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When Life Brings You Smoke Make…

Matthiasson Family Vineyards
Tendu
Rosé Bubbles
Sparkling wine
Sustainable
Dunnigan Hills
Napa, CA
Winemakers & Farmers: Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson

Crack the can and it’s a rosy/orange amber pour (or you could just drink straight from the can). Sniff and everything is light & breezy with cherries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, a lemon/lime spritz, and a touch of funk that fades. Kicking back and sipping and again there’s cherry, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, orange/lemon/lime zing & zest with a little tangelo, seltzer sparky salt, and just so bright and light.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO

This perky and easily transportable sparkler came about from the Matthiasson’s ability to persist through the 2020 West Coast wildfires which caused devastation and trouble for so many and gave them a fear of smoke taint. Instead of making any reds that year, those grapes went into their rosés. A smart move and here’s to hoping in the future all those fires and smoke fade away.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #wineinacan #sparklingwine #Rosé #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #Napa #california #Tendu #matthiassonwine #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Mediterranean Answer To Happiness

Curii Uvas y Vinos
Una Noche y Un Dia 2021
100% Giró
Organic, hand harvested
Xaló, Alicante, Spain
Violeta Gutiérrez de la Vega & Alberto Redrado

Ruby with garnet gem rim. Let this baby breathe a bit and floating up are aromas of cherries, tomato leaves (I swear this trend is a coincidence), red apples, blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries, lilacs & violets, and a pinch of anise. Taking a few sips and all of the above (especially the tomato leaves) and it’s smooth over time with a little twang, bit of peat smokiness, pit of a cured Moroccan olive, grassy wild flowers, and it keeps growing so much over time and still has a rustic flair but a vibrant juicy vibe. Delicious!

Pairs with Cheez-Its: meh not really digging it

Just reading about Violeta & Alberto’s family backgrounds it’s no wonder their wine project was born and is smashing. Violeta’s comes from growing up & working with her father in her parents’ winery Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega (known for celebrating traditional wines of their land), heading off to enology studies & work in France, and return to Alicante where she will take the reigns of the family winery. Alberto’s family also took him down a tasting route with their Michelin starred restaurant L’Escaleta as a sommelier and in 2010 was honored as Spain’s Premio Nacional de Gastronomía al Mejor Sommelier. Together they keep a tight focus on local grapes and working traditionally, especially like in this bottle of Giró which is an Alicante clone of Garnacha (one of my favorite 🍇). Actually it is their main focus uva, which Violeta is also implementing back at Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega. All in all, these two are creating & nurturing bottles of rare magic. Stealing a quote from de la Vega’s site, they are making “Mediterranean wines capable of making the unhappiest of mortals happy”. ❤️ Now that’s a gift for the world.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #organic #Alicante #Spain #josepastorselections #curiiwine #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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Birds Of Different Feathers

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards
Innocent Dove 2019
PGI Karditsa
Xinomavro 50%, Merlot 50%
Certified organic, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Karditsa, Thessaly, Greece
Andreas Kontozisis & Aphrodite Tousia 

Shining garnet glass.Let this baby breathe! After that time out, smelling raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomato leaves & vines stewing on a sunny day, plums, cherries, and lavender mixed with mild rosemary. All of the scents are there on the taste but a bit more rustic. There’s also lilacs, irises, & lavender, and finally a little white pepper with even a smidge of bell.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO STEP AWAY FROM THE BAG

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards has been certified organic in the vineyards & cellar since 1991 (one of the earliest ones in Greece) which truly shows Andreas & Aphrodite’s passion and dedication for their land, vines and wines. Their Innocent Dove “draws from the Greek folk phrase for ultimate innocence” which is perfect for their honest, natural way of winemaking. This winged wonder from Karditsa led me to another one that is definitely a bird of a different feather. Karditsa’s Pafsilipo Park has wandering peacocks, and everywhere I read it mentions relaxing in the grounds with them. They are such graceful and beautifully adorned creatures, but relaxing? If you’ve never heard their call here’s a video by @NatureWalk1 (not from Pafsilipo). Now I’ll let you be the judge. Still would love to visit them but think I’ll pass on hanging out and reading a book in the park. Would much rather chill out with another glass of this quietly cooing “Dove”. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Greece #dove #peacock #worldbyglass #eklektikon #kontozisisorganicvineyards #docwinebar #docwineshop @eklektikon @kontozisis_wines @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Smell Everything

