Posted on

Do You Believe In Magic?

Domaine de Thalie
Plutonic 2020
Saône-et-Loire IGP
Gamay 50%, Syrah 50%
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable, hand harvested
Bray, Saône-et-Loire, France
Winemaker: Peter Gierszewski

Ruby stained glass with purple glints and rim. Breathing in cherries, plums, a woodsy forest filled earthiness, and a slight bit of cherry blossoms/lilacs waft  out later and flow back and forth. The more it breathes the better it gets. Very happily tasting juicy cherry, cherry jolly ranchers, & also tart cherry zing, strawberries, blackberries, plums (tart & mellow blend), and a tiny grind of black pepper with a pinch of coriander (or wait is it ajwain? Nope it’s coriander). Refreshing and a good summer red that still has a backbone and can stand up to whatever you throw at it, so give me a burger or a fried chicken sandwich or queso fundido. This may sound crazy but how about give me all three! Restrain yourself from guzzling the whole bottle because trust me you’re going to want to do it.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: yep it goes with everything including this bag

This is the Domaine that Peter built, and boy did he pick the right place (terroirs). Of course, he didn’t go into this without a wine education and the garage wine route. This man knows his stuff and knows how to listen to nature, follow its lead, snd have patience. It’s like he has a hand in a bit of moonlight magic too. Hard to explain until you experience his wine…then you’ll know exactly what I mean, and your senses will be enchanted. ✨

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #syrah #gamay #Plutonic #saoneetloire #France #kylieminogue #magic #domainedethalie @communalbrands @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Posted on

Sense Of Discovery

Tenuta Belvedere
Una Scoperta (A Discovery) 2019
100% Pinot Grigio
Provincia di Pavia IGT
Natural wine, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Montacalvo Versiggia, Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardia, Italy
Winemakers: Federica and Gianluca Cabrini

Golden amber or even coppery glint like Julia Child’s precious whisking bowls and grows even more the longer open. Sniff and there’s full pears, a little sherry (butterscotch/nuttiness but not heavy), orchard blossoms, a smidge wisteria, and when very first opened only the slightest bit of grapefruit/tangerine that fades…no IPA here…just light lovely love. Sipping pears, yellow plums, a bright and happy citrus blend (including a mild grapefruit squish) that’s dancing around with some Orangina, a little bit of honeysuckle nectar that circles and a touch of almond on the back (I can’t help but think again of a nod to sherry). A wondrous discovery that keeps beautifully blooming and evolving, and hey now later here’s some mango. Keep the flavors rolling!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NOPE step away from the bag

I love how Tenuta Belvedere keep creating bottled adventures that lead me down all sorts of paths. I wonder with Una Scoperta, if it’s about what I find in my glass or what moments of introspect it brings me. Maybe it’s just a combo of both, and as in their previous bottled delights, it’s full of their love and passion for  local varieties, keeping it natural, and family. You can’t help but smile from your first sip or encounter with any of their wines because they just vibrate with life, and this one brings you a sense of discovery. 

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #pinotgrigio #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #simpleminds #Italy #Lombardia #oltrepopavese #steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @belvederewine @cheezit

Posted on

Flying On A Flirty Red Breeze

Sentiviño Wines (side project involving Cume do Avia and Galgo Wines [Ezequiel Sanchez-Mateos])
La Brisa Tinto (Castes Tintas) 2019
Mencia 40%, Garnacha Tintorera 40%, and the remaining 20% is made of Brancellao, Sousón and Caíño
Biodynamic, organic, hand harvested, unfined, unfiltered & vegan friendly
Galicia, Ribeiro, Spain
Winemakers: Diego y Álvaro Diéguez

Deep ruby with maroon highlights. Before I forget to mention, give this one a little chill, but not too much…kind of like the Goldilocks spot. Pull that cork and like a genie emerging from the bottle scent of a little bit of Walker’s Shortbread that goes all peppery (and that includes black pepper and fresh bell pepper), cherries, raspberries, and some forest vegetation and earth. Oooooh this is good! Sipping cherries, raspberries, blackberry from the roadside eaten in the sun with juices dripping down my chin. There’s also pomegranate, tart plums, pepper, and some earthy smoke. It’s just freaking fun and I want some good BBQ with it. Pull me some pork!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just enhances it all

