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“Here The Magic Is Born”

Adega Manuel Formigo
Finca Teira Blanco 2021
Treixadura 70%, Godello 15%, Caiño blanco 10%, Torrontes 5%
DO Ribeiro
Minimal intervention, organic, hand harvested, family run winery
Beade, Ourense, Galicia, Spain
Manuel Formigo de la Fuente & family

Yellow brick road gold. Sniff and there’s pears from my granny’s trees, white peaches, apples, light touch of honeysuckle, wild flowers & greenery, lemon on the soft side, and a mineral rock/gravel. Everything I’m sniffing is in the taste with a brighter splash of citrus (a little grapefruit, clementine, kumquat blend), bright zing combo of lemon/lime zest & lick of granite, touch of salt, and a blade of grass. It’s the whole bright and easy package.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: surprisingly yeah

Ants often symbolize hard work, perseverance, patience, and teamwork; so it’s no wonder they grace Manuel’s bottles…well, also “Formigo” translates to “ant”. Coming from a wine family, he pulled back from the big industrial scene and returned to old traditions, natural ways and most importantly quality (or as I say damn good) wine. His project or viño reboot started back in 2006, and was originally housed in his grandparents’ basement. In 2013 the winery moved into their Miñoteira estate where as it says on their site, “Here The Magic Is Born”. Another enchanting & historic aspect of their vines are that they are the oldest native varieties (including the rare Albilla de Avia his grandfather protected & cultivated) in the Ribeiro region, which is a testament to how much care & passion Manuel & the past generations have for their grapes and what will end up in your glass. Cheers!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winetasting #wineoclock #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #Galicia #Spain #vinotasselections #ManuelFormigo #vinewinenyc

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Sparking Up The Holidays

Maison Idiart
Nico
Crémant de Loire AOC NV
Brut Blanc
Méthode Traditionelle
Chenin Blanc (mainly), Chardonnay, Grolleau, & Cabernet Franc
Loire Valley, France
Winemaker: Nicolas Idiart

Light yellow/gold with a splash of green that shimmers in and out and very active small bubbles. Breathing in Ggreen apples & pears, faint touch of lemon/lime, and over time there’s a sprinkle of hazelnuts that really sets a holiday vibe. All of the scents are in the very crisp taste along with the lemon/lime a bit more ramped up that has my lips vibrating, also with I do believe a drop of lychee, and almonds join the hazelnuts in a festive dance. It’s fresh, joyful, sparky, and oh so easy to dress up or down at home or out on the town.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: don’t even try or Santa will leave a lump of coal in your stocking.

This is now my 2nd Maison Idiart bottle. 1st was the Pinot Noir 2022, which was quite a delight and a wonderful introduction to Nicolas’ achievements, his “modern day wine company” that works with select natural growers whose grapes sing from where they are born, and passion for reducing carbon footprints with their “keg wines”. Albeit this is not a wine on tap, but it’s a bottled burst of happiness that I think my and I bet your holidays need right now. Nothing says celebrate like a glass of bubbly and especially one as fun as Nico. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #brut #sparklingwine #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #France #naturalwine #sustainable #cwdistributing #maisonidiart #docwinebar #docwineshop

 

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Keeping It Classy

El Piraña
Tarbissana 2023
Vino Blanco
100% Palomino Fino
Organic, hand harvested, native yeasts, direct pressed into 80% stainless steel tanks & 20% into old botas
Trebujena, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain
Juan Francisco Pulido Cabral’s (nickname, El Piraña)

Warm gold that deepens over time. Inhale once, twice, three time (a lady)…it’s all gentle & not overpowering. There’s soft banana, salt, apple (& pie), mineral river rock, and pinch of almond. Sipping and there’s apple, lemony fresh, shake of salt & a dash of that mineral rock again, blend of apricot & white peach, and a sprinkle of almonds. Delightful, dry & honestly addictive and is screaming pair me up with “pescaito frito”.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: oh most definitely

Juan Francisco Pulido Cabral’s family has been in the grape growing business for generations, but they weren’t making their own wine…they were selling the grapes to sherry houses. Times change and so do markets. Juan knew they needed to adapt. His next move was in 2012 to sell their must and evidently it was pretty well received. His musts began garnering awards & acclaim, so it just clicked that the next step was for Juan to make his own wines & create his own bodega. Now here we are with this wonderful bottle of Palomino that really tells the story of the land, the history, the family, and their vineyards which I’ve been enjoying viewing on social media. What truly surprised me was one post from this past summer when an unnamed person intentionally damaged vines in one of his vineyards with pruning shears. Obviously that would make anyone incensed, but Cabral kept it classy and isn’t confronting the individual because as he says, “The best revenge is to be happy and let Karma do its job”. Always in the case of adversity, just keep smiling because in the end you will be on top.

