Ticket Booked

Finca Casa Balaguer
La Rambla del Peligres 2020
100% Garancha
Organic, biodynamic, hand harvested
Villena, Alicante, Spain
Winemaker: Andrés Carull

Dark cherry with a little violet hues and blue pops. Breathing in and there’s raspberries, a light creamy moment, dark cherries & Twizzlers, tiny delicate roses & irises mixed with red plums, and some oomph earth dragged in with a pinch of white pepper, and something a little green. Rolling it around in my mouth it’s bursting with cherries, raspberries, very ripe & also green strawberries & the greenness of their caps & stem, a drop of pomegranate, blackberry,  boysenberry, violets & their leaves (day 2 a bit of hyssop appears), singed orange peel that has my lips tingling, and as it opens it is so lovely juicy and blueberries join in. Can you tell how much I LOVE this bottle?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes everything more velvet

Finca Casa Balaguer is Andrés Carull & Marta Ribera’s small family winery, and boy is it all natural (my 2nd wine by them). After a surprising encounter with a natural wine during a trip to France in 2008, they were hooked or as they say seduced by its magical power. They only work with local varieties to enhance the true feel and taste of their lands, and keep it biodynamic and organic. And their own words sum their passion beautifully, “Immerse yourself in a world, from which you have no escape. When you enter the world of natural wines, wines made with nothing but fermented grape juice, no additives and no makeup, you won’t want to escape. There is no way back. We can tell you from experience. The lasting memory of these wines is not stored in the mind, but in the heart.” They also say that wine has a way of “teleporting” you so you can “travel by glass” to visit their wonderful part of the world, which is hey, a statement as you can tell…I fully believe. Consider my ticket booked.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #wineoclock #redwine #cheezit #worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #sustainable #biodynamic #organic #Garancha #Alicante #Spain @casabalaguer @selectionsdelavina @cheezits @docwineshop @docwinebar

From Vineyard To Your Glass

Vinica
Morgia Lafesta 2016
Terre degli Osci Rosso IGT
Tintilia 50%, Aglianico 50%
Ripalimosani, Molise, Italy
Organic, indigenous yeasts, dry farmed, green manure, hand picked, not filtered, & NO chemicals
Owner: Rodolfo Gianserra, Agronomist & winemaker: Pierluigi Cocchini, Company’s administrator: Giuseppe Tudino

Dark plum with a ruby rim. Breathing in plums, prunes, dried and fresh cherries, tiny pops of blueberry, a poof of that iron smell of a very rare bloody steak, and a faint scent of lilac. First sip and this is damn elegant and rustic in a good way and now “Leather and Lace” is stuck my head (at least it’s a well loved song). There’s cherries, that iron taste that makes you want to embrace the wild side, blackberries, dried cranberries, and an earthy depth that doesn’t take it all over but just enhances all the flavors. It’s a beautiful dance of the two grapes.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: ooh tasty love
Side note: Really really good with @milkbarstore Chocolate Birthday Truffle Crumb Cakes

For those of you that may have not seen my post from 3/15/21, let me introduce or reintroduce you to Vinica or VI.NI.CA. …established in 2007 by the above 3 guys, & the name came from Rodolfo’s 3 kids: Vittorio, Nicholas & Carola. I love all I’m reading about how they took abandoned land & created this beautiful pure farm/vineyard of 220 hectares (30 hectares for the vineyards, the rest are farm & woodland). They say the only ingredient they have added is healthy grapes. Well, I’m sure they aren’t thinking of the other ingredients of hard work & love. Also there’s more to love than just their grapes, olives, and all the vegetables on their farm. This family cares also about how the wine gets to you and what trace is left behind on this world. Instead of traditional corks, they have found 2 innovative ways to preserve their wines. For their white, rosé & oranges they use Stelvin screw caps, and their reds are protected with ArdeaSeal (evidently has links in it’s project stage to MIT). These final steps in the bottling process ensure their motto ”from the vineyard to your glass”. 🍷❤️

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #stevienicks #donhenley #winestagram #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #Tintilia #Aglianico #agricolavinica #Molise #Italy @agricolavinica.it @steephillwine @antosicurezza @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

46 + 46 + 13 = ???

