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Take Time To Smell The Roses Or Better Yet The Wine

Cantina Modica di San Giovanni
Felice Modica
Filinona 2020
Nero d’Avola
Eloro DOC
Noto (SR), Sicily, Italy
Modica family

Deep dark garnet. There’s scents of cherries, plums, raspberries, an Oreo cream center that eases off and fades, bell pepper, dates, dried figs, and as it opens a rich tapestry of them all with sage & rosemary woven in with the rest. Sipping away and again cherries & plums along with raspberries, blackberries, cranberry, pomegranate, a reminder of an apple tree twig I’ve whittled and chewed on as a kid, twinge of bell pepper, dark olives, and a little bramble.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: just lush

For over 200 years the Modica family has farmed their lands (300+ ha) and tended to their olive & almond trees, citrus fruit, and their vineyards. Their wine “Filinona” is a nod to the beauty of the Sicilian language (recognized as a minority language by UNESCO) and of their tradition of a “siesta” or a daily time to rest in the while the sun is at its hottest. Honestly, I would love if we had that tradition here where it’s so easy to get caught up in work and not take time to stop and smell the roses or better yet a time to relax with a little wine. Maybe that is reason the Modica family are so productive with their wine, olive oil, beer “Passo di miele”, and as I discovered their Palazzo Modica. What a breathtaking historical place which over time has adapted in size and use due to the needs or wishes of the generations. While there still is a section that is private residence, there is also a more public side with a restaurant/pizzeria, a museum, event space, and now you can book a room to sleep in a blend of modern & antique luxury and for some a terrace with beautiful views of Noto. I can hardly think of anything more romantic than relaxing there under the twinkling stars raising a glass to history.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #italy #Sicily #wineemporium #cantinamodicanoto #vinidinoto #FeliceModica #docwineshop #docwinebar

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Following The Dream

Textura
Pretexto Tinto 2020
Dão DOC
Jaen, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro
Sustainable, organic
São Paio, Gouveia, Portugal
Marcelo Araujo & family
Winemaker: Luis Seabra

Ruby purple that’s so deep I can’t see my fingers on the other side of the glass. Sniff and there’s cherries, tart & a few dark plums &  touch of prunes, raspberries, tomato leaves, fresh pulled beets, and as it opens a floral moment of tiny roses. Sipping & again cherries, tart & dark plums, green tomatoes warm from the backyard, dried herbs (oregano, rosemary, pinch of sage), young strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and a lemon/lime zest moment. Smooth, fresh and easy to love.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: ack ack ack awful

So what do you do if you realize you love wine more than your old job in Brazil? If you’re like Marcelo Araujo you follow your passion, but you also follow a well thought out plan. He & his family found the right plots in Portugal, the right people (Mariana Salvador & Luis Seabra) to help guide the way, and utilize what is already there like the 100+ year old textile factory that they renovated into their winery, wine bar, and a space for “wine tourism” which celebrates the native grapes that make as they say their “wines of character”, local recipes, culture, and of course nature since they are nestled right near Serra da Estrela Natural Park where you can find Eurasian eagle-owls (wow are they huge!), Common genet (so freaking cute), wolves, boars, and so much more. Who wouldn’t want to follow a passion and end up in such an enchanting place that you can call home? They are definitely living the dream, or rather in their case the best wine life possible. 🍷❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #organic #wineislove #winetime #naturalwine #worldbyglass #jdselections #textura #texturawines #vinewinenyc

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Family Expansions

Cantine Madaudo
Barone di Bernaj
100% Nerello Mascalese  
Terre Siciliane IGT
Villafranca Tirrena, Sicily, Italy
Winemaking family: Rosario Madaudo (son), Alfio (dad), Andrea (uncle), Giuseppe (younger brother), and more

Shiny garnet glass. Scents of cherries, plums, raspberries, strawberries, pinch of vanilla that grows into dried figs & maybe dates too, touch of tomato leaves that turns into a smidge of drying tobacco leaves with a little smoke. Tasting again all sorts of cherries tart, tangy, fresh, dark & deep plums, young strawberries, raspberries, blackberries (seeds & all for that bite), and dried cranberries. It’s like a pinball bouncing around in the machine hitting flavors as it goes and it’s bright & fresh with a dryness on the back.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: delicious

