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“Bring Me a Shrubbery!”

Quinta do Passadouro
Vinho Branco 2019
40% Rabigato, 35% Códega do Larinho, 25% Viosinho
Duoro DOC
Pinhão, Portugal

Yellow/light golden (deepens over time) with a green shimmer. Inhale and there’s gentle scents of pears & apple, gooseberries, lychee, spring flowers, touch of apple blossoms, and a tiny bit of nose tickling citrus zest. Sip and there’s a blend of crisp pears & apples, white peaches, gooseberries, lychee, honeydew, touch of honeysuckle, a little tangerine spritz & zest, and a cool mineral lick & a pinch if salt. It’s fresh & light yet luscious at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Nah

Doesn’t everyone need a bit of blue shrubbery (especially “Knights Who Say ‘Ni!’” in their life or at least Anagallis Monelli aka Shrubby Pimpernel. These deciduous perennials don’t need a lot of water and can flourish even in a hot dry summer. My bet is that they reside in or around Passadouro’s vineyards, since their other labels (Vinho Tinto) have displayed critters from their locale. Also the flowers’ name “Anagallis” is also derived from Greek “ἀνα” & ἀγάλλειν which translate into “to delight again” because these pretty blossoms close in the evening only to reopen to for the sun so we can enjoy them over & over just like this Branco.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #portugal #douro #FrederickWildman #QuintadoPassadouro #vinewinenyc

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Creature Of The Night

Quinta do Passadouro
Vinho Tinto 2019
55% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Francesa, 10% Touriga Nacional, 10% Field Blend from old vines
Duoro DOC
Pinhão, Portugal

Inky maroon with purple pops. Sniff and a little oak dances through & mingles with wildflowers, blackberries, black currants, plums, and a pinch of warm spice & anise. Tasting and there’s dark cherries joining the blackberries, black currants & plums & a red currant or two with a not quite ripe tart raspberry, licorice, and the teeny tiniest of tomato leaf appears & then tells you you didn’t see them…or shhh they were never there it’s all an illusion. Everything smooths out into an elegant, graceful sip. You know…this wine pairs well with a lot, but honestly I want it all to my self solo.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: this is one of those moments of YES!

My first encounter with Passadouro was when I was browsing wine in Montreal and a little Oryctolagus cuniculus hopped in my way. Yes, I was pulled in by the label but not just because of the little Portuguese bunny, but also the artistic details from the drawing & the distinctive zipper-like cut in the design. The next one to flutter in my path was a native game bird, the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) on their Tinto 2012. Now this 2019 red may just be my favorite yet with the sleek, stealth, and agile creature of the night…the Genetta genetta. I wonder if they are part of the natural pest control for their vineyards since they are carnivores. Back to the vineyards/grapes, another reason why I have fallen for these vinhos is their consistent yet somewhat varied blends. They always start with the 3 same grapes: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa, & Touriga Nacional but may not be the same percent depending on the harvest and sometimes (like this one) it’s rounded out with a field blend of old vines. Hands down this bottle is not only a work of art, but it’s also simply delicious. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #portugal #douro #FrederickWildman #QuintadoPassadouro #vinewinenyc

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“Wine, By The Grape”

Pormenor
Reserva Branco 2021
Douro DOC
Rabigato, Malvasia Fina
Hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfined, minimal intervention, natural
Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal
Pedro Coelho

Light gold that deepens over time. Breathing in pears, apples, lemon/lime & a touch of tangerine, cool salt/mineral breeze, as it opens a deeper part of depth grows. Sipping and there’s apple, pear, a toasty possible bit of smoke, lemon, lime, sorrel, a beeswax & honeysuckle exhale, and the tiniest bit of mellow oak.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: sooo good

Coelho didn’t inherit a winery, but he did have connections to some of the essentials. His dad was a cork producer, his grandfather’s a cooper (barrel maker), and he ended up working in wine finance/marketing until the moment came when he decided it was time to give it a go at making wine. He works with old vines, but doesn’t’ adhere to the past usual ways of vinification…his are fresh & can be drunk young yet can also age. They also don’t hit you over the head with high alcohol content which in my book is a very good thing. There’s a quote on his site, “Wine, by the grape” that kept rolling around in my thoughts. He wants Pormenor wines to tell the stories of his Douro…through his vineyards & grapes, and as long as he keeps making these bottles, I’ll keep listening to their whispers & songs of a place & history that holds a special spot in my heart.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #naturalwine #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #portugal #jdselections #grandcruselections #pormenorvinhos #pormenor #vinewinenyc

