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It’s Alive!

Domaine Didon
Bourgogne Rouge 2019
Pinot Noir
Chassey-le-Camp, Côte Chalonnaise, France
Biodynamic, whole bunch fermentation, and vineyard is worked by horse and hand
Winemakers and owners: Naïma and David Didon

Bright shimmering purple with garnet sparks. Breathing in cherries, blueberries, a little smoke, a blend of rosemary, savory, and tarragon. Also leather motorcycle chaps. I used to have the best pair, and wonder where they are today. Would they fit? Yes. Would it work in my new world…hmmmm…maybe. Back to tasting the wine and there’s sweet berries, blueberries, strawberries, tingly tart cherry with a little burn that mellows and again tarragon and rosemary for a moment at the end. It’s just a burst of flavor that’s light and fragrant and so very alive. It seems like a call to Spring and giving a finger to Punxsutawney Phil.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: bouncy juicy fruit

David Didon’s biodynamic tale starts with a simple class in school when he knew he was interested in organic farming. All it takes is a little spark like that and look at him and his wife Naïma now. They have their own little historic plot after buying a farm in  Chassey-le-Camp in Côte Chalonnaise. Now there were twists and turns on that road. Working on varying farms, learning from mentors, David declining military life by being a conscientious objector, working and learning more in the organic/bio wine world, and eventually making his way to Beaune and his future wife. Their little 2 ha lieu-dit, is fully biodynamic and no tractors allowed. This is a horse and hand operation, just like the days of old. Cellar keeps to “hands off” as much as possible and NO added sulphur, which I dearly love. Stay true to the land, stay true to the fruit and stay true to life!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @domainedidon @jeffreyalpertselections @cheezits #wine @worldbyglass #redwine #cheezit #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #PinotNoir #pairswithcheezits #sustainable #biodynamic #organic #Bourgogne #Burgandy #cotechalonnaise #France #PunxsutawneyPhil

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A Young, Bright “Heavenly Sky”

Mother Rock Wines
Force Celéste
Cinsault 2019
W.O. Swartland
Swartland, South Africa
Organic, dry-farmed, native yeasts, unfined and unfiltered
Winemaker: Johan Meyer, AKA “Stompie”

Beautiful stained glass window ruby color. Fragrant roses, magnolias, cherry, and lots of spice still sorting and part of it is cinnamon. Also funk and hay and someone has turned on the wood smoker. Wonder what’s in there cooking. Now onto the taste…tart cherry, fuuuunky natural hay, hay, hay. Orange peel, young plums, skittles – taste the rainbow, black and white pepper, and tingle brightness with dry finish.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: kills the hay

Mother Rock Wines is Johan Meyer’s (Stompie) collaboration with UK importer Ben Henshaw of IndigoWines, and after doing a long search on him, he’s as about as natural as they come…resembling some of the “dudes” I went to college with back in Athens. He now has gotten his hands on his own farm and planting his own vines (hoping for fruit for the 2023 vintage), but this Cinsault came from other reliable organic sources. He also has a penchant for whole bunch pressing or fermenting and native yeasts which explains all that super natural hay. It must be truly exciting for him to now full out own his own land, to work it, and to introduce the first vines to this clean fresh land. Looking forward to following his new venture/adventure and taste his little part of Swartland.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @VineStImports @jhmeyerwines @indigowine_uk @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #wine #cheezit  #redwine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #naturalwine #winestagram #instawine #Cinsault #MotherRockWines #ForceCeléste #Swartland #SouthAfrica

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There is Always Resilient Hope

Flat Brim Wines
Not Tragic
Pinot Noir Rosé 2020
Willamette Valley, Portland, Oregon
Sustainably sourced grapes
Winemakers and Owners: Ian and Becky Atkins

A glass of red/orange streaked sunrise. At first I thought buttery and that of all things turns into toffee then chewies (I’ve mentioned before). They’re not blondies, they’re brown sugar goodness that look like light beige brownies. After that there’s cherry/strawberry reduction, scratch of that orange peel, and yeah, smoky Twizzlers. Sipping and these babies have been smoked but in a good way…cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and Lady apples. There’s a creaminess, a little cloves, and a nice last ember.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: I don’t even know how to put it other than everything becomes more. More smoke and sweeter, bolder fruit

You’re experiencing what happened on the west coast. The fires engulfed and destroyed lands, houses, and vineyards. Smoke drifted and traveled and touched many grapes, and out of tragedy came a blossom of hope. Yes, it was smoked but it grew, developed and was nurtured (and boy was this really thought out work) into this bottle. Ian and Becky Atkins took a great chance with these grapes, but as the old adage goes, “ when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Ok, so this is far better than lemonade. Last night after the first glass, I put in an order for a 2nd bottle, and that should say something. Honestly, I would love a case! Hopefully though, the west coast will not see the destruction and devastation again.

