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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

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Perfect Pairing/Partnership

Caruso & Minini
Terre di Giumara
Zoli
Inzolia
Terre Siciliane IGP
Sustainable
Sicily, Italy
Wine team: Stefano Caruso & Mario Minini (co-founders), and Giovanna & Rosanna (Stefano’s daughters)

Light yet bright yellow green shimmer. Breathing in peaches & their blossoms, magnolias & lillies, touch of melon, round pears & apples, oddly a fresh picked Scuppernong smell I remember from my grandfather’s vines, and a smidge of grapefruit. Sip, swish and here comes white peaches, a little honeydew, pears, a splash of pineapple & mango along with that floral again, lick of a mineral rock & it goes dry, citrus starts to emerge (lemon, lime, tangelo), a teeny bit of oregano.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: perfect

The Caruso family had a history of cultivating grapes to sell, then later to bottle in the 90s, but it took the latest two generations (Stefano & his daughters) to step everything up. Also Stefano partnered up with Mario Minini (hence their winery’s name) & utilized his experience in sales & marketing to bring them to their current success. Now their wines reach more than 30 countries, and that’s pretty exciting since now we all have a chance to taste their bit of Sicily without having to board a flight. ✈️❤️

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

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Manners Maketh The Wine

Tenuta Belvedere
WAI
Moscato 2021
Provincia di Pavia IGT
Natural wine, organic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, “just flip the bottle a little not too much”
Montacalvo Versiggia, Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardia, Italy
Winemakers: Federica & Gianluca Cabrini

Shimmering gold with tiny bubbles. Right out of the gate and headed for my nose are pears & golden apples, yeasty moments of fresh out of the oven goodness, hyacinth, a touch of mango, pineapple & honeydew, and a salty breeze on the back with a pinch of white pepper. Sipping and all of the scents are there in the taste and a bit more honeydew with a pinch of some spice that I’m trying to place. I know it’s pepper related but a warmth that grows like ginger sprinkle…that’s it! Also a short scrape of lime zest and it’s all so crisp and lovely.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: beautiful bursts of fruit

Oh Tenuta Belvedere, you continue to make life brighter. Have lost count on how many of your wines I’ve tried and you never fail to deliver a beautiful bottle. There’s something I never thought to question before is why, WAI? Turns out it’s a simple answer. Gianluca’s MIL liked the Thai traditional greeting. How fitting for such a friendly and welcoming sparkler. Did you know there are 3 levels of Wai? Honestly, I didn’t until this glass led me to these lessons in politeness. For an etiquette tutorial check out this video: Learn Thai Culture | How to “wai” like a Thai ไหว้อย่างสวยงามแบบไทย ๆ

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #moscato #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Italy #Lombardia #oltrepopavese #steephillwine @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @belvederewine @cheezit

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Rock On!

Ruge
L’Essenziale 2021
Prosecco Col Fondo
Colli Trevigiani IGT
Glera
Old school natural re-fermentation in the bottle, hand harvested, unfiltered, member of ColFondo Agricolo
Valdobbiadene, Italy
The Ruggeri brothers (Ruggero and Andrea)

Yellow with green hints and lots of fine active bubbles. First up are creamy yeasty fresh baked scents followed by a pears & mellow apple blend, touch of lychee as it opens, and over time a teeny very light citrus tingle in the way back…it’s beautifully light & dainty. Sipping and all the scents & creaminess are right there…gentle, free and as it grows more full with a little more of a lemon/lime crisp tingle in a good way, and a crumble of sugar cookie with a pinch of salt. Just a dreamy, enchanting glass of bubble love that has enough edge can pair with some good ol’ rock n roll.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Not tonight

Ruggero & Andrea have designated themselves as “guardians” for their land, and what a beautiful rich, green, sloping vision it is. As in their own words, “We have the duty to transfer a little of the wonderful landscape in which we live into the glasses.” L’ Essenziale completely transports you to their history (how it’s made & etc) and celebrates their native grape. It also links you to a group (ColFondo Agricola) unified under 10 winemaking commandments, secondary fermentation in the bottle, and the sparklers being able to pass a blind tasting & seal of approval before they can carry the project’s logo on the back label. Oh and it doesn’t hurt if you like a little head banging to AC/DC, to join this sparky band of vintners. 🎸🤘Rock on!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #sparklingwine #prosecco #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Valdobbiadene #RugeValdobbiadene #italy #organic #acdc #jandamorewines @colfondoagricolo @docwinebar @docwineshop