Back in 1945, Rosario’s great grandfather started this venture with only a small farm and now it’s expanded into a full blown family affair of around 60 ha and several different collections that will take you, “Traveling through our Sicily through a glass”. You can do it like me from home on quite a few times now, or you can visit them in person at their wine bar “Palaverve“ connected to their Agrigento winery that from what I read features their bubbly bottles. Come to think of it out of all the wines I’ve tried from their lot not a single one was sparkling which means I’m truly missing out since they are so celebrated. Ah man, decisions…decisions…what am I to do? Hop a plane or find a way to get one to fly to me. 🥂✈️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #italy #Sicily #wineemporium #CantineMadaudo #docwineshop #docwinebar

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Living in Harmony

Cascina Carlòt
Saròt
Arneis 2023
Langhe DOC
Sustainable, biodiverse
Coazzolo (AT) – Italy
Claudio Mo

Light spun straw. Breathing in lovely pears, green apples, a little Oreo center, touch of smoke, almond slivers, cantaloupe & honeydew, salty breeze and a tiny shake of pepper. Dancing on my tongue are melons of all sorts, pears, apples, starfruit, lemon/lime, papaya, a shake shake shake of salt with a savory mineral touch, and a lick of pineapple.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: fruity elegance

Even though Claudio Mo is a winemaker he prefers to go by winegrower, since he is “faithful to the – typically Piedmontese – philosophy that wine is made first of all in the vineyard and then in the cellar.” He also prefers to live in harmony with nature, to follow its rhythm, connect with all the cycles, and to live sustainably. This includes working toward a future of the farm eventually being energy self sufficient. What a beautiful gift to pass down to his family…or in other words as it greets you on his site, it is “Claudio’s dream come true”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #biodynamic #organic #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #italy #wineemporium  #cascinacarlot #docwineshop #docwinebar

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Deers Gone Wild

P.A.N.K.
Sabotage 2022
Pét-Nat
100% Olaszrizling
Organic, hand harvested, spontaneous fermentation, skin contact, unfiltered, unfined, and undisgorged
Köveskál, Balatonfelvidék, Hungary
Winemaker: Attila Pálffy & Orsolya (his fiancée)

Orange with pink shimmers and teeny bubbles that disperse. Sniffing all sorts of oranges, orange blossoms, pears fresh & baked, tiny white spring flowers & other field flowers, touch of balsamic, honeysuckle, and a bit of a wild style. All the scents are in the swig with more pears, some apples & cider, along with pie spice, touch of smoke, lavender, a blend citrus zest, and Orangina.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: ack

7th gen winemaking family (Pálffy Pince), Attila Pálffy has his side project which shows his heritage’s knowledge and his rebellious side. P.A.N.K. is his creative outlet and experimental flare. From what I’m reading, he managed to tick off the Hungarian “wine police” with his haze & bio side which fits his love of punk and is very evident in his craft aesthetic. Once again, I am on the search for who the label artist is. It’s a bit of street art, fine art, and on this one & others a touch of the animals in Attila’s world. This bottle has a saucy deer giving you the one finger salute. Evidently a herd of these wild child marauders had one raucous party in the vines during one night of harvest. I guess even the animals in their neighborhood are punk rockers too. Btw if there’s a t-shirt of this artwork, please let me know where I can  click, buy & make it mine. 🦌

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #punk  #organic #wineislove #winetime #naturalwine #Hungary #worldbyglass #punksnotdead #organic #palinkerie #pank #vinewinenyc

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You’ll Want To Linger

Domaine Balansa
La Vinhota 2022
VDF
Lledoner Pelut, Grenache Noir
Biodynamic, organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Hautes-Corbières, Aude, Occitanie, France
Céline Peyre & Alexandre Gressent

