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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

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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

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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

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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

 

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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

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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

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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

 

 

 

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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

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Follow the Duck

Joao Pato aka Duckman
BaaagaDuck 2018
Vinho Tinto
Portugal
Baga 85%, Touriga Nacional 15%
Winemaker Maria Pato

Beautiful dark ruby color. Starts off with a whiff of butter and then herbal cola (like ricola), salt, dried cherries, plum, a touch of white peppercorn, and at last wild flowers. Shall I sip or take a long swig? I will admit, this is not my first duck, and I am a big fan! Here comes the deep dark cherry, flowers, some smoke, and dried fruit and a bit of spice that I’m trying to figure out.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Mellows it out. Rich and concentrated. 

Baby this is smooth like Barry White. I feel like snuggling up in front of a fireplace with a glass and letting this wine and his voice wrap me like a warm embrace. 

So who is this mysterious Duckman? Maria Pato helms this project, and she comes from quite a prestigious wine family. The vines are in her genes. Her family has been in wine since at least the 18th century. Maria, along with her father Luis Pato, (and well known Baga champion) and her sister Filipa (who I have written about previously) all focus on Bairrada’s native grapes. Maria though leaves off the region on her labels and lets the grapes to speak for themselves. Ok, this is a family I wish would adopt me. I’m more than willing to learn Portuguese, and help out with any vineyard/winery tasks needed. How amazing to have such a long heritage in wine, and to steadfastly stick with it and each other.

On to Bairrada…The Buçaco Forest, encircled by a protective wall, is an enchanting fairyland filled with lush and diverse trees, shrubs, plants and animals from the region. In the 1600s Carmelite monks, by Papal decree, sent to tend to the forest,  began introducing “exotics” including cedar from Mexico. Oh, and during that time, women were forbidden from the forest, so the monks would not be distracted (seriously?!), and not long after that a threat of excommunication was posted if anyone did harm to any of the trees. There’s paths and staircases to lead you through, and hopefully help you from getting lost in this wonderland. You can still see what is left of the convent and the Via Crucis, which are now on the grounds of the Buçaco Palace. The Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco also contains the famed Nossa Senhora do Leite (Our Lady of the Milk) by Josefa de Óbidos (from what I’m reading she is potentially Portugal’s first female painter and her works were very well received). Visitors leave behind wax breasts, in hope that Mary will find them some divine intervention. For a view into the architecture and the forest, here’s a calming video by Michael Levit, that I found on youtube. On to the next stop. I keep seeing posts and info that the spas in Luso are a must see. The water from the area is supposed to be some of the best in the world, and there’s a fountain in town where people can fill up their own bottles. The thermal baths were founded in the 1800s, and used for various curative reasons, but now you can find modern spas such as Termas de Luso, where you can either just relax or work on your health in a beautiful setting. One last thing, I truly wish I could experience in person, is to visit the Pato winery in Amoreira da Gândara. It is by appointment only, but they have an option for a regional lunch paired with their wines, and Bairrada’s roast suckling pig. Now that would be a perfect day.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @SaviosSelections @Duckman @luispato.wines @FilipaPato.net @TermasdeLuso #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #baga #TourigaNacional #portugal #bairrada #barrywhite @pageofficiellelianefoly #josefadeobidos @saviosoaresselections @joao_pato_aka_duckman @luispatowines @filipapato

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Dance Like No One is Watching

Filipa Pato
3B Rosé Extra Bruto
Unfiltered
Baga NV
Baga (71%) Bical (29%)
Bairrada Portugal

Winemakers (wife & husband) Filipa Pato & William Wouters
Their motto: Authentic Wines Without Make-up

Hmmm this one is the color of an aperol spritz. Lots of tiny happy bubbles. Who doesn’t love a good spritz? Sniff and there’s strawberries, raspberries, and some spice that I can’t quite place, or is it maybe like a licorice jelly bean? Yeah, I was the weird kid that liked them. Those bubbles are really tickling my nose. Time for the taste! It’s tart and dry. Again there’s strawberries and raspberries, a little hay, lemon tingle, and a bit creamy. Wakes my mouth up and makes me want to dance. Oh this is one that is going to disappear quick. It’s delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: knocks back the tart and brings out the creamy

Happy Pride Month everyone! Even if we can’t be together, we can celebrate in our own way together. Love to everyone!

@vinewinenyc @FilipaPato.net @skurnikwines @petshopboys #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #vinewinenyc #pridenyc #lgbtq @worldbyglass #baga #bical #portugal #bairrada