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Where Wild Horses Still Roam

Aphros Wine
Phaunus Pet Nat 2021
Vinho Espumante Rosé
50% Vinhão, 50% Alvarelhão
Biodynamic
Minho, Portugal
Owner/general manager: Vasco Croft
Winemakers: Tiago Sampaio, Miguel Viseu
Biodynamic viticulture consultant: Dominique Massenot
Viticulture manager: Alberto Araújo

Pinky/salmon with fine white dancing bubbles with a little bit of unfiltered goodness like a little piece of broken hard candy about one a glass. Scents of strawberries, tart cherries, a hint of teeny white flowers breeze through and seltzer. Sipping ripe & also young strawberries, a few raspberries & blackberries, tart & mellow cherries, cranberry pomegranate cocktail, touch of a lemon twist, and a zingy zaggy crisp spark. Such a happy bubbly and perfect for Valentine’s Day. It’s coming up soon you know…tick tick tick. ⏰ As you know, flowers fade and die but this bottle is bursting with life and will make a beautiful memory.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: blerg NO

I knew these three natural winemakers names sounded familiar, but it’s the first time I’ve read of Vasco Croft’s past. His bio is a little mystical/magical with a youthful interest in astrology, then later a 3-D artistic leaning of various forms, a life journey of philosophies & spiritual, and evidently a pivotal moment of having a bottle of wine with a Buddhist monk. All of those experiences led Vasco’s life to the Aphros project, the team and their biodynamic way. Oh and when I say team, I’m not just including the people listed above, but also all the creatures joining them in the lands. Just the thought that there are still indigenous wild horses (yet endangered) roaming nearby & benefitting the area is truly exciting, along with sheep weaving their way through the vines and bees dancing from flower to flower. Their part of the world sounds like a peaceful piece of harmony. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #petnat #rosé #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #worldbyglass #Minho #Portugal #Extremadura #Spain @aphros_wine @skurnikwines @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Tradition, Culture & Spirit

Pheasant’s Tears
Rosé 2021
Danakharuli, Goruli-Mtsvane
Organic, biodynamic, filled with old tradition
Sighnahghi, Kartli, Georgia
Founders: John Wurdeman & Gela Patalishvili

Amber with a rose blush. Ok, full disclosure I screwed up. I put it in the red wine fridge so now waiting for it to adjust. Sigh, we all make mistakes. Anyway, chill it a little more and you’ll smell lady apples & red delicious, orange peel, a smidge of fresh cut grass, spring orchard blossoms, a little snappy cookie spice, and brown sugar that goes to a brandy whiff that floats in and out very gently. Tasting apple cider, exhale and there’s a little straw, a chew of my old outfield sour grass, a little green peppercorn along with a little lemon/orange twist, and as it breathes a moment of calvados. Mmmm so good, sparky and delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: fun and matches kind of like it would with a baked apple

Years ago, a guy warned me off Pheasant’s Tears, and can’t figure out why on earth they did! Loving their wine and reading about how John (an American artist) & Gela (Georgian winegrower) connected & created their very natural winery…and it didn’t stop there. Pheasant’s Tears added a restaurant to pair with their wines, and then a 2nd, “Crazy Pomegranate” reservation only in their vines. John also doesn’t seem to be able to stay still. Along with being a painter, winemaker, & folk music collector, he also opened natural wine venues in Tbsilisi. While digging around for more info, I found a great interview with him by Aaron Ayscough “A Georgia Divided” and how Georgians are dealing with the Ukraine War which led me to @dedaenabar and their showing of the Ukrainian modern/folk/ballet film “Vodurudu” by Anatolii Sachivko (Please, at least check out their videos. It’s so good.). So glad I ignored a certain someone’s advice long ago or I would have never discovered all of this discourse/art/culture/spirit due to this wine. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #Georgia #terrellwines @pheasants_tears @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Flying Through Time

Vína Herzánovi
Pét-Nat Rosé 2020
Cabernet Moravia, St Laurent
Biodynamic, indigenous yeast, unfined
Kobylí, Moravia, Czech Republic
Owner & winemaker: Jakub Herzán along with sister Zuzana and girlfriend Sandra

