Posted on

A Little Bottle of Summer

Folias de Baco
Uivo “aqua nat”
Piquette
Aromatised wine-based drink
Field blend
5.5% ABV
375 ml
Organic, unfined & unfiltered
Alijó, Duoro, Portugal
Winemaker: Tiago Sampaio

Pop that cap and either pour or drink straight from the bottle. Dark rose with electric magenta and s little natural detritus at the bottom of the bottle. Taking my nose on a walk through a rose garden along with strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and a faint whiff of smoke. Ooh there’s an effervescent tongue tingle leading to a cocktail of cranberry, young strawberry, blackberry with a squish of lemon, and a chew of wild sour grass from back in my youthful country living days.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: yummy!

Folias de Baco’s wines have never let me down, and I’m known to “howl” my praise. This easily portable, fresh, crisp & fun bottle with one fine label, is your new summertime buddy (definitely not your mama’s 1980s wine cooler, that honestly I couldn’t stomach). Head out and embrace a sunny day with a couple “aqua nats” and bluetooth speakers in your bag because this little bottle pairs well with Blondie’s “In the Sun”. Don’t forget to bring along your 🕶

#wine #vin #vino #Piquette #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Duoro #Portugal #Blondie #summervibes @saviosoaresselections @vinewinenyc @folias_de_baco @cheezit

Posted on

Uncondemned History or No One Expects the Bunny Inquisition

Collaboration between Andre Gomes-Pereira & Portuguese Story
Não Condenado 2019
Vinho Tinto
Fernao Pires & Trincadeira
Organic, low intervention, hand harvested, and vegan
Encostas d’Aire, Lisboa, Portugal
Winemaking team: Andre Gomes-Pereira (Quinta do Montalto) & Portuguese Story

Stained glass ruby window. Breathing in dark cherry, plums/prunes, tobacco, allspice, and a little earth. First taste I don’t even want to dissect it. It’s a light juicy smooth sweet that grows into so much more. Here we go! Again cherries but not sure how dark, plummy tartness, tobacco tingly, and earth that turns into dark baking chocolate. It just keeps flying all over the place with each sip. I love thinking I’m drinking from vines 120 to 150 years old, and being touched by their history.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out more sweet from the fruit.

Years ago, families often had backyard vines that they cultivated for themselves and family, just like your normal home garden. Nowadays, often these plots get forgotten or left behind when the kids moved on. As it says on the back of the bottle, “The vineyard has been tended by someone who is currently 89yo.” Here’s where Andre Gomes-Pereira & Portuguese Story come in. They decided to save some of these ancient twisted vines with deep roots that would have been condemned, hence the name Não Condenado (Uncondemned). They have also embraced the traditional Portuguese method, “palhete”, fermenting red and white grapes together. This really old way of winemaking kind of got left behind for a while, but is seeing a resurgence, to which I say WooHoo! What is the saying, what is old becomes new again or back in style again. I’m not saying we need to bring out our 80s acid washed jeans. No, no, no! Do you want those medieval rabbits from the label unleashed on you? This is an embrace to the natural ways of the generations past.

@vinewinenyc @portuguesestorywine @mfwwineco @quintadomontalto @cheezits #wine #vinho #vino #vin #redwine @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #organic #vegan #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #Lisboa #Lisbon #Portugal #FernaoPires #Trincadeira #medievalrabbits

Posted on

Under the Pink Moon

Bojo do Luar
Luar Rosa 2020
Vinho Rosa
60% Tinta Cão, 30% Vinhão, 10% Loureiro
Marco de Canavese, Vinho Verde Region, Portugal
Organic, indigenous grapes, spontaneous fermentation with ground chestnut flowers
Project between Savio Soares and winemaker Antonio Sousa

Uncork and pour and it looks like refreshing watermelon juice. Scents of cherry, ripe watermelon, spring flowers, lemon, some zestiness, a little squeeze of grapefruit with a lick of salt, wet granite, and smoke. Ooooh this is refreshing to sip. There’s cherry and watermelon jolly ranchers, plummy delight, key lime-aid, and then blueberries and strawberries emerge. It’s a bright and light glass that goes back and forth from fruity to pucker up tart. Why don’t we just set up a kissing booth under this romantic moon?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s:NOPE, it’s a total party pooper. All smooching has ended.

