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A Little Starlight in Paradise

Errella
Txakolina 2019
100% Hondarrabi Zuri
Getariako Txakolina DO
Sustainable, minimal Intervention, hand-harvested, native yeasts, and wines are labelled in braille (which is cool & I’d like to know why)
Basque Country, Spain
Winemakers: Emilio Ostazola and his wife Elizabeth (3rd generation winemaking family)

A glass of starlight yellow with some green hints. Breathing in lemon, lime, salt, and a little melon kind of like honeydew melon balls smashed on wet granite, so it’s only a little. Ooh first sip and there’s a little sparkle tingle, again lemon and Iime joined with crisp green apples, pear, and a little sea breeze salt.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: ahhh good, it’s a picnic wine…mmmm

This is a light dancing wine that whisks your brain away to warmer climes where you can dangle your feet in the water, chill out, soak in the sun, and order some fish tacos. Or as Zac Brown Band’s song says “Knee deep in the water somewhere-Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair-Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair-Sunrise there’s a fire in the sky-Never been so happy-Never felt so high-And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise”.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @elevationwine #errella @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #txakoli #txakolina #spanishwine #spain #basquewine #Basque #BasqueCountry #GetariakoTxakolina  #hondarrabizuri #zacbrownband #jimmybuffett #paradise

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A Wine with a Soundtrack

S.C. Pannell
‘Basso’
Garnacha 2019
100% Grenache Noir
Organic, dry-grown, hand harvested, and unfiltered
McLaren Vale, SA., Australia
Winemaker: Stephen Pannell

Shining cranberry ruby. Oooooh tickling my nose are raspberries, cherry, orange peel, some flowers appear like tiny roses, and as time goes by a bit of earthy funk? Tasting fresh raspberries and also a little strawberry jolly rancher, and cranberry tart tang. This is fun glass full of life and is juicy that also has dark earthiness hiding in the background that pops out and waves every once in a while. Can totally see sipping this under the stars with a big steak on the grill and watching the bats dip, dive and soar while feasting on those pesky mosquitos.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: I like it…hmmm…not sure what it is doing. Just goes really well.

What a slew of awards and recognition are in Stephen Pannell’s pocket. Guess that explains why this bottle is so good. Pick early, release early and watch this youg’un burst full of life. I love that even while looking as to which soil speaks best to the grapes, he’s also thinks ahead to what local food will go with the wine in the end. ‘Basso’ is supposed to pair with chicken or pork shashlik cooked over coals with a tomato and pomegranate salad. Mmmm that does sound better than my first thought of steak. He also has a soundtrack for your drinking pleasure and this glass goes with Masego & FKJ – “Tadow”, so relax, tuck into your fabulous meal, and enjoy the tune.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @scpannell @vsiwine @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #redwine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #Garnacha #Grenache #GrenacheNoir #Australia #Masego #FKJ #Basso #mclarenvale

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Respecting Tradition and Keeping it Simple

Borgogno
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC 2019
100% Dolcetto
Organic, minimal intervention
Vineyards: Madonna di Como (Alba)
Barolo (CN), Italy

Dark cherry with purple glints. Pull that cork, pour and here come scents of raspberry, cherry, plums, a little creamy vanilla, and something a little dark but not daunting. Quite lovely actually so looking forward to the taste. There’s that lovely cherry again and as you exhale smoke. Next is a beautiful burst of fruity flavor of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and even raisins. After a bit there’s hints of black peppercorns. I’ve had a rough day and this wine just well…the first sip made my evening brighter. Now I’m craving a very large portion of Malloreddus Alla Campidanese.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmmm a bit more rugged and handsome…like Harrison Ford. You know there’s another Indy flick coming up and I can’t wait!