Shining electric 80s magenta rose. One sniff and…swoop!…I’m transported back home (as a kid) on a hot summer day. It’s that smell of wild berries picked in the heat and the stems/brambles around them, tomato leaves and also field flowers that share that earth/greenish smell, and a sprinkle of warm spice. Sip and hello, I’m instantly back in my apartment (and the adult me but I still know how to have childlike wonderment & fun) it’s a delightful fresh raspberry and blackberry cocktail blended with cranberry, a dash of peppercorn, a spritz of lemon and a tongue vibrating tingle. Well, you can definitely time travel with this bottle without a “Folding”.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nah

Vína Herzánovi is a small family winery now in the hands of the 2nd generation that believe less is more and treat their environment with genuine care so nature can do a lot of the nurturing. Love that they have a dream of one day having a horse to help out in the vines instead of some big green tractor. I also think there’s also a touch of ✨magic✨ in this bio bottle, since it took me traveling through space and time. BTW needless to say it pairs incredibly well with “Paper Girls”. If you haven’t gotten around to reading or watching, just pop open this Pét-Nat Rosé, pop your favorite mixtape into your Walkman, and keep your eyes peeled for the purple glow.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #PétNat #petnat #Rosé #rose #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #80s #Moravia #CzechRepublic #StLaurent #Cabernet #naturalwine #biodynamic #PaperGirls #Danzig #cliffchiang #briankvaughan @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits @vinaherzanovi @jennyfrancois @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Fancy Flamingos

Weingut Strehn
Flamingo
Blaufrankisch Rosé Brut 2020
Organic (working on certification for biodynamic), sustainable
Deutschkreutz, Mittelburgenland, Burgenland, Austria
Winemaking Family: Pia Strehn, Patrick Pfneisl, Andy Pfneisl & Monika Strehn

Ruby grapefruit pink and a bit electric and very active bubbles that carry the scents swirling right up to your sniffer. Starts off with a cream/vanilla vibe, raspberries. strawberries, a hint of cherries, crisp apples, and dreaminess. Tasting and there’s a creamy feel that leads to cherries (fresh and dried and as the end of the sip ends a bit of pit), raspberries, strawberries bloom and run around in the blend, almonds and maybe a little brioche hiding that pop in and out. It’s fresh, crisp, juicy and full of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: really good and doesn’t change the taste. Snack pack worthy

Oh I totally adore Strehn wine as you can see in my previous post, “Pink Elephants? Don’t Worry It’s a Good Thing”. This time it’s a Fancy Flamingo rocking the Rosé, and reminding us as the Strehn family say, “Save our planet – it’s the only one with Blaufränkisch”. Honestly every time I see a flamingo, I think of mom because she had such a thing for these long legged wonders. After moving from my childhood abode, and coming back to visit, I noticed them encroaching in my old bedroom. First it was just one peering from my bookcase, then another beside my drawing table, and then it was like Gremlins multiplying and I couldn’t escape them. My non girly pale yellow and green room had bursts of pink popping everywhere! So I guess it is true, “Home is where Blaufränkisch is” or in my case where the rosé feathers are.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #brut #sparklingwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Rosé #pink #Blaufrankisch #austria #flamingo #rose @piastrehn @volkerwineco @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Rosé Tinted Recollections

Caravinsérail
Elicio Rosé 2020
IGP Méditerranée
85% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah
La Tour d’Aigues, Vaucluse, France
Wine Team: Xavier Logette, Didier Robert & Lilian Rigaud

Peachy rose blush. Lovely bits of peaches mixed with light mango, tiny strawberries, raspberries, and a sea breeze weave in and out, only to be mixed in with rained on slate on a warm spring day. Yeah, yeah I’m not being a cheeseball…this is what my front porch down south would smell like after a cleansing downpour. Tastebuds are dancing to the groove of a peach/melon blend, strawberries with a little creaminess, raspberries, papaya, a shake of sea salt with a mineral bit waving “yoo hoo”, and as I drink a bite of fresh parsley at the end. Oh this is darn good!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: absolutely not

Out of Caravinsérail’s three wine lines, “Elicio” is their…drink it now and have fun bottle (there’s also a red & white, but I don’t have my hands on them YET). The name alone shows this wine is meant to be shared with friends creating new happy moments, or solo while relaxing and letting your brain wander fondly over memories that make a smile grace your face. On this warm and stormy night, this glassful evoked my mind to walk down the path of my first “kind of” date with my S.O., and finding out that arty snarly exterior was hiding an extremely good hearted, sensitive, and very intelligent soul. Right then I knew, this was the one. Even after all these years I still swoon. Recommend y’all grabbing a bottle, and see where it’s magic takes you.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #rosé #rosato #rose #Provence #Vaucluse #France #Elicio @jp.bourgeois @MaisonCascavel @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

