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Well Designed Enchantment

Il Censo
Praruar 2017
IGT Terre Siciliane Bianca
100% Catarratto
Organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfined & unfiltered
Bivona (near Palazzo Adriano [where Cinema Paradiso was filmed]), Sicily, Italy
Owners: Gaetano & Nicoletta Gargano
Winemaker, architect, & artistic creative behind the label: Giampiero Bea

Deep skin contact orange copper. There’s scents of a warm baking spice, oranges and peel, apples, apricots and a nutty almondness. Tasting orange peel and  blossoms, honey, puff of smoke, apricots fresh and dried, lemon, nectarines, Mom’s baked apples, ginger sprinkle, Marcona almonds, a smidge of dried sage and this glass has a smooth depth that I’m going to slow down, linger and let the flavors build.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nice and smooth

I stared at this beautifully designed label for some time, not knowing what to truly expect, since I’ve had a few Catarratto wines this summer and each is so unique. Some flirt, others leave me wondering and this one leaves me enchanted. Il Censo is one of those stories that an old (some would say ancient) family property was rejuvenated, there’s some replanting, and loving it back to organic life. All it makes me want to do is listen to the stories from this historic estate. What were the tenants of old like? What historic architecture still stands? What was the one moment when Gaetano and Nicoletta knew this is it…it’s time to leave banking and return to the vines? I could go on all night, but I’ll stop. If I’m lucky, maybe one day someone will join me at the table, share a bottle and reveal the tales of long ago.

#wine #winelover #orangewine #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #cataratto #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #Bivona #Sicily #Italy #igt #GiampieroBea #gaetanogargano #ilcenso #madrosewine  @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Applying Natural Science

Adega do Vimbio
O Acordo 2019
“Viños Ferales”
Sousón & Caíño
As sustainable as possible, hand harvested, unfiltered, no sulfur
Goian, Tomiño (Pontevedra) Galicia, Spain
Winemakering couple: Martin Crusat and Patricia Elola

Bright ruby stained glass with magenta pops. First sniff and there’s earthy funk that will fade and blend into raspberries, strawberries, a little cream, and white and black pepper. Going in for the first sip and mmm tingle tangle sizzle with a sprig of hay, lemon spritz in a raspberry cranberry cherry juice cocktail with a lick of jolly rancher, strawberry, boysenberry, chewing wild sour grass juicy tang, and sprinkle of salt. So fresh, happy, crunchy and luscious all at the same time. Hey! Listen up all y’all fruited beer lovers, you’re going to want this bottle.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: more fruity but nah

Wine with a biologist and environmental studies background. That is a recipe for natural perfection. The vineyards/summer home all started with Martin’s father Tito and his dreams. Years later Martin and Patricia returned from a whole other life abroad to join in on the wine and apply their science and environmental knowledge. They’re now sustainable, bio, more actual “hands on” with the earth & vines, but in the cellar more “hands off”, and taking the whole environment into consideration. All of this pure dedication brought about their signature Vimbio wine, and now their “Viños Ferales” that do not bother with “DO” restrictions which as you can see has a wild delicious outcome! 🍷

#wine #naturalwine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Sousón #Souson #Caíño #Caíno #Galicia #Spain  #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @adegadovimbio @josepastorselections @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Whole Lotta Love

Stolpman Vineyards
Love You Bunches 2020
Sangiovese
Natural, dry farming, carbonic maceration
Ballard Canyon, Santa Barbara County, CA
Owners: Pete & Jessica Stolpman and family
Vignerons: Ruben & Maria Solorzano 
Winemakers: Kyle Knapp & Matt Nocas

“You need cooling. Baby I’m not foolin” Bright maroon-plummy-rose glass. Breathing plums, cherry, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries with a funky depth in the back. Loving it! A sip and then a gulp of fabulous! There’s bright cherry (tart and sweet), dinosaur plums, raspberries, blackberries, pomegranates, and (don’t laugh at me) a little SweeTarts and a handful of Skittles. It’s juicy, tart, and smooth  at the same time. A crisp and crunchy party in my mouth.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly lovely

One sip and you’ll know why the back label has “So Fresh” emblazoned on it. Whole beautiful uncrushed sangiovese bunches are left to ferment in stainless, and yes, I do love those bunches! It’s like a first kiss stolen. This is one of those wines you put on a flower wreath on your head and chase each other around and end up in a sweaty mess…or as Led Zeppelin said, Whole Lotta Love!

