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Something’s Always On My Mind

Bodega Frontio
Follaco 2021
Juan García 70%, Tempranillo 30%
D.O. Arribes
Vineyards certified organic, low intervention, native yeasts; & every 6 bottles sold = 1 tree will be planted in their forest
Fermoselle, Castilla y León, Spain
Thyge (Chus) Benned Jensen

Purple ruby stained glass. Scents of red currants, a bit of wild flair that flees, cherries, strawberries, plums, and an alpine herbal pinch. Sipping and it’s a light & fresh strawbluecranpomrasberry cocktail that has a lip tingling brightness and goes delightfully dry. Let it keep opening and a bit of tomato leaf roams out and the Juan Garcia begins to groove & grind even better with the Tempranillo.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: snacking good

After trying “Bébeme”, I knew I had to grab the other Bodega Frontio I could find (there’s others so I’m still on the lookout for more). Kept glancing at the label art, and started to see more than a bottle and a mountain range…remembering a trip to see the Grand Tetons and we all know where that name came from (those naughty French-Canadian trappers 🦫). Wondering if it’s just my naive or dirty rambling mind. So I was bit curious about this name and just like the previous bottle of “Drink Me” it has a little twist. “Follaco”, I’m betting has to relate to the Spanish verb “follar” which translates to a word that flies off my tongue way too quickly and sometimes gets me in trouble. No matter if I’m the one that is assuming too much and is lost in translation, I say give this bottle a try bc it’s good with things sexy or even spicy (like a good curry)…yes, this time I’m talking about food…do you really think my mind is always only on one thing…well other than wine?

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #redwine #winetime #organic #spain #naturalwine #vinewinenyc #bodegafrontio @cheezit @wearenomadic @vinewinenyc @bodega_frontio

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Agree To Disagree

Clos D’Audhuy
Les Polissons 2020
Malbec de Cahors AOC
Organic, hand harvested, stainless steel
Lacapelle-Cabanac, France
Winemaker: Benoit Aymard

Deep velvet ruby. Breathing in violets & other sorts of powdery light flowers, raisins, cherries dried & fresh, plums, and a little balsamic reduction. The tastes are all of the above with cinnamon pinch & a small white pepper shake on the back, along with juicy blackberries, a bowl of fun assorted blueberry, raspberry, strawberries and other assorted, smidge of dark chocolate with a touch of cream and silkiness (post a little chill).

Pairs with Cheez-Its tonight I’m just not in the mood. I’ve had one of those weeks or months or years

My S.O. and I have a bit of a let’s agree to disagree moment about French Malbec. Ok, he swears he hates it, but hasn’t tasted this one. Personally every grape from everywhere is precious in their own way in my book, so why limit yourself, and this one is a whole different creature than the Argentinian he prefers. It can be fun, graceful, has a backbone, and has the strength & finesse like women’s rugby team players during a lineout lift. BTW did I mention I love rugby, and am proud that the popularity of women’s rugby is continually growing! Anyway, I was led to this bottle due to Aymard’s “Queue de Pressoir” (70% Ségalin, 30% Malbec) which is one lovely bottle of bouncing happiness. If you can find either Clos D’Audhuy, give them a try because not only are they delicious, they are also gentle on your wallet.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #redwine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #worldbyglass #rugby #womensrugby #organic #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #France @cheezit @closdaudhuy @ripewineimports @vinewinenyc

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Just Drink Me

Bodega Frontio
Bébeme 2021
Juan García
D.O. Arribes
Vineyards certified organic, low intervention, native yeasts
Castilla y León, Spain
Thyge (Chus) Benned Jensen

Deep ruby purple. Give it a little cellar chill out time. Scents start popping up of cherries, plums, strawberries with caps, pinch of black pepper, and then a fine jumble of thyme, cloves, anise & ginger. Taking a few sips and it’s so light & graceful yet with strength (you know…iike an ice dancer), cherry, plum & strawbluecranpomrasberry cocktail, a violet or two, herb & spice blend with a grind of pepper & a teeny twist of lime/orange. I ❤️ this wine!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly brings out all the delicate lovely moments even more

