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“Social Solidarity”

Vite Colte
La Luna e i Falò 2022
Barbera d’Asti DOCG Superiore
Vineyards at least 15 years old, low yields, hand harvested, integrated or organic viticulture
Barolo (CN), Italy

Deep ruby/maroon with lightened edges. Breathing in cherry, touch of vanilla, raspberries, strawberries, violets, anise/licorice, and red currants emerge over time. Tickling my tongue are all sorts of cherries, pinch of vanilla, brambly blackberries, licorice, raspberries, strawberries, black currants, and cranberry. It’s a tingle tangle of dry even with all the fruit, and it’s wild and elegant at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: so darn good

Vite Colte is not only known for their wines but also the design of their winery. Gianni Arnaudo’s award winning architectural creation embraces modern styles along with incorporating itself into its surroundings. As Arnaudo says “Vote Colte is a cultural message in its own right, visually summarizing the many transformations carried out in the Barolo area to ensure that production takes place in a way that is environmentally sustainable.” The winegrowers included in this group must adhere to either Integrated defense (sustainable) or organic viticulture. Beyond the vines they also use lighter weight bottles (helps lower their carbon footprint), recycled paper (office & packaging), 20% of their electricity comes from renewable energy, and native trees are planted in. “green areas” to encourage & protect biodiversity. Another part that is very important in this band of growers, friends & partners is their “social solidarity”. They also very importantly work together for sustainable incomes “small family farms that make up the productive and cultural fabric of Piedmont’s viticulture, those who manage and protect the agricultural landscape” which makes this group one intertwined large family. ❤️🍷

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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A Little Art History

Azienda Agricola Orneta
Centovie 2022
Irpinia DOC
100% Aglianico
Sustainable Agriculture
Ariano Irpino AV, Italy

Deep ruby with shiny glints. Inhaling cherry, plum, light creaminess/vanilla, dried autumn leaves; and as it opens there’s blueberries, blackberries, fresh cut clover, and a smidge of diesel that fades. Sipping and there’s cherries (skins, pits & all), blueberries, raspberries, plums, blackberries, and very ripe strawberries. Even with all this fruit, there’s a dryness & it’s so elegant, and reminds me of days past sitting outside at an in my old favorite haunt just relishing the the sun on my face, conversations with good friends, and passing around appetizers that warm my belly & heart.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: pretty darn good

Orneta dates back to 2013, and is the combined work of 3 families: Pannese, Pizzano, and Cerullo. Their current generation is upholding their grandparents traditions along with a touch of modern times. Speaking of traditions, this wine & its label have led me to another special part of their town Ariano Irpino. They have a long history in ceramics dating back centuries. There’s even a red banded jug (dates to 7-8th c.) found in the Ariano’s castle in 1929, that is now housed in their Museo Civico e della Ceramica. During the 13th-16th centuries plates, flasks, jugs, amphorae, oil lamps, etc became more adorned in plant & geometric designs and also more vibrant colors (cobalt blue, copper green, manganese brown and a little yellow & iron red). By the 17th century the designs, vessels & sculptural objects go even more radiant and detailed. In the 18th & 19th c. the clay works become full throttle over the top with hidden flasks & chalices in the shape of mermaids, sphinx, fish, etc. There’s also lively & spirited centerpieces & salt cellars with polychrome floral decorations & cherubs, tile work, communal serving plates, religious panels, and personal holy water holders. There are no words that I type that can do them justice so take a look at their page @museoceramicaariano. Some of these works might just take your breath away.