Here’s another beauty from Savio Soares and Antonio Sousa. Their collaboration keeps getting better and better each one I try. Am so glad years ago they met through Fernando Paiva, who was already working biodynamic and adding in that special ingredient of chestnut flowers. If it wasn’t for him introducing them, they may have never started this project. Luar Rosa gets it’s light watermelon color from the Tinta Cão & Vinhão. They stick to a short maceration/skin contact because Vinhão brings out a punch of color. The Loureiro (gives that zesty, key-lime aid kick) comes in later in the concrete and stainless steel containers along with the ground chestnut flowers. It’s also a how low can you go minimal intervention throughout the whole process. I just love, love, love their lively, clean creations, and am looking forward to more. I’m also really curious about the name Bojo do Luar (Moonlight Bulge), is it about the pull of the earth’s gravity on the moon that causes the bulge, and does the moon’s cycle work into their harvest? Things like this fascinate me. Oh, and if anyone wants to see the Pink Moon this year, it’s on April 26th. So get a blanket, find a quiet spot, and share a glass with the ones you love.

@vinewinenyc #BojodoLuar #AntonioSousa @saviosselections @cheezits #wine #VinhoRosa #Rosé #rose @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #organic #VinhoVerde #Minho #MarcodeCanavese #Portugal #AntonioSousa #winestagram #instawine #Biodynamic #nativeyeasts #naturalwine #TintaCão #Vinhão, #Loureiro

Posted on

No Duck or Baga Left Behind

João aka Duckman
Duckray
Pet Nat
Bairrada, Portugal
100% Baga
Sustainable, unfiltered, unfined, natural, spontaneous fermentation, and hand-harvested
Winemaker: Maria Pato

Pale rose gold/pinky color with dainty bubbles and a little sediment. Sniffing apples, back home in the orchard apple blossoms that are swirling around me and getting stuck in my hair in the spring breeze, faint pale roses, a super teensy bit of cinnamon, and seltzer. Now this is a whole new word post smell. The scents where more restrained and this is a flavor explosion (the label art says it all) of lemon, Lemon Drops (candy), pink grapefruit, and crisp green apples. It’s clean, bright, and vibrant! At last there’s just the slightest kiss of cinnamon.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Just brings out more fruit

I’ve lost count of how many of these feisty ducks I’ve bagged, and each one is so unique yet so perfect, and a bouquet of happiness. These Baga grapes are from their Quinta do Ribeirinho vineyard. As I’ve written before, this winemaking flock dates back to the 18th century, and includes Maria, her father Luis, sister Filipa, and in Duckray, Maria’s grandmother got in on it. I’m reading she painted 6 of these bottles, and if you get one you receive a special prize. They are missing the white duck label, and instead of the spaced out paint flecks of red, yellow, and green; they are more more densely sprayed in blue, green and yellow splats around the shape of that invisible quacker. Well, I may not have been fortunate to find Maria’s grandmother’s artwork, but this bottle is a fresh wonderful prize all in itself. Once again, I am so grateful for this family of winemakers. Some of your wines bring happy tears to my eyes, others make my heart soar, and this one just makes me want to dance.

@vinewinenyc @joao_pato_aka_duckman @saviosoaresselections #wine #winestagram #instawine  #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #portugal #bairrada #baga #QuintadoRibeirinho #sustainable #natural #wild #duckman #petnat #pétnat #duckman #duckray

Posted on

Finding the Real Dory

AdegaMãe
Dory
vinho tinto 2019
IG Lisboa
Turcifal, Portugal
Touriga Nacional 38%, Syrah 27%, Pinot Noir 12%, Aragonez 23%
Winemakers: Anselmo Mendes and Diogo Lopes

Cherry purple gothiness. Uncork and let it breathe…then exhale and breathe in deep cherry, plum, baking chocolate, and warm pepper. Another deep hug in a glass. Rolling around back and forth over my tongue and there’s cherries, strawberries, blueberries, fresh picked blackberries seeds and all, and fenugreek. Nice and juicy and a happy wine. Don’t over think it. Just enjoy and maybe order some bacalhau croquettes. Mmmmm.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it more velvet, sweet, glorious

