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Birds Of Different Feathers

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards
Innocent Dove 2019
PGI Karditsa
Xinomavro 50%, Merlot 50%
Certified organic, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Karditsa, Thessaly, Greece
Andreas Kontozisis & Aphrodite Tousia 

Shining garnet glass.Let this baby breathe! After that time out, smelling raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomato leaves & vines stewing on a sunny day, plums, cherries, and lavender mixed with mild rosemary. All of the scents are there on the taste but a bit more rustic. There’s also lilacs, irises, & lavender, and finally a little white pepper with even a smidge of bell.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: NO STEP AWAY FROM THE BAG

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards has been certified organic in the vineyards & cellar since 1991 (one of the earliest ones in Greece) which truly shows Andreas & Aphrodite’s passion and dedication for their land, vines and wines. Their Innocent Dove “draws from the Greek folk phrase for ultimate innocence” which is perfect for their honest, natural way of winemaking. This winged wonder from Karditsa led me to another one that is definitely a bird of a different feather. Karditsa’s Pafsilipo Park has wandering peacocks, and everywhere I read it mentions relaxing in the grounds with them. They are such graceful and beautifully adorned creatures, but relaxing? If you’ve never heard their call here’s a video by @NatureWalk1 (not from Pafsilipo). Now I’ll let you be the judge. Still would love to visit them but think I’ll pass on hanging out and reading a book in the park. Would much rather chill out with another glass of this quietly cooing “Dove”. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Greece #dove #peacock #worldbyglass #eklektikon #kontozisisorganicvineyards #docwinebar #docwineshop @eklektikon @kontozisis_wines @docwinebar @docwineshop

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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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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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Rescued From The Sun

Chateau d’Issan
Margaux AOC 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 40%
Hand harvested
Cantenac, France

Deep purple of the most dark metal band feel with a cherry/maroon rim. First sniff and there’s cherry, plums/prunes, oreo cream, a little cola, and after that it’s off to the races with all the berries…blueraspstrawboysen, black currants, pinch off light cinnamon, touch of myrtle, and an oak whiff. Sipping and there’s cherry (fresh & dried), same goes for the plums, cassis, blackberries (pits & all), cedar & oak shave blend that is waaaaay in the back and hide and waves and hides again, smidge of juniper, and a touch of darkness but not scary…like that sexy brooding bad boy from college that has that wry smile. It’s still fresh and continuing to morph…over time that berry jumble emerges blueraspstrawboysen, dried figs, a little forest floor, slight puff of smoke, and then the sweet part I’m tasting reminds me of chewing sugar cane….so pure. This is a smooth operator with a welcome teeny tiny burn in the back and pairs great with Good Omens Season 2.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: actually pretty good

I had no idea what to expect with this bottle. It was originally found in an abandoned shopping cart in a parking lot and had been there for hours in the blazing summer heat 🥵. Can someone please tell me how anyone can forget and leave a wine behind especially one with a pedigree and history as Issan? It was supposedly poured at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine & Henri Plantagenet, enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson & many other illustrious figures, dubbed 3rd Grand Cru Classé en 1855, and as their motto says, “Regum mensis aris que deorum”(For the table of kings and the altar of Gods). Anyway since no one ever came to claim, it was rescued, delivered to me, and ended up on my table where it was greatly appreciated by this humble wine lover who is neither a king or a deity. Oh and as you can tell it didn’t get a sunburn. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #France #Margaux #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #chateaudissan

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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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Piece Of Heaven

UDO Giardino Agricola
Cajvo 2021 
Col Fondo
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Brut Nature
Sui Lieviti
Glera, Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera
Sustainable, bee keeping, pest control through sexual confusion
Collalto di Susegana,TV, Italy
Federico Ricci

Very pale starlight with a tad green hue and very fine white bubbles tracing designs on the surface. Toasty brioche scents are right there after the cork pops and persists that later is joined by a backed apple & pear tart, daisies & other field flowers & a little light funk that fades, and a little lemon & lime spritz. Now the pour is dancing on my tongue and it’s so delicate & alive yet a bit of a gentle softness, lemon & lime (almost key lime pie reminder) lightly appear, lick of a piece of granite or rock, shake of salt, a trace of a hard pear arrives later along with more of that bakery goodness. Just delicious, crisp, dry, and a little flirty saucy sizzle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: amps all up

I have had “Col Fondo” before but there’s something magical about this bottle. I’m betting it has to do with Federico’s dedication to his varied farm/vineyards that is nestled in all I can describe as a little piece of heaven. The lands are just beautiful, and there’s some barnyard buddies residing too & doing their part. There’s dwarf sheep & ponies, that are adorable but also useful as lawnmowers. Bee keeping, that I know is a labor of love due to watching my great grandfather learn the dances and harmony that can be shared with these little buzzers and how they in our case pollinated our orchards, as in the case here at UDO. Checking out more of their pics and there’s some strutting chickens that from what I can tell make the best eggs due to the color of their yolk (so jealous…yum). Lastly from @udogiardino IG, there’s an endearing moment captured of Federico and his horse. His words sum it up best, “Realization of a dream, a passion I’ve had since I was a kid. Finally I can enjoy the company of my horses daily, take care of them and try to pass on this passion and love to my children.” See just a piece of heaven. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #sparklingwine #colfondo #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Italy #docwinebar #docwineshop @docwineshop @docwinebar @udogiardino

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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