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Mediterranean Answer To Happiness

Curii Uvas y Vinos
Una Noche y Un Dia 2021
100% Giró
Organic, hand harvested
Xaló, Alicante, Spain
Violeta Gutiérrez de la Vega & Alberto Redrado

Ruby with garnet gem rim. Let this baby breathe a bit and floating up are aromas of cherries, tomato leaves (I swear this trend is a coincidence), red apples, blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries, lilacs & violets, and a pinch of anise. Taking a few sips and all of the above (especially the tomato leaves) and it’s smooth over time with a little twang, bit of peat smokiness, pit of a cured Moroccan olive, grassy wild flowers, and it keeps growing so much over time and still has a rustic flair but a vibrant juicy vibe. Delicious!

Pairs with Cheez-Its: meh not really digging it

Just reading about Violeta & Alberto’s family backgrounds it’s no wonder their wine project was born and is smashing. Violeta’s comes from growing up & working with her father in her parents’ winery Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega (known for celebrating traditional wines of their land), heading off to enology studies & work in France, and return to Alicante where she will take the reigns of the family winery. Alberto’s family also took him down a tasting route with their Michelin starred restaurant L’Escaleta as a sommelier and in 2010 was honored as Spain’s Premio Nacional de Gastronomía al Mejor Sommelier. Together they keep a tight focus on local grapes and working traditionally, especially like in this bottle of Giró which is an Alicante clone of Garnacha (one of my favorite 🍇). Actually it is their main focus uva, which Violeta is also implementing back at Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega. All in all, these two are creating & nurturing bottles of rare magic. Stealing a quote from de la Vega’s site, they are making “Mediterranean wines capable of making the unhappiest of mortals happy”. ❤️ Now that’s a gift for the world.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #organic #Alicante #Spain #josepastorselections #curiiwine #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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Smell Everything

Inconnu
Kitsune 2019
Red blend
Hand harvested, indigenous yeast fermented, unfined & unfiltered
Grapes sourced from organic & regeneratively farmed parcels
Napa, CA
Laura Brennan Bissell

Deep maroon with a glowing ruby rim. Pouring and dark cherry scents float up mingling with a little oak/cola (RC to be precise) but not overpowering (oak & I have a complicated relationship but this is a welcome one), blackberries & raspberries, dried cherries, plums/prunes, and touch of earthy depth that includes a growing mishmash of juniper, a comforting warm spice, zest and a tad of cedar. All of the above scents are in the taste that has a lively bright tang and smooth glide at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: hard to describe on how it heightens everything but it is delicious

The sense of smell for all of us is so important, easily taken for granted, and can touch every one of us in different ways. In my dad’s case, sometimes I wonder if his works…my schnoz is ultra hyper which is a good thing most of the time unless you are on a sweaty NYC subway in the heat of July. Reading about Laura’s (on her site’s bio) and as she says, “Smell has been the driving force for many decisions in my life…I want to smell everything.” Smelling everything hits home with me & I’m sure does too with all y’all wine lovers out there.

As I read more about Laura’s personal wine world, I feel like I did her a disservice by doing exactly what she didn’t wish. “Just like my life, I wish for my wines to be distilled into a poetic form, and not to have their entrails spread apart on a surgical table. There is pain and suffering, there is joy, chaos, recklessness at times, but more than anything, a quiet optimism that every day of our time here is yet another chance to experience something beautiful.” Sorry, if I pulled out a scalpel and diced Kitsune into singular scent & flavor notes, because this bottle is a performance of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (strength, beauty, grace, wonder) & an encapsulation of a time in your life that I’m so happy to have now experienced.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Napa #california #Kitsune #Inconnu #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @inconnuwine

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A Grape Spa Treatment

Azienda Agricola Pasquale Petrera
Fatalone
Bianco Spinomarino
Greco 2022
100% Greco
Puglia I.G.T.
Gioia delle Colle, Spinomarino, Puglia, Italy
Organic, dry farming, sustainable, green manure, and zero emission
Winemaker: Pasquale Petrera

Shining yellow straw. Delightful scents of creamy lemon curd, honeydew, irises, lillies with some roses thrown in, pears, pinch of baking spices, over ripe cucumbers, and a salty breeze. Sipping crisp pears, crab apples, white peaches, and a bouquet of lilacs, roses, irises & honeysuckle. There’s also a shake of salt, lick of granite, and over time a sprig of thyme. 