Southold Farm + Cellar
Basics of Life 2019
Red blend
Touriga Nacional 46%, Dolcetto 46%, Mataro 13%  (It’s what it says on the bottle)
Native yeasts, unfined, unfiltered
Texas Hill Country
Fredericksburg, Texas

Hazy ruby plum. Scents bouncing around of raspberries, cherries…(sound of car wheels screech!!!) holy crap! It’s filled with hay and vinegar. Sip and oh lord! Sigh…hoping my next encounter is better. I should have taken the back label as a sign since it’s 105% grapes. 🤣 For the record, I’ve had other Southold wines that have been absolutely fab, but sadly this was just an off bottle. Hey, it happens 🤷‍♀️

#wine #naturalwine #winelife #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #TourigaNacional #Dolcetto #Mataro @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #redwine #Texas

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe

Fatalone
Teres Primitivo 2020
Primitivo Racemi 100%
Puglia IGT
Organic, sustainable, solar power, dry farmed
Gioia delle Colle, Puglia, Italy

Brilliant shining stained glass cranberry and cherry cocktail mix. Pull the cork and it’s butterscotch that merges into a basket of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and add in some gentle cherry. As it grows there’s a teeny tiny reminder of my Great-Aunt Parnice’s buttercream frosting. She was such an amazing professional baker and never failed to make me a special December birthday cake of green velvet which were occasionally decorated with my Star Wars action figures. Han and Leia just had to deal with frosting on their shoes. Sipping and oh this is just delicious! I almost don’t want to think and just enjoy. Opened at 58F but could even have a little more chill if it’s warm outside. There’s cherries and it’s full of bouncing berries. You know like strawberries (fresh and a smidge preserves), blueberries, raspberries, a little tart plum (that would go great in a cobbler) with a spark in the back of something herby. Can you tell I’m in full holiday mode?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: richer with a bit of dried fruit

This is my 2nd Fatalone, and again it’s another “Great Seducer” (check out previous post). It pairs well with kissing the dishy brooding one you’ve had your eye on under the mistletoe…or if that’s not in the picture this year, hang onto the bottle (chill it a little more) till the seasons gets warmer again when you can do a cannonball in the pool. Either way, I am still fascinated with their piping in classical music and nature sounds (wind, rustling leaves, rain, and birdsongs) into their soundproofed cellar for the sake of the micro flora. They believe the soft vibrations will improve its activity. Hey post this hectic holiday rush, I could use a few hours alone sitting in the dark with all that ambiance too. Sounds so peaceful, dreamy and relaxing…and I think I’ll open up a bottle while drifting in the cave too. 🍷

#wine #holidaywine #holidays #Primitivo #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Puglia #Apulia #organic #sustainable #Fatalone @FataloneWines @bonvivantimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Magical Cranberry Memories

Domaine Philippe Tessier
Chemin Noir 2020
VDF
100% Pineau d’Aunis
Organic (Ecocert certified), native yeasts
Cheverny, France
Winemakers: Simon (son) Tessier and Philippe (father, who handed over the reigns in 2020)

This color reminds me of those oh so coveted antiques “cranberry glass”. Breathing in cherries, wild plums and a touch of their blossoms, some earth/forest floor that flees, then there’s a little mace and black pepper. Tasting those cherries and plums again joined by cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, squish of lime, orange zest and very welcomed pinch of black pepper. There’s also a little earthy funky with snap of picked by the roadside blackberries and their seeds. You know when you’re rambling through the brambles and getting stuck all over but it’s so worth to just eat in the sun and the juice streaming down your chin. Yet all of it is light and dancing and magical like something brought to you by a wood sprite.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: meh, I like it better without…some of the magic is dampened.