 

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A Rocking Winemaking Jedi Master

Gönc Winery
Anna 2021
Dry Rosè
50% Žametna črnina, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Grigio, 10% Blaufränkisch
Hand harvested, natural winemaking
Štajerska-Slovenia, Eastern Slovenia
Winemaker: Peter Gönc

Salmon on the lighter side. Beautiful mix of scents that sing summer…cantaloupes, honeydew, watermelons, strawberries, red currants, SC peaches from my old orchard (used to make the best hand cranked ice cream), and a whiff of slate. Sipping mild cantaloupe, strawberries, super ripe cucumber, peaches, lemon tingle, and a flinty mineral lick.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes everything more crisp and sharpen

I’m asking all of you to PLEASE watch “I Hate Everything About Wine”, a very short documentary on Gönc Winery. Just going to say it, I’ve never met this man, but I think I’ve just fallen in love with Peter Gönc within over 5 minutes of video. He hated wine because as a boy because his dad kept him working in the vineyard while all the other kids got to go out and play, so when he had his chance to head in a different direction he just took off only to realize later…maybe it’s not so bad after all. On return he realized whoops, he didn’t know how to make wine, so he just Googled & Youtubed. He somehow is like a natural wine Jedi Master or DJ. He feels what is right, and oh boy does it work. While he’s alone in the cellar, rock music keeps him company. One day he just wrote Starman on a barrel and it went from there. Names began to mesh with the labels, so you’re drinking his groove. Albeit the two I had weren’t from that series. Instead I got a UFO abduction and this one “Anna” named for his grandmother. Guess that means I’m going to have to pick up more asap to spin with some Bowie. ⚡️Peter you seriously rock!

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram  #instawine #winemaking #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #rosé #rosato #Rosè #Slovenia #bowie  @jp.bourgeois @goncwinery @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit

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Our Friends In The Fields

Celler Credo
Miranius 2020
100% Xarel·lo
Penedès D.O.
Organic, biodynamic, dry farmed, hand harvested, indigenous yeast
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Penedès (Barcelona), Catalonia, Spain
Xarel·list & winemaker: Ton Mata (Josep Mata Capellades’ grandson)

Golden starlight glass. Sniff and here come tart pears, apple blossoms, lemon zest. light tangerine fades in and out, and then there’s a roll in the green meadows that leads to grass stains on my jeans, and finally toasty brioche goodness mmmmmmmm. Tiny sip and it’s already lovely and slightly frisky. There’s pears blended with mellow golden delicious apples, lemon/lime spritz w a touch of cucumber juice, and that brioche toasty is is linger a bit in the back but will surely fade, along with a lick of salt and slate. It’s crisp, fresh, and makes up your mouth but not with a jolt…more of a nuzzle.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out the citrus pop

Damn I love Celler Credo’s wines (Recaredo’s still white wine label)! First encounter was at La Vinya Del Senyor with Credo’s ꓕⱯNƎꓒꓕⱯꓤ or ‘Ratpenat’ (or in other words: bat) was a lovely introduction. If you buy a case, it can transform into a bat shelter…how cool is that because they’re beneficial to not only the vineyards but the world. “The bat is the only flying mammal on Earth and can kill between 600 and 1,200 insects per hour.” From the labels alone, you can see Ton Mata & Cellar Credo love the creatures that roam the vineyards, fields & skies above; and respect, nurture, and coexist with them. As with the bats, this little ‘Miranius’ sleek and shifty fox can also help them with some pest control while munching on an evening bite. 🦊

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Xarello #fox #bat #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Penedès #Penedes #catalunya #catalonia #Spain #organic @vinyadelsenyor @vinewinenyc @cellercredo @cheezit

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Fine Wine & Good Deeds

Forlorn Hope
Zincenzo! 2020
Carbonic Zinfandel
100% Zinfandel
Rorick Heritage Vineyard
Murphys, Calaveras County, CA
Organic, hand-harvested, carbonic maceration, unfiltered & unfined
Winemaker: Matthew Rorick

Sunset ruby orange streaked sky. Breathing a little earthy musk and schistiness at first that blossoms into cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. I am so glad I chilled this (chilling is said to be optional). Sipping delicious juicy blend of cranberry, cherry, strawberry, raspberry, salt & smoke with a little olive pit, and a bit of earthy forest darkness or as said before it’s the schist. This is one bottle that will get me in trouble because it is so frisky, friendly, and has a depth that I don’t know if I can leave it alone.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Delightful and even more addictive