Inconnu
Kitsune 2019
Red blend
Hand harvested, indigenous yeast fermented, unfined & unfiltered
Grapes sourced from organic & regeneratively farmed parcels
Napa, CA
Laura Brennan Bissell

Deep maroon with a glowing ruby rim. Pouring and dark cherry scents float up mingling with a little oak/cola (RC to be precise) but not overpowering (oak & I have a complicated relationship but this is a welcome one), blackberries & raspberries, dried cherries, plums/prunes, and touch of earthy depth that includes a growing mishmash of juniper, a comforting warm spice, zest and a tad of cedar. All of the above scents are in the taste that has a lively bright tang and smooth glide at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: hard to describe on how it heightens everything but it is delicious

The sense of smell for all of us is so important, easily taken for granted, and can touch every one of us in different ways. In my dad’s case, sometimes I wonder if his works…my schnoz is ultra hyper which is a good thing most of the time unless you are on a sweaty NYC subway in the heat of July. Reading about Laura’s (on her site’s bio) and as she says, “Smell has been the driving force for many decisions in my life…I want to smell everything.” Smelling everything hits home with me & I’m sure does too with all y’all wine lovers out there.

As I read more about Laura’s personal wine world, I feel like I did her a disservice by doing exactly what she didn’t wish. “Just like my life, I wish for my wines to be distilled into a poetic form, and not to have their entrails spread apart on a surgical table. There is pain and suffering, there is joy, chaos, recklessness at times, but more than anything, a quiet optimism that every day of our time here is yet another chance to experience something beautiful.” Sorry, if I pulled out a scalpel and diced Kitsune into singular scent & flavor notes, because this bottle is a performance of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (strength, beauty, grace, wonder) & an encapsulation of a time in your life that I’m so happy to have now experienced.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Napa #california #Kitsune #Inconnu #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @inconnuwine

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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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Allô, Wine Calling

Domaine Les Foulards Rouges
Octobre 2023
VDF
Syrah, Grenache
Organic, indigenous yeast, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Montesquieu-les-Albères, Rousillion, France
Jean-François Nicq

Shining garnet stained glass. Breathing in a big bowl of mixed fruit like raspberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, smidge of figs, plums, and next up are irises, white pepper, a tiny puff of smoke/earth & tomato leaf. Taking a sip and wow! All of the aforementioned is there including tomato leaves, now joined with green tomato (fresh not fried) & tart young cherry tangy, a little sizzle on the back, and it’s light, bright, fresh and obviously young in a good way.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: more flowers emerge

When I first saw this label, my brain went straight to Pet Shop Boy’s “My October Symphony”, but it actually refers to the month it’s released each year. The Domaine’s name was a what I should have been paying more attention to…Jean-François Nicq and Bijan Mohamadi (childhood friends) originally bought the vineyard property back in 2001, and decided to dub it with the name of the Prix Maison de la Presse winning historical/thriller/adventure novel “Les Foulards Rouges” (The Red Scarves) by one of their favorite authors, Fréderic Fajardie (also known for his political leanings, works of noir, and screenplays). Let’s just say learning about him took me down a rabbit hole this past weekend. Then I stumbled into another one or should I say a whole prairie dog burrow, when I found out about the documentary “Wine Calling” that includes Les Foulards Rouges along with other like minded natural winemakers. Check it out, there’s a Bourdain soundtrack vibe, it’s free on Tubi, and also it’s “Un film produit sans sulfites.”

