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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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Creature Of The Night

Aoton Winery
“Lola” Retsina Rosé 2018
Mandilaria 74%, Cabernet Sauvignon 26%
Hand picked during night harvest, organic, indigenous yeast, also 0,4g/L of Aleppo Pine Resin added
Traditional Appellation “Retsina”
Peania, Attica, Greece.
Winemaker: Sotiris Gkinis

Cranberry/pomegranate/watermelon cocktail color with orange hints. First breath and there is is full on…pine and then mint smashed with basil, rosemary, flowering herbs and clover, green and pink strawberries, dried cherries, and still it’s fresh. First sip and I’m going hmmm? This is unique. Do I like it…yeah, I think I do. It takes a few sips and it keeps surprising. Definitely driven by the traditional pine resin, and that mint/basil pesto, then pops of pomegranate, a little young cherry/plum, and rose hips. The more I drink, the more I think…and Lola is one fascinating, complicated, intriguing lady of mystery.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: eh noncommittal

I had been checking out “Lola” who kept winking at me from the shelves, but she hadn’t swayed me to bringing her home until I saw her being romanced by another! Tip of the hat to @sips.and.babs who influenced me to take a chance. Yes this bottle is all dressed up to be on a runway (check the label) or a night at the club, but it’s also draped in robes of retsina history with an elegant creative modern flair. A creature of the night, “Lola’s” grapes are hand harvested in the cool evening darkness which just add to her unique fresh beauty. I might just have to run away with her! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Rosé #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Mandilaria #CabernetSauvignon #Retsina #Greece #organic @vinewinenyc @aoton_winery @cheezit

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To Sip…To Dream

Velenosi
Brecciarolo 2018
Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore
Company owned vineyards located in the districts of Offida and Ascoli Piceno
Montepulciano 70%, Sangiovese 30%
Hand harvested
Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy
Wine Team: Ercole & Angela Velenosi, Dr. Paolo Garbini, Filippo Carli & Luca Fioravanti (winemakers), and more

Bright ruby. Breathing in full on cherries & plums, dainty roses, vanilla, and a bit of warming spice. Lovely sipper of cherries fresh and dried, dark plums, dates with a teeny black pepper, and a rustic yet juicy vibe. Very friendly charmer that is ready to hang out with you and a good book right now.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: perfect but I’d even rather have a lamb chop

“Wine is an art capable of making people dream”…so very true (I’m not talking about those visions when you’ve had a few too many). This bottle is like a painting that is being created as you sip. Yes, it captures the history of the land and takes you on a little tour of tradition, but it also is filled with a modern brushstroke of innovation and everything merges together in harmony. Thank goodness it isn’t a NFT! For those of you that know me well, you know how I feel about them even in the wine world. 🙄

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Marche #Montepulciano #Sangiovese #NFT #art @viaswine @docwineshop @docwinebar @velenosivini @cheezit

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What Are The Jobs That Women Can’t Do?

Azienda Agraria Moretti Omero
Grechetto 2020
Umbria IGT
Organic, vegan, hand-harvested
Giano dell’Umbria PG, Umbria, Italy
It’s a total Moretti family winemaking and olive growing affair: Omero (The Founder), Daniela (The Strength), Giusy (The Mind), Lucia (The Face), Quinta (Grandmother)

Medium golden glass. Scents of pears, lemon zest, tiny slices of white peaches, and a little sea breeze salt. Hello! Dancing on my tongue are zesty zingy zaggy lemons and and a smidge of good citrus funky, fresh homegrown Kirby cucumbers (who doesn’t love a Kirby), crisp pears, Italian parsley and a smidge of Marcona almonds.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmmm delicious!

Omero’s grandfather (Domenico) launched their family business with a single olive grove post WWI. Now it’s not just trees of my favorite salty snack, but also fully organic vineyards (since 1992). Daniela will tell you it was her idea since she would have to leave her daughters with their dad in the field since her other life was being a nurse. Lucia (the olive expert) & Giusy now grown have joined the company, and Giusy is at the helm. Lucky for us she set aside a career in architecture to return to the place she loved, and brought her intellect, talent (she speaks 4 languages), understanding of branding and the story that goes with it, and passion for the environment. She looks beyond their borders by working with local govt to “introduce a pilot scheme that bans farmers from using pesticides and chemicals in the fields adjoining organic fields. & More widely the ban has been extended across the area to include no chemicals close to schools, hospitals and houses.” Not to leave out one more strong member of the family, Grandmother Quinta, who set the example that women can farm, work the field, and do anything they want, or as they say on their site, “What are the jobs that women can’t do?”