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“It’s A Kind Of Magic”

La Masera
Anima 2020
100% Erbaluce
Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG
Organic
Settimo Rottaro, Italy
Alessandro, Gian Carlo, Davide, Sergio and Marco

Just like that good old yellow green crayon but shining. Breathing in white flowers & blossoms, mix of green apples, a  little green grass, firm crisp pears, a little bubbling citrus spark with a savory herb bundle with sage, thyme, & more, and of course my old familiar of that mineral spring house. Oooh this is delicious! Tasting green apples, pears, light honeysuckle, a sprig of fresh cut grass, a salt rim, and that same herb & mineral hit again. This is gentle, delicate and adventurous at the same time, and as it opens in the heat of tonight it blooms & shows its beauty.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: it’s ok but better on its own

Once upon a time there were five boys/friends that watched their elders revel & devote themselves to the growth & creation of an elixir, “Erbaluce Passito”, and well…it stuck. They did grow up, find their place in the world, but their minds circled back to that happy reminder from their childhood, or as they say “with our project we try to replicate those ancient gestures to give new life to that wonder of taste and inner search that springs out of a Settimo Rottaro Erbaluce Passito glass …”  Oh, to have a chance to recapture the past, harness a dream and make it real. Just like their native jewel of a grape…it’s a kind of magic!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #piedmont #italy #organic #queen #freddiemercury @lamasera.wine @omniwines @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Nothing Can Be So Beautiful

Vini Conestabile della Staffa
Rustico 2020
Umbria Rosso IGT
100% Sangiovese
Organic
Monte Melino, Italy
Winegrower & maker: Danilo Marcucci

Ruby…think deep stained glass like Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Breathing in scents of cherry, plum, a dash of good funk then violets, mini roses, a slight vanilla touch, and a mix of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and as it says a rustic vibe. Tasting and it starts off tart & alive with cherries & plums, oil cured olive pits, dried crushed herb blend maybe tarragon & thyme, smoke, black & white pepper, juicy blackberries, red currants, tart & fresh green & pink strawberries, and a wood shaving from my grandfather’s shop.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: deliciously smooth

Y’all know how much I love wine, but it’s also the tales, the history, and what draws people to work the vines. Reading about Danilo Marcucci on SelectioNaturel’s site and they write he’s the first to say this is his wife’s land and “he is merely a guest, married to the vines and his wife Alessandra’s noble lineage” (dating back to the Middle Ages w an arranged marriage in the 1700s sealing the families’ deal). He just rebooted everything, and was lucky that chemicals were never used on the land, since he’s been called “Italy’s Lord of Natural Wine”. He learned from old school masters after being introduced to a glass of nature, and his philosophy is “No chemistry in the vineyard, no technology in the cellar.” Sometimes keeping it all about nothing can make everything oh so beautiful.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass  #organic #sustainable #Umbria #Italy #viniconestabile #selectionaturel @viniconestabile @selectionaturel @docwinebar @docwineshop

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What A Wonderful World

Cantine Benvenuto
Zibibbo 2021
100% Zibibbo di Pizzo
Calabria Bianco IGP
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, native yeasts
Francavilla Angitola, Italy
Giovanni Benvenuto

Yellow green shining light. Sniffing and wow! There’s melons (honeydew with a bit of cantaloupe & more), pears, peaches, lemon soda & citrus blend with a touch of tangelo, a whole bed of flowers including a heady bit of wisteria & magnolia, dusting of vanilla/Oreo cream filling, and a lovely lush & lingering memory of a night filled with amore. All of those scents are there in the taste but a bit more festive & floral with a musky melon, a cream feel evened out with that citrus lemony lime-arita zing with a salty rim, and a gentle touch of our old cool spring house (sans salamanders). Just so good!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: crisps it all up so depends on your mood