Pairs with Cheez-Its: a full on NOPE

Fatalone has been around since the 1800s but didn’t starts bottling till 1987. In the old days, it was bring your own bottle and fill’er up. Spinomarino is their only white wine, and those vines were not planted till 1990. Such a beautiful exotic heady and very unique wine. Kind of fits their name Fatalone. Filippo Petrera (2nd generation of this family) had the nickname of Il Fatalone which pretty much translates to “Lady Killer” or seducer. Kind of perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift which will be here before you know it, so get to ordering! Back to the winemaking team who are an essential part nurturing this bottle of love. They go above and beyond in making sure the grapes have the utmost care throughout the whole process. They even went as far as soundproofing the cellar and piping in classical music and nature sounds. Now that’s quite a spa treatment. ❤️🌹

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #winetrain #puglia #italy #organic #Spinomarino #bonvivantimports #docwinebar #docwineshop #Fatalone ##Fatalonewines @bonvivantimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @FataloneWines

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Drink Life Slowly

Esporão
Monte Velho Tinto 2021
Vinho Regional Alentejano
Aragonez 40%, Trincadeira 35%, Touriga Nacional 20%, Syrah 5%
Alentejo, Portugal
Winemkaers: Sandra Alves & João Ramos

Deep goth dark ruby with a light ruby rim. There’s scents of cola, prunes, dark plums & cherries, mission figs, raspberries, over time blueberries wave hello, a pinch of earth & iron. Sipping raisins, prunes, dark plums, tart & dark cherries, dried mission figs, also some rustic tangy young cherry, and a welcome burn that fades and smoothes.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: everything goes more rich and smooth so YES

When I took my first few sips, my hands just took over and typed, “I want to be on vacation”. Well, Esporão wants that for us too, or actually more than just a quick break but to learn to move forward slowly, to breath deeply, to care for our environment, enjoy silence, and live in the moment. Here’s their manifesto and it’s definitely worth a read.

The world moves at a faster pace than ever.
But to many of us, it looks like we’re going nowhere fast.
Fast is surrendering our privacy for instant access to memes.
Fast is downing a double espresso while rushing to work.
Fast has us watching five seasons of a show on Netflix in one gulp.
Fast has made the week speed by because we were too busy
to stop and look around.
Fast isn’t forward.

We’re from the slow country.
We have a different pace of life.
And it makes life look pretty good.
Slow is smart. Slow is a skill. Slow is progress.
So if you’re in a hurry, drink wine slowly.
Drink life slowly.

There are many ways to move forward. This is ours.
Esporão.
Slow Forward.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #portugal #Alentejano #Alentejo #slowforward #thisisEsporão #Esporão #Esporao #vinewine #vinewinenyc @esporaoworld @vinewinenyc

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Everything Everywhere All At Once

Maison Marchand-Tawse
Morgon AOC 2021
113/3998
Sustainable
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bourgogne, France

Pascal Marchand & Moray Tawse & team

Shining garnet ruby. There’s scents growing of red currants, a little earth & puff of smoke/peat, cherries, boysenberries, a raspstrawberry combo, and a blend of tomato leaves & tobacco. Sip and there’s raspberries, cherries, pomegranate, boysenberries, blackberries (seeds & all), strawberries, blueberries, a tiny twangy orange zest, and a tobacco tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: better without

After reading the background on Pascal Marchand, my head is spinning. He’s originally from Quebec but became quite a traveler before landing in Burgundy, taking a viticulture & enology course (Beaune), and started learning from & working for the best. As he, his talents, and grape intuition grew, so did his acclaim & desire to work more natural, organic & sustainable with the wineries where he was working/consulting. That spilled over into his own “garagiste” wines where he developed good relationships with growers that were of a natural like mindset. Oh and before I forget he’s one of the “flying winemakers” who work with wineries all over the world. I swear with all he has his hands in, it was like he’s everywhere everything all at once minus the hotdog fingers. Now back to the wines he was personally making…not far down the road, his friend Moray Tawse (also Canadian & of Tawse Winery in Canada) joined Pascal in his wine venture and Maison Marchand-Tawse was born. Working together they could expand their winemaking spaces in Nuits-Saint-Georges and pick up plots for their own vines, albeit they still work with the previously mentioned trusted growers. The two men also let the grapes speak of their terroir and recognize how “each wine is different and must be nurtured in a different way, so as to help it express its full personality” which is very cool, smart, and delicious. 🍷