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Sangiovese #pairswithcheezits #chilledwine #winetasting #winestagram #California #SantaBarbara #BallardCanyon #stolpmanvineyards #ledzeppelin #wholelottalove @docwineshop @docwinebar @stolpmanvineyards @cheezit

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Nothing Added Nothing Taken Away

Cantina Cantina
Sandpaintings Rosé Pet Nat 2020
Syrah Pét-Nat Rosé
100% Syrah
Sustainably farmed, hand harvested, unfiltered, native yeasts
Vineyard: Jackson Farm, North Fork of Long Island AVA, NY

Coppery blush and a fine foam almost beer-like or sea foam. Nose tickling bubbly with scents of cran-straw-raspberry, sea breeze & seltzer, and a floating whiff of ginger beer or bread. Now this is a glass of sunshine happiness! Sipping raspberry, strawberry, lemon, sumac, oh also a fresh lemon tart, the tiniest bite off of a Jelly Baby (Would you care for one? My police box is just around the corner.), and salt. Crisp and dry, and hey wait there’s a hint of ginger kick on the back.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: meh, it’s a non-committal partner

Hands down, this is my favorite wine/Pét-Nat I’ve ever had from North Fork. As it says on the bottle “Nothing added Nothing taken away”, they just want the wine to represent the vineyard they’re rooted in and keep them as natural as possible. BTW Cantina Cantina also makes beer and co-ferments like their “Praise Both” a farmhouse ale/pressed riesling mashup which is getting raves from all I’m reading. I think I’ll be heading down this hybrid trail soon.

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #petnat #PétNat #cantinacantina #rose #rosé #sparklingwine #beer #cheezit #northfork #LongIsland #NY @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #sandpaintings @cheezit @vinewinenyc @cantina_cantina_

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Picpoul Party Perfection

Domaine Julie Benau
Chichois à la Baraquette 2019
VDF
100% Picpoul
Organic, sustainable, skin contact
Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Winemaker: Julie Benau
Painting “Julie” by Brandon McQueen

Orange tinted gold that changes from top to bottom of the pour like a blended paint roller. Breathing in orange rind, tangerine, lemon, very very ripe Kirby cucumber, salt, and grass. Taking a swish of crisp pears, honeysuckle nectar, light peach/melon mix, and at first hay that runs away, a little of those first cuttings of grass from the weed wacker, a squish of lime & lemon, a shake of salt and even a spice like hmmm, oh yeah, mace. So luscious yet fresh and vibrant! There’s layers that surprise me like how an artist builds up an oil painting. I don’t want oysters or anything, I just want this solo.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Well who would have thought…I like it. Everything just ramps up more

Julie Benau, champion of Picpoul, and evidently a lot of fun if Brandon McQueen’s depiction of her is accurate. “Chichois à La Baraquette” kind of says it all, as it sort of translates into “wild stuff that went down at the party”. With all seriousness though, everything I’m finding about her makes her one really cool, creative and inspiringly dedicated person. Her family used to sell their grapes to a co-op, but in 1999, she changed all that by returning home and taking on bottling her own wine. This little wild party child is only one of her creations. Another is her “Robot Cochon” (also a cool label) Tempranillo, and then there’s one I bet I will never get to ever try but greatly intrigues me…“Libéro”. This Picpoul didn’t only benefit from the oyster shell fed terroir, it also got to age for 6 months in barrels while hanging out in an oyster bed “under the sea”. Oh lord, now I have Sebastian stuck in my head singing that tune.

