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Creative Perfect Pairing

Podere Sottoilnoce
Valtiberia 2020
Vino Bianco Frizzante
70% Trebbiano Modenese, 30% Trebbiano Di Spagna
Biodynamic, organic, indigenous yeast, minimal intervention
Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Owner & winemaker: Max Brondolo

Warm golden sunshine with tiny bubbles. Breathing in a gentle creamy vanilla start that morphs, next up are pears, green apples, a smidge of berry, and musky touch that fades on day 1 and leads to light melon, and a smidge of anise. On the tip of my tongue it’s dry, with crisp pear & apple, lemon/lime squeeze, a bit of berry, that spice/anise is still there but joyously light & fresh, and a bit of almond on the back

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh this is gooood

As I said in my previous post, Max Brondolo is a Renaissance man. Earlier in life, he had an successful and cool career in advertising/communications/digital media. I wonder how it felt to start his new life in wine which seems to be an old love. Must be exciting, freeing and satisfying to start a 2nd act by working & growing in many ways with nature…to channel and pour a new creativity into these bottled moments in time that you share with family, friends, and the world. Have to also write about the artist whose paintings grace his labels. Something about these birds just pulled me in and I went down the google rabbit hole. Denis Riva is brilliant. It has been a while that I’ve found a “new to me” artist that pulled up such emotions that I can’t even put into words what I’m feeling. Please take a look at his website. I don’t know what brought these two creatives (Max & Denis) together but they are a perfect pairing.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #Trebbiano #emiliaromagna #Italy #italianwine #terrellwines @derivadr @vinewinenyc @poderesottoilnoce @cheezit

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Meet Me Under The Walnut Tree

Podere Sottoilnoce
Franzes 2019
90% Lambrusco Grasparossa, 10% Lambrusco Sorbara
Biodynamic, organic, indigenous yeast, minimal intervention
Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Owner & winemaker: Max Brondolo

Maroon/ruby with bluish purple rims. I gave this wine 2 tries, once at 58F and next chilled. First go round and breathing in dark cherries, blackberries, earth that grows into tiny yet fragrant blossoms, and a pinch of bell pepper. Sipping cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and a bit of blueberry, a mix of bell pepper, balsamic, white pepper, olive pit that weaves back and forth in the fruit and hides at points and flirts with earth. Just light and elegant. Now chilled and starts out with very floral of blossoms, magnolia, and all scents the same as before but even more alluring. Again same with the taste…just a bit more sleek and a welcome fine tart spark. I like it better chilled…so chill it good!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out lavender and more juicy

Max Brondolo is quite the Renaissance man which I will get to in my 2nd post about another wine of his, “Valtiberia”. For now I’m just falling for his beautiful land (6 ha) that are filled with old (some abandoned) and new vines, buzzing bees, various plants & animals (including deer & pheasants) that share the neighborhood, and a stately walnut tree that gives the place its namesake. I can just imagine lying beneath and staring up through the branches, smelling a mix of the soil & greenery,  feeling a cool breeze on my face, and hearing an old very familiar Keane song stuck in my head.

“Underneath the walnut tree
Where you said you’d wait for me
And I waited a long, long time…”

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #Lambrusco #emiliaromagna #Italy #keanemusic #italianwine #terrellwines @vinewinenyc @poderesottoilnoce @cheezit

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The Gentle Giant

La Araucaria
Rosado 2021
100% Listán Negro
DO Valle de La Orotava
Organic, hand harvested, cordón trenzado
La Orotava, Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Winemaker: Dolores Cabrera Fernandez

Shining 80s magenta watermelon-orange tint sunset. Scents of plums, strawberries, cherries, figs with some fresh tilled warmth of earth but not overpowering just mellow, and gentle roses & some greenery that play well with everything. Fun sip of tart plum & cherry, green strawberries, smashed blackberries & raspberries, a bit of citrus spark, and a lot of personality that also is grounded on the back in a good way with some bit of earth dark goodness. Just so fresh and very light on its feet. Like a memory of summer that in a way hasn’t ended.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmm yeah this really works