Ezequiel Sanchez-Mateos is at it again with another beautiful project and this time teaming up with Diego y Álvaro Diéguez (1 of the 2 pairs of brothers of Cume do Avia). As I’ve said before, I truly think Sanchez-Mateos has the best job in the world, getting to travel, work with cool people, and live wine life to the fullest. This time these vines live in fragmented vineyards/individual plots with varying treasures to be found (Sabrego, schist, shale, quartz, etc). When you think about it, it’s like these artists are being given an amazing palette to blend and blur and drip and in the end create their liquid form of art and it’s beauty all flies in on this flirty red breeze. 🍷💋

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Spain #Ribeiro #Galicia #redwine #cumedoavia #galgowines #SentiviñoWines @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Posted on

Moment Of Elegance

Domaine des Gerbeaux
Mâcon-Villages 2020
100% Chardonnay
Hand harvested in small baskets, no herbicides or pesticides, just natural (biodynamic without the paperwork)
Solutré-Pouilly, Burgundy, France
Owners and winemakers: Béatrice and Jean-Michel Drouin (and son Xavier)

Glistening golden glass. Breathing in mellow pears, nectarine, mild honeysuckle & other blossoms, green & golden delicious apples, and a citrus squish (blend of lime, lemon, tangelo). This is an elegant swish on my tongue of full pears, golden delicious apples, honeysuckle nectar, and honeydew starter with a melon mix & a lick of limestone & salt. Just svelte and sexy like a bespoke suit.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmm takes you to the seaside

So this is what happens when two souls from winemaking families tie the knot, blend their knowledge & passion, and in 1979, take on the Domaine (started in 1896, by Jean-Michel’s grandfather). They are dedicated, if not obsessed with the health of the vineyards & lands (check out their IG page to see the beauty!) and especially the quality of their much loved wines. If you need proof take a gander at Berry Bros. & Rudd’s site, where they declare the Drouins produce “some of the best and most distinctive wines in the Mâconnais region”. On top of that they are very partial to their St Véran wine to the point that, “Berry Bros & Rudd take the entire crop of this cuvee every year.” Guess I won’t be able to get my hands on one of those for quite some time. Ah well, I’m happy with my bottle of elegance.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #chardonnay #Burgundy #Maconnais #France @jp.bourgeois @domaine_des_gerbeaux @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Posted on

Guilty Pleasures

Terra di Briganti
Falanghina 2020
Benevento IGP
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts
Casalduni, Campania, Italy
Winemakers: Toni and Romeo De Cicco

Shining golden yellow that deepens as time goes by. Breathe in and that creamy mango feel floats in, pears & mellow mild peaches, tiny arbor blossoms, green apples, and I think the tiniest whiff of caramel but waaaayyyy back and so tiny toward the end that blends into salty slate. Well, well, well isn’t this elegant and damn lovely sipping with still a little natural flair, pears, a tad bit peach, mild mango, a smidge of papaya, citrus squish, and a lick of granite that finishes and then the cycle goes round again. It’s like a fresh smooch of summer. Now I’m going to have another glass and just stop dissecting and enjoy.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: yuck it ruins it. Stay away

Let’s see, this my 5th Terra di Briganti and the last was a “joy ride” (oh that chilled red Sciascinoso became my delicious go to), but this one is a guilty pleasure on a sultry afternoon. So what are your guilty pleasures? Come on, I know you have at least one…we all do. Mine are really good squishy stinky cheese, a towering raw bar plateau that must include langostines & periwinkles (and this bottle would pair nicely), chocolate dipped Oreos with a little sea salt on top, and lately…I’m going to admit something…watching old reruns of Hart to Hart and reveling in those oh so wonderful 1980s fashions, the cars, the hair, and flirty innuendos. Now don’t laugh, we all need our little escapes. Just grab a bottle of this wine and join me. If you do, I’ll make sure to save you some winkles.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #harttohart #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Italy #Falanghina #guiltypleasure #steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @terradibriganti @cheezit