To my dear friend who gifted me this bottle, THANK YOU! You’ve started me down a new wine path.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Burgundy #Bourgogne #France #tedwardwines #vinewine #vinewinenyc #MarchandTawse @tedward_ws @vinewinenyc @marchand_tawse

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Keeping The Tradition

Encostas de Alqueva 
Piteira
Alentejo DOC
Vinho de Talha Branco 2017
Roupeiro 60%, Diagalves 40%
Sustainable
Douro, Portugal
José Piteira

Amber orange golden pour. Scents of Valencia orange & orange blossoms start out and next up is lemon lime zest & a little singed, roasted pears, something a little green with a touch of wild tiny onions I used to pull as a child and end up with grass stains on my jeans, round apples, and a smidge of sherry. Sip and there’s a whole lotta love/everything, touch of caramel but not overly sweet, a tiny nut, again those pears & apples & some baked, touch of honey and pinch of brown sugar glaze reminding me of cracking the top of a savory creme brûlée I had that was a special made lightly with chive blossoms and I loved it so much I had seconds. Again a touch of that smooth Valencia orange, blossoms & nectar again, blend of zest, tiny almond sliver, and salt.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Brings out all sorts of juicy fruit

Talha wine is more than just the vessel it’s created in…it’s a tradition & natural recipe passed through Alentejo’s generations. All you need is the clay talha (design varies from town to town), grapes (red, white or both), some pushing, patience, trust that everything aligns, and anticipate November 11th, Dia de São Martinho. It’s celebrated like Beaujolais Nouveau day in France, so it’s a time of friends, family, sharing, conversation, chowing down on petiscos & other local eats, checking out each other’s vinho, partying, and maybe even getting down to some dancing. So I’m raising another glass of this Talha Branco to next year’s celebration. Cheers!

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #amphora #Talhawine #Alentejo #portugal #tedwardwines #EncostasdeAlqueva #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @tedward_ws

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Do You Hear What I Hear?

Domaine Pélaquié
Côtes du Rhône
Rouge 2021
Grenache noir 50%, Syrah 50%
Sustainable, HVE certified
Rhône, France
Luc Pélaquié and team

Stained glass garnet with a bluish rim. Sniffing and at first creamy followed fast by cherries, dark plums, raspberries, a little oak & smoke that I bet will fade & it does, next up is cranberry, boysenberry, and a light mandarin orange zest. Everything I’ve been sniffing is right there in the taste along with dried Sumatra figs, blueberry, very ripe strawberries, pomegranate, and a fruity, delicious & happy zing.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: absolutely delicious

The Pélaquié’s have worked with the vines since 16th C, passing down traditions, embracing modernity, and breaking free from the coop in 2008 to claim their full independence. This leads me to their icon of the cigale/cicada which as some know I’ve had a great affection since childhood. My grandfather (mom’s dad) used to help me collect their husks/shells post molting. They absolutely fascinated me with their cycles of “rebirth/resurection”. He taught me just where to find the staggered broods and await (imagine a little pigtailed girl running around with a plastic loaf bread bag full of them). They’re noisy little things but the weirdo bug girl I was, quite like that chorusing. From what I read in France, there’s a tale that they were given by God to tell everyone to “WAKE UP!” from their afternoon breaks and get back to work. Check out their beautiful sounds here.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #Rhône #Rhone #France #cigales #cicadas #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #bowlerwine #docwinebar #docwineshop #Pélaquié @bowlerwine @docwineshop @docwinebar @domaine_pelaquie

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A Borrowed Planet With Living Wines

Domaine Frederic Brouca
L.A. Picturale 2019?
Languedoc AOC
Grenache 45%, Syrah 30%, Mourvèdre 25%
Organic (certified since 1997), unfined, unfiltered
Faugères, France