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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Preserving History To Make A Better Future

Bodegas Faustino
Cava Brut NV
D.O. Cava Guarda
Macabeo (mostly) & Chardonnay
Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP)
Oyón (Álava), Spain
Current generation of the Martinez Family: Carmen Martínez Zabala & Lourdes Martínez Zabala

Golden shimmer with very active bubbles. After a few sniffs there’s apples, pears, touch of brioche, fresh from the beehive honey & wax but not overly sweet, cantaloupe, honeydew, and ripe cucumbers. Tasting crisp apples & pears, honeydew, green watermelon rind, splash of lemon, that honey again (not too sweet but just right), a bubbly sizzle, lick of salt, and a delightful longing for how it will grow & bloom over time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: definitely and bring on a seafood tower too

Bodegas Faustino has over 160 years history in wine, and they were also the 1st winery in Rioja to be certified SWfCP, which is something everyone should be thinking about with how climate change is affecting our world. This designation includes the sustainability of the environment (greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, water & waste management, biodiversity, and healthy soil), sustainable management (proper communication and ethical behavior), ability to change & evolve to benefit the industry, being socially conscious and care about their employees & working partners, make sure their products and work environments are safe, and a part that I am always happy to see…holding onto and preserving traditions & culture, and their lands. When we all put our minds to a similar way of thinking we not only preserve history, but also look forward to a better future. 🥂

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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Time To Fire Up That Grill!

Kuentz-Bas
Alsace Blanc 2024
30% Sylvaner, 30% Pinot Blanc, 20% Riesling, 10% Muscat, 5% Pinot Gris, 5% Gewurztraminer
Certified biodynamic & organic
Alsace, France
Owner & vigneron: Jean-Baptiste Adam (father/14th gen) & Laure (daughter/15th gen)

Sniffing and there’s pears, white peaches, a blended splash of mandarin oranges, tangerine, lemon, & kumquats. Then next up tickling my nose are spring fruit tree blossoms (pear, apples, plums, and more), tad of pineapple, gentle honeydew, touch of beeswax fresh from the hive, and that cool & clean springhouse feel. All of those lovely scents are in the sip with honeysuckle, a little kirby, mango, lychee, and that citrus tingle sizzle. It’s one dreamy wine.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: sparky

Kuentz-Bas’ reveal the beauty of their grapes, terroir, and Alsatian heritage. This Alsace Blanc’s pairing suggestions are brats & crab cakes, so I say it’s time to fire up that grill! Actually this domaine got its start from a pairing. First there were the Kuentz from back in 1795 that blended through marriage in 1895 with the Bas family. Now it’s in the hands of Jean-Baptiste Adam (since 2004) and he and his team take great care of their lands and all that inhabit it with their biodynamic ways. If you want a moment of zen, watch this video of them prepping and applying the “Bouse de Corne”. With a workout like that you’ll never need a gym membership and will definitely pump you and your biceps up. 💪 ❤️

#wine #vino #vin #winestagram #instawine

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An Ancient Grape For Modern Times

Tenimenti Leone
Tera de Leone 2021
100% Cesanese
IGP Lazio Rosso
Organic
Lanuvio. Lazio, Italy

Dark ruby shine. Breathing in raspberries & strawberries with a touch of cream, deep plums, cherries, smidge of cherry Twizzlers, dried figs, and a whiff of cola. All of the scents are in the swig along with singed orange & lime peel, a lick of iron & espresso and the volcanic soil where it grew.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: smooth operator but it’s even better with dark chocolate hand dipped dried figs

While reading up on Cesanese’s history that is linked back through the ancient Romans and more lately to break out winemakers focusing on natural, organic, and letting the land speak through the grape; my friend reminded me of a female winemaker that gave this grape a touch of star shine. Natalie Oliveros learned in northern NY how to make wine from her father due to their Calabrese heritage on her Nonna’s side…albeit basement wine. I’m sure it tasted a lot better than my dad’s 🤣. Anyway, you might also know her from her stage name, Savanna Samson which she picked up while dancing in NYC & in her award winning career as a porn star. That name carried over into her first wine line (with winemaker Roberto Cipresso) that included her well known “Sogno Uno” (70% Cesanese, 20% Sangiovese & 10% Montepulciano) that Robert Parker scored 91, and after meeting her…he also added that she has a “‘good palate’”. So as many women winemakers that have had to do the good fight and not get classified by their gender, she’s proven herself & her wines to not just the critics but also the world, and now she fully owns her own winery “La Fiorita” since 2014. Cheers & thank you to my friend who sent me down this wine rabbit hole and this wonderful grape🍷!