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #organic #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Umbria #Grechetto @apwineimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @moretti.vino.olio @cheezit

 

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A Magical Harvest

Cantina Marilina
Sikelé 2019
Terre Siciliane IGP
100% Grecanico (darn fabulous ancient grape)
Sicily, Italy
Organic, indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtration
Winemakers: Angelo Marilina and Federica Paternò

Deep golden beauty of a glass. My first Sikelé was a 2017, and 2019 is just as fab! As before the first scents are orange, melon, sweet honeysuckle, and one of my faves sea breeze salt, and in the latest, there’s also a little touch of tangerine and a smidge of spice. As I sip at home, it takes me back to that beautiful day in the sun where one glass is never enough. Delicious flavors of orange, lemon, melon, pear, apple, smoky salt, white pepper, a scattering of almonds, but the best part is the orange blossoms that keep wafting in and out, and in this 2019, there’s also that touch of tangerine again (a little IPAish) that mellows and a few following kumquats. It’s a lovely colorful natural shape shifting dream.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Still brings out more heavenly flowers

I can hardly believe it’s been over a year and a half when I was longing for a “A Day Under the Trees”. Still longing for that chance to visit Cantina Marilina and experience their “Picnic in the Vineyard” tasting. How glorious would that be? For now I’ll have to just have to watch over and over again their 2021 harvest and all the bits of that are a part of it from the land, the vineyard, the people and even the insects that thrive and do their own part in the whole picture. “Let’s try to bring dreams to life . Every year, at the end of the harvest , this is the mood we keep for the following months! 2021 gave us a magical harvest: life, in all its forms, is the basis of our work. Nature is the essence of everything!”

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #organic #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #sicily #grecanicodorato #Grecanico #zevrovineselections @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @cantinamarilina @cheezit

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Happy As A Lark

Domaine de la Chanteleuserie
Cuvée Alouettes 2020
Cabernet Franc
Bourgueil AOC
HVE certified
Benais, Bourgueil, Loire, France
Winemaker: Thierry & Christine Boucard

Chill it…more than just a little bit. Lovely dark ruby with maroon and bluish rim glass. Hover a bit and out floats fragrances of strawberries, raspberries, plums, currants, and buttercream smooth that fades in and out as it warms and turns into a creamy berry scent like a bit of a mixed berry smoothie, and there’s also a touch of green bell peppers, and lively white pepper. First sip and it’s a tart zip and then cherries, red and green strawberries and their caps, raspberries, blackberries, young yellow plums, and a peppery edge. It’s refreshing and begging for a hot day to head down to the river with friends and a cooler full. Who wants to push me on the tire swing? 

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out a more mixed bag of fruit

Oh this wine and the Domaine are just happy as a lark! You can’t escape it…from their name to this cuvée, and it even greets you with our feathered friend’s melodious song when you pop onto their website. So why is this little birdie so chipper and chirpy? I’m betting it’s due to the Breton (Cabernet Franc) in it’s pure beautiful form, and also the fact that the Boucards respect and care about their land and everything in it. That’s something to tweet about!

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #lark #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Loire #France #CabernetFranc #Bourgueil #chanteleuserie #domainedelachanteleuserie @kermitlynchwine @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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A Long Slow Burn Of Strength 💙💛

Odessa Cognac Factory
Brandy V.S.O.P.
Distilled from Rkatsiteli, Aligoté and Pinot, and more
Alembic Charentais copper pot stills and double fractional distillation
Odessa, Ukraine

Beautiful amber golden and clinging to the sides as I turn it in the light. Floating up are whiffs of caramel, buttery shortbread cookies, toffee, dried Smyrna figs, white raisins, and warm holiday spices. First sip and there’s a silky start that turns to a tingling bit of fire but the good type that starts off just lively but if you keep drinking will warm you to your toes. Next up is caramel, a hint of baker’s chocolate, fresh wild honey coating some of those dried figs, ginger, and a little vanilla. It’s comforting like the one you love enveloping you in their arms and keeping you safe, drying your tears, and making you believe all will be ok even if it may be a lie; and it’s also a long slow burn of strength which we all need right now. ❤️🇺🇦

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: JUST DON’T

This where I would normally be going on about the history behind this bottle and the people that made the beauty of this liquid…but…I just can’t. My heart and mind have become overrun by news coming out of Ukraine. How can you escape the footage and why would you turn your back and not see the brutal reality? As I’ve said before, I want to scream! Please someone help! Make this war that should have never gotten to this point stop. There are families and friends being torn apart and some will never see each other again. There are even children with cancer stuck in hospital with no way out. My sister died of cancer as we were both small children. Nothing eases that pain. I can’t imagine how much more the pain the families of these helpless kids is gutting them as they try to soothe their child. THIS IS MADNESS