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Picpouldepinet #Picpoul #Languedoc #languedocroussillon #France #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #juliebenau @vinewinenyc @winemc2 @jbcreyssels @cheezit

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Reunited and it Feels So Good

Harviestoun Brewery
Old Engine Oil
Black Ale (Best Porter of 2010)
6% ABV
Scotland, UK

Deep dark of night with a small caramel head that fades. Oh man, just raise that mug and here comes that deep smell of dark chocolate, baker’s chocolate, coffee grounds, toffee, and a hint of black pepper. Memories of years past are being conjured up. Now after all that here comes the taste. There’s again cark chocolate that goes bitter super dark with a crispy dry end, burnt brownie edges, black coffee, and a smidge of vanilla. It’s just black velvet and mouth coating, and after all these years it is still a constant friend.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh God no!

When I saw this beer in my friend’s hand, I felt like Christmas came early! It has been years since I have had this glass of deliciousness. It was back at the old (and now gone) Mugs Alehouse, and anytime I saw it on their list, it was an immediate go to order. How on earth had I lost touch with this old bestie. I totally blame myself for not searching it out. Feels so good to be reunited!

#beer #craftbeer #OldEngineOil #porter #blackale #ale #stout #beerstagram #beerlife #beersofinstagram #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #faithnomore #reunitedanditfeelssogood #Scotland #UK @harviestounbrewery @sugarburgbk @cheezits

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Listening to the Vine

Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles
hého le Rouge 2019
Val de Loire IGP (PGI)
45% Cabernet Franc, 45% Grolleau Noir, 10% Gamay
Organic, hand-harvested, indigenous yeast
Saint-Léger-les-Vignes, Loire, France
Owner & winemaker: Jean-Gabriel Tridon and his wife Juliane

Ruby pool with garnet rim. Delightful strawberries and raspberries greeting my nose, and as it warms citrus zest, black pepper & a warm spice like a bit of nutmeg (which I found the hard way, I am allergic to… It’s not pretty. It sucks because I love that holiday flavor), and a puff of vanilla. Those strawberries and raspberries are back in the sip and they’ve brought along cherries, and something a little dark rugged edgy, then a vanilla droplet appears, orange rind shave liveliness with a grind of pepper. Try it chilled, or try it slightly chilled. Either way pick up two because you’ll not want them to end.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smoooooth yeeeesssss

Juliane & Jean-Gabriel Tridon embarked on what looks like a second act or new adventure in life with Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles. I love the fact they committed themselves fully to wine and Jean-Gabriel went back to the books and hands on experience and education (especially on working and growing organic). I’m just going to let their words from their site speak for them because there is no way I could do it better. “In a world where Man seems to want absolute control of everything, the vine gives those who dedicate themselves to it a wonderful lesson in humility. There is what we understand about Nature. There is what we know about it without being able to explain it. And then there is the great unfathomable unknown. The vine demands constant attention. In particular, it requires us to think ahead and even to prepare, today, for the generations of tomorrow. As for the wine quietly and slowly developing in the silence of a vat, it takes its time. It takes the time it needs. This is now our lives, our daily lives within this unspoilt setting; this is what we wish to share with you.” 🍷❤️

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #hého #heho #CabernetFranc #GrolleauNoir #Gamay #Loire #France #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @vinewinenyc @skurnikwines @domaineleshautesnoelles @cheezits

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Dalmatian Coast Dreaming

Bura-Mrgudić Winery
Rukatac 2020
100% Rukatac (maraština, malvasia lunga)
Organic, hand-harvested, indigenous yeasts and grape
Pelješac Peninsula, Dalmatia, Croatia
Family winery: Niko Bura and Mare Mrgudić (brother & sister)

Skin contact antique gold. Oh and before I forget, don’t over chill it. Scents of apples, apricot, allspice, a little grassy/hay, then out pop peaches and orange. Oh those lovely apples are there again in the taste (both crisp ones and sweet), along with tangelo peel, orangey blossoms on the backside, dried parsley and herb mix, a little apple pie too since those spices emerge. It’s clean, awake and alive but comfortably snuggly. I just want to lounge, sip this and eat my new favorite triple-cream cheese, Nimbus. If you haven’t tried Chasehome Farm’s cheese, then head to the McCarren Park Greenmarket on Saturdays, but don’t buy it all before I get there!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Makes it more tart…so NO! Stick with the Nimbus

