Posted on

A Kiss To & From Italy

Bacio
Lemon Spritz
Italian lemon & bubbly white wine cocktail
7% ABV
Eco-friendly
Produced & packaged at Cantine Sgarzi Luigi (Fidenza, Parma, Italy)
Born in New York
Founders: Diego Faccioli & Tadas Nikulin

First, follow the directions on the can and “just chill it” then crack, pour, and it reveals a lovely yellow hue with some tiny bubbles & a tad of greenish starlight twinkle. Scents drift up of lemon & grated citrus zest (also reminds me a bit of Limoncello too), a squeeze of lime, and a dash of nose tickling seltzer. Sipping and there’s again lemons & one of my faves a touch of Lemonhead candy, lime squish, a mellow sweetness but not too sweet, mineral rock lick that balances all with a pinch of salt, and that zippy spritz feeling. It’s fresh, crisp, vibrant, and rocking it out of the park.

Pairs with Cheez-Its:  Surprisingly really damn good.

Faccioli & Nikulin bring their Veneto inspired vibe in such a fab portable way that also keeps with their goal of quality. As Diego says, “Bacio combines Italy’s winemaking legacy with modern sophistication. Our sparkling wines are a fusion of tradition and innovation, presented in eco-friendly elegance. It’s not just wine; it’s a reimagined experience of Italian luxury.” BTW do you need a tour guide to Italy? Let Bacio show you the way through their journey. They’ll lead you through wines, cities & the people that live there & a peek into their traditions, where to grab a bite & imbibe, special recipes, festivals, sights not to miss, and you’ll also learn that Diego not only has a mischievous smile…he also has a “sonorous snore” 💤🤣. Anyway, grab a can and feel that flirtatious 💋 from Italy because the country & this spritz are both so easy to love.

Side note: My little shadow or maybe not so little anymore (José Andrés) decided he needed to be included in the pic. He’s such a ham.

wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #cannedcocktails #instawine #catsofinstagram #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #Italy #newyork #apertivotime #worldbyglass #SpritzLovers #bacchanalwines #Bacio #Baciolife #docwinebar #docwineshop

Posted on

Making Perishable Permanent

Fontanavecchia
Fiano 2022
100% Fiano
Sannio DOP
Torrecuso (BN), Campania, Italy
The Rillo family: Managed by Libero with extra help & guidance from his father Orazio & brother Giuseppe

Color straw with green pops and flecks. Sniff and there’s nose tickling lime followed by lemon & a citrus blend & their orchard blossoms, apples, pears, honeydew, honeysuckle, fresh rained on slate, and a shake of salt. Dancing on my tongue are all of those lovely scents with a savory smidge smoke/peat accent that is waaaaaaay in the back and just gives a little depth & backbone stability much appreciated.

Pairs with Cheez-Its:  perfect pairing

The Rillo family though the years has kept their goals of cultivating & protecting their vines, grapes & lands; learning from history but not forgetting it or leaving traditions behind even as they & their lives continue to grow & intertwine. As often is said about wine families that span generations that they carry a “passion”, “it’s in their veins”, etc., and with them it’s not just an echo of those words or following through the motions…they truly do. A select quote on their site by John Arnott (journalist, cricket afficionado, wine lover, and poetic wordsmith) really struck me. “Wine is a successful effort to translate the perishable into the permanent”. It’s such a simple sentiment yet so encompassing that you can recognize in Fontanavecchia’s wines whether it be their youngsters or reserves. These lovely bottles capture, cement and imprint their solid place in history one drop at a time. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #Sannio #Campania #Italy #worldbyglass #wineemporium #fontanavecchia #docwinebar #docwineshop

Posted on

A Permanent Home In My Heart

Morgante
Rosso 2020
100% Nero d’Avola
Sicilia DOC
Grotte (Agrigento) Italy
The Morgante Family: Antonio (father), Carmelo & Giovanni (sons)
Winemaker: Riccardo Cotarell

Deep ruby. Breathing in plums, cherries, raspberry, blackberry, a creamy frosting bit lightly floats by joined by a raisin, and a little blend of pine, eucalyptus & thyme. From the first sip it’s a very alive jumble of all the scents with a bigger bunch of blackberry, strawberry,  cranberry, black tea, a dark blueberry or maybe dried strawberry, and wild fennel. This is delicious but it has me craving a Thanksgiving sandwich. Yum!

