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Now Where Did That Slipper Go?

Cantine Madaudo
Sicilia Illustrata series
Ardore di Sicilia 2020
Etna Bianco DOC
Carricante 70%, Catarratto 30%
Randazzo (CT), Sicily, Italy
Madaudo family winery (4 generations strong)

Warm golden hay. Sniffing aromatic waves of lemon, pear, kumquot zest, valencia orange, and a bit of green sprouty spring flowers. Tasting delicious crisp apples & pears, yellow plums, and a tart citrus cocktail with just the right amount of salt.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NOOOOO

This is my 2nd in the Sicilia Illustrata series and another piece of art to add to my collection. This time it’s a glimpse of Mt. Etna its native grapes, continued activity, and terroir which then led me to the folklore. Hephaestus/Vulcan has his forge there, when Typhoeus/Typhon gets cranky you’ll hear him grouching and throwing fire, there’s also the Cyclops & more; but the tale that I stumbled upon and made me greatly raise my eyebrows is about England’s Queen Elizabeth I. Rumor has it that while the Devil was pulling her to the depths of hell through Etna, she lost a slipper. This is no Cinderella tale though…well…except for the cinders. I don’t think any of the “Virgin Queen’s” suitors are going to be her volcanic Prince Charming. 🌋🥂

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #sicily #sicilia #Mountetna #Etna #folklore #Carricante #Catarratto  #verdeimports #Sambucese @cantinemadaudo1945 @docwineshop @docwinebarny @claudio @cheezit

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Making It Happen

Casa D’Ambra
Ischia Bianco DOC 2021
Biancolella 50%, Forastera 50%
Indigenous grapes
Forio, Ischia, Campania, Italy
Family winery
Winemaker and owner: Andrea D’Ambra

Pale straw. Breathing in a pretty bouquet of spring flowers, pear & white peach, a tiny spritz of Chanel N°5 that blends back into the fruit, an herbal blend of mint/basil, and mineral bits reminding me of our refreshingly always cool old spring house where the salamanders played. First sip and damn this is good! There’s pears, apples, young yellow watermelon, white peaches, salt a blend of basil/oregano, and at the end a little almond bite with a lick of rock.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: sharpens everything

The Isle of Ischia looks like paradise. Oh, the water surrounding is such a gorgeous mix of shining blue and greens, then there’s the ports, the thermal baths, the mountain area, sunsets, all the natural beauty, and of course the food. Their well known dish “Coniglio all’Ischitana” (yes, this is bunny) was lauded on “Searching For Italy” when Tucci ventured to Ischia (S1 E1) and Trattoria Il Focolare. If you look closely Casa D’Ambra’s wine, “Forastera” is used in the recipe, which makes sense because from what I’m finding they’re related. As usual with Tucci, his meals look like a fun affair, which leads me back to a very appropriate quote from Andrea D’Ambra, “When you are happy drink to celebrate. When you are sad, you drink to forget, when you have nothing to be sad or happy, you drink to make something happen.” Thank you for creating your “Bianco” which definitely made it “happen” for me. 💋

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #trattoriailfocolare #Biancolella #Forastera #Ischia #Campania #Italy #stanleytucci #searchingforitaly @stanleytucci @omniwines @vini_dambra_ischia @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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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

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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

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Art The Sicilian Way

Cantine Madaudo
Sicilia Illustrata series
Passione Siciliana
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
2017
Nero d’Avola 60%, Frappato 40%
Vittoria (RG), Sicily, Italy
Madaudo family winery (4 generations strong)

Stained glass shimmering cherry. Breathe and in floats cherries, plums, raspberries, and not fully ripe strawberries. Tasting a tart cherry start then blackberries (seeds and all), a good swish of cranberry juice, tangy plums, a touch of tobacco (no I don’t chew, but I have had my share of cigars), and as it opens dried cherries too. Fresh, awake and alive and a bit juicy but dry at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nah