Stained glass garnet. Whoa at first the scents are all over the place in a good way. There’s cherry, strawberry, raspberry, pomegrante, violets & tiny flowers, touch of brine (olive), and tomato leaf/plant. Sipping dark & dried cherry, olives & pits, red currants, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, dried & fresh blueberries, red plums with skin, pits & all, and a pinch of white pepper.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: tangy and good

Celine’s family have passed down parcels of old vines through generations, but it wasn’t until she returned to her heritage that the grapes that had been previously headed to a co-op, were now sent in another direction. She & Alexandre decided to keep the grapes, create their own wines, and convert to biodynamic/organic. I’m a big fan of (as many are) of Grenache, but I think this is my first time being introduced to Lledoner Pelut (unless we met accidentally while out & about). It’s a fuzzy leafed mutation of Grenache that is less likely to be affected by rot, and with its location on sunny wind swept hills there’s even less of a chance for disappointment for it and all their other varieties. Speaking of disappointment, there is none here. This wine has been everything lovely, delightful, held up perfectly during tastings over several nights, and you’ll want to linger over each glass because once it’s gone you’ll wish for more. Oh and for those of you now stuck with a Cranberries song in your head, sorry I’m in the same boat.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #biodynamic #organic #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #France #zevrovineselections #DomaineBalansa #docwineshop #docwinebar

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“We Don’t Like Sloppy Wines”

Vanempo
Tramonto 2019
Rosso Toscana IGT
Sangiovese 60%, Canaiolo 30%, Malvasia Nero 10%
Biodynamic, organic, hand harvested & vegan
Montemurlo, Italy
Michele Sacchetti & Laura Fabbri

Follow the instructions on the label, remember to decant for at least 30 minutes, and you’ll have a deep ruby pour. Inhaling cherries, dark plums, maybe a little cinnamon, blackberries, a scent that reminds me of my other much earlier life of binding books & printmaking, and as it grows a raspblueberry blend. First taste and there’s tart/dark cherries & plums fresh & dried, Kalamata olives, blackberries with seeds & all, again over time that raspblueberry blend again, red currants, and a tad of white & black pepper…so very awake and alive.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: so smooth and rich

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the name “Vanempo” comes from a combo of two words, “Avanza and Tempo” which pretty much means “spare time”. Well, Michele & Laura originally started this wine adventure in their “extra time” as a passion project. As Michele says, “I’ve always believed in beautiful things, and beautiful things arise from a child’s dreams.” Those dreams sparked such a full fledged bio certified winery reality, filled with “hands off” wines that I’ve had the good fortune to encounter like their Maluna, Aura, and now Tramonto (Sunset). I think their mindset & devotion to their land & vines (instead of following certain rules that would clip their wings) help them soar in excellence because each one is so individually special & consistently delicious. As they’ve said, “We don’t like volatile acidity, we don’t like brett and we don’t like sloppy wines made just with the goal to catch some like on the social media. We like the terroir to speak for itself. We could have labeled our wines as Chianti but we have preferred to give up the DOCG as we don’t have any confidence in its moral integrity”.🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #biodynamic #organic #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Tuscany #Italy #steephillwine #vanempo #docwineshop #docwinebar

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🎶Demain, Demain🎶

Bojo do Luar
Luiza
Pét-Nat Rosé
80% Espadeiro, 20% Loureiro
Organic, indigenous grapes, spontaneous ferment w ground chestnut flowers
Grapes sourced from Rui Paiva (Fernando Paiva’s nephew)
Vinho Verde, Portugal

Orange sunset rose with fluffy pinky-white head and fine bubbles. Scents float up of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, red currant, lemon squeeze, a light scent of Froot Loops that fades in & out, and as it opens more there’s blackberries & plums with a touch of bramble. First taste starts off with a zing, cherries, raspberries, SweeTARTS, red currants, a little gooseberry, and young strawberry. Just crisp, dry and joyful.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: absolutely perfect pairing of yum

