on an old fashioned tire swing going higher and higher and full of laughter, yeah this wine is that type of joy.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nice and smooth together…this could get dangerous because it’s already so easy to drink on its own

Since 1828, Finca Mas Foraster, has seen a lot. During the civil war (1939) they lost part of their land and regained most of it by 1960, and then they were selling their grapes to a co-op. It wasn’t until 1995, when Josep Foraster Civit, got the ball rolling with their first harvest for the cellar in 1999. Sadly, and when I read this it really brought tears to my eyes, he passed from a battle with cancer (damn cancer! I lost my mom in Nov.) in 1999. The whole time he had been working so hard for the Cellar, he had that to deal with too. Breaks my heart. His sister Julieta is keeping the dream alive along with her husband (Josep), her son (Ricard), and Josep’s son (Adrià). Julieta really focused on working with local grapes and that led to their deep, deep association with Trepat. As you can tell by what I wrote above, the blend of these grapes is a wonderful pair. Thank you for your wine, your hard work, dedication, and enotourism. Your gorgeous website took me on a virtual trip, and  this may just be what I need to lure my dude back to Catalunya. Oh, and one more thing I would be remiss not to add, Ricard says that LaMoto was his grandfather’s ride from 1955, and it is still alive and running. Vroom, vroom, let’s hit the roads!

@vinewinenyc @JosepForaster @ripewineimports @cheezits #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #sustainable #natural #wild #organic #ConcadeBarberà #Tarragona #Catalunya #Spain #trepat #GarnatxaPeluda #Garnatxa #enotourism

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Organic Ghosting

Vinergia
Villages Range
Lo Tros 2016
DOQ Priorat
55% Carinyena, 45% Garnatxa
El Molar, Tarragona, Spain
Organic, bush and trellised vines
Winemaker: Roger Grifoll; Partner from Vinergia: Robert Hunter

Gorgeous deep dense ruby glass. Breathing in dark cherries, plums, smoke and balsamic vinegar reduction. First sip is smokey cherries, plums, strawberries, raspberries and raisins. After a bit comes caramel, rosemary, tobacco, antique book leather but not dusty. It’s a well kept library that is enhanced by a feeling of darkness. This beauty transforms from a bright tang to a smooth operator.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: toasty strawberries and blueberries (where did they come from?)

Vinergia partners with winemakers across Spain to create wines that showcase grapes/wines of their region. Lo Tros is their project with Roger Grifoll of Cellers Grifoll Declares. Their vineyards are in El Molar which is a unique town since it straddles DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant and they date back in their family since 1736. Instead of having large flowing vineyards, theirs are in plots or pieces throughout the town, hence the name Lo Tros. Also due to this straddling they have two different wineries, one in each DO. The most fascinating thing (other than the wine) for me is how they combat the dreaded “Cluster Moth” (Lobesia botrana) through “sexual confusion”. Out of respect for the land and vines they do it naturally by setting out biodegradable diffusers that make the male moths think they are heading for a pheromone booty call with a female moth. Instead of killing them, they just get stuck perplexed where did the ladies go and end up not reproducing. I guess this is the ultimate ghosting.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Vinergia @grifolldeclara @viaswine @cheezits #wine #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #organic #Spain #Tarragona #Carinyena #Garnatxa #elmolar

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This Little Piggy Went…

Costador Terroirs Mediterranis
Metamorphika 2019
D.O. Catalunya
Catalunya, Spain
100% Chenin Blanc
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested, unfined, unfiltered, indigenous yeasts, and a really cool clay bottle
Winemaker: Joan Franquet

Pure gold with a little hint of orange from the skin contact and some sediment hanging and floating. Breathing in honeydew, honeysuckle, just picked cucumbers, salt, lime, tangerine, smoke, vanilla, some caramel, and almonds. Whew that was a lot. Now sipping cantaloupe and honeydew, smoke, salt, lime, almond, and a bit of my granny’s pound cake packed with real creamy butter. Was so good the next morning for breakfast with bacon which would be so good now with this glorious glass!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: they love each other in harmony