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Magical Happy Accident

Agrícola Calcárea
El Descontrol 2024
Clarete Rosé
Moscatel Romano (mostly) & Tintilla de Rota
Organic, natural, sustainable
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Andalucia, Spain
Juan Jurado Gomez

Magenta tinged warm sunset rose. Breathing in oranges & blossoms, lemon/lime, tangerine, whiff of smoke, gooseberry, pomegranate,  young raspberry & strawberry, and a teeny touch of hyacinth. In the taste there’s again oranges, lemon/lime, pomegranate, young strawberries, pinch of peach, a little watermelon/mango jolly rancher, and on the back clover leaves. There’s an elegant smooth feel but a tiny citrus tingle, and I want to say delicate, but there is a strong backbone that is full of confidence.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NOPE

El Descontrol was born from Juan working long harvest days and thus a lack of sleep. There wasn’t quite enough Moscatel Romano in the press, so he threw what he had available (Tintilla de Rota) to increase the pressure. Turns out he ended up with too much juice and just tossed it into a tank with no lid and well kind of forgot about it for 2 months. When he got back from Italy it was covered in thick flor so he took a chance of tasting it and this happy accident became something magical. Now we can all eagerly await this co-ferment each year. Cheers! 🍷

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Hare’s To Character

Famille Brunier
(produced by their Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe)
Pigeoulet Rouge 2023
Vin de Pays du Vaucluse
55% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 15%  Carignan, 8% Cinsault, 7% Mourvèdre
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, & battles the moths (Eupoecilia ambiguella & Lobesia botrana) by sexual confusion
Bédarrides, France
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier (brothers), Nicolas & Manon (Frédéric’s son & daughter), Édouard (Daniel’s son)

Shining cherry/raspberry. Breathing in cherries, raspberries, plums, blueberries, red currants, a tangle of lavender/rosemary/thyme, and a light bit of licorice. All of the scents are in the taste but with even more grace & a sweetness but not overly. On the exhale there’s now more earth and a little peat. Such an easy drinker & so full of vibrant life that can turn a cold grey day into blue skies & rainbows.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: step away from the box

The Famille Brunier has a longstanding & well acclaimed history (over 125 years) in wine; and more than likely at least one of their bottles has crossed your path from such as Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Domaine La Roquète, and Domaine Les Pallières (with Kermit Lynch). This fun bunny or aka Pigeoulet (“little one” translation from local dialect) hopped onto my lap when I was browsing wines to relax with while watching the latest season of “Drops of God”. BTW I’m still on the fence on how I feel about season 2…anyone else catching up on it? Would love to hear your thoughts.  Back to the Bruniers, they let their wines speak for themselves. As they say on their site, “Personality and balance are the two key words that guide our decisions and actions.” Well, this hare’s blend is full of that mentioned personality and heartwarming & smooth balance. I’d follow this little joyful character down rabbit holes any day. 🐰🍷

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A Glass To Snuggle Up To

Quinta do Passadouro
Vinho Tinto 2019
55% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Francesa, 10% Touriga Nacional, 10% Field Blend from old vines
Duoro DOC
Pinhão, Portugal

Inky maroon with purple pops. Sniff and a little oak dances through & mingles with dark cherries, black olives, wildflowers, blackberries, black currants, plums, and a pinch of warm spice & anise. Tasting and there’s dark cherries joining the blackberries, blueberries, black currants & plums & a red currant or two with a not quite ripe tart raspberry, licorice, horehound, and the teeny tiniest of vibrating tomato leaf appears & then tells you you didn’t see them…or shhh they were never there it’s all an illusion. Everything smooths out into an elegant, graceful sip. You know…this wine pairs well with a lot, but honestly I prefer just snuggling up with a glass while watching the snow fall.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: this is one of those moments of YES!