Here’s another natural beauty from Savio Soares & team. As with all the past bottles I’ve tried, I’m always so glad years ago he met Fernando Paiva, who was already working bio (in fact 1st Portuguese winemaker to be fully biodynamic certified by Demeter) & adding in that special touch of chestnut flowers. This time around the indigenous grapes are sourced from Paiva’s nephew, Rui, who was also joined in the fields by his dad (80 yrs old) & his nephew for the harvest, so it was a family affair. This leads me to wonder, about the name “Luiza”. Who is this person that inspired the label? Is it a family member or a current or past love…or am I as usual overthinking something that I should just be enjoying? Ok that settles it, pour me another glass and  I’ll leave this a mystery for tomorrow (or as the song says “Demain demain”) unless someone wants to let me in on the secret today.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #biodynamic #organic #wineislove #winetime #naturalwine #worldbyglass #organic #portugal #luiza #saviosoaresselections #BojodoLuar #vinewinenyc

 

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Take A Hike

Fabulas
Fortitudo 2023
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOP
100% Montepulciano
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable, hand harvested, sheep in the vines
Pretoro, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
Nico Ciavalini & partners

Strawberry rose sunrise. Sniffing and there’s strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries, cool mineral river rock, pomegranate juice, red currants, and a touch of balsamic reduction…truly just a touch. Sipping away and all of the scents with a dribble of blackberry, a little blood orange on the back, yellow plums, and it’s juicy, fresh, lively, and so easy to drink so be careful or the whole bottle will be gone in a flash.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Just don’t…step away from the bag

Fabulas’ vines grow within Majella National Park (a UNESCO Global Geopark) and their bottles represent 7 female warriors of the region, mythical tales, history, and traditions. Fortitudo weaves the stories of bandits (briganti) that used to roam the mountainside, caves, etc. and taunt the authorities/soldiers by carving messages into Tavola dei Briganti (limestone slabs) like this quote, “Read my memoirs my dear readers. In 1820 Victor Emanuel, King of Italy, was born. Before 1860, this was the kingdom of flowers, now it’s the kingdom of poverty.” You can still see these marks of resistance and others from shepherds inscribing their names to live on through time. All you need to do is just take a hike, enjoy a moment of peace in nature, and follow in the footsteps of days long past.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #abruzzo #Italy #tedwardwines #Fabulas #fabulasbio #docwinebar #docwineshop

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A Bottle Can Change Your Life

Domaine De L’ange Vin
Opera du Vin
Fêtembulles 2022
VDF
Pét-Nat
100% Chenin Blanc
Natural, organic, unfined & unfiltered
Loire Valley (Jasnieres – Coteaux du Loir), France
Jean-Pierre Robinot & family

During the pour looks like a lager with a big head and as the fizz calms down it’s just a lovely yellow gold with tiny bubbles. Sniff and floating up are brioche & a toasty comfort, pears & apples both fresh & baked, cool spring house smell, light honeysuckle, a squish of mandarin, lemon, & lime, and green spring shoots. Sipping and those apples & pears again but much more crisp with a light brioche bite, lemon/lime crisp, tiny pop of mango & maybe even a little bit of pineapple, mineral water salt/spritz, and a savory twinge of ginger.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: mmmm delicious

Mr. Robinot didn’t grow up in a family that had a vineyard to inherit. Bitten by the wine bug at 22 by a special bottle that rerouted his life path. In Paris he also found like minded friends, and over time opened the natural wine bar L’Ange Vin & started a wine magazine (Le Rouge et Le Blanc) with a friend. So I guess it would only be natural that he would want to take his passion further by making his own wines. He was still juggling time with the bar and taking the train back and forth to his hometown Chahaignes. Eventually his vines & land won his full attention, and the family (wife Noella & daughter Juliette) moved back to his roots. Now they have two wine lines, “Domaine de L’Ange Vin” that’s created from grapes he nurtured is on his own land & “Opera du Vin” made with fruit sourced from friends. Oh and Juliette has joined her father in the vines and also in their artistic creations which you’ll find on their labels that are eye catching & beautiful and of course attract magpies like me. Cheers! 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Pét-nat #petnat #loirevalley #France #zevrovineselections #jeanpierrerobinot #domainedelangevin #docwinebar #docwineshop