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Blast From My Past

les FRÈRES Bastards
GSM Rosé 2023
50% Grenache, 30%Syrah, 20% Merlot
VDF
Vineyards: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Thierry Boudinaud & Guy Anderson

Warm sunset blush…pinky with a watercolor splash of orange. Sniff and uh oh. There’s burnt rubber with a touch of diesel, and masked behind that wall is a faint bit of cherry, strawberries, raspberry, and incinerated baguette. Dare I take a sip? Well, I guess I have to & there’s all of the scents along with a citrus squirt that does no favors.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Not wasting them on this glass

I usually stay away from bothering with writing about wines that well…that I just don’t like, but I have a history with Fat Bastard. Goes all the way back to my days of gallery openings. If you were ever a starving artist/student, you know there’s a lot of free wine to be found on opening night festivities. Let’s just say, the one I had all those years ago was plain awful. Thought maybe it’s just the one bottle, so gave it a couple more tries and still ack! I wasn’t the only one tossing it out and that gallery had leftover cases & it took MANY openings to get rid of them. If the kids pass on it, you know. Anyway, since it had been many years & this was a completely different blend with a slight name change, gave it one more good old college try but ended up once again disappointed. Sadly this cute hippo label can’t change the blasted contents of this bottle.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #France #Rosé #Rose

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A Conversation Sparkler

STEL+MAR
Sparkling Rosé
Barbera, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Syrah
Grapes sourced from sustainable vineyards, always made with 100% California grapes, and eco-friendly packaging
Lodi, California
Founders: Chris Noll & Justin Dumitrescu
Winemaker: Philip Zorn

Light pinky rose tinged gold bubbly. There’s scents of a tiny orchard blossom blend, small mix of fresh picked strawberries & raspberries, and a gentle touch of a cool mineral river rock. Sipping and it’s crisp, bright & light on its feet with again those fresh strawberries & raspberries, a little cherry blush, drop of citrus sparkle with a twinge of Sprite. This is one happy, friendly glass that is sure to spark a conversation.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: I just can’t

STEL+MAR’s wines are easy drinkers with a good heart. They’re meant to bring people together through what’s inside the bottle & outside like the label art by Stephanie Cheng. Check out her work, it’s pretty impressive and there’s a great IG video of her printing process. For those of you who have never worked with screens, there’s a lot to it depending on how many colors are in the piece. Takes me back to my grad school days so much I can almost smell the ink. Now back to the “good heart” part, each bottle of wine sold gives back part of its proceeds to the National Park Trust and in April donations are doubled. When I was a kid, summer vacations entailed the family packing up the station wagon and driving all over visiting as many parks as possible (man, those hot paint pots stink but are so beautiful). My parents wanted to instill in me awe, respect and a love to want to preserve them, and right now is a darn good time to show how much we need our protected lands and everything that grows, resides, or erupts in them. 🏞️🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #sparklingwine #worldbyglass #nationalparktrust #california #stelandmar #vinewinenyc

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Dancing Tastebuds

Vignobles Gueissard
Les Papilles 2023
Côtes de Provence DOC
Dry Rosé
Mourvèdre 30%, Grenache 30%, Syrah 30%, Cinsault 10%
HVE (working on certification), going through organic conversion, weeding done by sheep & horse, & sustainable
Le Beausset, France
Clément Minne, Pauline Giraud, their son Marcel & their team

Pretty in pink with a swish of salmon. Inhale and here comes a cool blend of honeydew & delightful pink grapefruit, cantaloupe, peaches, pears, apples, very ripe cucumbers, salt, wet limestone, and a lemon flies by. Sip and all of the scents along with all sorts of light cherries (pink, red, white, yellow, etc), not fully ripe blackberries, blood orange, and pink watermelon including the fresh green rind…so lively, vibrant and delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Smooooooth

Pauline & Clément have over time collected plots in Bandol and Côtes de Provence, kind of like pieces of a quilt that when they are banded together create a beautiful array of wines. Each piece as they say is diverse with “very different in terms of soil type, exposure and maritime influences” and are also dearly cared for and protected. They’re going through the routes of organic certification, and maybe it’s the sentimental part of my childhood heart that loves seeing all sorts of beneficial trees planted. There’s ones that are magnets for birds & bees, others that give back to the earth & help deal with erosion, and on a personal note I hope there’s a few for climbing too because…well as a kid you could often find me in the orchard perched on a branch. BTW if you’re in their neighborhood on Sept. 26, you might get a chance to raise a glass to the end of summer if you can manage to snag a ticket to their tasting of 5 wines and snack on local delights. Maybe you might even encounter their “Les Papilles” which will keep your tastebuds dancing.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #catsofinstagram #cats #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #organic #France #provence #artisanwineselections #vignoblesgueissard #docwinebar #docwineshop

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“A New Adventure Each Time”

Domaine la Roche Buissière
Le Rosé 2022
VDF
Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre
Organic, hand harvested, unfiltered & unfined
Rhône Valley, France
Antoine & Laurence Joly