Joan Franquet’s mountainous organic vineyards range in altitudes (400 to 800 meters), terroirs, and age. This Chenin Blanc sits at 550 with 2.5 hectares of 70 year old vines which is a youngster compared to his 110 year ones. Originally planted by a farmer by requirements of Torres, and later used by a co-op before Joan found this abandoned vineyard, nursed it back to life, and in the future looks to plant more (from these same old vines) since this wine is so popular. Also, they have another bit of competition for these grapes. WILD BOARS! Hand harvesting is done the 2nd week in September because those scary yet delicious creatures can eat 30% of the grapes. Trust me, pigs are nothing to scoff at. Have you ever been chased by an angry mama one? Let’s just say, don’t try to pet the piglets.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @costadorwines @saviosoaresselections @cheezits #wine #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #biodynamic #organic #Metamorphika #Catalunya #Spain #Catalan #CheninBlanc #JoanFranquet #boar #pig #wildboar

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Making My Wish

Celler Pardas
Aspriu Negre 2009
100% Cabernet Franc
Penedès DO
Torrelavit, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Organic & sustainable (but they didn’t know that back then)
Winemakers/Viticulturists: Ramon Parera (oenologist) & Jordi Arnan (agronomist)

Gorgeous deep purple. Breathing in dark cherry, black pepper, chocolate, hazelnut, allspice, and vanilla cookie or should I say whiskey peat. Oh I’m so excited to taste, I’ve been sitting on this bottle for years. Darkness and depth is looming in a good way. There’s tart cherry, coffee and chocolate, black peppercorns, and again a hint of vanilla and plush love. Memories of December Spain visits are flooding in.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: darker, deeper, and a weird sweetness that verges on antique cola candy

You don’t need to let this gift breathe long. Maybe 45 minutes and it is on its way. 2009 was Pardas’ third vintage of Aspriu, and honestly I’m so happy to have been introduced to it by La Vinya del Senyor in 2014. Ramon Parera and Jordi Arnan pride themselves in letting the terroir reveal itself through their wines. This special Cabernet Franc came from a single vineyard “La Barraca”. You can taste their hard work, dedication, and emotional connection with this area, the vines, and the whole environment. As in their quote, “The desire of being reunited with nature, and establishing bonds which fulfill us is only human nature after all, though very often forgotten.” Nothing is forgotten with this bottle. Everything is celebrated.

Even though I can’t travel this year for my birthday, I can feel myself sitting in La Vinya del Senyor sipping a glass of Aspriu, with one of their foie i cep meatballs and like I usually do afterwards, wander into Lurdes Bergada & Syngman Cucala and if I’m lucky find, something beautiful to wear that night. God, I miss Barcelona, Alicante, Cadaqués, well all of Spain. I find when you really get down to knowing the citizens of anywhere and especially Europe and get past the point that they see you as a freaking tourist, but that you want to know their reality, then you can have the most wonderful conversations. We all melt down to the same caring giving family. People talk of Southern hospitality, but I have never seen more kindness than all the good souls from Europe (and yes, NY, we are the big melting pot) that I’ve encountered and happily now call my friends.

Spinning & celebrating to Katy Perry’s – Birthday!

@pardasceller @vinyadelsenyor @vilaviniteca @lurdesbergada_syngmancucala @cheezits #cheezit #wine #naturalwine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #organic #sustainable #biodynamic #katyperry #CabernetFranc #Penedès #Barcelona #Catalonia #Spain #Aspriu

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WINE MEMORIES 10.2.17

Celler Pardas
Rupestris Blanco 2015
Penedès Spain
Macabeo, Malvasía, Xarel·lo and Xarel·lo Vermell
Winemakers Ramon Parera and Jordi Arnan

A glass of spun straw. I’m breathing in flowers, citrus and it tingles my nose. Taking a sip and there’s limes, citrus and something sweet peachy keen and a lick of granite. It’s fresh and friendly. A perfect wine to sit out back and enjoy a summer evening.

@pardasceller @cellerpardas @vilaviniteca @vinyadelsenyor #barcelona #wine #penedes #spain #Macabeo #xarello #malvasia #xarellovermell @worldbyglass #needmorewine #workingfromhome