Dory’s name comes from a nod to the small shallow boats the cod fishermen of old (not the cute Pixar/Disney fish). One would wonder, why that? Well, João António Alves founder of AdegaMãe, is also the founder of Riberalves which is the leader of cod in Portugal. He and his family now have a hand in two of the best of Portugal, wine and cod (bacalhau). The more I read on the history of how the fishermen used to travel so insanely far and believe me not in a luxurious quarters, I wonder at their amazing physical and mental strength and endurance. Once the home base ship ended up in Newfoundland they’d take off in the smaller one man boats (Dóris) into perilous waters and fish their fill, return to the main and immediately salt the fish. These guys make “Deadliest Catch” look like child’s play.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @adegamae_wines @aidilwines @cheezits #cheezit #wine #vinho  #winestagram #instawine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Turcifal #Portugal #Lisboa #TourigaNacional #Syrah #PinotNoir #Aragonez #Riberalves #Dory

Posted on

A Good ol’ Wild Flock

João aka Duckman
Maria Duck – Pet Nat
Bairrada, Portugal
100% Fernão Pires (a.k.a. Maria Gomes)
Sustainable, unfiltered, unfined, natural, hand-harvested, and wild
Winemaker: Maria Pato

Hazy golden with lots of white lively bubbles. Breathing in a mix of apple and pear cider, hay, tangy tangerine, apricot, and orangesicle. Zip, pop, bang and my tongue is dancing with zingy citrus, tart lemon candy wedges, kumquats, crabapples, and gooseberries. Wow, now that’s a wake up call to a party.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mellows the tart out

Oh Duckman, how you never fail to surprise and make me happy. Maria and the rest of the flock (father Luis, sister Filipa, and past relatives that date back to the 18th century) all have had their feet paddling around in wine, as I’ve written about in past posts. This project, is all Maria. There’s as little intervention as possible for these indigenous Fernão Pires grapes, that come from their Amoreira da Gândara vineyard. All stainless and no oak, help this little quacker soar, sing and zing fresh! This is a pet nat that is not only delicious, fun, and a joy to drink, but it also makes you think. It transports you to her part of the world in Portugal and invites you to stay.

@vinewinenyc @joao_pato_aka_duckman @SaviosSelections #wine #winestagram #instawine  #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #portugal #bairrada #FernãoPires #MariaGomes #sustainable #natural #wild #duckman #petnat #pétnat

 

Posted on

Flower Freedom

Casal de Ventozela
Contatto 2019
Vinho Verde Region
Minho, Portugal
Avesso 100%
Sustainable farming, skin contact
Winemakers: Fernando Moura and Pedro Campos

Deep gold orange glass. A mixed bouquet of flowers, natural funk that fades really fast, orange peel, candied apple, and salt. It’s light but let it warm a bit and there’s something tawny and nutty. It’s a fresh mouthful with tart light orange and Orangina, apples, peaches, and dry.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: very sweet orange

Casal de Ventozela has a history back to at least 1874, but changed hands in 1978, to José Ferreira Cortinhas. Portugal was still coming back post the Carnation Revolution, which I’m finding incredibly fascinating. Celeste Caeiro is proof that any of us can play a major role in history. She was the Lisbon restaurant worker and pacifist, that started the symbol of this movement. Due to all the military activity, the restaurant where she worked closed for the day, and gave her all the carnations they were going to pass out to customers. She decided to give the flowers to the tanks and soldiers. This one beautiful act spread and others started passing them out and here you have a mostly peaceful culmination of a revolution. Yes, more had to be politically dealt with in the following days and years, and 4 people died on April 25, 1974, but a democracy was on its way.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @casaldeventozela @communalbrands @cheezits #cheezit #wine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Portugal #VinhoVerde #Minho

Posted on

Chill It! Chill It Good!