Deep shining ruby with even deeper purple points. Breathing in cherries, deep plums, a vanilla cream moment that is ever so gentle, raspberry & strawberry jamming together, a warmth of spice blend like nutmeg, cinnamon, etc, and a touch of earth or small good masculine funk. Sipping a smooth blend of all of the scents with more of that strawberry/raspberry blend with blackberries & blueberries joining in along with some jolly rancher medley roaming in, a small bitter bite of earth and maybe a little iron. As time goes by everything heightens…becomes stronger (like as in will step up for you with the schoolyard bully but instead of punching them out will outwit them verbally) and more delicious yet so silky and carries a lilt in its step.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Nah, pass

Globetrotters, farmers, and winemakers…Frederic & his wife Elaine, as many other natural winemakers are dedicated to looking back to the past, and following the steps of forefathers in growing & vinification. Quoted from their site, “In his modest winery in the village of Laurens, Frédéric is creating a new vision for Faugères wines; fresh, vibrant and made without artifice. Nothing revolutionary, simply returning to our grandparent’s ideology of farming and winemaking to craft ‘Vins Vivants’.” They also make steps to protect their earthy wormy beneficial friends which always makes me smile. They have another endearing quote that stood out to me from first glance, and made me know this is a wine for me. “We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children”. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. So, so true and I wish more people took that into consideration in all walks of life.🍷❤️🌍

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #France #DomaineFredericBrouca #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc

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Beaujo-Burned No More

Dufaitre
Beaujolais Village Nouveau 2023
Gamay
Natural wine
Burgundy, Beaujolais, France
Laurence & Rémi Dufaitre

Shiny, shiny red & maroon dancing in the moonlight. Sniff and first off is butter that later turns to Oreo center, then all of a sudden a bramble & blueblackraspberry tumble, and a touch of cherry, cranberry & red currants. Sip and letting it roll around a bit and what a delight. There’s sweet Canadian wild strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, oh just so many berries! Followed by honeysuckle, light plums, boysenberry grows with a black currants zip, and it’s all just light, smooth, satiny & festive. Don’t think I’m crazy, but I’d love to be drinking this on a snowy day in a hot tub.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: boosts all the fruit especially black currants

Yeah, yeah I’m late with the Beaujolais post, but I’m making up for it now. This one is fun. Will admit I have been Beaujo-Burned for a long while with some I’ve had in my youth (they were like bad stale movie popcorn theater butter), With age comes if not wisdom at least more sense to pick a good wine and not follow the crowd. Oh and I have to mention the label because these characters remind me of a certain South Park inhabitant, and by the way this bottle paired very well with their, “The Streaming Wars” & “Joining the Panderverse”. If you haven’t seen them, take a break for a good long laugh. We all could use one right now. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Beaujolais #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #southpark #winetime #worldbyglass #France  #docwinebar #docwineshop #Dufaitre @jennyfrancois @docwineshop @docwinebar

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“The Curse” Is Really A Gift

Bodegas Cinco Leguas
La Maldición
Malvar en Bota 2019
Malvar 100%
DO Vinos de Madrid
Organic practices & sustainable
Project located in Chinchón
Madrid, Spain
Winemaker: Marc Isart

Deep 0range amber with a bit of golden that keeps turning a bit deeper over time. Breathing in honeysuckle, spring flowers & apple blossoms followed by a nuttiness & honey, dried orange & lemon zest, tarragon & thyme, later a hint of pine sap. First taste and it’s so many things at once…like a light sherry with dried apple, hazel nuts & a few other nutty bits, mellow orange, lemon & a little lime, in the end a little chalk like those ol’ time Valentine’s conversation hearts, and bit of a welcome burn.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Step away from the box

“The Curse” is more a gift. Yes, the land Marc has acquired and started out with is rough, rocky, and a small harvest, but these grapes are precious. He did pick up some more parcels but still kept everything natural and as hands off as possible in the winemaking process. Pretty inspiring honestly that he is going after his dreams with his own productions/projects. It shows a true passion not only to his vines, but also to letting the Madrid region terroir gain more and more of  its own voice through each bottle.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #malvar #Madrid #Spain #bodegascincoleguas #vinewine #vinewinenyc @tedward_ws @vinewinenyc @bodegas_cinco_leguas