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Channeling My Inner Wolf

Folias de Baco
Uivo “aqua nat”
Piquette
Aromatised wine-based drink
Field blend
5.5% ABV
375 ml
Organic, unfined & unfiltered
Alijó, Duoro, Portugal
Winemaker: Tiago Sampaio

Glou glouing at first from the bottle and later a good glass pour. Dark rose with electric magenta, a little blood orange, and a little natural detritus at the bottom of the bottle. Taking my nose on a walk through a rose garden along with strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, light blend of citrus zest, and a faint whiff of smoke. Ooh there’s an effervescent tongue tingle leading to a cocktail of cranberry, young strawberry (including caps), raspberry, blackberry with a squish of lemon, and a chew of wild sour grass chewed in my early years stuck in the outfield.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: pretty good

This bottle is like revisiting a comforting friend while still recovering (which I’m still in the process after unexpectedly  getting my bell rung very) and oh does it make me grin albeit painfully since the cuts and bruises are still looking like I went a few rounds with a prize fighter. Hey you should see the other guy. 🤪 Anyway, just like all my Folias de Baco & Uivo encounters I always want to howl their praise and embrace their pack. Cheers to tonight’s (now last week’s) Harvest Moon and channeling my inner wolf!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #Piquette #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #wolf #winetasting #sparklingwine #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Duoro #Portugal  #organic #docwinebar #docwineshop @saviosoaresselections @folias_de_baco @docwinebar @docwineshop

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A Little Bottle of Summer

Folias de Baco
Uivo “aqua nat”
Piquette
Aromatised wine-based drink
Field blend
5.5% ABV
375 ml
Organic, unfined & unfiltered
Alijó, Duoro, Portugal
Winemaker: Tiago Sampaio

Pop that cap and either pour or drink straight from the bottle. Dark rose with electric magenta and s little natural detritus at the bottom of the bottle. Taking my nose on a walk through a rose garden along with strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and a faint whiff of smoke. Ooh there’s an effervescent tongue tingle leading to a cocktail of cranberry, young strawberry, blackberry with a squish of lemon, and a chew of wild sour grass from back in my youthful country living days.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: yummy!

Folias de Baco’s wines have never let me down, and I’m known to “howl” my praise. This easily portable, fresh, crisp & fun bottle with one fine label, is your new summertime buddy (definitely not your mama’s 1980s wine cooler, that honestly I couldn’t stomach). Head out and embrace a sunny day with a couple “aqua nats” and bluetooth speakers in your bag because this little bottle pairs well with Blondie’s “In the Sun”. Don’t forget to bring along your 🕶

#wine #vin #vino #Piquette #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Duoro #Portugal #Blondie #summervibes @saviosoaresselections @vinewinenyc @folias_de_baco @cheezit

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Falling for a Renegade

Folias de Baco
Uivo PT Nat Renegado Bruto 2019
A blend of more than 20 different red and white indegenous and old vine varieties (wow!!! 20+?)
Methode Ancestral
Alijó, Duoro, Portugal
Wild yeast, unfined and unfiltered, vegan-friendly
Winemaker: Tiago Sampaio

Raspberry deep rose pink or a dark cosmo color with delightful fizzy bubbles. Inhaling strawberries and they lean back into raspberries, mineral, and some weird smoothness figuring it out. Sipping those same raspberries, strawberries, and hello… cranberry. It’s tart and dry but still there’s a hint of twizzler. Wait that’s that smoothness I couldn’t figure out. The smell when you open a Twizzler pack, and then the taste when you first take a bite, yet it fades when the Pét-Nat tingle tart hits you again.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: the fruit goes deep and dark and even more dry

Been reading about how Tiago Sampaio, ended up in wine. Yes, he had the tradition that many do of growing up in a family of farming and vineyards, but it grew past that. This young man left Portugal for Oregon State’s Viticulture and Oenology PhD program. For those of you familiar with Oregon State, know what this means…this howling wolf was first a beaver. If you’re not acquainted with Benny, here’s a little clip.

@vinewinenyc @foliasdebaco @tiagosampaio_winemaker @saviosoaresselections @saviosselections @cheezits #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits  #cheezit #vinewinenyc @worldbyglass #petnat #Alijó #Duoro #Portugal #methodeancestrale #tiagosampaio #uivo