There’s a bit of “Girl Power” going on in the vines. During harvest, Dolores has a crew of women to work the vines because she thinks they have a more skilled/light hand for picking the grapes. And what a beautiful land where they work…not just that you get a chance to stare at Mount Teide, but also the artistry of their “braided cord” old vines. There’s another majestic natural sight that you’ll also notice on the label, the Araucaria tree that lives by their winery. It’s like a gentle giant that keeps watch over them, just as Dolores does with her passion for keeping the land organic and spreading the word to others to join her natural way of life.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #rosado #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Tenerife #CanaryIslands #Spain #organic #DoloresCabreraFernandez @josepastorselections @vinewinenyc @bodegalaaraucaria @dolorescabrerafernandez @cheezit

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Hands On

Finca Mas Perdut
Mà de Mas Perdut 2021
Penedés DO
Organic, stainless steel, 5 days skin contact, indigenous yeasts
50% Xarel.lo Vermell, 25% Garnatxa Blanca, 25% Macabeu
Santa Oliva, Baix Penedès, Catalonia, Spain
WInemakers: Josep Ma Rosell Gracia & Rebeca Ollé

Amber warmth. Let it breathe…a while. After giving it some space, scents of lilacs, wisteria, orange blossoms float up along with orange & zest, tangelo, earth, and a bit of memory of Yellowstone’s paint pots mixed with fresh cut grass. Sipping a mishmash of all sorts of citrus, a wedge of lime, puff of funky smoke & sprig of hay that fades, tart green apple, salt, and as it grows a back of perfume dancing on the back. Just vibrant and lively.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: ick sour

This bottle immediately got my attention with an IG post…the medical illustration of that hand! Once I fancied going down that artistic route, sigh. Turning away from dreams of past and back to the wine and this family. They’re 5th generation growers, and in 2010, Josep went down the winemaking route, later to be joined by Rebeca after these two oenologists fell in love. Grapes aren’t alone on the farm though, there’s also almonds, olives, veggies and they live off their land. Nothing like the satisfaction of growing your own food. I remember working my tail off in our crops and even as a young kid feeling some pride that I watched everything grow from seed to our table. Can only imagine the elation this couple feels after each harvest, fermentation, bottling and finally when the time is just right tasting a glass that sums up their knowledge, passion, and hand in the whole process. Must be absolutely amazing.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #whitewine #skincontact #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Penedès #Penedes #catalunya #catalonia #Spain #organic #fincamasperdut @bonvivantimports @vinewinenyc @fincamasperdut @cheezit

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When Is An Orange Really An Orange?

Matchbook Distilling Co.
Honeymoon
“Orange Wine”
Sparkling wine from Mango Oranges (via Flavors by Bhumi), with Honey, Milk Oolong & Mallorca Melon Tea
6% ABV
Greenport, NY
Owner/Distiller: Leslie Merinoff

Hazy warm golden with some spritz bubbles. Sniff and oh yes this is natural. There’s oranges with zest and later blossoms, some smoky blend of other citrus too, honeycomb, hibiscus as time goes by, and a little good funkaliciousness. Sipping a delicious orange seltzer snap with a natural vibe. It’s crisp and tingly with a bit of creamy or orange creamsicle feel, still some of that smoke/honeycomb mellowness, and just really super fresh. Make sure it’s really chilled and drink asap.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh ick no

When is an “orange wine” really an orange wine? Ok, so this isn’t what we normally think of as that good ol’ skin contact vino. Leslie of Matchbook wanted to use the”O” word on a riesling bottle, but was thwarted by govt. guidelines. Let me just quote from her, “the federal government regulators believe strongly that a drinker seeing “Riesling Orange Wine” would communicate the presence of actual oranges in said bottle of wine. And therefore, the descriptor ‘orange wine’ in the United States has been prohibited…” So when life tells you have to use oranges, don’t just make orangeade…be like Leslie and make a truly fun 🍊sparkler (pssst you can also make some snazzy cocktails with it too).