Warm sunset rose orange. This enchanting blend speeds up to my nose where it’s faster than thinking the words as a rapid fire collage of pics. There’s tangelo, strawberries, all the berries, pomegranate, a little red currant, peach, fresh rain on concrete, a teeny herby thing that I’m trying to place…the pics went by too fast….and also light hazelnut. All of the scents are on the tip of my tongue with a touch more manzanilla lick at times (it goes in and out), gooseberries, watermelon cubes, and a little chew of bright sourgrass. There’s a full out fun but also a refinement & class. You can take this bottle anywhere from a backyard grilling party to a swanky night dining under the stars.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO

Antoine & Laurence may be the 2nd generation making wine on their land, but Antoine’s father Pierre had been growing vines for quite a while. The grapes were generally sold to a co-op, but he is also one of the early organic growers in Rhône with certification in the 80s (was already working organic since mid 70s). With so much knowledge to share, it must have been exciting to have Antoine and his wife Laurence join in, and to take the vineyards a step farther into the natural winemaking world. And as each new wine will be a potential surprise, I love this quote from their site, “Winemaking does not follow a predefined recipe: each vintage is different, we accompany the fruit towards its purest expression, it is a new adventure each time!” A great way of life to keep you on your toes & raising a celebratory glass when the time is just right. 🍇

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #Rosé #France #worldbyglass #zevrovine #larochebuissiere #docwinebar #docwineshop

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A Dürerable Experience

La Spinetta
Il Rosé di Casanova
50% Sangiovese, 50% Prugnolo Gentile
Toscano IGT
Organic & sustainable
Terricciola (Pi), Tuscany, Italy
Rivetti family

Copper rose stained glass. First whiff and there’s grapefruit that turns into a tomato leaf blend, roses, cantaloupe, strawberry, and  young raspberry. Sipping and there’s strawberries & raspberries again, a tiny touch of blueberry, grapefruit twang in a good way…”so fresh, so good, so right ba ba ba” (sorry that song has been stuck in my head tonight), light lemon zest, and a mineral rock lick.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: In the famous words of Bill the Cat, “Ack ack ack thppt!”

Such a weighty creature on the label for such a gentle & refreshing wine. Y’all know the distinctive beast that graces many of La Spinetta’s wines. Giorgio Rivetti’s a big fan of Albrecht Dürer, so what better reason to emblazon his woodcut on their bottles. He also picked another work by the artist, “Il Leone di Dürer” to grace their Barolo Campè & Barolo Garretti since “The so-called king of the jungle is the best representation of the king of wines and said the wine of kings.” BTW every time I see that rhinoceros my heart has a longing feeling for not just their wines which are always fabulous but also for Albrecht’s handiwork. I’m a huge fan too and some of you may not know I have a MFA in printmaking and each glance takes me back to the feel of the tools, the smell of the ink in the printshop, and just getting thoroughly dirty but in the most satisfying way. After hours of work there would be nothing better than a long shower and a big glass of a Spinetta wine. Cheers! ❤️🦏❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #Italy #worldbyglass #AlbrechtDürer #skurnikwines #laspinetta #laspinettacasanova #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Let’s Make This Moment Last

Red Blend 2021
Teutonic Wine Company
2021 Red wine
Gewürztraminer & some Pinot Noir (more G than P)
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Winemaking couple: Barnaby and Olga Tuttle

Shining stained glass red with an underbelly of orange warmth…oh snd chill this bird. First sniff and it’s a lot all at once. There’s wisteria, touch of jasmine/honeysuckle, strawberries, raspberries, a soft red jelly bean moment, mellow cherry, and a touch of cream that goes cola. All of the scents are there in the taste with mineral river rock from my old creek (Brings memories as a kid hunting crayfish there.), red currants, raspberries rise with a bit of blue too, touch of orange, lemon/lime peel and along with it a little spark. Just so darn easy and as I was told hard to put down.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: nope

Teutonic came about by Barnaby falling in love with how diverse German rieslings can be and later a friend saying they could plant grape vines on her farm. Oh, and Olga telling him which credit card was ok to use to buy the vines (Can you imagine that conversation? Honey, remember we’re buying some vines. 🤣). Now they still grow their own but also source from other vineyards (Willamette Valley) but only ones that are dry farmed and preferably vines that are 20 years or older. It’s a passion and a lot of hard work, and their wines really shine. This gem of a wine is one I hope they keep on repeat like a musical celebration just like one of my go to songs…Moloko’s “The Time Is Now” and as they say “Let’s Make This Moment Last”.