Oh, I never tire of hearing of a person finding their dream. Thyge (or as his friends call him: Chus) left his old work life in Copenhagen and followed a glass of wine that led him to Spain. Pretty darn brave without a background or training in the vines, but I guess love & determination can be a recipe for success. He’s now a champion of native grapes and honestly he has romanced Juan García into a true gem. This bottle lured me in and then made me pick up a second one. Just follow the instructions in the name “Bébeme” and “drink me”. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #redwine #winetime #organic #spain #naturalwine #drinkme #vinewinenyc #bodegafrontio @cheezit @wearenomadic @vinewinenyc @bodega_frontio

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Hallo

The End Of Nowhere
Spaceboy 2022
100% Pinot Gris
Organic, hand harvested, native yeasts, unfined & unfiltered
Grapes from Heringer Vineyard in Yolo County
Amador City, CA
Founder and winemaker: Chris Walsh

Burnt orange red stained glass. Sniffing and there’s cherry wit a teeny touch of balsamic, rhubarb, strawberries red & green, ripe bell pepper, and a dusting of white pepper. First sip and those strawberries & rhubarb are there again along with tart & smooth cherry, a cranberry & bell pepper cocktail, a grind of white pepper, and a lemon peel twist.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: deliciously vibrant

Drinking another glass and listening to “Hallo Spaceboy” remix on repeat. Will admit I am a fangirl of Bowie, Eno & PSB, so this bottle just said bring me home, and that led me to finding out who Chris Walsh is. Originally from Amador, his dreams took him to NYC. Eventually he ended up in the food & wine industry, became a sommelier, and then realized it was time to return back to his roots, home, wine studies, and work with great wineries & winemakers (two in particular I love: Donkey & Goat and Matthew Rorick). Now he has 2 lines of wines. “Little John Lane” made with grapes he grows on his 10 acres, and “The Edge of Nowhere” sourced from Sierra Foothills small organic growers he respects and trusts. As he says, “We are committed to practicing organic farming and treating the land with more than a little love. We live here, and will do whatever it takes to preserve our land for future generations… even if that pulling weeds by hand.”

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #california #organic #naturalwine #spaceboy #vinewinenyc #theendofnowhere @cheezit @vinewinenyc @end_of_nowhere

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A Creative & Delicious Solution

Les Filles des Fêtes
Afternoon Disco 2022
Chardonnay 66%, Viognier 34%
Natural wine, zero/zero
Greenport, NY
Leslie Merinoff

Warm gold just like a perfect ring on your finger. First sniff and there’s a natural seaside tide pool whiff that departs and then heads into a pinch of light pie spice, next up are spring flowers & fruit blossoms, apples, pears, and overall it’s just light, bright and uplifting. Sip & swish and apples & pears appear again with s little zing of lime & zesty tart bit of liveliness, lick of mineral rock that has a small shake of salt sea breeze, and smidge of mace on the exhale with a little sprig of hay. This glass is super chill and comfortable and perfect to ease into an afternoon DJ set.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: bleh. don’t bother

I’ve become quite a fan of Matchbook Distilling & Leslie Merinoff’s creations, and this wine makes me fall a bit harder for them, or maybe I should say it makes me want to get up and dance. Reading on how it all came about and turns out it is a creative solution for what could have been a big problem. Originally it was to be all about Viognier, but in order to keep the ferment process at just the right spot cool they needed more juice to fill their tank. Since Leslie sources & works with local farmers/growers, North Fork Long Island’s Macari Vineyards provided the beautiful Chardonnay to balance everything out. BTW, I’m really glad these two grapes had their chance to mingle because oh they do shine so well together kind of like bright daylight shimmering on a spinning 🪩.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #cocktails #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #cheezit #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #greenport #NY #Longisland #discoball #disco #matchbookdistilling #vinewinenyc @cheezit @matchbookdistilling @vinewinenyc

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A Big Smooch To The Future

Staffelter Hof
Jan Matthias Klein
Kiss Kiss Maddie’s Lips
Rosé Pét-Nat
100% Fruhburgunder (early-ripening variant of Pinot Noir)
Organic
Kröv, Mosel, Germany

Rose plum orange with bubbling activity and natural haze. Oh, also open over a sink with a towel near because they’re might be a chance of a pink bubbling fountain. Wafting up from those bubbles are scents of plums with some creaminess, tree blossoms & roses, and citrus zest blended with a touch of a running down that hill grass stain. Sipping and here comes tart bright plums & that touch of cream again, a swish of pomegranate-blackberry juice, smidge of cedar in the back, touch of kumquat, green wild strawberries, and a kick of wild sour grass that fades in and out…dry, fresh and fun!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious and brings out more fruit, who would have thought?

