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Take A Hike

Fabulas
Fortitudo 2023
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOP
100% Montepulciano
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable, hand harvested, sheep in the vines
Pretoro, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
Nico Ciavalini & partners

Strawberry rose sunrise. Sniffing and there’s strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries, cool mineral river rock, pomegranate juice, red currants, and a touch of balsamic reduction…truly just a touch. Sipping away and all of the scents with a dribble of blackberry, a little blood orange on the back, yellow plums, and it’s juicy, fresh, lively, and so easy to drink so be careful or the whole bottle will be gone in a flash.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Just don’t…step away from the bag

Fabulas’ vines grow within Majella National Park (a UNESCO Global Geopark) and their bottles represent 7 female warriors of the region, mythical tales, history, and traditions. Fortitudo weaves the stories of bandits (briganti) that used to roam the mountainside, caves, etc. and taunt the authorities/soldiers by carving messages into Tavola dei Briganti (limestone slabs) like this quote, “Read my memoirs my dear readers. In 1820 Victor Emanuel, King of Italy, was born. Before 1860, this was the kingdom of flowers, now it’s the kingdom of poverty.” You can still see these marks of resistance and others from shepherds inscribing their names to live on through time. All you need to do is just take a hike, enjoy a moment of peace in nature, and follow in the footsteps of days long past.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #catsofinstagram #cats #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #abruzzo #Italy #tedwardwines #Fabulas #fabulasbio #docwinebar #docwineshop

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You Don’t Have To Break The Bank

Vallevò
Costa Dei Trabocchi 2023
Terre Di Chieti IGT
Rosato
100% Montepulciano
Rocca San Giovanni, Abruzzo, Italy
Coop technical director: Gianni Pasquale

Sunset rose-pink orange stained-glass (in the 80s would be coral). Sniffing watermelon, strawberries, crushed cherries, grapefruit-light, orange zest, fresh tarragon and some other herbal whiff that I can’t put a name on but maybe marjoram. All of the scents are in the taste with a good squeeze of lime tingle on my lips & tongue, and just fresh & freewheeling.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Nope…don’t ruin a good thing

Vallevò’s line is a part of the co-op winery Cantina Frentana that proves you can have a very, very good wine that doesn’t have to break the bank. There was an importer/distributor (before taking them on) who had doubts when hearing the price point from a group of Italian winemakers checking out CA wineries. They met again at Vintaly and this time there were bottles to taste and those doubts fluttered away. Other than the wine the label also piqued my curiosity as to what is this seaside structure? Turns out it’s called a trabocco that’s an old fishing platform with long wooden rods which held fishing nets that can be raised and lowered by winches. Now you’ll often find they’ve been adapted from their original use into restaurants where you can dine on delights from the sea & local fare and feel the breeze & waves rock you into a peaceful summer afternoon. Oh and from what I read, make sure you make a reservation way in advance or you’ll miss out on the 🦪🦑🦐.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #rosato #abruzzo #wineemporium  #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Rebel Angels

Velenosi
Prope 2021
100% Montepulciano
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Hand harvested
Vineyards located in the district of Controguerra
Winery: Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy
Wine Team: Ercole & Angela Velenosi, Filippo Carli & Luca Fioravanti (winemakers), and more

Deep inky ruby purple. Sniff and there are scents of dark cherries & plums, some tart cherries too, roses, violets & a little iris, smidge of coriander & cardamom (maybe some toasted too), touch of tobacco, and dried figs & cherries. Tasting cherries & plums tart & smooth, a  dried mix of cherrplulmfiggycot, blackberries, red & black currants, a pinch of black pepper with a teeny bit of cardamom, a little singed blood orange zest in the back, and not so dark but not so sweet chocolate.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: tangy crunchy good

Velenosi creates wines from Marche & Abruzzo and their lands are so near but divided by just a small border between them. Hence the name for their Prope wines which translates from Latin into “close to”. As they say on their site, “Wine is an art capable of making people dream”. These Abruzzo dreams are depicted on their labels & they “chose the inspiration of Osvaldo Licini, a local painter. He is just like Montepulciano: they both represent the true nature of the territory. Licini, a melancholy rebel, depicts gigantic angels riding horses fluttering between the ground and the sky which upon meeting their own reflection or their kindred spirit free themselves in space and time, holding each other’s hands as if dancing. It was love at first sight with Licini and also with his rebel angels which we have chosen for Prope. These angels partly represent us and partly belong to us.” Cheers to these rebellious angels and everyone that keeps this artistic wine dream alive.🍷🪽♥️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #montepulciano #baronfrancois #Velenosi #docwinebar #docwineshop