Rukatac, a grape with a few names and as I’m researching I’m finding a particularly irritating one dubbing it a “chick wine”. Well buddy, let me tell you, this is an equal opportunity wine. The Bura family have cultivated this bottle into a fresh fine showing of generations of winemaking and their part of the Dalmatian Coast (which I now have a new place to dream about visiting). Their Rukatac might not be the grape they’re best known for though. That would be their Plavac Mali which one of its parents is an ancestral Zinfandel and the other another native oldster, Dobričić. Looking forward to getting my hands on one of their acclaimed bottles.

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #buramrgudic #Rukatac #PlavacMali #Zinfandel #Dalmatia #Croatia #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @buramrgudic @chaseholmfarm @cheezits

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Ancient Ways & New History

Pietro Beconcini Agricola
Antiche Vie 2020
Chianti DOCG
Sangiovese 80%, Malvasia 10%, and Trebbiano 10%
Organic
Grown in San Miniato, Tuscany, Italy
Wine Couple: Pietro Beconcini and Eva Bellagamba

Shining ruby that should be decanted for about an hour. I tried a couple different time frames and it seems to be the sweet spot. At first there’s a mellow morphing caramel scent, dark cherries, irises, forest earthiness, black pepper, and as it opens it’s more perfume. Tasting delicious cherries and dried cherries, plums, raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry, orange peel, white and black pepper, and digging in the dirt (earth)…yeah I have that Peter Gabriel song stuck in my head again. There’s also a small bite of rosemary and sage. All of this is joyfully light (that grows as it opens into medium) and lively with a seductive backbone, and this wine makes me smile and I feel like it’s winking back at me. 😘

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: deeper, darker and more sultry

Antiche Vie has ties all the way back to Pietro’s grandfather who back in the 50s bought their farmland, which is really important because it broke the cycle of being a sharecropper. Pietro’s Chianti celebrates the ways of old, the region’s indigenous grapes, and also his father who was a “pioneer in the cultivation of the vine in this area.” He also has written a new history with his San Miniato fed Sangiovese which was his 1st project and the grapes he is working with today in his “Wines of the Tradition”.  “Wines of Innovation” is the other route he has taken. They are the only ones growing Tempranillo in Italy, and their IXE will knock your socks off. As I keep repeating, it’s like Spain and Italy had a beautiful baby, and just like Antiche Vie it will be love at first taste.

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Chianti #Tuscany #Italy #SanMiniato #Sangiovese #Malvasia #Trebbiano #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #pietrobeconcini @pietrobeconciniwines @soilairselection @cheezits

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One Step Too…

Tox Brewing Co. & Skygazer Brewing Co. Collaboration
Water Lily
Sour Ale with Blueberry, Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Milk Sugar
6% ABV
Brewed and packaged for Tox Brewing by Twelve Percent
North Haven, CT

Electric magenta with purple pops. Well, it smells just like the can reads…blueberry, chocolate, marshmallow, and milk sugar, just like a 1970’s kids cereal. Think of a mashup of Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry. Here we go for the taste and it again is blueberry, chocolate, marshmallow, and milk sugar but the chocolate is a Tootsie Roll that turns into a mochaccino and a little tiny lemon hint.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NO NO NO NO!

I do like the experimentation and the collaboration, and know a lot of you will love this sour ale (all over IG people are raving about it), and I’m going to get chastised for this, but I just wish there wasn’t any chocolate. Just one step too far for me. Yes, it’s a “wacky dessert smoothie” flair, and maybe I’m a party pooper. I think it’s the Tootsie Roll taste. They were the dreaded candy for me at Halloween. I never could understand why people would give them out, and while I’m on my soapbox, who thought boxes of raisins were a good idea too?!

#beer #craftbeer #sourale #ale #tootsieroll #skygazerbrewing #ToxBrewing #beerstagram #beerlife #beersofinstagram #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @cheezits