Borgogno has one lengthy history staring back in 1761, when Bartolomeo Borgogno started the winery and passed through the years through the family. By 1920, Cesare Borgogno held the reigns and along with starting to export the wines, he decided to hang on to half of it too. Pretty darn smart to sit on those for 20 years (and some even longer) and they now have an amazing Barolo collection of many decades past. A new family (Farinetti) took over in 2008, but they decided why mess with a good thing. They brought the old main building back to its glory, and went back to concrete fermentation. They did make a change to get certified organic, which who wouldn’t applaud. Keeping it simply traditional.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @borgogno1761 @ethicawines @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #redwine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #dolcetto #Barolo #Italy #Cuneo #borgogno1761 #borgogno #malloreddusallacampidanese

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Ciderlicious Moment of Zen

Phonograph Cider
Harvest Cider
Un-Sweet
Apples (grown in NYS): including Golden Russet, Northern Spy, Dabinett, Geneva Tremlett’s Bitter, and Harry Master’s Jersey
5.6% ABV
Sustainable, unfiltered, no added sulfites, organic fertilizer
Produced in Lafayette, NY (under authority of South Hill Cider)

Bright golden with glimmers of green and tiny bubbles. Lifting the glass closer to my nose and it’s a fragrant basketful of fresh apples and then also apple pie. As I’ve said before…I ❤️ PIE! On to the much anticipated sip and oh tingle! It’s like biting into a just picked fresh firm apple. You know that tart wake up your mouth gets that leads to a smooth rounded mmmm. It’s not exactly sweet, but there is that pleasant natural apple goodness with a nice dry finish. Damn it’s a perfect unique crisp blend that’s very fab for a hot day, and perfect to sip while grilling. Oh yeah, would be great with brats and some nice stinky cheese!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh delicious but you had to expect it to be. Cheese and apples are best friends.

Phonograph Cider’s site sums up their beautiful gift to us, “Like phonograph records, cider is regaining its rightful place in our culture analog, real, and authentic.” These apples are super authentic. Some are old varieties that take a bit of love and understanding since they might not produce as much as others, but the outcome is worth it. They also use a really old (around 100 years) rack and cloth press, and if you want a minute of zen then check out this video.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @phonographcider @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #applecider #cider #ciderlover #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #beer #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #winestagram #instawine #apples #lafayette #NY

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It’s All About the Schist

Le Fief Noir
Ouest Coast
Anjou 2017
100% Chenin Blanc
Certified organic and hand-harvested
St-Lambert du Lattay, Loire, France
Winemakers: Alexis Soulas and Dominique Sirot

Golden starlight twinkle twinkle. Pull the cork and breathing buttercream, butterscotch that fades into pineapple, yellow watermelon (yeah each color/one does smell different), lemon and lemon vanilla wafer. Sipping creamy salty lemon, key lime, kumquat, very mellow papaya, light orangey pops, and honey filled pear. I think I’ve had my weekly allotment of fruit! There’s also dried sage in the end and then bring that citrus back round again with a salt shake. So sweet, calm, and clean and bright that is yearning for some yellow fin sushi with jalapeño.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Raises the citrus

Alexis Soulas and Dominique Sirot became friends and hatched their wine plan in Corsica, but Anjou was where they landed. Back in 2012, they tasted the wine of Domaine des Chesnaies, decided this was the exact place for their project to take root, and after a renaming Le Fief Noir was born. Soil is the key and king here. The black schist of L’Anjou Noir is perfect for Chenin Blanc and also is where their name Le Fief Noir stemmed. Their passion for their wines is evident in the bottle and in their writings online. They have a lot to say, check their website. Alexis Soulas says, “A wine is never entirely finished. It belongs to the one who get it. This is this open field to interpretation, this co-creation, which make our job so beautiful.” I love that any of us can become part of their world and the story of their wine.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @lefiefnoir @wineberryamerica @cheezits #pairswithcheezits  #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #wineinfluencer #winestagram #instawine #Anjou #Loire #France #CheninBlanc

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Deep Natural Thoughts

Esencia Rural
(Bodega Ecológica Bruno Ruiz)
De Sol a Sol
Airén 2016
Organic, biodynamic and super natural!
Quero, Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain
Winemaker: Julián Ruiz Villanueva