Pairs with Cheez-Its:  it’s complicated

When I started really learning about wine, Nero d’Avola enchanted me and has a permanent home in my heart. I love that it can be dressed up and on the town with a good rare steak with balsamic reduction, lamb chops, and a good cheese board (drunken goat, pecorino, etc); or you can chill and have it on the front stoop munching on a gyro & sausages from the cart down the street. This wine isn’t a snob but it sure is a star, and it’s just another reason to book a trip to Sicily & find out more about the Morgante Family’s passion & dedication to this lovely grape. ✨✈️🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #Sicily #Italy #worldbyglass #nerodavola #winebow #morgantevini #docwinebar #docwineshop

Posted on

“And When The Music Starts, I Never Wanna Stop”

Azienda Agricola Muzic
Ribolla Gialla 2021
100% Ribolla Gialla
Collio DOC
San Floriano del Collio (Go), Italy
The Muzic Family (Ivan, Orieta, Elija, and Fabijan)

Shining straw yellow. There’s scents of round yellow pears, salty river rock breeze, yellow plums & their blossoms, crisp apples (including my fave golden delicious), touch of lemon, a mix of spring flowers, and a brioche toast crumb. Leisurely sipping on this hot evening and those yellow plums & pears again greet me again with a good sprinkling of salt, golden delicious apples, smidge of honeysuckle, and a lemon lime mild sizzle blend with other citrus thrown in like kumquat, tangelo, etc but overall really light. All of the tastes blend easily and if you aren’t over thinking it like me you’d just say what a nice fresh wine that is begging for langoustines and oysters. I think I need to order a dozen 🦪.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: smoooooth

Back in the day, the Muzic family had pretty much been tenant farmers until they gained a chance to purchase the house/farm where they were residing & 5 ha they had also been tending. Four generations on and their vineyards have spread, their wines are racking up awards & acclaim, and they’re part of the Collio Consortium (2024 is their 60th anniversary) that promotes & protects the authenticity & identity of the Collio wines, their historical traditions and native grapes…as they say, “The Collio is a territory in which harmony with nature is found and time is rediscovered on a human scale, marked by ancient rural rhythms.“ Oh and you can tell Muzic is in the “Collio DOC Club” since all the members’ bottles carry the same distinct shape that some call a rocket. 🚀

Here we are at the end of my week of songs, so of course this winery deserves a matching one, and I’m betting you can already guess where this post is headed. 🪩🪩

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #madonna #winetime #Collio #Italy #worldbyglass #wineemporium #muzic #muzicwine #docwinebar #docwineshop

Posted on

🎶And Howl, Howl, Howl, Howl🎶

Villa Wolf
Gewürztraminer 2022
Certified organic (2021), no artificial fertilizers, no herbicides or pesticides, hand harvested
Wachenheim, Pfalz, Germany
Winemakers: Patrick Möllendorf
Owner: Ernst Loosen

Super light straw with a teeny touch of green. Breathing in gentle spring flowers, peach blossoms, miniature roses, peaches, mango, lychee, grapefruit tangelo blend, and a touch of honeysuckle followed by a mineral dappled cool stream. Sipping away and there’s that honeysuckle again but it’s stepping out from behind the shadows, peaches, lychee, mango, mix of melon, pineapple popsicle, Valencia oranges & zest & a tiny shave of grapefruit with Buddha’s Hand zest too, Lemon Kas with a tingle and fresh, fresh, fresh.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: brings out more pears and silkiness or should I say a pearapalooza

When I see a Villa Wolf wine, I always think of the villa’s gorgeous architecture & design inside and out, that deserves to be on @accidentallywesanderson (If you haven’t followed them, check out the pics). Dating back to the 1700s and previously known as the J.L. Wolf estate, their famous and established shine began to wane in its last years before being rescued by Ernst Loosen (Dr. Loosen) in 1996. A fresh yet classic new energy grew through their vineyards and cellar, also with Patrick Möllendorf’s viticulture & winemaking hands dearly in it. As stated in their philosophy, “A great wine begins in your head, but the true measure of any wine is where it ends – in your glass.”, and this 🐺doesn’t just howl in joy of their ethereal & earthly collaboration…it gets on stage and sings! 🎤✨✨✨

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #florenceandthemachine #wolf #howl #winetime #Gewurztraminer #pfalz #Germany #worldbyglass #drloosen #villawolf #docwinebar

Posted on

🎶There’s A Firefly Loose Tonight🎶

Andrea Marchetti
Lucciola Bianco 2021
La Corte dei Miracoli
Trebbiano Romagnolo 70%,  Albana 30%
Organic (practicing), indigenous yeasts, unfiltered & unfined
Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Orange amber with a few pops of rose. Sniffing and there’s scents of a citrus blend of orange, tangerine, mild grapefruit & more, as time goes a good funk grows that will surely pass on by, and flowers bloom like wisteria, butterfly lilacs, hyacinth, irises, and magnolia thrown in. Sipping and there’s the citrus blend along with zest, a good splash of lemon, green bell pepper, crabapples, the green of a whittled apple tree branch, small ember of smoke, and shake of white pepper. It’s crisp, fun, and has a depth but not brooding.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: brings out a little heat sizzle

Each Marchetti wine never fails to grab my attention and fill me with delight. He’s one creative busy bee as you can see in my previous posts. This man has boundless energy with his collaborations with other natural winemakers, his own wine, launching wine fairs, and more. Take Andrea’s “La Corte dei Miracoli” line is another such project where he farms 2.5 ha near Brisighella. The wines are created and bottled in Filippo Manetti’s (Vigne San Lorenzo) cellar, and I love his viticulture guidelines which align very much with Marchetti, “the first rule is to use LITTLE TECHNOLOGY, the second rule is to DO NOT DO, that is, not to do anything that is really necessary, both in the vineyard and in the cellar”. Back to Lucciola, take note, there are only so many bottles (2,500) so feel yourself gifted to catch one of these fireflies. It brought a smile to my face and that old childhood joy like when I was set free on summer evenings in a simpler, slower time watching the sun go down and running through the orchard following the tiny flashing flying lamps. Treat yourself to a glass and maybe you too will get a chance to see “a firefly loose tonight”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #Italy #organic #winetime #orangewine #worldbyglass #edsheeran #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #firefly #lucciola #steephillwine #AndreaMarchetti #docwineshop #docwinebar @andrea_marchetti @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar

Posted on

When Life Brings You Smoke Make…

Matthiasson Family Vineyards
Tendu
Rosé Bubbles
Sparkling wine
Sustainable
Dunnigan Hills
Napa, CA
Winemakers & Farmers: Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson

Crack the can and it’s a rosy/orange amber pour (or you could just drink straight from the can). Sniff and everything is light & breezy with cherries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, a lemon/lime spritz, and a touch of funk that fades. Kicking back and sipping and again there’s cherry, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, orange/lemon/lime zing & zest with a little tangelo, seltzer sparky salt, and just so bright and light.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO

This perky and easily transportable sparkler came about from the Matthiasson’s ability to persist through the 2020 West Coast wildfires which caused devastation and trouble for so many and gave them a fear of smoke taint. Instead of making any reds that year, those grapes went into their rosés. A smart move and here’s to hoping in the future all those fires and smoke fade away.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #wineinacan #sparklingwine #Rosé #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #Napa #california #Tendu #matthiassonwine #docwinebar #docwineshop

Posted on

A Grape Spa Treatment

Azienda Agricola Pasquale Petrera
Fatalone
Bianco Spinomarino
Greco 2022
100% Greco
Puglia I.G.T.
Gioia delle Colle, Spinomarino, Puglia, Italy
Organic, dry farming, sustainable, green manure, and zero emission
Winemaker: Pasquale Petrera

Shining yellow straw. Delightful scents of creamy lemon curd, honeydew, irises, lillies with some roses thrown in, pears, pinch of baking spices, over ripe cucumbers, and a salty breeze. Sipping crisp pears, crab apples, white peaches, and a bouquet of lilacs, roses, irises & honeysuckle. There’s also a shake of salt, lick of granite, and over time a sprig of thyme. 

Pairs with Cheez-Its: a full on NOPE

Fatalone has been around since the 1800s but didn’t starts bottling till 1987. In the old days, it was bring your own bottle and fill’er up. Spinomarino is their only white wine, and those vines were not planted till 1990. Such a beautiful exotic heady and very unique wine. Kind of fits their name Fatalone. Filippo Petrera (2nd generation of this family) had the nickname of Il Fatalone which pretty much translates to “Lady Killer” or seducer. Kind of perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift which will be here before you know it, so get to ordering! Back to the winemaking team who are an essential part nurturing this bottle of love. They go above and beyond in making sure the grapes have the utmost care throughout the whole process. They even went as far as soundproofing the cellar and piping in classical music and nature sounds. Now that’s quite a spa treatment. ❤️🌹

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #winetrain #puglia #italy #organic #Spinomarino #bonvivantimports #docwinebar #docwineshop #Fatalone ##Fatalonewines @bonvivantimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @FataloneWines

Posted on

🎶You Can’t Spell “Awesome” Without “Me”🎶

M ⵔ ⵔ ᗋ
Le Bazar 2021
Sparkling Orange
Trebbiano, Clairette, Vermentino
VDF
Natural wine, no sulfites
Provence, France
Jean Luc Lametrie (also founder of Wine Mc2)

Deep golden orange with and pink bubbles. Sniffing and there’s oranges, kumquats, a little Cherry Twizzlers, a childhood memory of Circus Peanuts, then very light raspberries along with lemon/lime spritz, smidge of toasted coriander & fresh baked baguettes. Going in for the taste and here comes a blend of orange, lemon-lime, kumquats, light pomelo, young raspberries with seltzer & salt, tarty yellow cherries, bit of quince & pear combo pie, smidge of smoke, and as it opens a little toast but mostly sharpens everything.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT

MOOA is pronounced “Moi” which as we all know means “Me”, so I guess Jean Luc decided to embark on this project purely for himself and we’re just lucky to get to share a taste of it. The first time I picked one of your wines “Ground Control To Major Tom”, it was the label that lured me in, but when I popped that cap, what was living in the bottle was even better. With this orange I was already betting I’d totally be in for a fun & sparky bubbly and you did not disappoint. My question is why the name “Le Bazar”? This is definitely not “a mess” but a bottle of pure awesome natural joy.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #sparklingwine #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #orangewine #winetime #worldbyglass #provence #france #taylorswift #naturalwine #docwinebar #docwineshop #Mooawine #winemc2 @mooawine @winemc2 @docwinebar @docwineshop

Posted on

Jazzy Holidays

Porter & Plot
Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Mendocino County
Grapes from Cox Vineyards located in Ukia, CA (certified organic)
Produced & bottled by WINC
Buellton, CA

Ruby with purple/blue pops. Sniffing and there’s dark cherry followed by an easygoing vanilla cream, raisins, black currants, a bit of dried fig, coriander, and a just right very light bunch of violets. Sip & swish and again there’s deep cherries, dried cranberries, golden raisins, dried figs, black currants, very light orange zest, blackberries, a little raspberries, boysenberries, a chocolate warmth & a velvet touch, smidge of a licorice jelly bean (yeah I’m probably the only kid that loved them), and a tingle of warm spice on my lips.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: smooth and juicy

Oh it’s that time of year again! Holidays are even closer than we all think. Anyway, if you haven’t started picking up wines for the gatherings, or in my case just for moi (yes, I’m working while the rest of you will be lounging in comfy clothes)…anyway, this Cab is for you. You can dress it up with an elegant meal (think steak, venison, lamb chops, wild boar, some fun funky cheese…etc.) and get out the good glasses meant only for company; or follow my kicked back menu of a more rare than medium-rare cheeseburger while spinning some “Pithecanthropus Erectus” and relishing in a multitude of Mingus memories. Either route you take, wishing y’all’s upcoming holidays will be happy and of course jazzy! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #redwine #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #CabernetSauvignon #winetime #worldbyglass #Mingus #charlesmingus #califonia #CA #porterandplot #winc #docwinebar #docwineshop @docwinebar @docwineshop