Posted on

Message In A Bubble

Domaine des Tilleuls
Les Fines Perles
Brut VMQ
Méthode Traditionnelle
100% Chardonnay
Sustainable agriculture (HVE)
La Regrippière, Loire, France
Family owned and run by: Daniel & Evelyne Houssin (parents), Jérôme and Noémie (children, who look pretty grown up to me)

Light golden with a little green hint and very fine active bubbles drawing ever morphing Rorschach blots on the surface (Is it a signal? Are the bubbles trying to tell me something? 🤔). Scents float up of crisp pears, green apples, tiny white flowers, and toasty brioche bits. That first sip is so super lively and crisp with crunchy pears, golden delicious apples, lemon/lime spritz starts to vibrate on my tongue, a little mineral conglomerate, and honey droplets weave in and out with a bit of creaminess. It’s like a festive dance between the tart and the sweet/spark and smooth that lures you to pour another glass.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: do I really have to? It’s meh

5 generations of wine dating back to 1905, that kept evolving and expanding over the years. As one would expect, for a family sticking with the business for so long, they truly care about their land and product, with the latest generation looking toward the world. Jérôme emphasizes in an article from “Loire On Tour”, on the importance of seeing the relationship with an exporter should be treated more like a “partnership and not one of supplier and client” and traveling far and wide to where his wines are being sold. The good ol’ face to face definitely builds trust in any relationship, it means you care enough about others to make the effort, and you believe that much in your wine to want to share your gift to the rest of the world. 🥂

#sparklingwine #wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #brut #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Chardonnay #Loire #France #boivinselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @domdestilleuls @cheezit

Posted on

Fancy Flamingos

Weingut Strehn
Flamingo
Blaufrankisch Rosé Brut 2020
Organic (working on certification for biodynamic), sustainable
Deutschkreutz, Mittelburgenland, Burgenland, Austria
Winemaking Family: Pia Strehn, Patrick Pfneisl, Andy Pfneisl & Monika Strehn

Ruby grapefruit pink and a bit electric and very active bubbles that carry the scents swirling right up to your sniffer. Starts off with a cream/vanilla vibe, raspberries. strawberries, a hint of cherries, crisp apples, and dreaminess. Tasting and there’s a creamy feel that leads to cherries (fresh and dried and as the end of the sip ends a bit of pit), raspberries, strawberries bloom and run around in the blend, almonds and maybe a little brioche hiding that pop in and out. It’s fresh, crisp, juicy and full of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: really good and doesn’t change the taste. Snack pack worthy

Oh I totally adore Strehn wine as you can see in my previous post, “Pink Elephants? Don’t Worry It’s a Good Thing”. This time it’s a Fancy Flamingo rocking the Rosé, and reminding us as the Strehn family say, “Save our planet – it’s the only one with Blaufränkisch”. Honestly every time I see a flamingo, I think of mom because she had such a thing for these long legged wonders. After moving from my childhood abode, and coming back to visit, I noticed them encroaching in my old bedroom. First it was just one peering from my bookcase, then another beside my drawing table, and then it was like Gremlins multiplying and I couldn’t escape them. My non girly pale yellow and green room had bursts of pink popping everywhere! So I guess it is true, “Home is where Blaufränkisch is” or in my case where the rosé feathers are.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #brut #sparklingwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Rosé #pink #Blaufrankisch #austria #flamingo #rose @piastrehn @volkerwineco @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Posted on

Mother Nature’s Embrace

Domaine Michaud
Sauvignon 2020
AOC Touraine
Converting to organic
Noyers-sur-Cher, Loire Valley, France
Winemakers: Thierry and Dorothée Michaud

Cool pale yellow with green shimmers. Right off, light grapefruit salutes your nose along with lemon, kumquat, persimmons, lemon/lime jelly belly, and spring blossoms…pretty, pretty. Sipping smooth operator grapefruit that goes rogue with a tangerine touch, pineapple, lemon/lime, pears (a bunch of varieties soft, sweet and hard), a smidge of cantaloupe, and a blade or two of grass.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: So smooth but at the end a kick. This is good

