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Wines For Fines

Samuel Párraga
Coche Discoteca NV
Sparkling Rosé 
Moscatel, Pedro Ximinez, Rome
Organic
Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

Deep rose/orange sunset with a few bubbles. There’s scents of strawberries, raspberry, toasty hay, lemon/lime jelly bellies, light cherry pop, and a little sea breeze. Sipping away and am greeted by those strawberries & raspberries, juicy light cherry, bit of sweet apple, that toast/hay moment again, in the background there’s other bouncing berries from blue to boysen, smidge red currants, lime sizzle, and a tiny lick of salt. This is one FUN party pop.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: walk away from the bag

Samuel discovered his enthusiasm for wine from his dad who brought him up doing it right in the natural & artisanal way. He’s continued in that same vein with no chemicals in the field & winery, and believes that the vines “are stronger and a HARMONY can be achieved between the plants and the rest of the beings that inhabit and/or are related to the crop. I also believe that the grapes from these plants are fruits with greater VITALITY, which gives us the opportunity to make a good PURE wine.” He also loves to share his vino, and after a night of music (María Arnal & Marcel Bagés) he & friends kept the party going in the parking lot by the car with some of his vino and a “rather large speaker in the trunk”. Needless to say cops pulled up to the bumper & a ticket (it inspired the label) was written for “Coche Discoteca” aka “Disco Car”. I want to read the full rule of law against discoing. 🤣 At least they came up with a small batch (31 bottles) to pay it off, and hoping that they keep them coming. 🪩

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #sparklingwine #Spain #worldbyglass #goatboyselections #cochediscoteca #samuelparraga #vinewinenyc

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Bad Bunnies

Bodegas Más Que Vinos
Los Conejos Malditos
Tempranillo Carbónico 2023
100% Cencibel (local clone of Tempranillo)
Working sustainably, farming organic, indigenous grapes, and 1 of the first wineries in Spain to receive “Wineries for Climate Protection” certification
Cabañas de Yepes, Toledo, Spain
Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez

Ruby/purple depth. Breathing in cherries, plums, raspberries, blackberries, a swirl of violets, and over time a tiny grind of white pepper. Hopping out of the glass and onto my tastebuds are cherries (fresh & dried), plums, light raspberry, blackberries, dates & a little dried dark fig, black olive pits, as it opens violets grow but don’t over creep, and oddly a drop of black tea & maybe even a little herbal.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: juicy

This isn’t a buddy movie but a winery. Starting back in 1999, three wine loving/making friends (Margarita, Alexandra & Gonzalo) launched Más Que Vinos (wine consulting business), ventured into winemaking, breathed new life into an old family winery, and built a new modern one. From all of this hard work these friends sound like they have the limitless energy of that certain drumming rabbit with sunglasses. Speaking of cotton tails, sounds like their local ones have a penchant for excellent grapes and can gobble up a lot prior to harvest, hence the name “The Damned Rabbits”. These little bandits may be adorable but I can see where their cuteness wanes and may drive a person to find solutions like on this label. 🍇🐰

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Spain #badbunnies #valkyrieselections #BodegasMasQueVinos #LosConejosMalditos #vinewinenyc

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The Things You Can Do In Your Parent’s Basement

LaRuraL
Parellada 2022
100% Parellada
Organic (CCPAE since 2015), indigenous yeasts & grapes, no additives
Santes Creus, Alt Camp, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain
Xavi and Andreu Padró (brothers)

Bright orange gold. Breathing in oranges, orange blossoms, irises & roses, tangerines & zest, fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, and a touch of  musk melon. Taking a sip and ding ding ding it’s all of the scents with a bit of lime zest spring in its step, golden apples fresh & baked, round pears, apricots, candied pineapple like from mom’s fruitcake & also dried but not overly sweet, all of the flavors linger & swirl, and at the very back green apple peel.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: ok

The Padró family were growers but didn’t get into winemaking/selling until Xavi & Andreu decided it was time to show the world what their family’s grapes could do. When I think of two brothers hanging out in their parents’ basement, the image that comes to mind of boys/young men playing D&D or video games, but with these two…they were on their way to creating magical elixirs. Starting out they worked with an enologist but it wasn’t quite the right fit, and they followed their heart or should I say their tastebuds to inspirations of likeminded & knowledgable souls that helped guide their way. Their celebrated wines also carry eye catching labels by their friend & artist, Fran Rodríguez aka lacabezaenlasnubes. His imagery is surreal and filled with emotions or memories that seem frozen in time. Check him out and please do pick up one of LaRuraL’s wines because they are inside and out a portal to an enchanting world.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #naturalwine  #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #lacabezaenlasnubes #josepastorselections #Spain #LaRuraL #vinewinenyc

