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Living Freely in Harmony

Lindenlaub
En Liberté 2020
Pinot Gris Pét-nat
Organic, unfined, unfiltered
Dorlisheim, Alsace, France
Winemaker: Christophe Lindenlaub

Brilliant cloud filled sunset streaked orange with pink undertones…think a beautiful watercolor with tiny crystals. Scents run out and bounce around (like the happy leaping Shiba Inu on the label) of oranges and orange blossoms, lush flowers, and a hint of pink grapefruit. Tasting slightly light fizzy orange/citrus but definitely not my childhood Nehi more Orangina, smoke and white pepper, light peach, a splash of tangerine, and a lick of granite.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious and super smooth

Everywhere I look, I keep reading about Christophe Lindenlaub and his abundant energy, positivity, and enthusiasm (he’s even compared to “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”). Is this why his wines are so delightful? Sounds like it’s part of the reason, but I’m betting it’s also due to his patience. He’s “Mr. Natural” and low-intervention, which means he knows how to listen and how to wait which leads to harmony in the vineyards and all the way into the bottle.

#wine #naturalwine #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #PinotGris #petnat #Pétnat @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #Dorlisheim #Alsace #France @vinewinenyc @christophelindenlaub @super_glou @cheezit

 

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Magical Cranberry Memories

Domaine Philippe Tessier
Chemin Noir 2020
VDF
100% Pineau d’Aunis
Organic (Ecocert certified), native yeasts
Cheverny, France
Winemakers: Simon (son) Tessier and Philippe (father, who handed over the reigns in 2020)

This color reminds me of those oh so coveted antiques “cranberry glass”. Breathing in cherries, wild plums and a touch of their blossoms, some earth/forest floor that flees, then there’s a little mace and black pepper. Tasting those cherries and plums again joined by cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, squish of lime, orange zest and very welcomed pinch of black pepper. There’s also a little earthy funky with snap of picked by the roadside blackberries and their seeds. You know when you’re rambling through the brambles and getting stuck all over but it’s so worth to just eat in the sun and the juice streaming down your chin. Yet all of it is light and dancing and magical like something brought to you by a wood sprite.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: meh, I like it better without…some of the magic is dampened.

So pleased to meet you Pineau d’Aunis (sometimes called “Chenin Noir” even though DNA now shows y’all are not related). Your personality has jogged so many childhood memories from staring at the “cranberry glass” in my mother’s glassware cabinet (that I was not allowed to even breathe on) to the idyllic days of wild berry picking. Glad that Philippe Tessier decided to experiment and add you to a little plot back in 2011, and his son Simon is tending to you now. As the Tessier family believe, “We defend peasant, artisanal, honest and sincere viticulture. A wine must be the expression of the place where it comes from, the reflection of the climatic conditions of the year and a little of the winegrower”. If you want to find an honest snapshot of the vintages through the years check out their notes on their site: https://philippetessier.fr/notre-savoir-faire#lmv

#wine #winelover #redwine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #pineaudaunis #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #Cheverny #Loire #France #domainephilippetessier #philippetessier @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Zing, Pow, Pop!

Amós Bañeres
Hey! 2019
DO Penedès
60% Macabeu, 40% Xarel·lo
Biodynamic, hand harvested, native yeasts
Penedès, Spain
Winemaker: Amós Bañeres

Warm dark golden that shifts to orange skin-contact. Whiffs of apples, pears, and something herbal like fresh cuttings of Italian parsley…or as it opens more like an apple twig freshly stripped of its bark. Keep going and there’s lime zest and wet granite blended with light spring plum blossoms. First sip is a zing, pow pop! Crisp sharp apples and pears (green Anjou) rush in with lime and a little of Christmas kumquat coming from my days as a little kid anxiously awaiting to see what would be in my stocking the next morning. Also fresh from the garden cut/shaved Kirby cukes. Man, is this fresh and tart and just making me crave crispy thin southern bacon and mortadella (but when am I not).
 
Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NO YUCK!

Whenever I read that someone has a chance to make a jump to a second act, it makes me smile. Amós got that opportunity to leave behind his life as a pharmacist in Barcelona to return home and pick up where his grandfather left off in the vines. Must feel so good to reconnect with nature and have bottles that capture that “moment in time”…that you can share with your friends, family and even he world.

