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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

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Naturally Nudo

Corte Pagliari Verdieri
Vén Crüd
Sabbioneta Rosato IGP
Lambrusco Sobrara
Biodynamic certified
Mantua, Lombardy, Italy
Mimma Vignoli

Deep rosato with a touch of orange (80s magenta) sunrise with fine light pink bubbles, and it deepens the longer it’s open and more electric. Breathing in raspberries, strawberries, mandarin & zest, a touch of cream, Circus Peanuts, light lemon lime squeeze, salt/seltzer, and a dash of white pepper. Sipping those raspberries/strawberries joined with a swish of watermelon & a citrus spark, shake of salt, little white-pepper with a smidge of something green/herby, and an exhale of teeny French breakfast radish. It’s crisp, dry, alive, zingy, and lip vibrating magic.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: it’s everything with more berries

Mimma Vignoli, I absolutely love you! Your passion, integrity, and strength are so inspiring. So glad to be introduced to your Vén Crüd because if I hadn’t I would not been given the chance to hear how you ended up on your vine path (learning about stories like this are why I started worldbyglass). Turns out a few decades ago Mimma took on the responsibility of assisting her MIL (who had lost her husband) with the family farm. She ended up not just going there to help out but to make it grow into a naturally thriving biodiverse grange that also included vines that now produce their wines. Also became a member of the Casalasco Viadanese Organic District (picked as President but not sure how long in office) and associated with like other minded growers, slow food movement, and eating local & seasonal. She and some of the other bio buddies, were even featured in a photography exhibit by Cornelia Schmidt, “Just Conscious” which shall we say is very “au naturale” with a huge dash of fun and makes its naked is beautiful point whether with people, our environment & produce. Check out more of their honest reveals at “Just People”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #lombardy #italy #lambrusco #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #docwinebar #docwineshop #jandamorewines #CortePagliareVerdieri @docwineshop @docwinebar @mimmavignoli

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Refined & Rugged Treasures

Terra di Briganti
Aglianico 2020
Benevento IGT
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts
Casalduni, Campania, Italy
Winemakers: Toni and Romeo De Cicco

Dark maroon ruby. Sniff and there’s cherries, a smooth cream moment, plums, tiny prunes & dried figs, smidge of mom’s chewy’s (kind of like a caramelized brown sugar blondie) that heads into a cured black olive & pit but still smooth, and a sprinkle of oregano. First swig and there’s cherries (freshen & dried), dried cranberries, dark & tart plums, again those oil cured black olives & pits with oregano, as time goes on raspberries & young blueberries, a welcome dark earth bitter depth bite…refined, rugged, and just delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-Its:So darn good

I have officially lost count on how many Terra di Briganti wines I’ve had (in fact I think I’ve tried every single one from Steep Hill Wines), and each has been such an enjoyable treasure. Toni & Romeo’s grandparents held the land in Sannio. but the brothers were actually born in Dortmund, Germany and resided there until their family decided it was time to return to Italy. I’m so glad they did and became so intuned to their land & its history (land of the brigands), vineyards, and the surrounding & nourishing nature. Their wines make the world a brighter, fun, and at times a more elegant place (like this bottle). Now my question for them is who do they cheer for in futbol? Dortmund or….?

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #redwine #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #organic #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #futbol #Italy #Aglianico #Fiano #steephillwine #terradibriganti #docwineshop #docwinebar @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @terradibriganti @cheezit

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Piece Of Heaven

UDO Giardino Agricola
Cajvo 2021 
Col Fondo
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Brut Nature
Sui Lieviti
Glera, Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera
Sustainable, bee keeping, pest control through sexual confusion
Collalto di Susegana,TV, Italy
Federico Ricci

Very pale starlight with a tad green hue and very fine white bubbles tracing designs on the surface. Toasty brioche scents are right there after the cork pops and persists that later is joined by a backed apple & pear tart, daisies & other field flowers & a little light funk that fades, and a little lemon & lime spritz. Now the pour is dancing on my tongue and it’s so delicate & alive yet a bit of a gentle softness, lemon & lime (almost key lime pie reminder) lightly appear, lick of a piece of granite or rock, shake of salt, a trace of a hard pear arrives later along with more of that bakery goodness. Just delicious, crisp, dry, and a little flirty saucy sizzle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: amps all up

I have had “Col Fondo” before but there’s something magical about this bottle. I’m betting it has to do with Federico’s dedication to his varied farm/vineyards that is nestled in all I can describe as a little piece of heaven. The lands are just beautiful, and there’s some barnyard buddies residing too & doing their part. There’s dwarf sheep & ponies, that are adorable but also useful as lawnmowers. Bee keeping, that I know is a labor of love due to watching my great grandfather learn the dances and harmony that can be shared with these little buzzers and how they in our case pollinated our orchards, as in the case here at UDO. Checking out more of their pics and there’s some strutting chickens that from what I can tell make the best eggs due to the color of their yolk (so jealous…yum). Lastly from @udogiardino IG, there’s an endearing moment captured of Federico and his horse. His words sum it up best, “Realization of a dream, a passion I’ve had since I was a kid. Finally I can enjoy the company of my horses daily, take care of them and try to pass on this passion and love to my children.” See just a piece of heaven. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #sparklingwine #colfondo #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #docwinebar #docwineshop @docwineshop @docwinebar @udogiardino