Deep orangey gold skin contact pour. Reminds me of Tang (you remember the astronauts drink that Buzz Aldrin hated) or even the color of a Cheez-It. Damn this is deep and heady and that was a short sniff. It’s like a Sherry/Manzanilla vibe…nutty, caramel, golden raisins, dried apricots, and grassy. Now this is an explosion of taste wonderment and I find it absolutely intriguing, but I can see where some might get overwhelmed or not “be that into it” because it is intense. There’s nothing wrong with that but like I always used to tell my friend’s kid when he was little, try something at least 3 times before you make your mind up that it’s not for you. There’s tangy orange fresh and dry with splashes of lemon tart, caramel, brown sugar cookies, honey, and hazelnuts. This is a glass to be savored and contemplated on or shared over good conversation and not a glob-glou. Hangout with this wine, let it grow and let yourself settle into it’s personality and get comfortable with it and maybe have some “Deep Thoughts””.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oh absolutely not!!!! That was disgusting. Shake it off, shake it off

Julián post school in Madrid, came back with a mission to farm organic and take on the artisan mantle. After trying other produce he turned to the vines in 1998, and has around 50 hectares. De Sol a Sol comes from his favorite “El Almendruco” (4.8 hectares) which was planted by his grandfather. This is the land that produces the indigenous yeasts or bacteriology of the flor. He wants to keep his wines super natural, they’re certified organic, dry-farmed, some are old, ungrafted vines, and he loves to work with the local grapes. You also can’t find chemicals in the vineyard or cellar. De Sol a Sol (From Sun to Sun), Airén 2016, is dedicated to all of the hardworking farmers who work from sun up to sun down, which is just a beautiful thought. Here’s Julián’s own words which I found in Cuvee3000’s video, “Only we, the artisans, can preserve the cultural value of each area: vinifications, grape varieties, simplicity, tradition and so on.” That dedication is good enough for me

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @esenciarural @selectionsdelavina @zevrovineselections @zev_rovine @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #naturalwine #cheezit #wineinfluencer @worldbyglass #winestagram #instawine #Airen #Airén #Quero #Toledo #CastillaLaMancha #Spain #JackHandey #deepthoughts #BodegaBrunoRuiz #desolasol #snl

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A Lovely Reliable Old Friend

Domaine de La Pinardière
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2019
100% Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne)
Sustainable agriculture
Vallet, Loire Valley, France
Owner/Winemaker: Christophe Olivier (4th generation of this longstanding wine family)

Shiny golden with a light green hue. Scents of seaside saltiness then open to green apples, a mix of pretty pears, and granite. Sipping in pears, golden delicious apples that when you bite in are juicy and crisp all at once, a minerally lick of a rock, shake (or two) of salt, and a spark of lime zip. So fresh! Exhale and there’s a little salty peatiness in the back of your mouth. Smooth…Oh this is an old friend that stays consistent each time I meet you, and you always make me crave shrimp, langoustines, and oysters…but then when am I not craving those.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: ooh clean and lovely

I first met this wine on a night on my own. Walking home, I passed a bustling oyster bar and noticed the window seat open, and that never happened. My S.O. was living in Switzerland, and I was missing him and decided to treat myself but not break the budget. The sun was dimming, and this little glass transported me to France. It became a stop on evenings when it was still too warm to go home and this glass of muscadet was a delightful partner with a handful of oysters. Tonight, this wine is just the same as it was in the past and all of these memories and emotions come flying back. It’s amazing how time flies, places close, people move…sigh…but so happy to have some things not change.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny #DomainedeLaPinardiere @BaronFrancois @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #cheezit #whitewine #organic @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #wineinfluencer #Muscadet #MelondeBourgogne #Vallet #LoireValley #France

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Spring on a Wing

Wild Nature Wines
Prosecco Rosé Brut DOC 2019
Millesimato
90% Glera, 10% Pinot Noir
Certified vegan, organic for more than 40 years, and biodynamic
Veneto, Italy
Winemaker: Emilio Fidora

Salmon rose pour with delicate white bubbles. So alive and romantic! Breathing in a salty fizz, laid back strawberries and cherries, light cherry blossoms, red delicious apple peels, and a dreamy breath of Spring. This is a beautiful mouthful of cherries, strawberries, cranberry, and salt. The tingly bubbles also have a spritz of lime, and an apple roundness, a smidge of cinnamon on the back, and as time goes on all of a sudden a cherry jelly belly drops in. It’s a total party!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Makes it even more crisp if that is possible

