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Sip Till The Stars Come Out

François Montand
Brut Blanc de Blancs NV
Colombard, Ugni Blanc, and Chardonnay
Méthode Traditionnelle
Vineyards in Gascony & west facing slopes Jura Mountains
Crançot, France

Golden yellow with tiny active bubbles. Inhale and there’s a gentle citrus blend of Valencia oranges, lemon/lime, grapefruit, smidge of lemongrass, light green pear, a clean crispness like a really good sparkling mineral water, and over time a toasty bit appears. Sipping away and all of the scents are right there with a crisp dry vibe, a lick of garden fresh ripe bell pepper, and the lime is a bit more tart & fresh. It’s an easier drinker celebrator.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: perfect pairing

François Montand’s wines are not just a delicious bubbly kiss. They’re also happily easy on the wallet. Another fun perk on their site is a list of recipes, and I think I’ve found a new favorite take on a margarita in their “Méthode Margarita”. So follow along and raise a glass with me…

Ingredients
2c Orange Juice
1/2c Tequila
1/4c Lime Juice
François Montand Brut

How To Make The Magic Happen
Combine orange juice, tequila, and lime juice in pitcher. Rim margarita glasses with lime and dip in salt. Fill glasses with orange juice mixture. Top with François Montand Brut. Garnish with oranges and limes.

The final ingredient I would add is to kick back by the pool and slowly sip till the twinkling stars come out. ✨Cheers to the long weekend! 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #bubbly #brut #France #winebow #FrancoisMontand #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Bridging Relationships For The Future

Sông Cái Distillery
Khà Tung Tóe
Bubbly Purple Rice Wine
100% Nếp Cẩm
Organic, fermented with koji
Gia Lâm, Hanoi, Vietnam
Founder: Daniel Nguyen

Electric magenta streaked sunset with teeny active bubbles. Sniffing and this is very interesting. There’s toasted rice (reminds of the rice on the bottom of a bowl of Bibimbap), a cucumber seaweed mix (in a very good way), bright plum, a sort of satay/peanuts/toasted sesame, puff of peat, savory soy sauce and a little shiitake. After a few sips all of the sniffs and a dash of fish sauce (also again in a good way), citrus twang, and an earthiness that is not one I’m completely familiar with but would love to get to know better. It’s tingly, bright and a total pét-nat.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: JUST DON’T

Sông Cái (Mother River) is mụch more than just a distillery, it’s a bridge. Daniel (originally from CA) built that “bridge” through relationships with locals, farmers, and foragers to create a “100% Vietnamese-owned endeavor of its kind” where the value of their agriculture would be elevated & increased through a new output: gin, spirits, wine & more. They’re also looking to preserve & nourish the local plants, cultures, & traditions that are the heart of Vietnam. Another thing that stands out to me is that Indigenous women make up 60% of their team and women also make up 75% of their managerial staff, so it’s a beautiful opportunity for them to provide, excel, and grow. At Sông Cái they also “focus on capacity building ensures that every team member has opportunities for professional growth, both internally and externally. We also cover essential expenses such as housing, food, and travel, our aim is to maximize the financial well-being of our team members and their families.” I love finding out about good souls such as this team because it gives me hope in humanity and in this wild world. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #ricewine #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #vietnam #songcaidistillery #vinewinenyc

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Time To Belly Up To The Bar

Cantine Madaudo
Barone di Bernaj
100% Nero d’Avola
Sicilia DOC
Villafranca Tirrena, Sicily, Italy
Winemaking family: Rosario Madaudo (son), Alfio (dad), Andrea (uncle), Giuseppe (younger brother), and more

Deep dark cranberry purple. Breathing in plums, dark cherries, deep raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, fresh pine, and an alpine herbal minty blend. Tasting those plums & cherries again, boysenberry along with a blend of raspblueblackberry, and a twist of citrus zest (in particular mandarin orange).

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Juicy goodness

Back in 1945, Rosario’s great grandfather started this venture with only a small farm and now it’s expanded into a full blown family affair of around 60 ha and several different collections that will take you, “Traveling through our Sicily through a glass”. While I & a lot of us (during a certain time) were stuck at home, that was my way of getting out and about, but now we can visit them in person at their wine bar “Palaverve“ connected to their Agrigento winery that from what I read features their bubbly bottles. It’s also what they call Madaudo’s “Welcome Room” where visitors can get a view of their “bottling & corking phases of the sparkling wine to give the right importance to the joy of tasting”. Come to think of it…out of all the wines I’ve tried from their lot not a single one was sparkling which means I’m truly missing out since they are so celebrated. Guess I’ll just have to continue my search here for these elusive bubblies until I finally find time to travel and belly up to the bar & meet one up close and personal. 🥂🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #italy #Sicily #wineemporium #CantineMadaudo #docwineshop #docwinebar

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Dreams Do Come True

Cascina Carlòt
San Rümu 2022
Dolcetto D’Alba DOC
Sustainable, biodiverse
Coazzolo (AT) – Italy
Claudio Mo

Ruby with splashes of burgundy. Breathing in bright cherries, plums, raspberries, boysenberry, moments of violets, and a touch of earth. Sipping away and again the cherries, plums, raspberries, blackberries, hint of blueberry, and a pinch of that earth with a little bramble. It’s dry yet fresh and oh so easy to love.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: I’d rather not

Even though Claudio Mo is a winemaker he prefers to go by winegrower, since he is “faithful to the – typically Piedmontese – philosophy that wine is made first of all in the vineyard and then in the cellar.” He also prefers to live in harmony with nature, to follow its rhythm, connect with all the cycles, and to live sustainably. This includes working toward a future of the farm eventually being energy self sufficient. What a beautiful gift to pass down to his family…or in other words as it greets you on his site, it is “Claudio’s dream come true”.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #biodynamic #organic #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #italy #wineemporium  #cascinacarlot #docwineshop #docwinebar

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Bubbly Bottle Of Summer

Château Fontvert
Bulles Natures NV
Rosé Pét-nat
Mourvedre
Certified organic & biodynamic (Demeter), hand harvested, indigenous yeasts
Lourmarin, Luberon Mountains, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Jérôme Monod & sons & family

Light salmon belly flash with active bubbles. All of the scents are dainty & gentle with raspberries, yellow cherry, white peaches, a grapefruit & citrus blend, mineral spring house, and a little sea breeze. All of the sniff is in the taste with a little more peaches and happy seltzer zing. It’s festive, friendly, oh so cheerful, and this is your summer bottle to keep on repeat.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Step away from the bag

Château Fontvert’s lands have been worked & farmed since Roman times. It passed hands to the Sambuc family toward the end of the 17th century when they established the estate & kept it for 14 generations. The Monod family acquired it in the 1950s, revamped the vineyard & at first sold the grapes to a co-op until 2003 when they decided to go all in on their own label. Now they’re biodynamic & organic certified and as far as I’m concerned, they’re knocking out of the park. Now this little pét-nat led me down another trail to Lourmarin which is known by travel writers as dreamy and “the prettiest village in Provence”. There’s ivy covered Provencal stone architecture that exudes a friendly warmth, an abundance of floral scents changing with the seasons, a bustling market day, outdoor cafés, and one thing that stood out to me their beautiful doors. Whether old or new they are distinctly individual wooden pieces of art. I can see where Peter Mayle got his some of his inspiration for “A Year In Provence” whilst residing here. Who wouldn’t want to live in such a lovely & magical place. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #provence #France #mfwwineco #chateaufontvert #vinewinenyc

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Shining A Light

Cantina Fiorentino
Masserie Pugliese
Primitivo 2021
Salento IGP
Organic in the fields, sustainable in the cellar, hand harvested on a cool night
Puglia, Italy
Pierantonio Fiorentino

Shining ruby with purple pops. Sniff and right out of the gate are cherries & dark chocolate, plums, touch of tobacco, raspberries, overtime a little blueberry with violets & clover. Sipping cherries & plums fresh/dried, red currants, Baker’s chocolate that grows into dark chocolate, cranberry, and teeny violets again. It’s dry but tastebud tingling finish.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: absolutely fabulous

Cantina Fiorentino like many other wineries/vineyards made a commitment to go organic & sustainable but they take it quite a bit further. Pierantonio applies his background in renewable energy in his cellars by using the power of the sun (photovoltaic system), insulation in the roof & pipes for temperature control, and “the whole Winery is illuminated with LED technology & the white color was chosen for the walls and red for the resin floor paint, to reflect the sunlight”, and will continue to be “a laboratory to study & optimize energy consumption in the wine sector”. Very ambitious & commendable along with their contributions to the “Liter of Light” project. It all starts with a clear plastic bottle, water, a little bleach to keep it clean, attach it to a hole in the roof of a structure, add sunshine & poof you have about as much light inside as a 40-60 watt bulb which can benefit so many others. They’ve continued expanding to light at night “with the installation of a 1W solar panel connected with an LED to a rechargeable battery.” Just imagine how far they can take this with further research and make the world a more clean and sustainable place. 💡🌍

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #literoflight #italy #wineemporium #MasseriePugliese #Cantinafiorentino #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Cool Cat

Weingut Edgar Brutler
Sefu White 2022
Co-ferment field blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, Furmint, and Tămâioasă Românească
Organic
Crișana, Transylvania, Romania
Edgar Brutler & family

Warm antique gold. Just popped the cap and there’s a blend of tangerine/grapefruit/kumquat/young orange with all the zest, a touch of good funk, lemons/limes emerge, crab & green apples over time, a couple blades of grass, and dried coriander. Sipping and all of the citrus with a bit more tart & ripe green apples, crunchy  pear, watermelon rind & green tomato, over time a little honeysuckle, again the coriander with a touch of smoke/peat, and a light lick of something deliciously earthy. So alive, fun and frisky.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: YES