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #cocktails #naturalwine #orangewine #oranges #sparklingwine  #skincontact #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #greenport #NY #Longisland #matchbookdistilling @vinewinenyc @matchbookdistilling @cheezit

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Zingy Zippy Bubbles

Azienda Agricola Divella
Blanc de Blanc NV
Dosaggio Zero
100% Chardonnay
Méthode champenoise, organic, female run, hand harvested
Gussago, Franciacorta, Lombardy, Italy
Winemaker: Alessandra Divella

Warm golden with very active tiny bubbles. Sniff and it’s a creamy start with maybe some vanilla sprinkles, gentle brioche, apples, lemony pop, and honeycomb that reminds me of when we would get it fresh from my great grandfather’s hives. Wow now this is a zing! Citrus flying all over the first sip joined by crunchy apples with a somewhat nutty butterscotch hint, a little brioche, wild sour grass from back home tart…c’mon pucker up, and white pepper. Seriously this will wake up your mouth because it’s just darn alive, fresh and dry. As time slides by it develops into something more complex, and I can see beer drinkers that love good sours and ciders being totally all in.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious. Smoothes things out

In so many photos of Alessandra, you see a set of one of her most important tools…her hands. In the vineyard, in the pressing in the cellar and throughout the whole process. Those hands nurture and bring out the best in her 2 hectares of vines that are leased, but it’s pretty apparent that she treats them with the care of a good parent. As I keep reading, regionally, she was “one of the first estates to farm organically and the first to be female-led”. That takes a lot of guts, brains and hard work, especially when you were not born into a wine family. I’m so glad she fell for the natural wine route, and has made it her deep passion because her bubbles are a beautiful present to the world.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #blancdeblanc #bubbly #sparklingwine #champagne #organic #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Chardonnay #Lombardy #Italy @super_glou @vinewinenyc @alessandra_divella @cheezit

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Pure Devotion

Celler Credo
Can Credo 2017
100% Xarel·lo
Penedès D.O.
Organic, biodynamic, skin contact, dry farmed, hand harvested, vegan
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Penedès (Barcelona), Catalonia, Spain
Xarel·list & winemaker: Ton Mata (Josep Mata Capellades’ grandson)

Warm gold pour. Sniff and there’s so much going on all at once. There’s pears, mix of apples, some greenery…oh it’s fennel, a touch of smoke that turns to oak, honeysuckle, lime/orange spritz & zest, a little kumquat, and a dash of salt. Sip of elegance with a creamy feel, with a mix of lime, apple, crisp pear, that little oak touch, some salt & limestone, and a tiny bitter herb (maybe a little fennel seed) touch in the end that makes a perfect ending for this delicious tale.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: sweeter and just lovely

I so LOVE Celler Credo’s wines (Recaredo’s still white wine label) which I’ve gushed about before as in the case of their ꓕⱯNƎꓒꓕⱯꓤ and Miranius. Their devotion to Xarel·lo and its extremely natural cultivation totally shines through in their wines. It’s like a love story to this special grape (which is one of my favorites), their lands and all that live there. “Can Credo 2017” is limited to 1,633 bottles, so if you find one, I highly recommend picking up a bottle and sharing it with someone special in your life. Maybe a little of this “love story” will add a spark to your night.

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #naturalwine #Xarello #worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #Penedès #Penedes #catalunya #catalonia #Spain #organic #madrosewine @rosenthalwinemerchant @vinewinenyc @cellercredo @cheezit

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Sipping Cider Through A Straw

Eden Ciders
Harvest Cider Cans
Brut Rosé
15 Heirloom apple varieties infused with red currant juice (from Eden Orchards, Scott Farm, Sunrise Orchards, Windfall Orchard)
Focused on supporting local orchards, sustainably grown
Newport, Vermont
Founders & Co-owners: Eleanor & Albert Leger