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Family Business

Tenuta Hans Rottensteiner
Eisacktaler Sylvaner 2022
Alto Adige Valle D’Isarco DOC
Bolzano, Italy
Toni (father) & Hannes (son) Rottensteiner and the whole family

Lightest shiny yellow brick road gold. Right out of the gate the scents are full on waving at my nose and saying to come in for another sniff. There’s honeydews, cantaloupes, pears & golden apples, a tangerine & citrus blend (reminds me of a hazy IPA), pine needles (oh I think it’s time to get the ornaments out), eucalyptus, and a bit of muskiness. Oh the is so much more gentle in the taste. Again there’s pears & golden apples, pine, eucalyptus, honeydew, watermelon rind, a much smaller citrus twang, and a little mango/pineapple blend that creeps in the longer it’s resting.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Please do not make me do this…blerg!

At Tenuta Hans Rottensteiner, it’s all about family…the whole big family…men, women, and evidently that also includes their vineyards & grapes. Here’s the views from some of the family from their site. As Toni says, “Wine is like a young child to me. It must always be taken care of so that it can mature to be its best, and can be bottled with pride and joy.” Now that’s a good vino parent. For Hannes, he sees wine a little more creatively magical or mystical, “Wine, the beverage of the gods, would never become that what it is to drink without human intervention, but yet its quality remains entirely dependent on nature, and this is just incredibly exciting to me in all its facets.” For Judith, “wine is family tradition with roots, and the courage to innovate.” Lastly Evi sees it as a joyful moment from being raised in the vines, becoming a sommelier, and now having her own vineyard, she can proudly say for each bottle of achievement “That’s mine!” 

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Sylvaner #Italy #massanois #docwinebar #docwineshop #rottensteiner @massanois @docwineshop @docwinebar @rottensteiner.wine

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A Woven History

Quartomoro di Sardegna
Òrriu
Caòr
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC
Red Wine
Marrubiu, Sardegna, Italy
Low intervention, indigenous yeast, unfined & unfiltered
Winemaking couple: Piero Cella & Luciana Baso, and their children Alberto & Violante

Deep yet bright ruby/garnet. There’s all sorts of lovely scents like Mission figs, cherries, a touch of Oreo cream, bowl of berries blend: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries; light balsamic reduction, and orange zest. Sipping away and there’s cherries, dark plums, prunes & dried figs, a teeny pine resin, red currants, blend of citrus zest with mostly orange, and again that bowl of berries with balsamic reduction which is just crying for a good steak. It’s delicious…not too heavy, not too light, just right.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: so smooth

Every time I meet a Quartomoro wine it reveals something new. I’ve had wines from their Òrriu collection but hadn’t looked into what that word would mean in Sardinian, which is to “ weave, weft, warp”. From their IG, “The wines of this line are the intersection of tradition and innovation. The threads that make up them are biodiversity, knowledge of man, passion, dreams and tradition.” Of course I wasn’t just going to stop there, I needed to find out more of Sardinia’s historic tradition of hand weaving beautiful tapestries, carpets, etc that had almost been lost. The fine detailed work is so beautiful. I was just reading that if a weaver loses count of the “pibiones” they have to backtrack to the last section they remember. My box of squirrels brain probably would not be very good at keeping track of something so intricate. If you want to check out some of their work and the women keeping it alive, check out the documentary by @sardinianarts Kelly Manjula Koza  “I Want to Weave the Weft of Time”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #redwine #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass  #redwine #cannonau #sardinia #sardegna #italy #steephillwines #docwinebar #docwineshop #quartomorodisardegna #quartomoro @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @quartomoro

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Raised To Appreciate

Frank Cornelissen
Susucaru 2022
Rosato
Terre Siciliane IGP
Malvasia, Moscadella, Cattaratto, Nerello Mascalese
Organic, unfined
Etna (North Valley), Sicily, Italy

Deep magenta rose with a cork that gave me a battle, but I won. Scents start emerging of a blend of raspberry, strawberry & cherries, and it has a lot of depth. There’s also a straw of hay (that fades), smoke, black pepper, and orange & lemon squeeze and zest. Sipping and tart fruit flavors of cherry, blood orange & lemon, along with yellow plums, young strawberries, raspberries, red currants, watermelon Jolly Rancher, and a shake of white pepper. It’s crisp and glou glou worthy.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NOPE

Frank Cornelissen’s father is who led him to fall in love with wine by letting him take a sip (at a young age), taught him to appreciate a good glass, and eventually let him start picking bottles at their local shop. Makes total sense that this Belgian would land in Sicily and purchase hectares of ungrafted vines on the slopes of Mt. Etna, and dedicate himself to working obsessively organic and as natural as possible. In fact, he’s so committed to his environment and all that live in it that his site also has instructions on how to go about recycling everything from the bottle, the closure, label, case and pallet. His “Susucaru” Rosato is a very special wine, not only for how delicious it is but also for its name. Turns out in their local Sicilian it translates to “they stole it” which happened to a good part of the grapes from Frank’s first vintage. I wonder if the thieves were 2 footed, 4 or of the winged variety. Hmmmm? 🤔