#wine #naturalwine #winelover #spanishwine #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Penedès #Penedes #Spain #cheezit #organic #biodynamic #Macabeu #Xarello @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @amosbaneresvinyero @soilairselection @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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What We Sip in the Shadows

Social Hour Cocktails
Strawberry Rhubarb Spritz
Faccia Brutto Aperitivo bitters, strawberry rhubarb cordial, and white wine
8.7% ABV
Brooklyn, NY
Cocktail makers and shakers: Julie Reiner & Tom Macy

Shining pale strawberry cocktail blush. Pour on the rocks. Nose tickling strawberries, rhubarb, and herbal aromatic bitters. Here goes the sip and it’s sweet at first and full of berries and rhubarb pie filling, then out pops herby bitters in the back, orange peel, and a small bite of red Twizzlers. Fresh, crisp and a fun party you can take on the go, or just kick back at home and binge watch “What We Do in the Shadows”.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: blerg ack

Y’all know I’ve had a soft spot for these pre-made cocktails during the lockdown, and now I can’t give them up. Julie Reiner & Tom Macy both come from lauded bartending and bar owning backgrounds and took a huge and smart leap into the canned cocktails market in the summer of 2020. They want what you have at home to be as good as what they’d concoct for you in person. It’s also pretty special that they work with New York products, like this spritz’s Brooklyn born “Faccia Brutto aperitivo”. Cheers to supporting local!

#cocktails #cocktailsofinstagram #spirits #bitters #Aperitivo #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #Brooklyn #NY #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #FacciaBrutto @socialhourcocktails @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Recipe of Love

Rootdown Wine Cellars
Es Okay
2019 Red Wine
Touriga National, Tinta Cao, Tinta Ruiz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Francisca
Grapes sourced: Mendocino County
Geyserville, Sonoma County, CA
Winemaker: Mike Lucia

Deep ruby rimmed purple that I can’t see through. From the get go I’m smelling buttery vanilla, a smidge of oak, dark plums and prunes, dried and fresh cherries, raisins, and black pepper. Reminds me of good old fashioned SC fruitcake…not the alcohol soaked British crap most know. Sipping and it’s juicy and fresh. There’s dried plums, dried cherries and fresh, golden and dark raisins, blackberry, a little dried pineapple and a pinch of black pepper. Seriously it reminds me of my mom’s fruitcake and that is such a happy, heart-warming memory that I’m going to share with you.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolute YUM

Mom’s Fruitcake
1 cup of butter
1 1/4 cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 eggs
4 cups of flour (2 self rising , 2 plain)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup of raisins (mix of gold and dark)
3/4 cup of mixed dried fruit (chopped well: green and red cherries and pineapple)
1/2 cup of applesauce
1 cup of pecans (best if from my granny’s trees)

Cream the butter and sugar and add 1 egg at a time and beat well. Add raisins, dried fruit, and pecans. Then add the flour and applesauce & mix well. Grease and flour baking pan. Pour the mix in and bake on 270 for 3 hours. In the end it’s a recipe of love.

#wine #winelover #redwine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #TourigaNational #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #Mendocino #Sonoma #CA #california @rootdownwines @esokaywines @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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A Little Birdie Told Me To Give This A Try

Domaine Brana
Ilori ‘Les Jonquilles’ Blanc 2016
Irouléguy AOC
Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng & Petit Courbu
Biodiversity, HVE level 3 certified (and that means a lot)
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Irouléguy, France
Spirits and winemaking family: Jean and Martine Brana (brother and sister)

Spring flower (daffodil) yellow with a green glimmer. Oh this is lovely. Breathing in pears, musky honeydew but the musk fades and honeydew is still hanging around, just rained on sidewalk/concrete ( I love that smell), a light citrus blend, and pineapple. Sipping and here’s those pears again, honeysuckle nectar, pineapple, a tiny citrus (grapefruit) back pop, and it’s a glass of grace and joyous laughter all at once.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: eh…why ruin a good thing

At Domaine Brana, it’s not just wine but spirits too. Jean and Martine’s father, Etienne, first planted their pear orchard back in the 70s, and embarked on setting up a distillery. By the 80s, he saw the potential in this gorgeous steep diverse terroir to plant vines and a build a winery. Sadly Etienne passed in 1992, and his wife and children carried on his dream. I love their passion for nature and biodiversity, and putting in all the hard work to be HVE level 3 certified. With their 110 nesting boxes, they’ve brought back birds (and buggies) that hadn’t been seen in the area for ages. You can find these feathered friends gracing some of their labels too (just not this 2016).

#wine #naturalwine #whitewine #perfectpairing #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #eaudevie #spirits #Irouléguy #irouleguy #France @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @brana_officiel @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Best Present Ever!

Domaine de la Charbonnière
Côtes du Rhône AOP 2019
Grenache, Syrah
organic, sustainable, hand harvested and sorted twice
Rhône Valley, France
Family run winery
Winemaker: Veronique Maret

Shining ruby star. Give the glass a little personal time out and then scents of earth climb out along with cherries, blackberries, a bit of strawberries, black pepper, and a pinch of dried sage. First sip and it’s cherries and pits, then poof a big ol’ mix of berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries with caps & boysenberries), pepper (black & white), fresh farm grown red apple skin bite, prunes, and a little smoke exhale. This may be a medium but it’s as comforting as a plush robe. Fall has fully kicked in and it’s time to start snuggling up. Anyone want to join me?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smoooooth

Back in 1912, Eugene Maret bought what I think is one of the best presents ever for his wife which is this Domaine. How do you even put a bow on something like this! Sure beats out a Lexus (I’m sure you’ve seen their “December to Remember” ads) and so much better to pass down through the generations. Veronique and Caroline (4th generation) are managing the winery, and Veronique after working with her father, took over as winemaker in 2012. She also breathed in new life by initiating going organic and it sure looks like the critics approve.