Zibibbo di Pizzo has one passionate champion and protector in Giovanni Benvenuto. After his studies in agronomy, he returned to his grandfather’s land and treated it (and still does) in the natural reverent way it deserved…going organic and sustainable. He’s also joined in his/their cause with a few other growers/winemakers (aka “I vignaioli dell’Angitola”) to resurrect, rebirth & keep this ancient grape (Zibibbo) flourishing. Honestly if there was a fan club for this grape, I’d be more than happy to join because this wine is flirtatious, romantic, just makes me so happy, and reminds me that beautiful experiences like this show me that we do live in “What A Wonderful World”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #sustainable #worldbyglass  #Italy #whatawonderfulworld #NickCave #ShaneMacGowan #Calabria #Zibibbo #jandamorewines @cantinebenvenuto @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Modena Magic

Torre Tusini
Petnè
Lambrusco
Sparkling wine
Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Rosy berry orange magenta dappled sunset (sailor’s delight!) with teeny white bubbles. Floating upward to my nose at first is a beautiful creaminess, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberry, blueberries, heck…all the ripe berries! Also a splash of cherry & plum, that Easter morning scent of a bag of jelly beans being popped open (Hoppity, hoppity down that trail) and some fresh cut really ripe red watermelon. Those same scents are right there in the taste with a bite of lemon spitz, with a lick of watermelon Jolly Rancher on the exhale, and all that fruit flows in the taste yet crisp & dry at the same time. Best of both worlds and this is a really good bottle on this steamy night.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delightful and sparky

As I’ve said before, Modena, what a city of magic. Is it something in their water (or maybe the famous Balsamic vinegar) that births great artists in multiple fields, such as Luciano Pavarotti, Enzo Ferrari, and Massimo Bottura? Now from this label I’ve learned of another, Ernesto Maranesi and “his writings… ‘Il Piccolo Vocabolario del Dialetto Modenese’ is a work of great historical and cultural value…he guides us to discover the expressions and idioms of the local dialect, providing a valuable testimony of the richness of the language spoken by ordinary people in the Modena area.” ❤️ the play of the name “Petnè” which led me to think of pét-nat, but as I found in the small type from Maranessi’s dialectology studies tucked down the side of this bottle, “Petnèr – Pettinare. Ravviare i capelli. -Petnerès Pettinarsi. Fig. Accapigliarsi, accapellarsi, acciuffarsi. Pigliarsi a capelli.” it’s more about styling or combing hair and maybe even getting caught up in it. Now I wonder which “do” would I rather get tangled up in while sipping this glass…Mohawk, Beehive or Flapper? What’s your vote?

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #winetime #worldbyglass  #petnat #torrretusini #modena #Italy  #usawineimports @torre.tusini @docwinebar @docwineshop

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“Get On Your Bikes And Ride”

Tenuta San Marcello
Movimento 2021
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico
100% Verdicchio
Organic, sustainable, and indigenous yeasts
Marche, San Marcello, Ancona, Italy
Winemaker: Massimo Palmieri

Golden spun hay. Breathing in pears, pineapple, mango, citrus oomph (like a good IPA), a little hey, hey, hay & cool wet slate, and a little mace with a smidge of crushed coriander. Sipping and here comes ripe fat bottomed pears, mango, pineapple splash, on the exhale a little fresh oregano, then next up are yellow ripe plums & a little twang that the skins give (just enough not overpowering), and after time a sliver of starfruit. Fresh, easy going, and I could sip this all afternoon swaying in a hammock under a tree.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: goes musky and loses the finesse & beauty

Tenuta San Marcello’s wines have always been a delight. I’ve written before about how Massimo & Pascale Palmieri left the city for a country, natural lifestyle. Massimo did have a lot of wine studying to do, and reached out to a specialist in soil and crops and also an oenologist. Trial, error and reflection on his grandfather’s love of making wine for family and friends, spurred him on to his beautiful bottles filled with heart and emotion. You can also get a chance to experience this life/dream they’ve built through their “Agriturismo e Cantina con Cucina”. Stay a while, learn the organic/sustainable ways, have some traditional meals, and of course enjoy the wines or as they call it, “Magic potion that transforms people in more attractive ones and stupid ideas in brilliant ideas”. I love that quote. You also might even meet the donkeys, and if catch sight of the one on the label, please send me a pic, join in and “Get on your bikes and ride”!

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #winetime #worldbyglass #donkey #organic #Agriturismo #naturalwine #Marche #SanMarcello #Ancona #Italy @cheezit @steephillwine @tenutasanmarcello @docwineshop @docwinebar