So pleased to meet you Pineau d’Aunis (sometimes called “Chenin Noir” even though DNA now shows y’all are not related). Your personality has jogged so many childhood memories from staring at the “cranberry glass” in my mother’s glassware cabinet (that I was not allowed to even breathe on) to the idyllic days of wild berry picking. Glad that Philippe Tessier decided to experiment and add you to a little plot back in 2011, and his son Simon is tending to you now. As the Tessier family believe, “We defend peasant, artisanal, honest and sincere viticulture. A wine must be the expression of the place where it comes from, the reflection of the climatic conditions of the year and a little of the winegrower”. If you want to find an honest snapshot of the vintages through the years check out their notes on their site: https://philippetessier.fr/notre-savoir-faire#lmv

#wine #winelover #redwine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #pineaudaunis #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #Cheverny #Loire #France #domainephilippetessier #philippetessier @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Zing, Pow, Pop!

Amós Bañeres
Hey! 2019
DO Penedès
60% Macabeu, 40% Xarel·lo
Biodynamic, hand harvested, native yeasts
Penedès, Spain
Winemaker: Amós Bañeres

Warm dark golden that shifts to orange skin-contact. Whiffs of apples, pears, and something herbal like fresh cuttings of Italian parsley…or as it opens more like an apple twig freshly stripped of its bark. Keep going and there’s lime zest and wet granite blended with light spring plum blossoms. First sip is a zing, pow pop! Crisp sharp apples and pears (green Anjou) rush in with lime and a little of Christmas kumquat coming from my days as a little kid anxiously awaiting to see what would be in my stocking the next morning. Also fresh from the garden cut/shaved Kirby cukes. Man, is this fresh and tart and just making me crave crispy thin southern bacon and mortadella (but when am I not).
 
Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NO YUCK!

Whenever I read that someone has a chance to make a jump to a second act, it makes me smile. Amós got that opportunity to leave behind his life as a pharmacist in Barcelona to return home and pick up where his grandfather left off in the vines. Must feel so good to reconnect with nature and have bottles that capture that “moment in time”…that you can share with your friends, family and even he world.

#wine #naturalwine #winelover #spanishwine #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Penedès #Penedes #Spain #cheezit #organic #biodynamic #Macabeu #Xarello @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @amosbaneresvinyero @soilairselection @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Recipe of Love

Rootdown Wine Cellars
Es Okay
2019 Red Wine
Touriga National, Tinta Cao, Tinta Ruiz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Francisca
Grapes sourced: Mendocino County
Geyserville, Sonoma County, CA
Winemaker: Mike Lucia

Deep ruby rimmed purple that I can’t see through. From the get go I’m smelling buttery vanilla, a smidge of oak, dark plums and prunes, dried and fresh cherries, raisins, and black pepper. Reminds me of good old fashioned SC fruitcake…not the alcohol soaked British crap most know. Sipping and it’s juicy and fresh. There’s dried plums, dried cherries and fresh, golden and dark raisins, blackberry, a little dried pineapple and a pinch of black pepper. Seriously it reminds me of my mom’s fruitcake and that is such a happy, heart-warming memory that I’m going to share with you.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolute YUM

Mom’s Fruitcake
1 cup of butter
1 1/4 cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 eggs
4 cups of flour (2 self rising , 2 plain)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup of raisins (mix of gold and dark)
3/4 cup of mixed dried fruit (chopped well: green and red cherries and pineapple)
1/2 cup of applesauce
1 cup of pecans (best if from my granny’s trees)

Cream the butter and sugar and add 1 egg at a time and beat well. Add raisins, dried fruit, and pecans. Then add the flour and applesauce & mix well. Grease and flour baking pan. Pour the mix in and bake on 270 for 3 hours. In the end it’s a recipe of love.

#wine #winelover #redwine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #TourigaNational #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #Mendocino #Sonoma #CA #california @rootdownwines @esokaywines @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

Best Present Ever!