Staffelter Hof just may very well be one of the oldest wineries or companies documented in the world (that is still in business), with a mention of it in legal paperwork back in 862 A.D. It went from an abbey to a winery/farm with the size varying over the years, and adapting with the times by modernizing the buildings (including central heating!). As of the latest generation Jan Matthias Klein (eldest son of Gundi and Gerd) they’re organic (2023 is their 10th year), and expanding into natural wines with also very cool new label art…just like this delicious pet-nat which carries on the family heritage image of a wolf from their coat of arms (albeit frolicking, imbibing & carefree). Oh and look here, Jan & team are adding fungus resistant PiWi grapes to their vineyards. That’s a good move for keeping this historic winery moving forward into their delicious, sustainable & organic future, and for that they do deserve a big smooch! 💋

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #piwi #organic #mosel #Germany #cheezit #PétNat #petnat #naturalwine #vinewinenyc #bowlerwine #StaffelterHof @cheezit @bowlerwine @vinewinenyc @staffelterhof862

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Pairs with Fosse

Weingut Wurzinger 
Früg Orange 2022
Grüner Veltliner 70%, Roter Traminer 30%
Organic
Tadten, Burgenland, Austria
Owners & winemakers: Josef & Pia Wurzinger

Shining rose gold just like my great-great-great grandmother’s ring I still have. Breathing in tangelo, lemon & lime, a salty breeze with a little aromatic white pepper, crisp apples, roses and a touch of good old wisteria, peaches, and fresh rained on slate. Sipping away and all the scents are in the taste with more peach, orange rind, lovely pears & apples, and in the back a little fresh cut grass with puff of smoke & mineral lick. This is delicious and very easy to drink so call a friend or two to join in because it’s a whole liter.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: so perfectly smooth

Ok maybe I’m just not that cool, but I had never heard of the 60’s dance called the Frug. Massive thank you to Weingut Wurzinger and Jenny & Francois for leading me down a YouTube rabbit hole. It’s a hip shaking stylish groove that if done right can make you look pretty suave & mod (in my case probably looks more like Elaine from Seinfeld dancing). When I first saw Fosse’s, “The Rich Man’s Frug”,  I have to admit the first thing that popped into my head was the courtship maneuvers of the Hooded Grebe 🤣. Please check out these two videos and definitely grab a liter to start your dance party right. 🪩💃🕺

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #naturalwine #worldbyglass #winelover #austria #winetime #orangewine #letsdance #fosse #Früg #frug @weingutwurzinger @JennyandFrancois @docwineshop @docwinebar

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Bubbling Romance

Château de Minière
Bulles de Minière
100% Cabernet Franc
Sparkling Red Wine
Organic Agriculture Ecocert, HVE
Bourgueil, Loire Valley, France
Kathleen Van den Berghe & Sigurd Mareels

Deep maroon purple with pretty in pink bubbles. At first sniff there’a a bit of creaminess (kind of Oreo center) followed quickly by raspberries, fresh picked pink & red strawberries, boysenberries, spring house mineral fresh, cherries, tiny tarty plum, and after a bit a bouquet of spring flowers pop up. Sipping raspberries, blackberries & seeds, blueberries, strawberries, dried cherry & cranberry, a touch of lemon spark in the back and a crisp end. This bubbly is pure romance, so go ahead and shoot that arrow…through my heart!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out a bigger depth of berries

Well, this is truly a bottle of romance…after honeymooning Kathleen & Sigurd (originally from Belgium) began searching for a vineyard to call their own. Once they saw Château de Minière, well just take a look at the site for yourself, the home and grounds are just gorgeous (it’s like living in a fairytale setting), and has centuries of history with women at the helm of the manor. Kathleen has joined that line, not only with rejuvenating the castle while keeping it true to its historic roots, but also tending to the environment and all that resides in it. Even with the organic & biodynamic you would expect for the vines, there’s also a LPO bird sanctuary, bee hives, rainwater recovery, and more. Oh and not to be forgotten, “Careful thought has been given to the bottling of the wine, for instance: lightweight bottles, unbleached cardboard, strict traceability of corks, nothing is left to chance.” What started out in my mind as a bottle of romance, I now see as a beautiful passionate labor of love. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #naturalwine #worldbyglass #winelover #winetime #sparklingwine #bubbly #loirevalleywines #loirevalley #France @cheezit  @chateaudeminiere @communalbrands @docwineshop @docwinebar

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A Romantic Character

Cantina Valle Isarco (Kellerei Eisacktal)
Grüner Veltliner 2021
Alto Adlige Valle Isarco DOC
Chiusa, Italy
Co-op with 135 members
Enologist: Hannes Munter; Agronomist: Alexander Damiani

Yellow golden green starlight. Breathing in delightful peaches, pears, green apples, a breeze of grapefruit, bell peppers, honeydew, winter melon, and a few blades of fresh cut grass. It’s a bit of a steamy night here so it’s a welcome refreshing sip of peach, pear, apple, again that grapefruit drop & melon along with cool cucumbers. This glass is just begging for a dozen  oysters.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out the crisp

Oh this wine co-op resides in such a perfect setting. Valle Isarco’s steep verdant vineyards is just so naturally breathtaking and beneficial. As they say, “In these winegrowing areas, the northernmost in Italy, where glaciers meet the gentle rolling hills of the Mediterranean, vines have been grown for centuries producing wines of great character. Thanks to variety in soils, cultivation areas and sunlight exposures, as well as to the particular microclimate, each vineyard develops a personality and special character of its own.” There’s another “character” I have to point out…the town of Chiusa (Klausen). Its tiny streets are wedged between colorfully painted medieval looking buildings that are varying to the point of a pastel rainbow and make me feel like I’ve dropped into a period piece flick. It’s a vision of sheer romance; and I can only imagine how much that is heightened with their Christmas Market where you’ll walk by candlelight & strands of holiday lights, sip mulled wine, and maybe even run into a night watchman.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #wineoclock #instawine #worldbyglass #winetime #chiusa #Italy #valleisarco #kellereieisacktal #altoadigewines #GrünerVeltliner #GrunerVeltliner #cheezit #pairswithcheezits @cheezit @cantina_valleisarco @liber.selections @docwineshop @docwinebar

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Making My Day!

La Battagliola
Gran Pignoletto DOC Millesimato
2021
Spumante Brut
100% Pignoletto
Sustainably produced
Piumazzo, Emilia Romagna, Italy
Owner & wine family: Alberto Salvadori and his children (Beatrice & Tommaso)

Deep gold (kind of the color of an IPA/lager not hazy blend that my friend Bob orders at The Gutter) with active bubbles tracing continents on the top. Breathing in and it starts off with a vanilla puff on the first pop that turns into memories of Mom’s pineapple meringue pie, firm pears, golden delicious apples that as it lingers takes on a little caramelization, teeny tiny lemon tingle, and old time Texas toast that goes brioche. Going in for the sip and again there’s pears, my favorite apples with that crunch, sliver of pineapple & a little of it grilled, a tiny drop of honeysuckle in the back with a bit of lemon sizzle that happily grows to a perfect balance, and a touch of that toast reappears here and there.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: good but better without

I just love learning how people end up living the life of the vine, but I will admit sometimes I am a bit jealous. How wonderful it would be to inherit like Alberto and end up with their mother’s country house and realize your life is going to change. He went from logistics to farming! Once again another wine family living the dream. Just makes me smile and yes, yearn for that lifestyle. Oh and they’ve given me a little wine education from this bottle since this my first Pignoletto. Turns out after some genetic testing this grape is also known as Grechetto Gentile (or di Todi) which I have met in the past. So pleased to meet you Pignoletto through such an addictive delicious sparkler. You’ve made my day much brighter and lighter! 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #wineoclock #instawine #worldbyglass #winetime #EmiliaRomagna #Italy #spumante #Pignoletto #sparklingwine #bubbly #cheezit #pairswithcheezits @cheezit @la_battagliola @soilairselection @docwineshop @docwinebar