This bottle was a total surprise for me. I love Forlorn Hope wines! The surprise part was I didn’t know I was receiving it. This was one of the bottles in Vine Wine’s “6 Bottles for Ukraine” box. You’ll get 3-4 bottles of red and the rest could be white, rose, or bubbles for $100 ((LINK IN BIO)). “All of the revenue from these six packs will be donated directly to World Central Kitchen, chef Jose Andres humanitarian organization. Currently he is working in Lviv cooking meals for displaced people and refugees, as well as partnering with restaurants in Ukraine to pay them to make meals locally. This is a cause close to our heart, feeding people and supporting local business. If you would like to donate directly you can head over to https://wck.org/ to learn more.” I don’t know how long they will be doing the boxes, but if you can get one, you’ll be doing a good deed while enjoying some fine wine! 🇺🇦

#ukraine #standwithukraine #Україна #🇺🇦 #kyiv #stopwar #зупинитивійну #supportukraine #ятебелюблю #wine #вино #love #Zinfandel @wckitchen @vinewinenyc @forlornhopewines

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Creature Of The Night

Aoton Winery
“Lola” Retsina Rosé 2018
Mandilaria 74%, Cabernet Sauvignon 26%
Hand picked during night harvest, organic, indigenous yeast, also 0,4g/L of Aleppo Pine Resin added
Traditional Appellation “Retsina”
Peania, Attica, Greece.
Winemaker: Sotiris Gkinis

Cranberry/pomegranate/watermelon cocktail color with orange hints. First breath and there is is full on…pine and then mint smashed with basil, rosemary, flowering herbs and clover, green and pink strawberries, dried cherries, and still it’s fresh. First sip and I’m going hmmm? This is unique. Do I like it…yeah, I think I do. It takes a few sips and it keeps surprising. Definitely driven by the traditional pine resin, and that mint/basil pesto, then pops of pomegranate, a little young cherry/plum, and rose hips. The more I drink, the more I think…and Lola is one fascinating, complicated, intriguing lady of mystery.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: eh noncommittal

I had been checking out “Lola” who kept winking at me from the shelves, but she hadn’t swayed me to bringing her home until I saw her being romanced by another! Tip of the hat to @sips.and.babs who influenced me to take a chance. Yes this bottle is all dressed up to be on a runway (check the label) or a night at the club, but it’s also draped in robes of retsina history with an elegant creative modern flair. A creature of the night, “Lola’s” grapes are hand harvested in the cool evening darkness which just add to her unique fresh beauty. I might just have to run away with her! 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Rosé #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Mandilaria #CabernetSauvignon #Retsina #Greece #organic @vinewinenyc @aoton_winery @cheezit

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Vivacious Expression

Weingut Tegernseerhof
T- Rosé Zweigelt 2020
Sustainable, hand harvested
Wachau, Austria
Winemaker: Martin Mittelbach (5th generation)

Deep rose with a touch of sunset orange. Let it sit a little and scents float out of strawberries, red plums, raspberries, fresh picked spring flowers (includes the stems, leaves and all), and a few blades of grass. Those strawberries and raspberries reappear in the sip along with blackberries, and of all things watermelon jolly ranchers. There’s also a smooth creaminess, white peaches, a blood arrange tingle and spark, and the tiniest hint of parsley on the back. This is a happy easy sipper that will bring your tastebuds a lot of enthusiastic joy, but it’s also thoughtful and more complex than a typical rosé party down pink fest.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nah it’s not for me

Martin Mittelbach says it best on his site, “Following ancient traditions, we use our own grape selections, chosen for their agility and vitality. Quality comes before quantity. Our wines reflect our values: they impress through their expression of vineyard and grape variety rather their alcohol or sugar content. Their finesse comes naturally, in our combination of soils, climate, and traditional viniculture.” That’s what you’re going to find in this bottle of rosé…true dedicated quality and a taste of their part of the world. Martin is the conductor that brings this symphony all together, much like how the Austrian conductor, Elisabeth Fuchs directs orchestras in her expressive passionate ways. Check them both out, because I can guarantee it will bring a smile to your day. 💕

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Zweigelt #Austria #rosé #rose #ElisabethFuchs @artisanalcellars @docwineshop @docwinebar @tegernseerhof @cheezit