Domaine de la Charbonnière
Côtes du Rhône AOP 2019
Grenache, Syrah
organic, sustainable, hand harvested and sorted twice
Rhône Valley, France
Family run winery
Winemaker: Veronique Maret

Shining ruby star. Give the glass a little personal time out and then scents of earth climb out along with cherries, blackberries, a bit of strawberries, black pepper, and a pinch of dried sage. First sip and it’s cherries and pits, then poof a big ol’ mix of berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries with caps & boysenberries), pepper (black & white), fresh farm grown red apple skin bite, prunes, and a little smoke exhale. This may be a medium but it’s as comforting as a plush robe. Fall has fully kicked in and it’s time to start snuggling up. Anyone want to join me?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smoooooth

Back in 1912, Eugene Maret bought what I think is one of the best presents ever for his wife which is this Domaine. How do you even put a bow on something like this! Sure beats out a Lexus (I’m sure you’ve seen their “December to Remember” ads) and so much better to pass down through the generations. Veronique and Caroline (4th generation) are managing the winery, and Veronique after working with her father, took over as winemaker in 2012. She also breathed in new life by initiating going organic and it sure looks like the critics approve.

#wine #winelover #whitewine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Grenache #Syrah #Rhône #Rhone #RhoneValley #France #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #DomainedelaCharbonniere @baronfrancois.ws @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

A Creative Solution

Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Etna Bianco DOC
2020
60% Carricante, 25% Catarratto, 10% Grecanico, 5% Minnella
Organic, sustainable, and vineyards are located on the northern slopes of the Etna volcano, 600-900 meters a.s.l.
Randazzo (CT), Sicily, Italy
Owner: Marc de Grazia

Light gold starlight. Scents grow while sitting for a little of peaches, pears, winesap apples, blossoms/lilac, and a fresh salty seaside bit. Beautiful! Now sipping yellow plums, apricots, ripe soft pears, oddly a little oregano on the edges (it’s good trust me), granite-volcanic fed/mineral, and salt. Now I’m craving unagi and west coast oysters and a mortadella (or if you can’t find it substitute bologna & salami) grilled cheese. Yeah, there’s nothing like a good grilled cheese.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolutely delicious

Marc de Grazia is a man with his hands on two sides of the wine industry. He started out as a wine importer and from what I’m reading it was spurred from not being able to find the wines he loved while studying in the US. Now that’s a creative solution! After working with all of these wonderful winemakers, he then became one of the early “pioneers” revitalizing winemaking in Etna with buying the land and creating “Tenuta delle Terre Nere” aka “Estate of the Black Earth”. From eruptions and destruction came this beautiful opportunity to work with unique soils which they continue to research. They’re thinking about what is coming next, and how to adapt since climate change is very real.

#wine #winelover #whitewine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Sicily #Italy #etna #mtetna #mountetna #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram @tenutaterrenere @skurnikwines @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

No Chemistry, No Technology, Just Nature

Vini Conestabile Della Staffa
Grecorange 2020
Umbria IGT
Grechetto
Organic, vegan, unfiltered, native grape, 20 days of skin contact
Monte Melino, Italy
Winemaker: Danilo Marcucci but the winery and land are from his wife’s side of the family

Electric orange…very orange…like Cheez-It orange. Breezing in are orange blossoms, magnolias come out after a bit and fade back, oranges and a twinge of lime. First swig and tastes are of lemon/lime/mandarin zest and a citrus squeezed mix. Give it a little time and then there’s something mineral, and a touch of real saffron threads (not that fake stuff that’s metallic). Just dry enough, fresh and light, and a glass of sunshine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: pairs up fab, but I prefer the wine solo

It’s pretty obvious how much I love wine, but it’s also the tales, the history, and what drew 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.” Can’t get better than that.

#wine #winelover #orangewine #vino #vin #winetasting #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Grechetto #Umbria #Italy @viniconestabile @selectionaturel @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit