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We Are Family

Cantina Stroppiana
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC 2017
La Morra, Italy
100% Dolcetto
Winemaking Family: Dario (dad), Stefania (mom), Leonardo (son) and Altea (daughter)

Deep beautiful dark ruby glass. First thing that hits your nose are the cherries, followed by strawberries, which then blueberries appear. This is fruity fun. Oh now comes a spice that is warm…I almost have it…it’s like a tiny pinch of holiday style cinnamon/clove. Nice and smooth. Again with the first sip is cherry, plum that’s deep almost prune but not that dried thing darkness. Next sip and all of a sudden strawberries that turn into blackberries with seeds and all. You know the fresh picked ones that are well worth digging through the bramble and thorns and eating fresh as the juice dribbles down your chin. Those type of blackberries. It’s a wine that you can relax to and it’s true velvet with a little rustic earth. This is couture and not RTW.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it earthy warm and more rustic. I love it this pairing!

Passed down from Dario’s grandfather and his father, Cantina Stroppiana is a full on family affair. Dario learned from his grandfather and then took it a step further with agricultural school, or as he calls it, “the best of both worlds”. Stefania (Dario’s wife) also came from a farming background, but later in life went into nursing and this is how they met. She is now all in working with the vineyard and as she says, “I’ll always be left wondering whether it was me or my vineyards that Dario fell in love with first?!” That makes me smile. Stefania, I’m betting it was you first. Their children also took to different paths. Leonardo went into business communications but knows that it will help with the Cantina. Altea turned to the arts and in particular sculpture (I would love to see some of her creations) and realized her love for the land and is learning and working in all aspects of the winery. Oh, and they both have wines named after them! All of this warms my heart. Family is so important and to be able to work like a well oiled machine altogether is so wonderful. One more thing to add is that they not only cultivate the vines and make their wine, but they also have hazelnuts! Their’s is Tonda Gentile Trilobata which is known as the best hazelnut in the world. Come to think of it, I bet a nice hazelnut cookie would go great with this dolcetto. I think I might have to go dig through the cabinet and find one, pour another glass and turn on some good ol’ happy Sister Sledge – We Are Family

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @cantina_stroppiana @steephillwine @antosicurezza @cheezits #cheezit #wine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #italy #LaMorra #steephillwine #CantinaStroppiana ##DolcettodAlba #Dolcetto #hazelnut #SisterSledge #wearefamily

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A Liquid Postcard

Cantine Chessa
C’era Una Volta 2017
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC
Usini, Sardegna, Italy
100% Vermentino
Sustainable farming, indigenous yeasts
Winemaker: Giovanna Chessa

Deep gold skin-contact orangey. Breathing in honey and honeysuckles, smoke, melon, pear, and hazelnut. This is definitely an invitation to an enchanted evening of wonder. Tasting and again honey, smoke/a touch of oak, melon, and ripe pear. There’s also something mineral that I believe is white pepper. This is glorious! We need a choir hallelujah here!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: bright melon and pear and lighter honey

Giovanna Chessa has woven a delightful dream with “C’era Una Volta” which translates to “Once Upon a Time”. She is truly such an amazing winemaker. Loving the four day skin-contact and also that she lets the spontaneous indigenous yeasts work their magic at first in stainless steel and then later in used French barrels, so it lets the grapes sing. Or as Giovanna says, “The bottle is a liquid postcard” that can transport you to Sardegna, and learn the history of the land, the grapes and her story. Also the label captures the beauty and fairytale of this wine. It even won a silver medal at the MUSE Design Awards for Redfish Adv and Sara Pilloni. If you’re inspired and want to find out more about Sara’s art, check it out here.

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Let’s Take a Joy Ride!

Terra di Briganti
Sciascinoso 2019
Sannio DOP
Casalduni Campania Italy
Sciascinoso 100%
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts
Winemakers: Toni and Romeo De Cicco

It’s a glass of deep ruby purple Ring Pop. Letting you know, I tried this wine at two different temps. First was from my red wine fridge. Taking a sniff and it’s cherry with funk…spicy funk, dark berry, and earthy. Sipping and there’s pucker up tart cherry, blackberries, light and tangy. Second try was nicely chilled, and what a different wine! Breathing in sweet cherry, something floral, beautiful strawberries, and it’s still a little earthy. Tasting bright cherries, blackberry, plums, smooth fruit with a little tangy tingle zingy. There’s that touch of earth again and a dash of white pepper. Super fresh and soooooooo good chilled. For some reason my lips feel like they are vibrating. Do it! Chill it! You’ll be so happy.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: both tries and I come up with the same result of no changes

Out of the four Briganti wines I’ve tried, this is the most playful and carefree. Fits their fun label of two people on a motorcycle with a sidecar taking a sunny joyride. Let’s hit the road with them and Hendrix.

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A Glass and a Dance

Malaparte Vinos
Dindi Blanco 2019 (I think)
Cuéllar, Segovia, Spain
Albillo Mayor (mainly), Jerez, Huerta del Rey, and Verdejo
Natural farming, no pesticides or herbicides, indigenous yeasts and spontaneous fermentation
Winemaking family: Mariano de Frutos (dad), Elisa de Frutos (daughter), Ruben Salamanca (son-in-law)

Color pale golden yellow. Looks refreshing! Smelling a blend of citrus, melon, some vanilla sweetness, then salty smoky, and something greenish like grass. Sipping cantaloupe and honeydew, a twinge of apple, tangy orange, and lemon tart (with a not so sweet yet toasty vanilla savory crust just lingering in the back). As it opens more, it’s sultry but still has a mineral granite lick. Medium body with an acidic finish. In other words, the best of both worlds

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: more melon, more fragrance

Reading up on how Malaparte Vinos, grew from a dream of Mariano de Frutos. Back in 1996, (wow when I typed this, I was thinking that’s not that long ago, but in reality, yes it is…time flies.) he started planting only Tempranillo in a small 3.5 hectare vineyard, but over the years it has branched out to a variety of grapes such as mentioned above in the wine notes. Very glad his dream has been realized and shared with his daughter Elisa de Frutos and her husband Ruben Salamanca.

Mariano’s dream started and is still in Cuéllar, so off we go to check out the town. If you happen to arrive the last Sunday of August, better keep watch of what’s happening around you. Early each morning (the Festival of Nuestra Señora del Rosario lasts 5 days) the bulls are released to do the infamous run through the streets. I think I’ll stick to just visiting the Dukes of Alburquerque castle. Awe inspiring gothic and renaissance architecture are blended in this incredible structure. Quite a fortress, that became abandoned after the dukes left the neighborhood. Much later in 1938, it became used as a prison and later a sanatorium for TB infected prisoners. What a change from being an exalted lap of luxury. As of now though, it has become a vocational school. Can you imagine going to school in a castle! Oh wait, that makes me think of Hogswart. That could be magical.

Let’s check out one more place in the nearby town of Iscar, the Museo Mariemma. Guillermina Teodosia Martínez Cabrejas, otherwise known as Mariemma, was one of Spain’s most important and influential dancers and choreographers. Born in Iscar, but due to her father wanting to make a better future for his family, they packed up and moved to Paris. From what I’m discovering about her past, she often danced in the street and was discovered for her talent at the age of 9, and then sent to study with a professional. By the age of 12, she was already performing as a soloist at the Olympia Theater. She passed on her love of dance, knowledge and creativity by teaching at Real Conservatorio de Arte Dramático y Danza de Madrid, and forming her own school: Mariemma Ballet de España. If you want to learn more about Mariemma, check out Daniel G. Cabrero’s documentary, “My Paths Through Dance”. Now I have another museum to check off my visit list whenever I get to travel again.

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Rustic Family Roots

Terra di Briganti
Nato Nudo
Aglianico 2017
Benevento IGT
Casalduni Campania Italy
Aglianico 100%
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts
Winemakers: Toni and Romeo De Cicco

Dark garnet that I can’t see through. Breathing in dark cherry, prune, and an earthy spiciness. Whoa the first sip is darker than I was expecting. Someone please bring me a lamb chop or maybe even better a lamb sausage. Rustic cherry including the pit and tart ripe blackberries some velvet plum/prune. There’s also something herbal or maybe…no wait, it’s oil cured black olives that I used to eat like a madwoman in college. It’s that luscious old school bitter.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Less bitter and more fruit

Senza Solfiti Aggiunti are magical words to my ears. I love no added sulfites! This is my third Terra di Briganti wine and all three are greatly diverse yet consistent. Every one is well structured and true to their grape. You can feel the passion and care in the wines. I love this quote from their site: “It’s the proper equilibrium between tradition and innovation and the ideal synergy that is found amongst the Earth’s gifts and the art of wine. Because wines of quality aren’t the fruit of coincidence.” This family is devoted to the land, the grape and the nature that nurtures. Does my heart good to see them passing this knowledge down the generations. Check out these lovely pics of everyone pitching in working the vines and wine.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @TerradiBriganti @steephillwine #steephillwine @cheezits #cheezit #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #italy #aglianico #Benevento #Casalduni #Campania #organic #biodynamic #vegan

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Naked as the Day You’re Born

Terra di Briganti
Nato Nudo
Fiano 2018
Benevento IGP
Casalduni Campania Italy
Fiano 100%
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, and indigenous yeasts

Super deep glistening gold. Inhale and then there’s blossoms, tangerine, some wafting salt, and then here comes the apples, pears, and something a bit herbal. Go in for the sip and there’s those pears and apples again. Add to that melon, honeysuckle, citrus peel tang, and spice that may be black pepper, or something dried. All I know is I want a plate of salame and mortadella.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: gives it a citrus zing lightness with a touch of celery

Nato Nudo means born naked, and is a natural unfiltered wine with no added sulfites. You can really smell, taste, and feel the benefit of the wild rugged land where the guyot trained Fiano grows.

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Fresh and Foxy

Terra di Briganti
Coda di Volpe 2019
100% Coda di Volpe
Benevento Campania Italy
Organic, biodynamic and vegan

Cloudy orange goldness and tiny bubbles cling to the glass. Go in for the sniff and wow, honeysuckle and spring grass, then a hint of vanilla cookie, smoke, and a splash of cola.  This is delightful. Swirl and sip. There’s honey, a light citrus tingle, smoke and light citrusy and tangerine tingle with a dash of smoke and salt. This is one sleek, sly, fun fox.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: tangerine mellowness continues

The more you know: Coda di volpe means tail of the fox, which refers to how this type of grape looks on the vine growing in a long tail-like bunch.

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Old School

Migrante
Terre Olibani 2015
Cesanese 100%
Olevano Romano Lazio Italy
Organic and biodynamic

Glassful of garnet. Give it a little moment to breathe. Inhale and here comes the cherries, cola, some spice that I’m thinking is cloves, and orange peel. Going in for the sip and there’s tart cherry that turns smooth, raisin, orange, some smoke, a dash of white pepper and rustic earthiness. This is old school.

Pairs w Cheez-It’s: brings out the cherry orange sweetness

And here’s a little more old school: Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Renegades of Funk

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Tangled Tingle of Fun

Tenuta Belvedere
WAI 2018
Sparkling Rosé
Oltrepò Pavese in Provincia di Pavia Lombardy Italy
Pinot Nero 100%
Organic, biodynamic, ancestral method
Winemakers Federica and Gianluca Cabrini

Pretty, pretty orange pink glass named after a respectful and auspicious Thai greeting. Sniff and there’s a salty breeze, strawberries, orange blossoms, and raspberries. The first taste is a tangled tingle of young strawberries, raspberries and an orange peel dash, a little hay, some mineral/granite and seltzer. Nothing sugary about this glass. It’s clean, elegant, and fresh fun summer love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: raspberry and strawberry presents but still not sugary. Everything is fresh

Tenuta Belvedere’s wine history dates back to the 19th century, and now it is helmed by the latest generation. Federica Sarchi joined her life with Gianluca Cabrini, he felt the call of the vines, and now they hold the reigns of the winery. From all I find, they are firm believers in the old natural ways and are organic and biodynamic. I really wish I could learn more about them from their website but it is currently under construction, so I will rely on Facebook and Instagram for a little more insight. What I’m finding is a beautiful vineyard with bird nests and ladybugs, a happy family, darn good people, hard work, and a lot of other wines I’m dying to try.

Oltrepò Pavese is the largest wine producing area of Lombardy and they seem to be really into Pinot Nero. This comune is a foodie’s dream. Not only are there amazing wines of diverse native grapes, but there’s also their much loved and revered salame di Varzi. Oh what I wouldn’t do for a slice right now. Another find from the area is their truffles! They range from white to black and are oh so wonderful. Take a tour with a dog and maybe you’ll win the lottery. You can also rent a Vespa (and score a picnic basket), cruise along city streets or roll through the countryside in style.

Venturing outside of Oltrepò, yet not really that far is the Castello di Montesegale (still in Pavia). The site may have had a foothold of a tower as far back as the 11th century, but the Castello was officially built in the 14th century and over the years destroyed and rebuilt to it’s regal medieval status. Now the ancient architecture houses a museum of contemporary art that was launched back in 1975, and has exhibited the likes of Ernesto Treccani (who founded Corrente) and Julian Schnabel.

On to one more thing outside of Oltrepò, but still in Pavia. This I truly stumbled upon and had no idea this was possible, but you can test drive a Ferrari on a real race track for an hour or two. You can let that baby just go and go and go. Does it make me a little scared to think of trying it, YES! Would I do it if I could…hell YES!

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