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #rosato #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #organic #winetime #worldbyglass #Sicily #italy #zevrovineselections #Susucaru #FrankCornelissen #docwinebar #docwineshop @zevrovineselections @frankcornelissen_winery @docwinebar @docwineshop

 

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Leaving An Imprint

Casa do Valle
Homenagem
Rosso 2016
Reserva
Vinho Regional Minho
Sousao, Touriga Nacional, Merlot, etc
Organic, hand harvested
Cabeceiras de Basto, Portugal
Sousa Botelho family: Luis Botelho Cameira

Inky deep purple with a maroon rim. Trust me don’t accidentally spill this on your shirt…don’t be me. After the clean up, breathing in plums, prunes, deep cherries (dried & fresh), a little creaminess like an Oreo center, nutmeg & allspice, tiny bit of black pepper, and as time goes by a mix of berries tumbling through, and a woodsy oak touch that is one I can go with because it’s like Goldilocks would say “just right”. Sip and all of the scents are here with a smooth operator feel, orange zest, and what I at first think is just a creaminess that for a bit is a little coconut. Berries pop out including raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cranberries, black currants, and probably others too; a touch of alpine herbal (Ricola), and a single pine needle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: delicious and brings out an orange sizzle

Each vintage of Homenagem, is a lovely way for this winemaking family to pay homage & honor their father & grandfather, who passionately paved the way for their winery’s growth, developed their expansion through exporting, and overall success. What a delicious way to be memorialized! Cheers to all the generations and raising a glass to your future! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #redwine #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass # Portugal #docwinebar #docwineshop #casadovalle @massanois @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Sometimes Older Is Better

Quartomoro di Sardegna
BVL
Memorie di Vite 2019
Isola dei Nuraghi IGT
Red Wine
Bovale Grande
Arborea, Sardegna, Italy
Low intervention, Alberello vine-training, indigenous yeast, unfined & unfiltered
Winemaking couple: Piero Cella & Luciana Baso, and their children Alberto & Violante

Stained glass garnet. Oh this smells so good! There’s cherries, plums, prunes, dried cranberries & a warm spice I can’t quite place, just picked berry jumble, fresh rained on granite, and a puff of smoke that turns into cola. Sipping and again cherries & cranberries (both tart & ripe), plums & prunes, and over time a raspbluestrawblackberry mix, smidge of olive pit, and a little coffee on the back with a touch of lovely balsamic reduction. There’s a brightness that’s also bold and just plain happy, and over time grows into a bottled Valentine so take note for next February. Hint, hint…I’d rather have this than a box of chocolates.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: all the cherries & berries joyfully grow

You may have noticed but I love Quartomoro’s wines and have never ever had one that didn’t fill me with the urge to book a plane ticket and visit them in person (I swear I will one of these days). This BVL was a gift from a dear friend, and it introduced me to a new grape to check off my list. I’ve encountered Bovale Sardo but never Bovale Grande, which long ago came to Sardegna via Spaniards. These ungrafted vines were planted back in 1925, and evidently the older the vine the better. Hmmm maybe that will be my new mantra about my life since my birthday is looming in about a month. 🤣 Seriously though, these old vines could only produce this beauty of a wine with the loving care and hard work of Piero & Luciana, their family & their whole team. Cheers to once again bringing the world a bottle of pure pleasure.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #redwine #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #bovale #redwine #sardinia #sardegna #italy #docwinebar #docwineshop#quartomorodisardegna #quartomoro @quartomoro @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Just One More Sip

Azienda Crocizia
Balós 2020
Emilia IGT
100% Pinot Nero
Organic, as little intervention in the cellar as possible
Emilia, Italy
Marco Rizzardi

Squished raspberry & strawberry rosiness. Sniff and it all changes over time but starts out tart not quite ripe strawberries & raspberries, dried cherries & cranberries, bit of earthy depth & forest floor, and a pinch of salt. First taste it’s a cocktail of all the berries then leading to tart cherry, dark plum, that bit of earth again with a smidge of smoke, little lemon squeeze, a lick of a salty rock, a straw of hay way in the back that later turns into a bit of balsamic, and a little sizzle on the tongue.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: brings out more berries and smooths it all out

Marco Rizzardi rescued a little farm from abandonment, rebuilt and nurtured it into the small organic-bio vineyard it is now with the greatest of respect and care. He also has a bit of fun with the names for his bottles, like “Balós” and it’s a fitting moniker. So I’m told it’s “by name and by nature, the trickster who deceives you”, or a “cunning scoundrel who will not leave you alone” & lures you into another sip, then another, and next thing you know the whole bottle is “poof” magically gone! ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #sparklingwine #petnat #wineislove #winetime #organic #Italy #docwinebar #docwineshop #crocizia #winemc2 @crocizia @winemc2 @docwinebar @docwineshop