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This Is Not That Story

Valdisole Wine
Helios 2019
Nebbiolo
Organic, biodynamic
Corneliano d’Alba (CN), Piedmont, Italy
Giuseppe Amato & Kyriaki Kalimeri

Shining garnet pour. Sniff and it starts off a bit wild but it’s just been opened so over a short amount of time it tames, tart cherries, young raspberries, blackberries, tomato leaf, tiny roses & violets, over time there’s plums of all sorts, red apple, and a rugged bit of peat/earthiness. Tasting and it starts out light & delicious that grows into a richer moment, cherries (tart & sweet), red currants, plums, a touch of peat or smoke, raspstrawblueberries mix, a drop of blackberry, tiny reminder of sugar cane that turns into violets, smidge of green tomato, and touch of grounded earthiness.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: sweeter

You know the usual tales of growing up in a wine family and inheriting land…this is not that story. Giuseppe & Kyriaki’s strength in finding their way in wine is curiosity. She had a background in computers & electrical engineering but that curious spark led her to getting an education as a sommelier & a diploma. He had a great appreciation for cuisine so ended up taking cooking classes and realized the attraction of pairing food & wine so he also ventured into sommelier courses, but that a wasn’t enough. The whole wine experience grabbed his attention and they both jumped full in to buying a vineyard…oh, and it was an online site where you can buy stuff secondhand. The vineyard was a half ha of “abandoned & shabby Nebbiolo”. (Makes me think of people who buy a house for $1 in an old town and when they get there they see the full extent of the repairs needed 🙀.) They’ve expanded, added varying grapes, are keeping it all natural, and I have to say this Nebbiolo is definitely not shabby now. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Nebbiolo #italy #terrellwines #valdisolewine #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @valdisole.wine

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Tradition, Culture & Spirit

Pheasant’s Tears
Rosé 2021
Danakharuli, Goruli-Mtsvane
Organic, biodynamic, filled with old tradition
Sighnahghi, Kartli, Georgia
Founders: John Wurdeman & Gela Patalishvili

Amber with a rose blush. Ok, full disclosure I screwed up. I put it in the red wine fridge so now waiting for it to adjust. Sigh, we all make mistakes. Anyway, chill it a little more and you’ll smell lady apples & red delicious, orange peel, a smidge of fresh cut grass, spring orchard blossoms, a little snappy cookie spice, and brown sugar that goes to a brandy whiff that floats in and out very gently. Tasting apple cider, exhale and there’s a little straw, a chew of my old outfield sour grass, a little green peppercorn along with a little lemon/orange twist, and as it breathes a moment of calvados. Mmmm so good, sparky and delicious.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: fun and matches kind of like it would with a baked apple

Years ago, a guy warned me off Pheasant’s Tears, and can’t figure out why on earth they did! Loving their wine and reading about how John (an American artist) & Gela (Georgian winegrower) connected & created their very natural winery…and it didn’t stop there. Pheasant’s Tears added a restaurant to pair with their wines, and then a 2nd, “Crazy Pomegranate” reservation only in their vines. John also doesn’t seem to be able to stay still. Along with being a painter, winemaker, & folk music collector, he also opened natural wine venues in Tbsilisi. While digging around for more info, I found a great interview with him by Aaron Ayscough “A Georgia Divided” and how Georgians are dealing with the Ukraine War which led me to @dedaenabar and their showing of the Ukrainian modern/folk/ballet film “Vodurudu” by Anatolii Sachivko (Please, at least check out their videos. It’s so good.). So glad I ignored a certain someone’s advice long ago or I would have never discovered all of this discourse/art/culture/spirit due to this wine. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #Georgia #terrellwines @pheasants_tears @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Get Up! Get On Up!

Domaine Julien Prével
Sec Machine 2019
Pét-Nat
100% Chenin Blanc
Organic and hand-harvested
Montlouis-sur-Loire, France
Winemaker: Julien Prével

Cheery gold with a fun and fine foam. Right on the tip of my nose is a little malt yeast (like what you’d find at an Athens, GA bar popcorn machine, and if you haven’t tried it…do!), Meyer lemon, mellow apples, grass, and wet rocks after a good hard rain. Sipping and still a pinch of that malty yeast, apples, pears, hay, and baking spice blend. Ooh next there’s a good lemon squeeze to wake it up and smack me in the face alive and vibrant. So, there is also a banana bit, and I have a love/hate relationship with that flavor. It’s a Bavarian weissbier banana, so it’s a love for me. This sparkler is made for all sorts of beer lovers, and as it opens it’s a massive easy drinker. Oh, one more note all of a sudden…on the back end there is some yellow cake (not uranium). Who doesn’t love cake?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Yes! Everything heightens and it’s a party!

I’m so glad Julien Prével didn’t go into the academia/teaching realm as a profession and ended up in wine. We wouldn’t have this lovely “Sec Machine” if life had taken a different route, and I wouldn’t have this classic stuck in my head for days! Let’s all get up and “Shake your money maker”!

@vinewinenyc #domainejulienprevel #JulienPrevel @TerrellWines #terrellwines @cheezits #wine #vinho #vino #vin #PétNat #petnat #bubbly #sparklingwine #organic @worldbyglass #worldbyglass #needmorewine #cheezit #vinewinenyc #winestagram #instawine #CheninBlanc #Montlouis #Loire #France #jamesbrown

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No Oak and Lots of Passion

Aaron Rawlins
Asrllc L.2018-021 2018
100% Sev Areni
Aghavnadzor, Vayots Dzor, Armenia 
Organic, native yeasts, unfined, unfiltered
Winemaker: Aaron Sedrick Rawlins

Very deep dark dense garnet purple. Bring on the dried fruit scents of prunes, raisins, and then plums, vanilla, dark really goth dark cherry, pepper, and rich. Drinking in deep plums, prunes, raisins, and rich cherry velvet. Also (I’m going to use that word I hate again) sexy dark chocolate, cherry cola, and black pepper. There’s such a warmth and it’s lovely dry end on the tongue. It’s also extremely calm and comforting yet passionate at the same time. Wow, does this sound like the description of the perfect guy or what? Yeah, if this bottle proposed, I might just say yes.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: darker, deeper, more velvet; less dry

All I can say is what a wine. Aaron Rawlins made a great choice in life by picking Armenia and especially the Vayots Dzor region at 6500 ft elevation, volcanic soils  and 150 year old vines that had not been touched with phylloxera. Wow, just 18 and off to France to become a chef, and venture through Spain, UK, Copenhagen and to Georgia. Then to veer off into a dream of wine in Armenia. That’s one strong and dedicated to his palate guy. Oh, and may I add, he is letting the Areni tell it’s true story because there is NO oak. Love, love, love when the grape gets to let itself be it’s true self. Do yourself a favor and pick one of these up stat and drink now.

@vinewinenyc #AaronRawlins #AaronSedrickRawlins #terrellwines #Asrllc #sevareni #areni #wine #redwine # #winestagram #instawine #armenianwine #Organic #nativeyeasts #unfined #unfiltered #Aghavnadzor #VayotsDzor #Armenia