Crack the can and it’s a rosy orange sunset blend with teeny bubbles. Breathing in all sorts of smooth & crisp apples smashed with red currants , and as it opens apple blossoms breeze in. Sip and whoo! It’s a mix of those apples again but with a tart and sweet fun pucker up, red currants, a splash of cranberry, and a sizzle on the back of my tongue. This is like a fast tingly stolen kiss saying farewell to summer.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh yeah, makes it sweeter and a little spicy

This bright little can has given me a little gift of an old tune stuck in my head. It’s really catchy so play at your own risk. Also be forewarned and be careful who you find yourself with sipping through a straw. You might end up with a lot more than just that smooch. 🍏💋🍎

#cider #wine #vin #vino #vinho #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #apples #naturalwine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #ellajenkins #folkmusic #locallygrown @smithsonianfolkways @edenciders @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Nature’s Gardeners

Domaine Philémon
‘Croix d’Azal’ 2020
100% Braucol
Gaillac AOC
Organic, hand harvested,
Villeneuve-sur-Vère, France
Winemakers, growers & owners: Mathieu et Stéphanie Vieules

Deep purple with maroon rim (boy isn’t that fit to be a band name). Scents of earthy cherry & plum, blackberries, raspberries, dried blueberries, teeny hint of shiitake, and back whiff of an herbal tangle with a pinch of licorice. Oh this is delicious! Tasting plums, cherries (and after a while cherry hard candy but not super sweet), raspberries & blueberry jamming in tune together with some earth, and a touch of anise. Not too heavy not too light…it’s just right (ok it’s medium). Oh and I totally should have started with this but better late than never: keep it at good ol’ cellar temp.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Savory

While on the search for wines from Bergerac, I wandered upon Domaine Philémon’s “Braucol”. They’re in southwestern France, around a 3 hour drive outside of my goal, but what a happy surprise for me. Mathieu (who also inherited the Philémon name passed down from his great-grandfather) reshaped and created the Domaine in 2003; and focused on only working with indigenous grapes and some are even old and “forgotten”. As you can expect, I’m getting all romantic about grape rescues, but there’s even more. Over the years he also took the farm and lands and vines to the organic side. There’s grains, lentils, even truffle oaks and as of 2020, they’re kept trimmed and groomed by the old hardy breed of sheep, “Solognote”. From what I’m reading they are very protective mamas, so it’s best not to get in between them and their babies. You might get a headbutt from nature’s gardeners. 🐑 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Braucol #Gaillac #France #Solognote #sheep #naturalwine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic @domainephilemon @winetraditions @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Enjoy The Silence

Companyia Vitícola Sileo
Sileo 2020
Grenache 90%, Carignan 10%
Organic
Cornudella de Montsant, Montsant, Catalunya, Spain
Winemaker: Agustí Torelló Sibill

Maroon crayon with cranberry shimmers. Breathe in and there’s a gentle creamy start, cassis, cherry, raspberry, and a little oak chip that adds a bit of rugged oomph that leads to back cherry, and a tiny eucalyptus lift. Sip and cherries, raspberries, blackberry, blueberries and it’s at first a rugged in a good way that turns into a suave velvet song. Also all that berry goodness gets mixed in with that eucalyptus that now am realizing is more hyssop and a lick of limestone.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it sooo smooth, so go on and grab a wedge of really good sharp white cheddar

When I grabbed this bottle, I honestly wasn’t paying a lot of attention except that Monstant D.O. was on the label. Well, well…we meet again Agustí Torelló Sibill. Last time was a lovely AT Roca sparkler. Sileo is a whole other delicious nurtured creation, that means to be still or silent (Latin). Silent isn’t exactly what I feel about this wine. It’s so alive and develops the longer you spend the evening with it. Maybe that’s what the label is telling me to do…stay still…enjoy the moment and let the the flavors whisper you the tale of their land.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #Montsant #Spain #Grenache #Carignan #naturalwine @worldbyglass #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #organic #galacticwines @josepastorselections @viticolasileo @vinewinenyc @cheezit