Yes, I’ve had my fair share of Passadouro wines over the years, but when I saw this bottle, I knew it was time to revisit this old friend (actually brought 2 home). While the Genetta genetta on the label may look somewhat like a cute kitty you want to rescue, it’s better to leave them in the wild. I think the best description I found was on discoverwildlife.com: “Genets resemble the love child of a cat crossed with a smidgen of mongoose and a touch of marten, with a soupçon of lemur thrown in for good measure.” These nocturnal creatures are also great for natural pest control since they’re generally carnivores and love snapping up rodents, birds, bugs, and other small critters; but they’re also know to enjoy figs, olives & the like. It would be such a wonderful dream to travel to Portugal, sit out in the dark in a vineyard, and get to see one unclose & personal on its agile nightly hunt.

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When Life Gives You Tomatoes

C. Cassis
Green Tomato Aperitif
20% abv
Sustainable agriculture
Rhinebeck, NY
Rachael Petach

A warm amber glow. Sniff and there’s a lovely fragrance of green tomatoes (also leaves, plant, etc.), a floral whiff like tea roses & maybe jasmine that circles around to wild flowers, pinch of fresh picked cayenne pepper, white pepper, rustic herbs (oregano, thyme, basil), and a little purslane. Sipping all of the scents but with a delicate touch & a bit of vegetal/grape sweetness but not overly, so gentle and might I say fancy.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: you could but don’t ruin the moment

You know the saying when life gives you lemons…this is what happens when you end up with a whole lot of extra green tomatoes and their tendrils. They let them macerate with sugar & distillate, took the liquid and mixed it with a NY state rosé, and the add it all into an ex-pommeau barrel. After over more than a year of peacefully hanging out & also while someone created these beautiful bottles & designed delightful packaging…you end up with a true piece of art. Consider how happy someone would be to find this in their stocking this Christmas.🍸🥃 ❤️

#wine #winestagram #instawine #vermouth #Aperitif #cocktails #hudsonvallley #wineoclock #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #vermouth #currentcassis #vinewinenyc

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Tell Me Your Story

Pormenor
Ginga
Vinho Tinto 2023
Touriga Franca, Tinta Barocca
Hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, unfined, minimal intervention, natural, vegan friendly
Barcos, Tabuaço, Duoro, Portugal
Pedro Coelho

Cherry stained glass. Sniffing cherry, plums, blackberries, a little bit of fall leaves, an herbal sachet of tarragon, mint & others, red licorice, and a smidge of white pepper. Sipping and there’s a mix of plums & cherries now are bright & tart, gooseberries, young blackberries/raspberries (kind of still greenish pink), green tomato in a good way, touch of lime zest, and a pinch of sour grass. It’s just light, lively and oh so happy.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: so smooth

Coelho didn’t inherit a winery, but he did have connections to some of the essentials. His dad was a cork producer, his grandfather’s a cooper (barrel maker), and he ended up working in wine finance/marketing until the moment came when he decided it was time to give it a go at making wine. He works with old vines, but doesn’t’ adhere to the past usual ways of vinification…his are fresh & can be drunk young yet may also age. They also don’t hit you over the head with high alcohol content which in my book is a very good thing. There’s a quote on his site, “Wine, by the grape” that kept rolling around in my thoughts. He wants Pormenor (translates to details which is something Pedro is very thoughtful about in his vines, environment, etc) wines to tell the stories of his Douro…through his vineyards & grapes, and as long as he keeps making these bottles, I’ll keep listening to their whispers & songs of a place & history that holds a special spot in my heart. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #organic #portugal #jdselections #pormenor #pormenorvinhos  #vinewinenyc