Wild Nature Wines are essentially that. They have two estates in Veneto (Venice and Verona) where they live in harmony with the all sorts of four-legged and winged neighbors such as owls, foxes, rabbits, and even this regal and funky pheasant on this label. Each wine gets their own unique familiar drawn entwined with the environment and growing as one. I don’t know who the artist (anyone know?) is but they are truly talented. Talent also runs in this family, and innovation. Emilio’s grandfather (Guido), made history bringing on the organic over 40 years ago (Veneto’s oldest organic estate); and then Emilio decided to embark forward in the steps toward biodynamic and now they are certified bio and vegan and living up to their name.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @wildnaturewines @SkinContactWines @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #Millesimato #wine #vino #cheezit #Prosecco #Rosé #rose #sparklingwine #bubbly #organic #naturalwine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #Italy #Veneto #Venice #Verona #Glera #PinotNoir #WildNatureWines

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Rugby Pandamonium

Vinovalie
Les Valeurs Sures
Les Blousons Noirs 2018
100% Malbec
AOP Cahors
Saint Sulpice, France
Wine co-op; Cellar master (for Cahors): Hervé Froment

Inky dark ruby with blue highlights (natural not dyed). After pulling the cork, it’s buttery at first, and then start rolling out of the pour are vanilla, cherries, plums, and a walk around a lush dark velvety forest. Hmmm this is really friendly and enchanting. Sipping and white pepper says “hello”, then dried and dark fresh cherry, blueberries, plum and prunes, and a few blackberries wave back. It’s smooth with a tiny upstart fight, but after a bit there’s a light little brown sugar brittle. This is one scrumptious Malbec.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smooth lovely sailing

Who out there loves rugby and of course a good scrum? Well, I sure do; and Vinovalie sees their co-op in team terms. As they say, “Vinovalie is all about collective performance. As in rugby, success is in the quality of the pass – through mutual dialogue and shared exchanges”. They draw on everyone’s diverse experience and knowledge to get the best from their lands and vineyards, and work forward to the best in bottle goal (or a try). Les Blousons Noirs is one cool panda sporting a very apropos biker jacket. Rugged on the outside and warm and sweet on the inside. Hey, that sounds like a description of many players I know. All I can say is grab a glass and let’s head to the match!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @vinovalie @steephillwine @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #cheezit @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #Cahors #saintsulpice #France #Malbec #LesValeursSures #LesBlousonsNoirs #panda #rugby

 

 

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Generation to Generation

Domaine Victor Sornin
Beaujolais Lantignié Nature
“Les Monthieux” 2019
100% Chardonnay
Appellation Beaujolais Villages Protégée
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, native yeasts, and NO OAK in aging
Lantignié (vineyard), Régnié-Durette (winery), Rhône, France
Winemakers: Frédéric Sornin (Domaine Frédéric Sornin) and his son Victor who this cuvée is named after

Light straw yellow. Inhaling crisp apple and pears, orangey bits floating on a fresh clean spring breeze, and clean wet granite. First sip and say hello to crisp and clean apples, then luscious pears, some tartness and tang from a smidgen of orange rind, and a little nectarine. It’s clean and fresh, a splash of salty; and no I haven’t been crying into my wine. There’s something bitter in the end. It’s like biting into rosemary but not the fragrant exhale, but all the fruit comes quickly back. I have to say, thank the Lord there is no oak and you get to embrace the pure chardonnay.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: ooh perfect! More fruity goodness

Frédéric Sornin’s father passed down the estate to him in 1990, and now he has his son Victor learning and working with him, so what better way to honor that than have two cuvées in his son’s name (a red and this white). It truly must be wonderful to watch your offspring grow while working by your side and sharing the same love of the land and creating wine. It’s such a beautiful snapshot of family love, and I bet Frédéric is one proud papa. Oh by the way, they’re also joined in the vines by free roaming sheep that graze and replenish the land, the natural-organic-bio way.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Domaine-victor-sornin @vinotas_selections @DomainedesRonze @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #cheezit #whitewine #organic @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #Chardonnay #Beaujolais #BeaujolaisVillages #Lantignié #regniedurette #Rhône #rhone #France