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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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To Sip…To Dream

Velenosi
Brecciarolo 2018
Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore
Company owned vineyards located in the districts of Offida and Ascoli Piceno
Montepulciano 70%, Sangiovese 30%
Hand harvested
Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy
Wine Team: Ercole & Angela Velenosi, Dr. Paolo Garbini, Filippo Carli & Luca Fioravanti (winemakers), and more

Bright ruby. Breathing in full on cherries & plums, dainty roses, vanilla, and a bit of warming spice. Lovely sipper of cherries fresh and dried, dark plums, dates with a teeny black pepper, and a rustic yet juicy vibe. Very friendly charmer that is ready to hang out with you and a good book right now.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: perfect but I’d even rather have a lamb chop

“Wine is an art capable of making people dream”…so very true (I’m not talking about those visions when you’ve had a few too many). This bottle is like a painting that is being created as you sip. Yes, it captures the history of the land and takes you on a little tour of tradition, but it also is filled with a modern brushstroke of innovation and everything merges together in harmony. Thank goodness it isn’t a NFT! For those of you that know me well, you know how I feel about them even in the wine world. 🙄

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #italy #Marche #Montepulciano #Sangiovese #NFT #art @viaswine @docwineshop @docwinebar @velenosivini @cheezit

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The Beauty Of The Blend

Budwood
Red Bluff 2020
Contra Costa County
Montepulciano 50%, “hodgepodge” field blend 50%
Sustainable, own-root vines, dry farmed
Clarksburg, CA
Winemaker: Matt Cline

A glass of chilled shining ruby. Fresh scents emerge of strawberry and bright cherry…next up as it opens is a mellow cherry Twizzler smell or raspberry jelly beans (light and not overpowering), and at last a tart tingle. Oh this is delightful to sip (don’t gulp even though you want to because this is waaaay easy to drink). There’s cherries, strawberries, cranberries, a pinch of dark like a cherry pit and a splash of tart with a blade of grass. This is a joyfully juicy, zingy, and big beautiful blended kiss! 😘

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: darn perfect

Matt Cline has had his hands in the vines for decades such as Cline Cellars, Trinitas Cellars, and Three Wine Company (with his wife Erin), and through it all he has been dedicated to a love for old vines. Contra Costa’s history of these ancient growths stems back to Italians, Spaniards, and other immigrants bringing over their rootstock that wasn’t hit by phylloxera. Budwood is Matt’s project celebrating these historic grapes and the old steamboat named “Red Buff” ‘that carried farmers and grapevine budwood through CA’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’. Also side note, he’s the grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi…yes that Jacuzzi family.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #sustainable #Montepulciano #redblend #fieldblend #dryfarmed #dryfarmwines #Clarksburg #CA #contracostacounty #MattCline @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Rosato, Rosè and Roses

Tenuta I Fauri
Baldovino 2018
Rosato
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy
Montepulciano 100%
Sustainable farming
Winemaking family: Luigi and Valentina Di Camillo (brother and sister)

This is a cherry red Rosè. Elegant fresh breath of flowers and more specifically roses. Cherry and strawberries start to pop in too, the more it warms. Delicious swig that has my tastebuds dancing. Definitely cherry, plummy and strawberry sweetness. It’s fruity but not overwhelming. It’s more refreshing, oh and something floral in the taste too. Wait something woody nutshell emerges, but not bad. The more I think about it, it’s almond and not the shell. Been eating quite a few when we were locked down. Yes, I do eat other things than just Cheez-It’s.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: say goodbye to the almond and hello to a gush of fruit

Tenuta I Fauri was founded in 1978 by Domenico Di Camillo (Luigi and Valentina’s dad). This is another lovely story, of a family falling in love with wine and passing it down the generations. Also brother and sister both studied oenology and then came aboard the family business. Quite the power team with some great PR. They were picked by Forbes back in 2019 as one of five small wine producers to watch. From this bottle alone, I can definitely see why.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @tenuta.ifauri @wineberry.newyork @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #italy #chieti #abruzzo #rosè #rosato #rose #montepulciano #tenutaifauri