Three generation of this family have loved their land, and Thierry is embracing it with passion in converting to certified organic. The better the land, the better the grapes & vines, and the better the wine. As their motto says, “The search for quality through the expression of our terroir “. I know, I know…I do harp on organic way too much, but I think it all comes from growing up in the country. Well, it used to be country but now it’s suburbia. Breaks my heart when I go home to visit and see the few gnarled apple trees left and acres sold off that are now filled with apartment buildings. In my youth my part of the world was so beautiful and wild and safe. Our neighbors were rabbits, chipmunks, deer, and the occasional frisky fox. I’d climb up into my favorite tree, my imagination roaming free, and let Mother Nature embrace me.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Sauvignon #SauvignonBlanc #Touraine #Loire #France #LoireValley #domainemichaud @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Posted on

Rosé Tinted Recollections

Caravinsérail
Elicio Rosé 2020
IGP Méditerranée
85% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah
La Tour d’Aigues, Vaucluse, France
Wine Team: Xavier Logette, Didier Robert & Lilian Rigaud

Peachy rose blush. Lovely bits of peaches mixed with light mango, tiny strawberries, raspberries, and a sea breeze weave in and out, only to be mixed in with rained on slate on a warm spring day. Yeah, yeah I’m not being a cheeseball…this is what my front porch down south would smell like after a cleansing downpour. Tastebuds are dancing to the groove of a peach/melon blend, strawberries with a little creaminess, raspberries, papaya, a shake of sea salt with a mineral bit waving “yoo hoo”, and as I drink a bite of fresh parsley at the end. Oh this is darn good!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolutely not

Out of Caravinsérail’s three wine lines, “Elicio” is their…drink it now and have fun bottle (there’s also a red & white, but I don’t have my hands on them YET). The name alone shows this wine is meant to be shared with friends creating new happy moments, or solo while relaxing and letting your brain wander fondly over memories that make a smile grace your face. On this warm and stormy night, this glassful evoked my mind to walk down the path of my first “kind of” date with my S.O., and finding out that arty snarly exterior was hiding an extremely good hearted, sensitive, and very intelligent soul. Right then I knew, this was the one. Even after all these years I still swoon. Recommend y’all grabbing a bottle, and see where it’s magic takes you.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #rosé #rosato #rose #Provence #Vaucluse #France #Elicio @jp.bourgeois @MaisonCascavel @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

 

Posted on

The Grape Collector

Domaine du Mont Verrier
Gamay
Beaujolais Pierres Dorées 2020
HVE sustainable & working on organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Saint Julien, Beaujolais, France
Owner & winemaker: Gérard Legrand

Deep ruby and purple pops. Breathing in mellow fresh & dried cherry with a bit of vanilla, dark plums, prunes, dried Turkish Smyrna figs, raspberries, a bit of earth, and the lightest hint of cinnamon. Wow, all that and we still haven’t gotten to the taste, so here we go! Sipping a light & lovely summer red with a backbone that’s filled with tart and smooth cherries, prunes, young plums, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, a pinch of black pepper, and a little bit of friendly forest pixie magic dream. 🧚‍♀️

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it darker and a little more weight

This domaine has a lengthy history dating back to the 17th century that includes 2 centuries of Aubry family residence, a hospice, and nuns. Nowadays, it’s driven (and resurrected) by Gérard Legrand and his passion for the property’s past, and the part that fascinates me the most is his grape/vine compilation. His ampelographic collection and preservation ranges 200 grapes (some are quite rare)! That takes a lot of commitment, collaboration with French Institute of the Vine and Wine, hard work, research, and a little bit of obsession in a good way. As climate change continues we may all be looking to him, his knowledge, and foresight to keep us from running out of delicious French wine. Thank you so much, Mr. Legrand! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #gamay #Beaujolais #France @steephillwine @antosicurezza @domaine_du_mont_verrier @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit