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Toe Tapping Tuba

Teutonic Wine Company
Jazz Odyssey 2020
Riesling and Gewürztraminer
Produced and bottled: Portland, Oregon
Winemaking couple: Barnaby and Olga Tuttle

Pale yellow-green like the crayon but lighter. The closer it gets to my nose, out comes magnolias, peaches, pear, apple, a lemon/lime mix, and a cooling freshness of our old springhouse. Lovely bright blend dancing on my tongue. Pears, apples and peaches mingling with honey and honeycomb, peat, and tang of a lemon sliver on the side.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out even more honey

Teutonic came about by Barnaby falling in love with how diverse German rieslings can be and later a friend saying they could plant grape vines on her farm. Oh, and Olga telling him which credit card was ok to use to buy the vines. Now they still grow their own but also source from other vineyards (Willamette Valley) but only ones that are dry farmed and preferably vines that are 20 years or older. It’s a passion and a lot of hard work, and their wines really shine. Jazz Odyssey is a bottle of fun happy dancing joy, like Old Fish Jazz Band’s toe tapping live performance of “Doctor Jazz”. Check it out and crank that tuba loud!

#wine #oregonwine #naturalwine #winelife #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #tuba #cheezit #OldFishJazzBand #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Riesling #Gewürztraminer #Gewurztraminer #Portland #Oregon #WillametteValley @docwineshop @docwinebar @teutonicwines

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Giving Your All, and Getting It Back

Ampeleia
Bianco di Ampeleia 2019
Toscana Bianco IGT
Trebbiano, Ansonica, and Malvasia Bianca
Biodynamic, organic
Roccatederighi, Maremma, Toscana, Italy
Original founders: Elisabetta Foradori, and her friends Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann
Winemaker and company manager: Marco Tait
And there’s a different sort of family behind the scenes

Warm orange golden “morning is breaking” sunlight. Easy breezy scents of oranges and orange blossoms, apples, and a little toasted brioche with a pinch of ginger. Once it touches your lips, here comes orange/lemony/tangerine zest, apples and crabapples, pears, a hint of allspice and a lick of limestone. Very vibrant and alive and a joyful moment frozen in time…or should I say I wish I was frozen. Seriously this summer heat is killing me.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just makes it a little more tart, so I could go either way

It’s a field blend party where Trebbiano, Ansonica, and Malvasia Bianca get to hang out and in the vineyard together and then be co-harvested and co-fermented. It’s a new blended family, much like Ampeleia, only the grapes didn’t get to chose their new kin. Marco Tait already had his birth family before being invited to Ampeleia by Elisabetta Foradori to join a new type that he got to pick. For around the past 20 years, Marco and his now chosen wine family have all grown together and added new people, animals, farming choices, and experiences. Having Roccatederighi as home must be such a beautiful feeling. I’ll end with a quote from Marco, “I am giving my all to Ampeleia, but she is giving me back even more.”

#italianwine #organicwine #skincontact #tuscany #Italy #ampeleia #winelife #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Trebbiano #Ansonica #Malvasia #Roccatederighi #Maremma #Toscana @docwineshop @docwinebar @ampeleia @bowlerwine @cheezits

 

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A Dreamy Grape and Homemade Pie!

Kalogris Organic Winery
Mister Helios 2019
Moschofilero 100%
PGI Arcadia
Organic, wild yeasts, minimal intervention in cellar, no filtration or fining
Mantinia, Peloponnese, Greece
Winemaker: Evangelos Kalogris

Pale twinkling starlight gold. Gentle fragrances of peaches, grapefruit that turns into mellow lemon, honeysuckle, and whisk me away sea breeze salt. A sip and a swish and here come peaches, pears, and a not heavy honey, lemon, some tangerine, and a good shake of salt that keeps it all so balanced and fresh. You could drink this one all day and graze on a beautiful seafood tower like I’ve been craving during the whole lockdown. Oh for the love of langoustine, this is lovely!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nope, nope, absolutely not. It kills this enchanting beauty

What would you do if your grandfather handed over the family house and land with strings attached? You’d follow the family dream like Evangelos Kalogris and revitalize the 1870s home, nourish an organic vineyard/winery and make it a beautiful place for guests to visit and learn its past and it’s natural present. Oh and to boot, Evangelos is right smack in the land of the Moschofilero grape (🍇 which is ever so elegant and dreamy). What could be better? Well, also having your family work by your side…that makes it even more heartwarming and special. Oh now I’m seeing one more perk, they have homemade pie! As some of you know, I❤️🥧!!!

@docwineshop @docwinebar @kalogris_organic_winery @Eklektikon @cheezits #winelovers #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Moschofilero #Mantinia #Peloponnese #Greece #pie #🥧

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You Can Be Born Again

Le Quattro Volte
Bifaro 2019
80% Malvasia, 20% Mantonico
Calabria IGP
Organic, sustainable, sheep grazed and fertilized, and a member of Vinnatur
San Marco Argentano (Cosenza), Calabria, Italy (seriously breathtaking beautiful!)
Winemaker: Daniela De Marco

Deep orange gold (60 day skin contact) that is darker at the top and flows down. Has some unfiltered goodness. Reminds me of copper plates from my printmaking days. Before we get any further, don’t over chill. You’ll lose some of the beauty, especially in the scent department…trust me because I did on one of my glasses. There’s orange blossoms, wisteria, strawberries, a little greenery of parsley or grass, also orange/tangerine/grapefruit funk, and hay. Now lets get to the sip…oranges, lemon, and then it hits with apple pear cider with that lovely tanginess. Next up is light grapefruit that makes me think IPA but not overpowering, an herb like cilantro that fades, salt and then here’s that natural hay again popping in and out. Delightful!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmm mellow and yum

Le Quattro Volte was not so long ago known as Masseria Perugini. There was a revamp of members, so a name change seems fitting. They’re now a power quartet of Daniela De Marco (winemaker), Giampiero Ventura and Emilio Di Cianni (agronomists), and the newest addition…Dario Brunori (aka Brunori Sas) whose song is now their moniker. He was inspired by the beautiful film or should I say a true work of art, “Le Quattro Volte” by Michelangelo Frammartino. Dario’s lyrics fit so well, “You can be born again, and then, be born again one more time, if you feel like it.” These four partners in wine are bringing that bit of rebirth to this beautiful, hilly, ever so natural and established piece of the world.

#LeQuattroVolte #naturalwine #winelife #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic #sustainable @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Malvasia #Mantonico #Calabria #Italy #DarioBrunori #BrunoriSas #steephillwine @lequattrovolte @docwineshop @docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits

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More Than a Certification, It’s a Way of Life

Tenute Dettori
Renosu
Triple “A” Agricoltori Artigiani Artisti
Vermentino, Moscato di Sennori
Organic, biodynamic hand harvested, and spontaneous fermentation
Sennori (SS), Romangia, Sardinia, Italy
Winemaker: Alessandro Dettori

As Spandau Ballet would say, “Gold!” Greeting my nose are flowers, spice and everything nice…ok here’s breaking it down…butterfly lilacs, pear, orange/tangerine zest, smidge of nutmeg, slate and salt. Sip away and there’s pear with sweet apple mellow, peaches, light honey, mango, lychee, nectarine, lemon, orange zest, salty dryness, and a touch of light funk in the back. Keep letting it shake the chill off and then you get a glassful of the nectar of the gods – ambrosia (not that 70s crap from family Christmas gatherings).

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just don’t do it

While absorbing all the info about Dettori (from their own words), I came across, “They are not wines that are slaves to business logic and marketing strategies.” Alessandro’s wines are full of freedom, life, and in this Renosu’s case…“Triple ‘A’”, in which the winemaker needs these three points: be a pure farmer, utilize artisanal methods, and be artistic. You have to be hands off, as natural as the day you or the grape was born, absolutely no chemicals in the vineyard and the cellar, only indigenous yeasts, and the list goes on. Essentially be true to the land, the vines, the grapes/wine, and to yourself…and respect all of it. It’s more than a certification, it’s a way of life, inside and outside the bottle.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @artisanalcellars @cheezits #winelife #pairswithcheezits #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #TenuteDettori #Vermentino #MoscatodiSennori #Sennori #Romangia #Sardinia #Italy #TripleA

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A Watermelon Moon

Sébastien David
Lisounette 2020
Vin de France
70% Cinsault & 30% Cabernet Franc
5 months aging in concrete tanks
Organic, biodynamic, wild yeasts, unfined and unfiltered
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Loire Valley, France
Winemaker: Sébastien David

Pretty, pretty salmon color. First whiff out of the gate is buttercream, quickly followed by cherry pie, watermelon, and a smidge of funk with some interesting good depth. This ain’t your mama’s rosé. Ooh this tastes so good! Here’s that watermelon again, then a squish of lemon and also orange zest, and a salted cherry Starburst…you’ve never thought about doing that? C’mon we all do it with Snickers minis. why not? Wait, am I the only one? Back to the wine…there’s also a pull off the end of a croissant with a dab of clotted cream. Delicious!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oof so tart. Just put them away

So I’ve learned a new word that I never would have thought of hearing: “Hurluberlu” which from what I’m finding is “one who looks at the stars and planets to show him how to grow” and in some cases just an “eccentric man”. Hmmmm, well evidently this is part of Sébastien’s magic. He not only looks back to the past generations (he’s 15th) for guidance and techniques but also to the future with going biodynamic and permaculture. Another part of the future or branching out is when he took his first steps toward a rosé in “Lisounette”.  Well, as you can read above, the 2020 rocks! If it’s due to following celestial bodies, then I say lets all break out our telescopes and go moon bathing!

@docwineshop @docwinebar @hurluberluseb @tedward_ws @boboselections @cheezits #vindefrance #pairswithcheezits #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram  #Cinsault #CabernetFranc #saintnicolasdebourgueil #France #SébastienDavid #Hurluberlu #Lisounette #loirevalley

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Approved By Hitchcock

Frecciarossa
Sillery
Pinot Nero 2019
Dry white wine
Oltrepò Pavese DOC
Organic,  hand-harvested 
Casteggio, Italy
Owners & winemaking family: The Odero family, latest generation: Valeria Radici Odero

The absolute faintest glimpse of blush warmth on a pale gold like a smile from a crush. Scents of wet granite, tiny roses, light cherry, peaches, and a little lemon in the back. This is a delicious jumble of peaches, nectarines, pluots, yellow and red cherries, a citrus splash, and a little funk way back. Within this mellow and velvety fruit basket there is a dry slate that ends it all quite nicely. Dress me up, dress me down…this glass is welcome anywhere.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nope it destroys the delicate beauty

Here’s a bottle tracing a hundred years of history (1919-2019). The latest generation, Valeria Radici Odero, can look back to the start with her great grandfather resettling back to Italy from the UK by acquiring a majestic new home on a hill called “Frecciarossa” (red arrow). Well this arrow’s real name was “fraccia rossa” (red landslide)…oops! His son Giorgio not only fell for the land but also Pinot Nero, and was so passionate about it he went to France to learn from the best. Bottling his own magic, the wine garnered notice…even a high alert from Alfred Hitchcock who downed a few at the posh Villa D’Este. Giorgio passed the torch to his daughter Margherita, and now we are full circle with her daughter Valeria. Can’t wait to see where the next 100 years takes them.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @frecciarossawinery @vignaioli_selection @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Italy #oltrepopavese #pinotnoir #pinotnero #alfredhitchcock #villadeste

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Shhh…What’s That Vine Saying?

Costador Terroirs Mediterranis
Metamorphika 2018
D.O Conca de Barberà
100% Trepat
Catalunya, Spain
Organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, & as always a really cool clay bottle
Winemaker: Joan Franquet

Ruby with blue/purple hues. Take a breath and there’s some forest funk, cherry, pinch of raspberry, very small bit of roses that fade, white pepper, light rabbit tobacco (yes, rabbit tobacco…I grew up in the country), and a little licorice. Raising my glass and tasting cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries mixed with one or two strawberries, earthy funk that leads to black pepper, baker’s chocolate, and a juicy twang. It’s lively as in like biting into a fresh handful of all the above fruit.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: only makes it more smooth…but I like the tangy twang