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: JUST DON’T

This is the port where I would normally be going on about the history behind this bottle and the people that made the beauty of this liquid…but…I just can’t. My heart and mind have become overrun by news coming out of Ukraine. How can you escape the footage and why would you turn your back and not see the brutal reality? As I’ve said before, I want to scream! Please someone help! Make this war that should have never gotten to this point stop. There are families and friends being torn apart and some will never see each other again. There are even children with cancer stuck in hospital with no way out. My sister died of cancer as we were both small children. Nothing eases that pain. I can’t imagine how much more the pain the families of these helpless kids is gutting them as they try to soothe their child. This is madness

I posted yesterday about one thing we can all do, so here it is again. My dear friend Tatyana Okshteyn (Black & White Gallery/Project Space @bwg_ps & who is originally from Ukraine) is putting together an online art benefit the proceeds of which will go to Ukraine to aid artists & their families there. If anyone would like to donate and get some pretty darn cool art while helping this extremely important cause, please visit the site.

100% of net sales proceeds will be donated to artists and their families in Ukraine. Please forward and share this post. Love and Peace must win!

#brandy #бренді #vspo #cognac #коньяк #ukraine #standwithukraine #Україна #🇺🇦 #stopwar #зупинитивійну #supportukraine #ятебелюблю #wine #corkscrew #Vodka #art #горілка #horilka #Odessa @odessabrandy

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Badass, Resilient And Full Of Passion 💙💛

Khortytsa (Хортиця)
Khor Platinum Vodka
40% ABV
Gluten free, corn-based, organic local filter containing schungite, 7 rounds of distillation, one of a kind cap to protect against counterfeits
Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine

Chilled glistening clear pour. Breathing in and it’s fresh, clean and bright with a  little faint citrus zest, and as grows a peppery kick. Sipping and at first there’s a little creaminess that morphs into a light bite of black pepper, something herbal, and a sprig of pine but nothing is overpowering. It turns into a dash of hot pepper with again citrus zest that fades back into that clean crisp herbal tingle. It’s very alive and my lips are vibrating…like a passionate kiss, and I have to say it’s badass and resilient just like Ukrainians.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oh lord no!

I wish I could be tasting this lovely award winning vodka under better and less heartbreaking circumstances. As to be expected with the current events, Khortytsa had to shut their office in Kyiv and their distillery. How on earth in this day and age is this happening? I just want to open a window and scream! My heart bleeds for them and everyone in Ukraine. ❤️🇺🇦

#Vodka #горілка #horilka #Khortytsa #Хортиця #ukraine #standwithukraine #Україна #🇺🇦 #stopwar #зупинитивійну #supportukraine #Zaporizhzhia #spirits @khortytsavodka

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Katz In A Glass

Wigle
Eau de Pickle
40% ALC/VOL
Organic regional grains milled onsite
Made from scratch in Pittsburgh, PA
Family Distillery

Perfectly clear glass (tiny pour because this packs a punch). Whoa this is like being in my granny’s kitchen during pickling/canning time! There’s full on aromas of rye, dill weed/flowering/seed, pop of fennel, garlic, mustard seeds, coriander and lest we not forget caraway. Seriously craving a hot pastrami. First sip an tasting all the scents and a pumpernickel everything bagel moment. There’s also celery, an almost ouzo light feeling, but don’t bring the coffee beans because this is Katz in a glass. Oooh you know what would be great is a Cel-Ray chaser, and it would also be so good as a martini with a celery salt rim. Can you tell I’m falling hard for this bottle?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious!

Wigle’s mission statement says it all, “Wigle is hell bent on creating a vital, educated community around the highest quality, most inventive, bursting-with-terroir fermented and distilled products in the world. We’re strong believers of investing in our communities to support the agricultural, social and economic systems of which we are a part. We devote significant resources into innovation and make each one of our dozens of regionally inspired spirits from scratch with organic ingredients. We never purchase spirits from bulk suppliers.” They truly believe in community and particularly in this day and age that’s downright commendable. You can also take a tour of the distillery and leave with a history lesson of Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion, or take one of their cocktail classes to spruce up your skills. However you connect with them, I hope you take a chance on this dilly delight…just be careful or you may find yourself becoming a bit pickled. 🥒 🍸

#spirits #eaudepickle #wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #whiskey #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #pickles #Pittsburgh #PA  @vinewinenyc @wiglewhiskey @cheezit