“Sicilia Illustrata” is a beautifully depicted bottle series of 4 wines and 1 Spumante Brut (check them out on their site). Not only do you have a wonderfully crafted wine but also a piece of art from the creatives, Lelio Bonaccorso & Tonino Donato to add to your collection. The blend of the native grapes and the visuals weave and capture glimpses of Sicily, and honestly fascinate me even more to raise a glass to this enchanting island in person. Cheers! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #sicily #sicilia #NeroDAvola # Frappato #verdeimports #Sambucese @madaudowine @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Following The Sun

Cantina Canu
Bibi 2020
Cannonau di Sardegna Rosato DOC
Hand harvested
Luogosanto, Sassari, Sardegna, Italy
Family winery; Co-founder: Carla Cualbu

Pretty dancing pink coral. Giving it a sniff and raspberries & light grapefruit breezing in along with salt, rained on granite on a spring day, and a bit of smoke or peat. Sip and zing! That sure wakes up my mouth with lovely raspberries, tiny wild strawberries, light citrus mix twang, a lick of granite, and a smoke hint on the back mixed with salt. As time goes by it’s lively, fresh and goes smooth only to have the zing zip awakened again.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly delightful…ramps all the flavors up a notch

I wonder if I hold this wine glass up to my ear, can I hear the ocean because this rosé sure takes me right to a sun drenched beach. Oh Bibi, you are sweeping me right through a fast spring and then a let’s party summer vibe! So glad I waited to try you last out of the 3 bottles of nicknames (previous ones: Deispanta & Porteddu). Evidently Carla’s sister Clara was dubbed this as a tot since it was the first word to pop out of her mouth. Such an infectiously joyful sound when you say it over and over. Just try it! Or just grab another glass and join me following the sun. ☀️

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Sardegna #sardinia #Sassari #Luogosanto #Gallura #Cannonau #cannonaudisardegna #rosé #rosato #folliwngthesun @docwineshop @docwinebar @cantinacanu @cheezit

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Good Connections

Cantina Canu
Porteddu 2020
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC
Hand harvested
Luogosanto, Sassari, Sardegna, Italy
Family winery; Co-founder: Carla Cualbu

Deep ruby shining glass. Ooh breathing in and it’s creamy smooth. There’s plums, cherries, and a delightful fruit tree blossoms, next up are raspberries, strawberries, and hmmm a little passion fruit. First sip and it’s so inviting…cherries, raspberries, ripe strawberries, plums & prunes and for that matter of fact dried cherries…can you dry a raspberry? (just checked and evidently you can freeze dry them.) Back to the rest of the flavors, there’s some earth but just like a pinch and a little bit of black olive pit. This is so smooth and makes me soooo happy

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: sharpens everything

Totally enchanted by my 2nd Cantina Canu wine, but then I’m sure you could tell from what I wrote above. As with “Deispanta”, this is another bottle that carries a family nickname. Don’t even bother trying to Google Translate “Porteddu”, it’s not going to get you anywhere, but this is what I’ve found from their IG. In Sardinian, it means a connection between places or locales, and in their own words and interpretation “We like to think that the Porteddu family have been our “connection” with the project we are carrying out today, because, having fallen in love with Gallura several years ago, they have laid the roots of a dream that today has resumed life thanks to the new generation.” For me…this glass I’m staring into is a connection between my senses and their passion. Thank you for letting us all in on your dream. ❤️🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Sardegna #sardinia #Sassari #Luogosanto #Gallura #Cannonau #cannonaudisardegna @docwineshop @docwinebar @cantinacanu @cheezit

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What’s In A Nickname?