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Absolutely No Brooding Here

Bodegas y Vinedos Ponce
La Xara 2022
100% Garnacha
Manchuela DO
Organic, vegan, biodynamic, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Villanueva de la Jara, Cuenca, Spain
Winemaker: Juan Antonio Ponce

Ruby with some purple blue flashes. Breathing in light violets, cherries, plums both fresh & dried, touch of fresh tobacco, ccaramelized goodness (hence the tobacco), raspberries, and tomato leaves. What I’ve sniffed is in the taste with a grind of peppercorns, a tart tangle of singed citrus zest, blackberries (fresh picked on the side of the road while warm, juice dribbling & all), fresh dandelion & oregano, and an enjoyable lick of iron. This is not a brooding red, but bright, fresh, and a dry tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Smooth and juicy

At 14 Juan was already studying wine, applying his knowledge out in the world, and by 23 he started his own venture & from what I read it was with “11 barrels and a loan”…well and some land already being farmed by his father too. Now he’s known as one of Spain’s top “experts in biodynamic and natural winemaking”. He has a deep affinity for Bobal (he’s been called the Bobal whisperer), but he also has that “Gredos” touch with this lively, elegant, and as said before fresh Garnacha. Each glass just seems to shine more and if you listen closely it will start to whisper its tale since Juan “believes that every bottle tells a story”. This one is filled with love, care, respect and the passion behind his family’s life of wine. Wait…glass is there something else you’re trying to say? Is this really you whispering or is it the “wine” talking? You want me to get up off my butt & take a spin around the room to what…Sofi Tukker? Really? Well then I think it’s time to “Throw Some…” 💃🍷 Happy weekend & shake your tail feather, y’all!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #organic #sofitukker #Garnacha #Spain #tedwardwines #bodegasponce #docwinebar #docwineshop

 

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“Can You Bottle An Idea?”

Fento Wines
Bico Do Cabo 2022
Albariño
Rias Baixas DO
Organic & biodynamic
Ribadumia, Galicia, Spain
Winemaker: Rebecca & Eulogio Pomares

Shining golden yellow. Breathing in lemons, tiny squeeze of grapefruit, pears, a cooling sea breeze, and ocean wave splashed on mineral rock. First taste and there’s lemons & lemon Pez, firm pears, Granny Smith apples, a little white peach, and a kiss of salt. It’s just fresh, crisp, zingy and has a lot more going on than a lot of other Albariños.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: surprisingly brings out a whole big basket of lemons so pucker up!

“For me freedom is not doing what I want, it is knowing that I can. The starting point was: can you bottle an idea?” – Eulogio Pomares

Taking that first step toward bottling his ideas must have been so exciting while growing up in the Bodegas Zárate wine family (7th generation), and is now their winemaker, but he didn’t just stop there…he’s been called restless which I see as creatively driven. He &  Rebecca (his wife) also have side projects that include Parcelarios (their Albariño vineyard comes from a plot of old vines from Rebeca’s grandmother), and Fento Wines (fern in Galician) which has been around & keeping it natural since 2012, and includes grapes from both Rias Baixas & Portugal’s Dao region (Quinta da Pellada). Then there’s his passion of not only being a champion of Albariño, but also of local reds (Caiño Tinto, Loureiro Tinto & Espadeiro) that needed a bit of his know-how & help with recovery. Overall this man must be the “Energizer Bunny” of Galician wines and is known as one of their top winemakers…so my bet is he finds a very satisfying freedom in every glass of his wine that is poured. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #catsofinstagram #cats #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #naturalwine #worldbyglass #organic #Galicia #Spain #avantgardews #fentowines #vinewinenyc

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Wild Child

Galgo Wines
ÍB Sunset 2023
Garnacha & Jaén Blanca
Organic, unfined & unfiltered
Sierra de Gredos, Castilla-León, Spain
Ezequiel Sanchez-Mateos & Daniel Ramos (producer)

Pomegrante-cherry haze with blue shimmers. Breathing in cherries & blossoms, roses, violets, and pickle juice that fades. First sip and there’s cherries tart & dark, deep fresh & dried strawberries, tingle tangle (it’s a bit of a wild child), red currants, pomegranate, a chew of sour grass, and a lick of pickle while chewing Choward’s scented gum (violet).

Pairs with Cheez-Its:  NOPE

It’s been a while since my last Galgo wine but they are always fun, fresh, and at times like this one frisky. Daniel, has a passion for Garnacha (& so do I!) in particular from Sierra de Gredos where he saved & resurrected a few hectares. From what I’m learning he also has a penchant for Jaén Blanca which he tends to add to his wines like IB Sunset. They’ve also created a 100% Jaén that I’m still on the hunt for and hoping one day to finally get a taste of its natural beauty. BTW did you catch the name of Sanchez-Mateos & Ramos’ Galgo collaboration line, “Ínsula Barataria”? Do you remember where that comes from? Here’s two hints, there’s a donkey on the label & you probably had this on a test long ago. See I knew you’d get it. 📖 🍷Cheers!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #catsofinstagram #cats #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #naturalwine #worldbyglass #organic #Spain #steephillwine #ReservaYCata #galgowines #vinewinenyc

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My Dorothy Moment

Celler Jan Vidal
Vita Vivet Brut
Xarel-lo 50%, Macabeu 30%, Parellada 20%
Penedès, DO Cava
Organic
Bellvei, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

Twinkling starlight yellow with a green sheen and lovely little bubbles. Scents pop up of toasted rice (think Bibimbap) mixed with day 2 baguette edges, a lemon/lime spritzed apple & pear blend, and tiny roses & a few wild flowers. Taking a sip and there’s crunchy apples & pears, lemon/lime again that has a little tingly vibration, salt, smidge of dried pineapple, with a toasty melba vibe that’s in the back. Just dry, crisp, and very alive.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: So vibrantly delicious

A good cava is one of my favorite things in the world. It always lifts my spirits and can turn a bad day into a joyous celebration. I remember my first encounter in high school art class. My teacher would often set up a still life, and one of the more interesting parts was the iconic black bubbly bottle (you know the one) & the detail that had to be rendered to depict it properly. No I did not kick it back 🤣, I was way too young so by the time I finally did try it, I honestly was not that impressed & kind of disappointed. When I did finally find a proper glass…oh it was like that moment in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy steps into a Technicolor world. Now, every time I have one it transports me back to Catalunya, and if I close my eyes & allow myself to dream, I can just smell the tapas & remember the taste of good squishy cheese, feel the cool evening breeze, hear the clip of high heels on cobblestone, and feel all stress fade away. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #catsofinstagram #cats #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove  #winetime #cava #sparklingwine #bubbly #worldbyglass #organic #Spain #barcelona #Catalunya #selectionsdelavina #cellerjanvidal #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Two Creative Gifts

Bodegas Barbadillo
Sábalo 2021
100% Palomino Fino
Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz
Organic
Cádiz, Andalucia, Spain
Winemaker: Montserrat Molina
Barbadillo Family

Warm gold. Inhaling sold crisp apples & pears that grow over time into baked, a mix of fresh spring rained on slate & lick of limestone, lemon lime squish, Lemonheads, and teeny squeeze of Valencia orange. Drinking in apples, pears, singed orange zest, grate of hazelnut & marcona almond, limestone, light handed honey, and young watermelon & rind sprinkled with salt. Delicate, polished, a touch romantic, and very easy to drink.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: bleh

I’m sure most of you have had a wine, sherry, manzanilla, and/or a vermouth by Barbadillo. They’ve been around over 2 centuries, have 16 cellars & 250 ha of vines (they’re 1 of the largest in Jerez), and are still family run after all these years. Their bodega “ is a seafaring winery, always between the sea and the land. Hence, the first wine in this organic range bears the name of the Sábalo, a sea-faring fish, but which defies the river currents on its way to the spawning ground. It is a great metaphor that represents the entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit of Barbadillo.” It’s also a tribute to Manuel Barbadillo (grandfather of the current president, who was not only a winemaker but also a poet so he was bestowed with two creative gifts). You’ll find part of his lovely verses that weave romantic imagery on the label alongside the watercolor of a Sábalo aka Shad.