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #naturalwine #winecalling #France #worldbyglass #winecalling #lesfoulardsrouges #docwinebar #docwineshop #LesFoulardsRouges @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebarny

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Sailing Into Love

Château Frédignac
Coince Ta Bulle
Pét-nat 2022
Merlot 100%
Organic (Nature & Progrès), unfined, unfiltered, indigenous yeast
Saint-Martin-Lacaussade, Blaye Gironde, France
Vincent L’Amoulier & Ludivine Lemaitre

Deep electric magenta streaked with a touch of orange sunset and teeny white bubbles. Scents start flowing out of strawberries, raspberries, cherries of all sorts, a touch of good natural deep funk, balsamic reduction, blackberries, spring flowers, cherry blossoms, orange & zest, shake of salt, and pinch of white pepper. Taking a sip and there’s such a lovely bright citrus combo sizzle, all the before mentioned berries along with cherries, a natural depth, smidge of balsamic, pinch of cinnamon, pineapple gummy bear, salt kick, and it’s all just delightfully fresh and crisp.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: fabulous so just do it

Château Frédignac is a winery built on love. Several generations ago in 1919, a sailor (Jean-Marie L’Amouller) while visiting Blaye liked what he saw in both the area & a young lady. As love for both bloomed, he decided to put down roots on dry land and a farm was born (cows, grains, & vines). Over time it became all about the grapes and how they thrived due to the Gironde terroir. The current couple/generation (Vincent & Ludivine) stepped up to the helm in 2012, and achieved organic farming certification on 2014. They look to the future and how they can shape, respect, and grow together with their environment & biodiverse flora & fauna (they planted 100 olive trees in 2023 too). They also remember the past & their estate founding great grandfather, and as a tip of the hat to Jean-Marie they have named “Cuvée La Favorite” after the ship that brought him to the land & family they all love then & now. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #organic #wineislove #winetime #Pét-nat #Pétnat #petnat #gironde #France #merlot #worldbyglass #boivinselection #châteaufrédignac #docwinebar #docwineshop @fredignac @docwineshop @docwinebar

 

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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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Everything Everywhere All At Once

Maison Marchand-Tawse
Morgon AOC 2021
113/3998
Sustainable
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bourgogne, France

Pascal Marchand & Moray Tawse & team

Shining garnet ruby. There’s scents growing of red currants, a little earth & puff of smoke/peat, cherries, boysenberries, a raspstrawberry combo, and a blend of tomato leaves & tobacco. Sip and there’s raspberries, cherries, pomegranate, boysenberries, blackberries (seeds & all), strawberries, blueberries, a tiny twangy orange zest, and a tobacco tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: better without

After reading the background on Pascal Marchand, my head is spinning. He’s originally from Quebec but became quite a traveler before landing in Burgundy, taking a viticulture & enology course (Beaune), and started learning from & working for the best. As he, his talents, and grape intuition grew, so did his acclaim & desire to work more natural, organic & sustainable with the wineries where he was working/consulting. That spilled over into his own “garagiste” wines where he developed good relationships with growers that were of a natural like mindset. Oh and before I forget he’s one of the “flying winemakers” who work with wineries all over the world. I swear with all he has his hands in, it was like he’s everywhere everything all at once minus the hotdog fingers. Now back to the wines he was personally making…not far down the road, his friend Moray Tawse (also Canadian & of Tawse Winery in Canada) joined Pascal in his wine venture and Maison Marchand-Tawse was born. Working together they could expand their winemaking spaces in Nuits-Saint-Georges and pick up plots for their own vines, albeit they still work with the previously mentioned trusted growers. The two men also let the grapes speak of their terroir and recognize how “each wine is different and must be nurtured in a different way, so as to help it express its full personality” which is very cool, smart, and delicious. 🍷

To my dear friend who gifted me this bottle, THANK YOU! You’ve started me down a new wine path.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Burgundy #Bourgogne #France #tedwardwines #vinewine #vinewinenyc #MarchandTawse @tedward_ws @vinewinenyc @marchand_tawse

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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