#wine #winestagram #instawine #winetasting #wineoclock #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #organic #Spain #josepastorselections #ElPiraña #ElPirana #vinewinenyc

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Guided By Etna

Sentieri Siciliani
Rosso 2022
Nerello Mascalese 80% & Nerello Cappuccio 20%
Etna DOC
Sustainable
Sicily, Italy
Agronomist: Elisa Trovato

Shining bright ruby. Scents flow out of cherries (all sorts), tart plum, dried Mission figs, drop of cola with a bit of earthiness, juniper berries/pine sap & alpine herbal blend, and fennel pollen. Sipping and there’s the tart plums & cherries again, pomegranate, cranberries, red licorice, shave of orange, mandarin, & kumquat zest, and a smidge of cola again followed by a dry lime tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO

Elisa Trovato is an agronomist who is very in tune to her beloved Etna. She started out renting vineyards prior to finding her way to purchasing her current 3 ha of lands & vines: Vigneti Ammirato, Spallarello, and Lu Meo. Each benefit from the gifts Mt. Etna spews and also from Elisa’s care, passion, and sustainable agricultural knowledge. I love this quote about the vineyards from her site, “I go on walks and end up getting lost in them. Fortunately, there is always you, Etna, guiding me.” How wonderful it must be to wake up to a life of traversing her ancient & rich Sicilian paths; and know that she is weaving her own part into their history. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #Sicily #naturalwine #sustainable #cwdistributing #SentieriSiciliani #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Revisiting The Past For Good

Terres Dorées
Beaujolais L’Ancien Vieilles Vignes 2023
100% Gamay
Charnay, France
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Winemaker: Jean-Paul Brun

Shining garnet stained glass. Breathing in cherries of all sorts, raspberries, strawberries, white pepper, and something herbal like a teeny sprig of mint or cedar. Sip and tasting again cherries (so fresh), raspberries, wild strawberries, & now blueberries, a citrus mix with singed orange zest, touch of earth, cedar/pine sap & an herbal blend (light rosemary, sage, and something alpine). Somebody please bring me a burger or even better…a roasted duck 🦆.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: even more juicy

I love Terres Dorées’ wines, and this lovely bottle with the very telling name “L’Ancien” comes from some of the oldest vines at Terres Dorées which are anywhere from 40 to 60 years. Nice having a youngster birthed from such aged lineage. Instead of going carbonic with his wines, Jean-Paul Brun has stuck with the traditional Burgundian vinification method where the grapes are lovingly hand harvested, destemmed, and only indigenous yeasts that sprout forth are allowed. Jean-Paul sees this as the way to allow the to Gamay shine and also not to be forgotten the sustainable land where it all started from. Sometimes and more often than not, the natural ways of the past are where we should return.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #instawine #winetasting #naturalwine #redwine #worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #organic #sustainable #jeanpaulbrun #gamay #Charnay #France #Beaujolais #louisdressnerselections #TerresDorées #terresdorees #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Win-Win Wines

Maison Idiart
Pinot Noir 2022
Sancerre AOP
Sancerre, France
Winemaker: Nicolas Idiart

Shining crancherry. There’s scents of cherries, plums red & dark purple, light bit of prunes, a scrape of mineral with pinch of salt that grows into something more forest, pomegranate, and bright cranberry. Sipping away a crancherry mix with tart plums, young blackberries, pomegranate, red currants and a sprinkle of dark earth; BUT it’s all so very light, fresh and not heavy at all.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Hell yeah!

Nicolas has quite the achievement in his past. Turns out he graduated Bordeaux University at 19 making him France’s youngest winemaker…pretty impressive. Now he and his “modern day wine company” work with select natural growers whose grapes sing from where they are born and while most are from France there’s also a New Zealand venture. He’s also really into reducing their carbon footprint. Now, I’ve had bad wine in a keg a looooong time ago but this is not that old cringe worthy on tap stuff. Nope, he uses their premium small batch elixirs and as their site says, It keeps the wine more fresh, environmentally friendly, and saves cost on all levels. To me this is a great win-win for all. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #France #naturalwine #sustainable #cwdistributing #maisonidiart #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Name Games

Azienda Agricola Trevisana
Gioco Di Vino
????? 2023
Unfiltered Vino Blanco 
Organic, no additives or sulfur, unfiltered, skin contact
Chardonnay
Paese, Treviso, Veneto, Italy

Warm golden pour. Sniff and this is a surprise mix of first scent banana (all I can hear in my head now are the Minions chanting), lemon/lime, mango, dragon fruit, apples & pears, and a waft of light mineral. All of the scents are there with more lemon/lime & zest, Valencia orange, a touch of wild hay that tames down into a little tangerine & clementine, an exhale of tarragon and maybe thyme too or just fresh cut grass, and a shake of salt & lick of slate. It’s fresh, vibrant, happy, and yeah totally party material. 🪩🎉🥳

Pairs with Cheez-Its: hmmm honestly I’m not sure so I say put the box away

This is a small batch winery that also knows how to have fun. Each of Gioco Di Vino’s (English translation “wine game”) labels come with a little puzzle. The key for this one is to connect the dots from 1 through 10, then 24 through 33, then 47 through 52, then 60 through 70, then 72 through 78, then at last 84 through 89; and boom the wine’s name is revealed: “Fermo” which perfectly suits this still elixir. Of course, I recommend using a pencil, in my case put on my spectacles, and maybe try doing it before any of the wine is involved. Cheers!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #naturalwine #sustainable #iwkimporter #AziendaAgricolaTrevisana #GiocoDiVino #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Protect The Bees And They’ll Protect You