Bojo do Luar
Deu Pinote 2019
Vinho Verde Region
Minho, Portugal
33% Arinto, 33% Alvarelhão, 33% Vinhāo (Wandering where that 1% is)
Organic, spontaneous fermentation with ground chestnut flowers
Project between Savio Soares and winemaker Antonio Sousa

Shining see through deep rosy chilled red. Scents of ripe cherries, plums, and lovely flowers. Delicious raspberries, strawberries, cherry tang, and of all things watermelon Jolly Rancher (my favorite Rancher). It’s juicy, fruity and perfect on this beautiful end of summer afternoon.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Nope…don’t even attempt putting a Cheez-It in your mouth while drinking this wine.

Very intrigued with the use of ground chestnut flowers instead of SO2 for stabilization in this unfiltered wine. I wonder, does it matter which to use, either male or female, or is it a blend of both? Whichever the answer, I’m so glad that Savio Soares and Antonio Sousa saw the potential of working in this manner. Fabulous!

@vinewinenyc #BojodoLuar #AntonioSousa @saviosoaresselections @cheezits #wine @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #organic #VinhoVerde #Minho #Portugal #Arinto #Alvarelhão #Vinhāo #AntonioSousa

Posted on

Familiar Feeling

Quinta da Lixa
Escudo Real
Vinho Verde 2019
Minho, Portugal
35% Loureiro, 35% Arinto, and 30% Trajadura
Sustainable wine with an under $10 price tag
Winemaker: Carlos Teixeira
Note from winemaker: Drink Very Chilled

Very pale delicate gold with tiny little bubbles. The first breath is a bouquet of flowers, apple cider, and something creamy like vanilla, and finally honeysuckle. Here comes the taste of tangerine, lemon, orange (do I get my daily allotment of Vitamin C from this?), tangy herbal and a pinch of spice. There’s that verde bubble sizzle. It’s crisp, fresh and has a beautiful body. Let’s head down to the river with a few in the cooler and strap it in the middle inner tube. Let’s go a floating.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it creamy and have even more body with a hint of lemon

It gives you that familiar feeling of summer that a Vinho Verde should but with more oomph, complexity and just something special. This is now my favorite ever Vinho Verde!

Let’s hit the dance floor with another Familiar Feeling: Moloko. Also for the first time dedicating a post to my S.O. who absolutely loves Vinho Verdes. This wine and song is for you!

@vinewinenyc @quintadalixa @skurnikwines @harmon.skurnik.wines @cheezits #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits  #cheezit #vinewinenyc @worldbyglass #vinhoverde #minho #portugal #Loureiro #Arinto #Trajadura #moloko #roisinmurphy

 

 

 

Posted on

Falling for a Renegade

Folias de Baco
Uivo PT Nat Renegado Bruto 2019
A blend of more than 20 different red and white indegenous and old vine varieties (wow!!! 20+?)
Methode Ancestral
Alijó, Duoro, Portugal
Wild yeast, unfined and unfiltered, vegan-friendly
Winemaker: Tiago Sampaio

Raspberry deep rose pink or a dark cosmo color with delightful fizzy bubbles. Inhaling strawberries and they lean back into raspberries, mineral, and some weird smoothness figuring it out. Sipping those same raspberries, strawberries, and hello… cranberry. It’s tart and dry but still there’s a hint of twizzler. Wait that’s that smoothness I couldn’t figure out. The smell when you open a Twizzler pack, and then the taste when you first take a bite, yet it fades when the Pét-Nat tingle tart hits you again.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: the fruit goes deep and dark and even more dry

Been reading about how Tiago Sampaio, ended up in wine. Yes, he had the tradition that many do of growing up in a family of farming and vineyards, but it grew past that. This young man left Portugal for Oregon State’s Viticulture and Oenology PhD program. For those of you familiar with Oregon State, know what this means…this howling wolf was first a beaver. If you’re not acquainted with Benny, here’s a little clip.

@vinewinenyc @foliasdebaco @tiagosampaio_winemaker @saviosoaresselections @saviosselections @cheezits #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits  #cheezit #vinewinenyc @worldbyglass #petnat #Alijó #Duoro #Portugal #methodeancestrale #tiagosampaio #uivo