These cool cats gave me a crash course on the history of Transylvania, Romania & the Brutler family that is too long to condense in this post but I highly recommend checking out their importer, Danch & Granger Selections’ info . Sefu is a project they started in 2022 with inspiration from a family friend Laci Hetei, and his great love for & over abundance of grapes. He actually reminds Edgar of his grandfather, who had a quote I love, “a family with two or three kids needs 1000 liters of wine per year”. I can see his point. Anyway, back to Sefu (translates to “boss” or “chief”) & its catty label (by Agostina Suazo). If you live with a kitty you know who rules the roost so the name fits & this wine is also a rocking top meowser that belts out its territory. As Edgar says, “This is the taste of our region. Rustic, acidic and pure.”, and might I add delicious, so go out and adopt this liter/litter. 😻

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Romania #Transylvania #danchandgrangerselections #EdgarBrutler #vinewinenyc

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A Peaceful Perfumed Dream

Tenuta La Giustiniana
Gavi di Gavi 2023
DOCG
Terre Antiche
100% Cortese
Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
Owners: Stefano Massone & Magdalena Pedrini

Light shining yellow. Breathing in lemon & lime and both are wafting in on a cool springhouse breeze followed by honeydew, white peaches, super ripe cucumbers, a little light tangerine squeeze in the background, honeysuckle and orchard blossoms. All of the scents are in the sip but with more flowers, yellow plums, a little mango & lychee & sort of a tad pineapple, and a lick of mineral & salt. It’s like a peaceful perfumed dream that continues to bloom.             

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Bursts of happiness

This estate is drop dead gorgeous (no wonder people want to get married & have events here) and has a long history filled with vine cultivating monks, the La Giustiniana family who built the neoclassical villa, Napoleon seizing “ecclesiastical estates”, and in 2016 Stefano & Magdalena breathing new life into this historical structure & lands. They meld a bit of modern with traditions of old in the vineyards & cellar, and absolutely respect their nature/environment in order to bring out the best in their Cortese & celebrate Gavi’s classic beauty. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #italy #skurnikwines #LaGiustiniana #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Bit Of Romance In A Glass

Cantina di Conselve
Silvanum 2023
Veneto IGT
Chardonnay 70%, Raboso 30%
Sustainable & socially responsible
Conselve (PD), Veneto, Italy

Gold-yellow brick road. Lovely scents of apples, pears, whiff of lychee, light lime/citrus spritz as it opens, fresh cool rained on granite, and a honeysuckle or 2 with a teeny dash of vanilla. Everything I’ve been sniffing is right here in the taste, along with a little honeydew, white peaches, and more of that honeysuckle nectar. There’s a bit of luscious romance in this glass.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Just don’t

Back in the 1950, the coop Conselve Vigneti e Cantine (like many other producers were & some still are) was more about quantity of the grapes & wine they produced, but then a certain methanol scandal shook Italy in the mid 80s and everyone started rethinking…well…everything. In the 90s the Cantine’s winegrowers/makers turned to the “quality” side and have made changes toward sustainability of their already rich & fertile lands with combining their generations of traditions along with modern thinking & planning. Now they’re a band of almost 600 winegrowers with their grapes situated on the “plains between Padua and Venice”, and from the bottles I’ve had now and in the past…they capture the essence of their beautiful world.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #italy #wineemporium #cantinaconselve #docwinebar #docwineshop

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Do The Math…Or Not

Bodegas Más Que Vinos
5/4 Clarete 2022
Malvar 20%, Airen 20%, Garnacha 20%, Cencibel (Tempranillo) 40%
Working sustainably, certified organic, indigenous grapes, vegan friendly, co-fermented in amphora
Cabañas de Yepes, Toledo, Spain
Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez

Ruby deep purple (now I have “Smoke On The Water” stuck in my head). Breathing in cherries & plums dried & fresh, oddly a bit of tomato plants with bit of bramble, dash of herbal tea (old school smell from back in the Celestial Seasonings college days), red currants & reminder of a Christmas citrus vibe, cranberries, and a puff of smoke that fades. Sipping and there’s cherry, blackberries, tart plum, an herbal blend of thyme, rosemary, etc.; red & black currants, lime/orange citrus zest, lick of limestone, and a pinch of anise. It’s fresh, juicy and oh so good.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: this is a good thing

Not long ago I posted about Más Que Vino’s “Los Conejos Malditos” or as I called them “Bad Bunnies” who have a penchant for grapes and ransacking a harvest. This addictive bottle’s name 5/4 luckily doesn’t come from destructive critters but from the ingredients for this whole cluster co-ferment: 2 parts Cencibel (Tempranillo), 1 part Garnacha, 1 part Airen, 1 part Malvar. 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 and then the 4 comes from the varieties. You may be eye rolling at me for the explanation but just looking at the front label it flew right over my head until I turned the bottle around. Yes, I can be that oblivious at times. 🤣 BTW this wine is very delightfully addictive so pick up two and don’t even bother thinking about the math.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineoclock #wineoftheday #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #Spain #clarete #badbunnies #valkyrieselections #BodegasMasQueVinos #vinewinenyc