Cantina Canu
Deispanta
Vermentino di Gallura DOCG Superiore
Hand harvested
Luogosanto, Sassari, Sardegna, Italy
Family winery; Co-founder: Carla Cualbu

Starlight with green shimmers. Scents of pears, salt floats in, and then there are lilacs, squeeze of lemon & lime, a bundle of rosemary & thyme, and a granitey gravelly touch. Take a sip and it’s delightfully lemony & limey along with a citrus zest, kumquat-lite, slice of pear, and a little more of that granite which turns to sea breeze. Just an ever so welcome easy drinker that’s beckoning me to relax with another glass while basking in the sun.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: eh makes it a little tart

What’s in a name or a nickname for that matter. As a child, somehow I ended up with “Chipmunk Cheeks”. Later as an adult, a friend decided to label me “Shifty” which still makes me 🤔. Anyway, Cantina Canu is a family winery that respects traditions and the generations that came before them and show it in the wine names like Deispanta. Carla’s great-great- grandfather’s nickname was Ispànta (wonderment) since he was quite the amazing fighter of a style I have never heard of before. “S’istrumpa” which means “thrown on the ground” is a traditional style of Sardinian wrestling, that’s a blend of strength and balance. The fighters face each other and start what looks like a bear hug with one arm over a shoulder and the other under an armpit, the tussle until one ends up on the ground with the other on top. Well, now I know when in Sardinia, an embrace might not always be what you expect. 🤼‍♂️

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #istrumpa #italy #Sardegna #Sassari #Luogosanto #Vermentino @docwineshop @docwinebar @cantinacanu @cheezit

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My Kind Of Monster

Il Mostro  (Poggio Anima’s experimental project)
Longana 2020
Rosato Frizzante
Terre Di Chieti IGT
100% Montepulciano
Organic
Abruzzo, Italy
Wine team: Owners: Ronnie Sanders & Lori Simon; Winemaker: Nicola Jasci
Vineyard: Jasci & Marchesani’s Monteodorisio Vineyard

Watermelon ruby with very active bubbles. Creamy joyful start filled with spritz bubbles tickling my nose. There’s lovely watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, a pinch of blueberry, and maybe a little Frankenberry. Sipping watermelon, strawberries, pomegranates, and some very happy bubbles that lead to a little tiny blackberry bramble at the back with the very slightest white pepper.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nope!

Ok, maybe I didn’t read the same children’s fables as the rest of y’all but I had never heard of “Longana”. What an amazing fantastical creature! Part goat, part water creature and most of all part alluring, intelligent, mysterious woman. This isn’t like a Siren that seductively calls you to your demise, even though she has been known to attract/enchant men. Her gift is the ability to communicate with the spirits of nature, which as a winemaker, I think would make a good partner. Maybe that’s why this wine is so addictive! BTW this is one bottle you’ll want to grab a few because you will plow through it and be left longing like I am now. One last thing I want to add, I just realized today how many wines I’ve tried from Vine St. Imports, and well…it’s quite a few to put it lightly. Each and every single one was unique and fabulous, so cheers and raising my glass too you! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Abruzzo #Montepulciano #ilmostro  #PoggioAnima @vsiwine @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Alchemy, Anarchy & Hope

Agricola Cirelli
Wines of Anarchy
Vino Bianco Frizzante
100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfiltered
Abruzzo, Italy
Winemakers: Francesco and Michela Cirelli

Golden with a touch of haze. Well, that’s a welcome nose tingle of pear, pineapples, lemon zest, green apples (touch of cider), allspice, and a mix of a little fresh cut grass (but not that much) & herbal flowers. Sipping those crisp pears and green apples again, with lemon fizzy, young apricots, a pinch of that pineapple, a fresh grassy springiness like a little of my homegrown sorrel, a touch of spice (think pear pie), and roasted almond slivers that just lightly hangs in the back a bit. This stuff rocks!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: darn, darn good

If you have a moment, please go to Agricola Cirelli’s site. Francesco’s eloquent writings that weave images of his beautiful home, vineyard, farm, family, and childhood memories are… how should I put it…he paints with his words. They’re genuine, natural, and beautiful just like the wines. Yeah, yeah there’s a big ol’ tat on the bottle, but just read his words, “When I make wine, I imagine I am an alchemist preparing a magic potion. An antidote to misery, a balm for healing old wounds, a drink that makes us forgive but not forget.” An existential declaration, a message of unconditional love.” This is an elixir we need right now. This is a bottle of revolutionary love, but not just that…this grounds us and gives us hope.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #organic #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Abruzzo #Trebbiano #zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @cirelliwines @cheezit