The last Costador I encountered was Joan’s 2019 Chenin Blanc which was darn glorious, and gave me the chance to learn about his mountainous vineyards with wild boars. This indigenous Trepat is a completely other amphora delight. The vines are around 60 years old which make me feel like a youngster, and I think if these vines could talk what would their tales say. Would they whisper how the climate has changed? I bet they would speak lovingly of Joan since he has cared for them so well and organically over the years. Most of all they would probably tell us the history of the land and their heritage. You don’t have to wait for the vines, all you have to do is pour a glass and let your nose and tastebuds translate it all for you.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @costadorwines @saviosoaresselections @cheezits #wine #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #wineinfluencer #winestagram #pairswithcheezits #biodynamic #organic #Metamorphika #Catalunya #Spain #Catalan #Trepat #JoanFranquet

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A Princely Little Fox

Famille Coulon
BiotifulFOX 2019
Vin De France
60% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier
Organic and biodynamic
Southern Rhône Valley, France
Winemakers: Daniel & Frédéric Coulon & Daniel’s sons Victor & Antonin

A glass of spun straw. Breathing in apricots, peaches, salty slatiness, honeydew that is a little musky as it warms, tangelo, and pineapple. Take a sip and it’s heavenly, bright and a little decadent at the same time. We have a fun fruit basket of peaches, apricots, honeydew, pineapple, with a smidge of honey and rocky mineral. Just wonderfully crisp, delicious, and delightfully foxy.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out tiny flowers too, nice

With a swish of a tail this pretty little fox can spark a new project and expand the future of Domaine de Beaurenard’s historic wines. The Coulon Family has branched outside of their own vineyards to work with bio and organic grapes sourced from their friends’ Rhône vines. This beautiful blend is the culmination of their 8 generations of expertise and attention to nature, listening to the earthly rhythms, and following the pull of the stars and planets above. By the way, check out the label…remember “The Little Prince”? Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s work transported many of us as kids and even rings true or more poignant now. Dang, I didn’t realize how much emotion this would bring back reminiscing. Just remember as the fox said, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ❤️

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @wilsondaniels #FamilleCoulon #DomainedeBeaurenard @beaurenard @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #bio #Roussanne #Marsanne #Viognier #Rhône #France #fox #thelittleprince #BiotifulFOX

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Pour Me a Watercolor

Grochau Cellars
Etheric Wine Workshop
Willamette Valley Skin Contact Pinot Gris 2019
Sustainable, hand-harvested, locally sourced grapes, native yeasts, unfined, unfiltered, minimal intervention, and Chill AF
Amity, Oregon
Winemaker: John Grochau

It’s shining dark orange ruby tinged that reminds me of a favorite rose from my childhood. Pour me a watercolor in a glass and breathing in roses lightly coated in vanilla, strawberries, blood orange and its peel. That orange appears again in the first sip along with strawberries, blackberries, watermelon, smoke, granite, lemon zest, and a smidge of a Nilla wafer. Also a tiny bitter bite like sour grass. Now that is a good thing. Sour grass is a weed that tastes like a combo of sweet grass and bitter that I chewed as a kid, generally when I was sent to the outfield in softball where the lawnmower didn’t always venture.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly really good. I seriously thought it was going to be awful. It’s even more juicy

From cycling for a French racing team, to 14 years in Oregon’s restaurant/sommelier realm, and learning the ropes of the wine industry, John Grochau keeps ever evolving. Now a waaaay established winemaker, he is constantly furthering his craft by sticking with minimal intervention, letting nature choose the rhythm of the vines, knowing when it’s time to have his sourced grapes harvested, and going by his philosophy (which I love) “Don’t screw it up. Resist the urge to do too much.” From all I’ve heard Grochau Cellars is also into giving back to the community. In April 2020, they paired up with Vincent Wine Company for virtual tastings and Sip Packs to give a percentage back to well deserving charities. Even now, Grochau has “Up Rising Sparkling” that donates to the ACLU of Oregon and the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. That’s a lot of good karma.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @grochau_cellars @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #rosé #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #WillametteValley #Oregon #skincontact #pinotgris #goodkarma #karma