Moloko – The Time Is Now  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GY9DWIfpwc

#wine #oregonwine #naturalwine #winelife #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Gewürztraminer #Gewurztraminer #PinotNoir #moloko #Portland #Oregon #WillametteValley #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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Life’s Way Too Short…

Protector Cellars
Central Coast Rosé
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc
250 ml
Grapes from certified sustainable vineyards, climate positive, 1 tree planted for each wine sold
Paso Robles AVA
Santa Maria, CA
Alex Katz

Shining electric 80s pinky light magenta/orange (it’s so pretty). Breathing in cherries, pomegranate, young not quite ripe strawberries & raspberries still growing in the yard, and fresh rained on gravel. Sipping and there’s strawberries, raspberries & a blend of other bouncing berries, tart cherries, yellow plums, a teeny lemon/lime squeeze sizzle, not fully ripe watermelon, and over time a little bit of earth depth (in a good way & not one of those poop wines). It’s like a happy burst of summer waving from the can, and a very easy drinker.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: bleh

This was an impulse buy at the register, and ended up being a happy one. Turns out Protector Cellars is as they say, “the world’s first climate positive winery”. Not only are the grapes sourced from sustainable vineyards, but they take into account how to package it as in these cans. Both of those choices cut significantly on their greenhouse gas emissions and then they take it a step further….for every wine bought, 1 tree is planted through their relationship with “Trees For The Future” (check out their good work @treesforthefuture). This is an initiative and collaboration I can get behind, and same goes for Protector’s quote, “no excuses, no compromises, no CRAPPY WINE”. Believe me, life is just way too short for crappy wine. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #wineinacan #cannedwine #Rosé #sustainable #winestagram #instawine #climatepositive #carbonneutral #lifeisshort #winelover #winetasting #winetime #california  #protectorcellars #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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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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A Big Smooch To The Future

Staffelter Hof
Jan Matthias Klein
Kiss Kiss Maddie’s Lips
Rosé Pét-Nat
100% Fruhburgunder (early-ripening variant of Pinot Noir)
Organic
Kröv, Mosel, Germany

Rose plum orange with bubbling activity and natural haze. Oh, also open over a sink with a towel near because they’re might be a chance of a pink bubbling fountain. Wafting up from those bubbles are scents of plums with some creaminess, tree blossoms & roses, and citrus zest blended with a touch of a running down that hill grass stain. Sipping and here comes tart bright plums & that touch of cream again, a swish of pomegranate-blackberry juice, smidge of cedar in the back, touch of kumquat, green wild strawberries, and a kick of wild sour grass that fades in and out…dry, fresh and fun!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious and brings out more fruit, who would have thought?

Staffelter Hof just may very well be one of the oldest wineries or companies documented in the world (that is still in business), with a mention of it in legal paperwork back in 862 A.D. It went from an abbey to a winery/farm with the size varying over the years, and adapting with the times by modernizing the buildings (including central heating!). As of the latest generation Jan Matthias Klein (eldest son of Gundi and Gerd) they’re organic (2023 is their 10th year), and expanding into natural wines with also very cool new label art…just like this delicious pet-nat which carries on the family heritage image of a wolf from their coat of arms (albeit frolicking, imbibing & carefree). Oh and look here, Jan & team are adding fungus resistant PiWi grapes to their vineyards. That’s a good move for keeping this historic winery moving forward into their delicious, sustainable & organic future, and for that they do deserve a big smooch! 💋

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #piwi #organic #mosel #Germany #cheezit #PétNat #petnat #naturalwine #vinewinenyc #bowlerwine #StaffelterHof @cheezit @bowlerwine @vinewinenyc @staffelterhof862

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Devoted From Beginning To End

Vinos del Viento
Rosé 2022
100% Garnacha
Campo de Borja DO
Sustainable, unfiltered, hand harvested
Aragón, Spain
Winemaker: Michael Cooper

Electric 80s magenta watermelon rose salmon. Sniffing and it starts off gentle with red currants, strawberries, a bit of very ripe watermelon, an orange zip, some blossoms float by my nose and a whiff of salt & smoke. Sipping and it’s bright, bold and delightful! That citrus zip comes forward along with cranberries, pomegranate,  strawberries (red, pink & green), watermelon rind, and smidge of herb (including fennel) with a touch of heat on the back. Damn delicious!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: meh

Ah love…it comes in many forms and so does passion. First Michael (originally from CA) found romantic true love while studying in Italy and then before he knew it he also fell hard for wine. I love that he threw himself fully in with studies, working in the industry, and just learning on his own by drinking to see what grapes and flavors spoke to him. Now, he calls himself a “vine hunter” which is very accurate since he “has searched out high altitude, old-vines and dry farmed vineyards. Their unique microclimates and indigenous century-old clone strands make some of the most original wines in the world.” They vines are dry farmed and no pesticides are used. There’s another very important thing I’m seeing more and more, caring about the container the wine is delivered. He uses “locally fabricated lightweight bottles made from recycled materials.” He’s totally devoted from the beginning to the end with his “Wines of the Wind”.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #winelover #wineoclock #winemaker #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #naturalwine #Rosé #organic #Spain @cheezit @vinosdelviento @soilairselection @docwineshop @docwinebar