#wine #winelover #whitewine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Grenache #Syrah #Rhône #Rhone #RhoneValley #France #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #DomainedelaCharbonniere @baronfrancois.ws @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Beer is Our Food

Moody Tongue
Scotch Barrel Aged Peated Scotch Ale
2019 Vintage
Aged in Laphroaig barrels
11.8% ABV
Chicago, IL
Brewmaster Jared Rouben
Executive Chef: Jared Wentworth

Mahogany with a small pale beige head. Pop the cap and oh yeah baby it smells like toffee, caramel, brown sugar, and warm smooth peat. This is sooo sleek! Tastes of smoky peat beautiful scotch, toffee, and something with a bitter herbiness or a little burnt cinder edge of a brown sugar cookie that balances it all out. This bottle is freaking fab and I’m glad I took the chance on it!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: BLEEP NO!!!!

What do you get when you pair a brewmaster with an established culinary and brewing background with a 10 time Michelin star executive chef…well you get a Michelin 2 star brewpub. You can either go relaxed and laid back in “The Bar” or fancy it up in “The Dining Room” where you can get a tasting menu/beer pairing. Either choice you’re going to get a unique experience with their “culinary brewing” and as they say “Beer is our food”. I so want to get my hands on their “Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner”. Yeah, yeah I can hear some of you shaking your heads, but if it’s as good as their “Scotch Barrel Aged Peated Scotch Ale”, I’m all in.

#beer #craftbeer #scotchale #ale #scotch #beerstagram #michelinstar #beerlife #beersofinstagram #chicago #illinois #wine #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits @moodytongue @BeerBoutiqueNYC @cheezits

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A Creative Solution

Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Etna Bianco DOC
2020
60% Carricante, 25% Catarratto, 10% Grecanico, 5% Minnella
Organic, sustainable, and vineyards are located on the northern slopes of the Etna volcano, 600-900 meters a.s.l.
Randazzo (CT), Sicily, Italy
Owner: Marc de Grazia

Light gold starlight. Scents grow while sitting for a little of peaches, pears, winesap apples, blossoms/lilac, and a fresh salty seaside bit. Beautiful! Now sipping yellow plums, apricots, ripe soft pears, oddly a little oregano on the edges (it’s good trust me), granite-volcanic fed/mineral, and salt. Now I’m craving unagi and west coast oysters and a mortadella (or if you can’t find it substitute bologna & salami) grilled cheese. Yeah, there’s nothing like a good grilled cheese.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolutely delicious

Marc de Grazia is a man with his hands on two sides of the wine industry. He started out as a wine importer and from what I’m reading it was spurred from not being able to find the wines he loved while studying in the US. Now that’s a creative solution! After working with all of these wonderful winemakers, he then became one of the early “pioneers” revitalizing winemaking in Etna with buying the land and creating “Tenuta delle Terre Nere” aka “Estate of the Black Earth”. From eruptions and destruction came this beautiful opportunity to work with unique soils which they continue to research. They’re thinking about what is coming next, and how to adapt since climate change is very real.

#wine #winelover #whitewine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Sicily #Italy #etna #mtetna #mountetna #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram @tenutaterrenere @skurnikwines @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Loving the Flip Side

Face B
Pif Paf
Brut Nature NV
Blanquette de Limoux AOP
Mauzac  & Chenin Blanc
Organic, hand harvested, Méthode Champenoise, bottle aged for 18 months
Calce, Roussillon, France
Winemaker: Séverin Barioz 

Pale pretty yellow. Ooh breathing in sweet wisteria, magnolias, honeysuckle, apples, and creamy mellow pears. Those apples and pears reappear in taste and also a creamy feel. Next comes some honey but not overly sweet because there’s fresh crisp citrus bits with a little hazelnut, and grass.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: it’s an ideal pairing

From what I’m seeing the name Face B comes from the B-side of a single. You remember those…right? Well, can you believe the Smith’s “How Soon is Now” was a B-side? Seriously, it was on the back of “William, It Was Really Nothing” in 1984. See just because it’s the flip side, doesn’t mean it’s 2nd tier. Just like this bottle of bubbly give it a chance and you’ll find that your “B” is really an “A”.

#wine #naturalwine #winelife #perfectpairing #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Mauzac #CheninBlanc #Calce #Roussillon #France @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #thesmiths #methodechampenoise #facebcalce @vinewinenyc @cheezit