Anne Pichon Wines
“Sauvage”
Vermentino 2024
Vaucluse IGP
Organic (Ecocert France SAS), biodynamic, sustainable, indigenous yeast, grapes grown on the slopes of Mont Ventoux
Mormoiron, Vaucluse, France
Winemakers & nature lovers: Anne Pichon & Véronique (SIL)

Pale or rather light yellow greenish starlight. Breathing in a lovely jumble of kumquat, light mandarin, lemon/lime,  little lychee, green pears, and winter melon. Sip and it’s clean, fresh and crisp. All of the scents but maybe slightly more sharpened but with a delicate vibe. There’s also a mashup of gooseberry & tomatillo in a good way.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: kind of fun but would be better with bbq eel

Anne & Marc (her husband, who sadly passed away in 2016) Pichon found a perfect place to make wine in an already organic yet left behind domaine that came with quite a romantic name in my bee & bug loving book, “Mur-Mur-Ium” (the buzzing song of bees). Its village “Mormoiron” also has local lore that long ago when besieged with invaders the villagers came up with a creative way of defense by lobbing beehives at them. Who wouldn’t hightail it out of there with thousands of buzzers swarming you? Anyway, Domaine Mur-Mur-Ium is now in the hands of the Pichon’s sons (Émile & Niels), and Anne’s line of wines, “Sauvage” or “wild” wines seem to me to be like a love letter to nature, it’s complexity, strength & beauty. ❤️🐝

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #organic #bees #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Rhone #France #organic #sustainable #tedwardwines #annepichon #annepichonsauvage #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Horse & Bicycle Powered

Illahe Vineyards
Cuveé Miette 2023
Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
Sustainable, hand harvested, wooden basket pressed, 11 months in French oak barrels, & horse-powered vineyards
Dallas, OR
Owners, growers and pioneers: Lowell & Pauline Ford
Winemaker, owner and president: Brad Ford

Shining rosy cherry stained glass. Sniffing and at first it’s light and then grows as cherries wave hello with a little chocolate, gentle oak, licorice/fennel, dash of mint, and a shake of cooler weather holiday spice. First sip is so delicate and delicious. There’s cherries, an old holiday memory of the smell of oranges my mom would alway decorate with cloves & hang in the kitchen, raspberry, blueberry, even a touch of boysenberry, quince cheese, and a jumble of those cooler weather spices: clove, nutmeg, sprig of mint, and others. Over time the delicate sip turns into a strong joyful backbone.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO

This truly is a full on family affair that started with an immigration from Russia to Canada and then finally Oregon. They strive to make handcrafted wines with great respect to the land, the water (and salmon) and tradition. Some of the wines don’t even have electricity used during their creation. Percheron horses, Dakota & Takota (2025 harvest) deliver the grapes from the vineyard and mow between the vines. In the case of their 1899 Pinot Noir project, there’s even more. Brad had visited France and wanted to embrace the traditional ways, so he got the horses, made the harvest and winemaking all by hand & foot, including the bottling process. Yes, even putting the wine in the casks and bottling, by sorting out a bicycle powered pump. Please watch the video. Then when it comes time for it to go to the distributor, it gets loaded on a mule driven stagecoach, then into canoes on the Independence River (3 day trek) and then the last bit of the trek are by cargo bicycle. That’s very cool devotion to pure tradition & nature.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #organic #oregon #illahevineyards #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Do The Math…Or Not

Bodegas Más Que Vinos
5/4 Clarete 2022
Malvar 20%, Airen 20%, Garnacha 20%, Cencibel (Tempranillo) 40%
Working sustainably, certified organic, indigenous grapes, vegan friendly, co-fermented in amphora
Cabañas de Yepes, Toledo, Spain
Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez

Ruby deep purple (now I have “Smoke On The Water” stuck in my head). Breathing in cherries & plums dried & fresh, oddly a bit of tomato plants with bit of bramble, dash of herbal tea (old school smell from back in the Celestial Seasonings college days), red currants & reminder of a Christmas citrus vibe, cranberries, and a puff of smoke that fades. Sipping and there’s cherry, blackberries, tart plum, an herbal blend of thyme, rosemary, etc.; red & black currants, lime/orange citrus zest, lick of limestone, and a pinch of anise. It’s fresh, juicy and oh so good.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: this is a good thing

Not long ago I posted about Más Que Vino’s “Los Conejos Malditos” or as I called them “Bad Bunnies” who have a penchant for grapes and ransacking a harvest. This addictive bottle’s name 5/4 luckily doesn’t come from destructive critters but from the ingredients for this whole cluster co-ferment: 2 parts Cencibel (Tempranillo), 1 part Garnacha, 1 part Airen, 1 part Malvar. 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 and then the 4 comes from the varieties. You may be eye rolling at me for the explanation but just looking at the front label it flew right over my head until I turned the bottle around. Yes, I can be that oblivious at times. 🤣 BTW this wine is very delightfully addictive so pick up two and don’t even bother thinking about the math.

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