“¡Ay Sanlúcar, si yo fuera

Si yo fuera marinero

De Sábalos y de lunas

Mi barca sería tu cuna

Y yo tu patrón remero

Y si fuera cantaor

Sanlúcar del Alma mía,

Que copla te cantaría

Junto a cualquier mostrador…”

Oh Sanlúcar, if I were

If I were a sailor

Of shads and moons

My boat would be your cradle

And I am your rowing boss

And if I were a singer

Sanlúcar of my soul,

What song would I sing to you?

Next to any counter…”

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #winetasting #winetime #wineislove #organic #Spain #skurnikwines #bodegasbarbadillo #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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“Work It! I need a glass of…”

Nuria Renom
Can Barceló
Les Cantarelles
Adda 2022
100% Parellada
Vino Espumoso
Organic with biodynamic treatments
Sant Martí del Sarroca, Alt Penedès, Spain
Nuria Renom and Arola Tous-Galí

Cloudy almost sea monkey yellow with VERY active bubbles. Open it over a sink. Don’t be me… Sniff and recommend y’all give it a little time out since it’s pretty natural (think forest floor/Yellowstone paint pots with a bit of hay). It does back off and is joined with a squeeze of lemon oven roasted pears & apples, pie spice, I think a little pastry, salt, and yellow plums. Rolling around on my tongue and it’s so refreshing & lively, all of the lovely lemon & bit of a tart, crisp yellow & green pears, same goes for apples, very young yellow plums but skinless, smidge of nectarine and Lemonhead candy. All in all it’s very bright with a delightful bit of excitement.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: like cheddar on apple pie

Think about doing a shift as a sommelier at a hip bustling bar in Barcelona (Bar Brutal) then after hopping the train back home to vines that need tending & wine that needs making and then put the cycle on repeat. That was Nuria’s life while working with her natural thinking friends’ grapes. Now she & Arola (her partner) have their own farm, Can Barceló, where they have grown their project Les Cantarelles. I believe that all those long hours, traveling back & forth (that must have been so exhausting), and passion have truly paid off…just try this joyful bubbling sparkler and it will exuberantly let you know they worked it, yes they definitely made it, and the glass sizzles with Missy Elliott’s lyrics, “this the kinda beat that go ra-ta-ta-ra-ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta-ta-ta”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #sparklingwine #petnat #PétNat  #winelover #winetasting #winetime #wineislove #organic #Spain #josepastorselections #LesCantarelles #NuriaRenom #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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Drop That Olive And Salut!

Casa Mariol
Vermut Blanc
Macabeu & local herbs
Organic & vegan
Batea, Terra Alta, Spain
Josep Maria & Marta Vaquer Llop (current generation and brother & sister)

Shining yellow with a bit of green blip. Hovering over the glass and scents start off with a cream ’nila feel that leads to Sprite with an herbal swirl of mints (chocolate, wintergreen, spearmint), basil, sage, thyme, a drop of Riccola, touch of an ocean breeze, and a hint of icing (not buttercream). Sipping (btw I haven’t added the olives in yet) and all of the scents explode in the taste with a welcome bitter bite, orange and other citrus zest, and then it all goes mellow and beckons me to relax, kick back and drop that olive in.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Due to the olive incident, I have not had a chance to try. You’ll see later.

This reminds me of my first vermut encounter provided by my friends in Belgium that was ages ago…actually years…and a whole other lifetime.  My young American mouth was not familiar with any sort of vermouth. All of my tastebuds rose to attention and went on high alert. With time and advice from friends, I realized what I had been missing in my youth was adding an olive or two since they bring out more herbs and a dryness, and are so delightful to munch on. Well, they were until last Saturday night. I swear if it’s not one thing it’s another lately. 🤣 Let’s just say I am going to the dentist in a few days to have my hillbilly front tooth repaired. I will say this Vermut Blanc is worth a visit to Dr. 🦷🦷, and again Casa Mariol, I can’t wait to get a chance to visit y’all in person to try the rest of your wines with a new smile. Salut!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #vermut #vermouth #winelover #winetasting #winetime #wineislove #organic #Spain #vinoslibres #CasaMariol #vinewine #vinewinenyc