@vinewinenyc @flatbrimwines @coeurwineco @cheezits #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #natural #sustainable #pinotnoir #rose #Rosé #FlatBrim #WillametteValley #Portland #Oregon

 

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Guided by the Stars

Antica Tenuta Pietramore
Methode Ancestrale
Pét Nat 2019
100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Colli Aprutini IGT
Abruzzo Italy
Organic, biodynamic, hand-harvested, and indigenous yeasts
Winemakers: Maria Pia Leone & Massimiliano Bartolomei

Light straw yellow with seriously active bubbles and some sediment, and the final pour is dark gold orange with crystal sediment. After popping the cap off, wow! Hadn’t even poured it yet. There’s exotic flowers, a whiff of hay/yeast that comes and goes but this is the first glass and later it has drifted away. Next comes pears, honey, lemon zest, salt, and something herby like a pinch of some oregano and rosemary and oddly a hint of cinnamon. Sipping and exciting tingling on my tongue. Those bubbles keep rocking. Again pears, golden apples, Valencia oranges, a good squeeze of lemon, light honey, salt, and a faint Italian herbal shaker mix. There’s also dryness and at end a bit of ginger. Whoof that’s a whole lot, but is such a delicious song when you drink and don’t dissect, it’s just amazing. I really enjoyed Vanita but this is a whole different beast.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Bring’s on the zest!

Pietramore’s wines have the most beautiful bottles, with a different stone and constellation on each bottle. Andrea Castelletti (art and creative director) took the name of the winery: Pietra – stone and amore – love; then brought in their biodynamic aspects of cultivation and winemaking which I’ve mentioned before, including the pass of the moon, the connection of the earth and sky,…. and is also represented through these ancient constellations. Many constellations have a mythic tale, but Chamaeleon was designated by Dutch navigators who often chose exotic creatures to help them traverse the seas at night. This little lizard combined by the slice of stone on the label holds a little secret too…it glows in the dark! Leave the bottle out in the light for a while, then find the darkest spot in your home, and you’ll get to enjoy this little surprise too.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Pietramore @communalbrands @andreacastelletti @cheezits #wine @worldbyglass #cheezit #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #sustainable #biodynamic #organic #vegan #abruzzo #italy #ColliAprutini #trebbiano #PétNat #petnat #Chamaeleon #chameleon #constellation

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The Roaring 20s, Storks and Strawberry Lips

Weingut Heidi Schröck & Söhne
{Nostalgie Naturelle} Pinot Pét Nat 2019  Vol. 2
Rüst, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Austria
100% Pinot Blanc
Organic, indigenous yeasts
Winemaker: Heidi Schröck 

Golden haze of super active bubbles. Scents of fine lemon, light flowers, pears, honeysuckle and honey, and a shake of salt. Drinking those lemons again, tangerine peels, and mandarin oranges (been hooked on these lately). There’s also pears and maybe even poached pears with a smidge of cloves and tingly ginger, fresh honey including some comb that you can chew on, and something green, light, fresh and sweet like raw snow pea shoots. Damn bright, fresh and delightful…it’s like drinking a glass of joy and happiness!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmmm yummy

Everywhere I look, people are praising Heidi Schröck and her wines. She’s an innovator, brought the “sexy back” to old time grapes, keeping the classics alive, and received the “Falstaff Vintner of the Year” award in 2003. She took over the family winery in 1983, and her vineyards now spread out over 10 hectares through Rust’s hillside. Now it’s Heidi together with her twin sons recreating her great-grandfather’s “natural sparkling wine” from the “Roaring 20s”. This delicious Pét Nat is a perfect present coming wrapped already in an old map of Rust. BTW did you know that not only is Rust well known for their wine but also storks. The city and the Lake Neusiedl are just enchanting looking…almost fairytale with the stork nests on rooftops or old chimneys. There’s even an “Association for the Protection of the White Stork”. Rust and Weingut Heidi Schröck & Söhne are another to my growing list to visit in the future. When I do, I want the “I am so wild about your strawberry lips” tasting package too. You not only get wines and food, but also stories which is what I’m looking forward to the most.

Oh one more thing to add before I go, Pinot Pét Nat 2019 Vol. 2 is a pet that comes with instructions on the label, so always remember to read everything on the bottle and serve at 10° C and in a wide-bellied glass.

@vinewinenyc @schrockheidi @skurnikwines #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #natural #PétNat #petnat #pinotblanc #Rüst #Neusiedlersee-Hügelland #Austria #weingutschroeck

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Let Nature Speak and Love it Back

Occhipinti
SP68 Rosso 2019
Terre Siciliane IGT
Frappato 70% Nero d’Avola 30%
Vittoria, Sicily, Italy
Organic, biodynamic, dry farming, guyot and Cordon-spur trained, hand-harvested, and native yeasts
Owner and Winemaker: Arianna Occhipinti

Bright, light Christmas tinsel garnet. Just opened the bottle and there’s buttery that fades, roses, flashy cherry, plums, strawberries and cherry starbursts. Sipping cherries, raisins, strawberries, raspberries, and old school orange that in the holidays, your mom would make you cover in cloves and hang in the kitchen. There’s also white pepper, earthiness/darkness and a smooth dry finish. It’s a bottle full of life that could use a steak with chimichuri sauce.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out more berries like blackberries and blueberries

This is my second Occhipinti (see post) and Arianna is a true wine whisperer. Her respect for every aspect…from the land and whether it’s on an incline, the climate, the vines, the local yeast, and the list can go on and on…is so reverent. She just listens to nature, gives all of it love and care, and let it also do its own thing. She truly loves Sicily and especially her part of world, and she says it best on her site, “Vittoria, wine, vineyard, dry stone walls. This is my land. Early in the morning the sun rises on the Iblei Mountains, while the sky turns red in layers and the warm light spreads amongst the rows of “Fossa di Lupo”, my district. I love the grapes of these places, Frappato and Nero d’ Avola. I feel myself in their expression, in being harmonic and unequal. I love the strength of the know-how to bring in the past and the future at the same time”. I’ve never met her, but through her words and wines, I feel like I am feeling and experiencing just a touch of her land, and honestly it makes me feel so warm in my heart.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @az.agr.ariannaocchipinti @louisdressnerselections @cheezits #cheezit #wine #winestagram #instawine #redwine #naturalwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #organic #sustainable #biodynamic #Vittoria #Sicily #Italy #Frappato #NerodAvola

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Summer in the Winter

Shobbrook Wines
By Tommy Ruff
Poolside 2018
Rosé
Barossa Valley, Australia
Syrah
Organic, Biodynamic, not filtered or fined

Hazy pinky rosy gold color. Whiffs of apricot, light flowers, a sprinkle of salt, a little caramel, and fragrant tangerines, and mandarins. First sip and wow, tangy, tart and tingly! It’s fresh and very natural, with some of that good old hay. Next comes lemon and lime-ade, again those lovely seedless mandarins and tangerine. Shake up all that citrus and throw in some yellow plums, touch of watermelon, bright young berries and SweeTARTS and Sour Patch Kids with a shake of sumac and white pepper. For all my beer buddies, this is one of those wines that is a sour lover’s wine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Tones back the tart. Very nice.

From what I’m reading on Shobbrook’s site, they have moved their vineyard to Flaxman Valley and their first harvest was 2019. Since this Poolside is 2018, I’m guessing it came from their Seppeltsfield property or Vine Vale. Will be very interesting to try the new wines and see how they change. Knowing Tom Shobbrook’s reputation and innovation it will be fun, purely natural, and I’m sure some delightful surprises. As I await the 2020, I keep seeing mentioned online, let’s kickback, get a little Ruff, and pretend we’re Poolside (even though it’s FREEZING) and chill out to “Summer In The Winter” by Kid Ink ft. Omarion.

@vinewinenyc @tomshobbrook @chrisjterrell #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #Biodynamic #organic #natural #tommyruff #shobbrookwines #terrellwines #Rosé #Rose #Syrah #BarossaValley #Australia #Poolside

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A Good ol’ Wild Flock

João aka Duckman
Maria Duck – Pet Nat
Bairrada, Portugal
100% Fernão Pires (a.k.a. Maria Gomes)
Sustainable, unfiltered, unfined, natural, hand-harvested, and wild
Winemaker: Maria Pato

Hazy golden with lots of white lively bubbles. Breathing in a mix of apple and pear cider, hay, tangy tangerine, apricot, and orangesicle. Zip, pop, bang and my tongue is dancing with zingy citrus, tart lemon candy wedges, kumquats, crabapples, and gooseberries. Wow, now that’s a wake up call to a party.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mellows the tart out

Oh Duckman, how you never fail to surprise and make me happy. Maria and the rest of the flock (father Luis, sister Filipa, and past relatives that date back to the 18th century) all have had their feet paddling around in wine, as I’ve written about in past posts. This project, is all Maria. There’s as little intervention as possible for these indigenous Fernão Pires grapes, that come from their Amoreira da Gândara vineyard. All stainless and no oak, help this little quacker soar, sing and zing fresh! This is a pet nat that is not only delicious, fun, and a joy to drink, but it also makes you think. It transports you to her part of the world in Portugal and invites you to stay.

@vinewinenyc @joao_pato_aka_duckman @SaviosSelections #wine #winestagram #instawine  #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #portugal #bairrada #FernãoPires #MariaGomes #sustainable #natural #wild #duckman #petnat #pétnat

 

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It’s All in The Family

Weingut Steininger
Grüner Veltliner
Ried Loisium
Kamptal Reserve DAC 2018
Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria
100% Grüner Veltliner
Sustainable farming and vegan
Winemakers: Karl Steininger and his son-in-law Peter

Deep rich gold color. A fresh breath of Golden Delicious apples, pears, apple blossoms, grass, granite, and a dreamy and elevated feeling. First sip and it is like truly biting into a fresh Golden Delicious apple just picked from the tree (sweet and some tart/fresh), then poached pears, honey, granite, dried sage, white pepper. All this in the party and a dry ending. Why do I want a thin crispy slice of fried bacon? It’s an elixir of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: more sweet. Less dry, but still addictive

I’m going to admit, I’ve had some pretty crappy Grüner Veltliner’s by the glass in restaurants in the past. I was nervous but happily surprised. This one is awesome. From what I’m reading it’s partially indebted to where Weingut Steininger is located in Langenlois in the Kamptal region where it sounds like the area revolves around wine in all aspects of its culture. This is another tale of wine passing down through the family where Karl and Brigitta inherited the vines/farm from his parents. Realizing if they were going to do this right, Karl went to oenology school and they both decided to focus on local grapes of the highest quality (that also played well with the land and climate) if they were going to make it. Didn’t hurt that Brigitta grew up in a wine family too. They have passed their knowledge on to their daughters and each has chosen their own path. Eva and her husband Peter are already hands on in the winery. Lisa studied tourism but came back to the winery, married João Fonseca and they birthed Steininger Kraftvoll which is a port style wine, and I really want to try it if I can find it. Lastly their daughter Anna didn’t stray from wine or Kamptal either, but she and her husband Martin Arndorfer forged on and opened their own winery. I guess it truly is all in the family.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @weingutsteininger @ArtisanalCellars #kwselection @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #whitewine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #sustainable #vegan #winestagram #instawine #GrünerVeltliner #Langenlois #Kamptal #Austria #WeingutSteininger

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Brother Wolf, Sister Moon

La garagista Farm + Winery
Loups-Garoux 2017
Vermont Rouge
Barnard, VT
Frontenac Noir
Organic, biodynamic, unfined, unfiltered
Winemaker: Deirdre Heekin with Caleb Barber, and Camila Carrillo

Deepest darkest red velvet with some activity on top center. At first sniff, massive cherries and flowers (maybe roses), then dark raisins and other dried fruit, oak, warm spice and dark cocoa. Staring at that activity in the glass, lift, and sip and it’s tingly like tiny popping bubbles. There’s tart cherry, dried plums, white raisins, figs… lots and lots of figs, a little lemon, wild herbs, cranberries, and strawberries as it warms up. It’s free, deep, fresh, wild, unabashed and romantic all at the same time

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: More tingly and sweeter

When I think Vermont, my mind always goes to cheese and Sugar Glider Kitchen run by my favorite pastry chef, Gesine Bullock-Prado. So when I see Vermont wine, I’m intrigued. Reading about Deirdre Heekin, and she sounds like when she gets her mind set to something, she not only does it but perfects it. Natural wine seemed to call out to her from her and her husband’s restaurant and her travels. Eventually she decided to embark on her own and even started out making it in her bathtub. I really hope they had a second in their house. She also researched grapes that could work with Vermont’s climate and some of these ended up being hybrids such as the grape in Loups-Garoux: Frontenac Noir (a hybrid of Landot Noir and Vitis riparia [also known as riverbank grape]). Wow, what a grape, seriously. It’s not only the grapes that they select, that build the beauty of their alpine wines, ciders, and other bottles they dream up; it’s the fact that the vines and the farm all blend and weave into each other. You’ll find chickens and other creatures (not werewolves) roaming free, vegetables planted between vines, all sorts of flowers flowing, and bees bopping along. Oh, and when we’re out of this mess, maybe the pop-ups will return, they’ll open their tasting room doors, and there’ll be a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor in their homegrown dishes paired with their wines. If you want to get word, join their newsletter on their site. I’m about to sign up right now.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @lagaragista @cheezits @gesinebp @sugargliderkitchen1 #cheezit #organic #sustainable #biodynamic #wine #winestagram #instawine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #FrontenacNoir #Barnard #VT #vermont