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Summer in the Winter

Shobbrook Wines
By Tommy Ruff
Poolside 2018
Rosé
Barossa Valley, Australia
Syrah
Organic, Biodynamic, not filtered or fined

Hazy pinky rosy gold color. Whiffs of apricot, light flowers, a sprinkle of salt, a little caramel, and fragrant tangerines, and mandarins. First sip and wow, tangy, tart and tingly! It’s fresh and very natural, with some of that good old hay. Next comes lemon and lime-ade, again those lovely seedless mandarins and tangerine. Shake up all that citrus and throw in some yellow plums, touch of watermelon, bright young berries and SweeTARTS and Sour Patch Kids with a shake of sumac and white pepper. For all my beer buddies, this is one of those wines that is a sour lover’s wine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Tones back the tart. Very nice.

From what I’m reading on Shobbrook’s site, they have moved their vineyard to Flaxman Valley and their first harvest was 2019. Since this Poolside is 2018, I’m guessing it came from their Seppeltsfield property or Vine Vale. Will be very interesting to try the new wines and see how they change. Knowing Tom Shobbrook’s reputation and innovation it will be fun, purely natural, and I’m sure some delightful surprises. As I await the 2020, I keep seeing mentioned online, let’s kickback, get a little Ruff, and pretend we’re Poolside (even though it’s FREEZING) and chill out to “Summer In The Winter” by Kid Ink ft. Omarion.

@vinewinenyc @tomshobbrook @chrisjterrell #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #Biodynamic #organic #natural #tommyruff #shobbrookwines #terrellwines #Rosé #Rose #Syrah #BarossaValley #Australia #Poolside

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Mr. Moonlight

Domaine des Carabiniers
Lunar Apogé
100% Syrah
IGP Pays d’OC 2018
Roquemaure, France
Biodynamic, organic, dry farmed, hand harvested at night to prevent oxidation, and native yeasts
Founder and winemaker: Christian Leperchois; Vineyard Manager & Maître de Chai: Fabien Leperchois

Ruby garnet bling. Popping out cherry scents, roses, plums, Tampa cigar rolling tobacco leaves…yeah, I went to school down there for a little bit, and toasted rosemary. Dark cherry luscious tastes that turns into a cherry tart hand pie, juicy plums, raspberries, strawberries, dried cherries, chewing fresh rosemary and nibbling on an orange peel. Smoooooth as it opens up. Tasted during Full “Wolf Moon”, it’s less about howling, and more about warm nuzzling.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it deeper, richer

This is a history of wine born in Tuscany and then transplanted to France. After settling in their new country, the Leperchois family started with 3 hectares and is now up to 50 (potentially still growing) and in 1990 became organic and 2006 biodynamic. Even with their growth, they are keeping it truly a family operation and focusing on quality. Just check out their pics on their site which also include their adorable little black panther Vestide who was found, or found them in their vines. Domaine des Carabiniers’ Lunar Apogé line gives a nod to the lunar calendar and how it is an important part of cycle of the vines and wine just like climate, soil, weather, and how you let nature do it’s thing. As Fabien says on their site, “To make a good wine, you need to have good grapes. Nature does the rest. A Maître de Chai is first and foremost a wine-grower, more so with Biodynamic farming.” Sometimes, as in this beautiful wine, less is more.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @biodynamic_wine @theartisancollection_wine @cheezits #DomainedesCarabiniers #LunarApogé #cheezit #wine #vino #winestagram #instawine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #thebeatles #mrmoonlight #paysdoc #Roquemaure #France

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Pour Another and Sing to My Heart

Bodegas Grupo Yllera
Boada
Campo de bueyes
Crianza 2014
D.O. Ribera del Duero
Boada de Roa, Burgos, Spain
100% Tempranillo
Hand harvested, 6 months in French (Allier) and American oak barrels

This is dark, dark, dark, ruby purple…I can’t see through it. Uncork and here comes oak, caramel, cocoa, raspberry, blueberries, vanilla, plums, and gold ol’ cherry. First sip and realize it’s rustic yet velvety. There’s oak, a delicious vanilla wafer dipped in a smidge of caramel, cherries, some lovely portiness, blueberries, raspberries, tellicherry peppercorn, dark chocolate and coffee. Kind of like a little mole sauce. Where’s my side of saffron rice? In the end this juicy goblet has a nice dry finish.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: just wants me to have another glass

Grupo Yllera is in its 6th generation and has over time acquired wineries and vineyards that had been pretty much given up on or were amenable for a sale. They also acquire grapes from some cooperatives, but are strict across the board on quality. Vines have to be of a “certain age” (wow, I can’t believe I’m using that term as a good one), and the company as a whole strives to reduce their impact on the environment albeit from residue to emissions to water. This may be a large group, but as they say on their site, “At Grupo Yllera wineries we consider ourselves a great little family.” Well, this extended family received a Decanter Bronze for this velvet beauty, so hats off to that! There’s just something about this wine that is hard to put into words. It’s more than the smell and taste, but the emotion it brings out. While sipping last night, my thoughts drifted to an old memory and an old well loved song that always makes my heart hurt in a good way. Tom Waits’ “I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You” is what is in this bottle, or at least for me. I know most people would think, it would be a cigarette and whisky neat, but give this Boada a try and let me know how you feel.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Bodegasyllera @AidilWinesLiquors @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #redwine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #winestagram #instawine #Boada #Crianza #Burgos #Spain #Tempranillo #TomWaits #ClosingTime #RiberadelDuero

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Beer Has No Gender

Japas Cervejaria Artesanal
Sawā Peach
Sour Ale with Peach
Peaches are grown in Brazil and Japan
4.7% ABV
São Paulo, Brazil and Chicago, Il
Brewers: Maíra Kimura, Yumi Shimada and Fernanda Ueno

Hazy active golden candy yellow color. The closer the glass gets, the more my nose is tingling with citrus. Lemon, lime, a little mandarin and of course fragrant peach. Light, fresh, crisp tastes…peaches with a squeeze of that citrus mix from before. A little jolly rancher. Even though it’s light the peach lingers. Makes me dream of being somewhere warm by the ocean with a salty breeze.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: I want to like it but, I just can’t. Some people might, but I think I’ll pass.

Reading about how these three became friends and embarked in the brewing business. They met over beer, beer events and over time realized how much they had in common. They’re also Brazilians of Asian descent, which in Brazil the word Japas is often used to describe them. They embraced it and made it a positive term and thus here’s the name of their brews. Every detail of their creations is very important to them from their ingredients to their packaging, and they are hands on. These are three intelligent, inspiring women who have proven they have the skills to stand out and excel in a male oriented industry, and are taking on the world and winning. As they best put it on their site, they are “proving more and more that beer has no gender.”

@JapasCervejaria @BeerBoutiqueInc #beerternational @mairakimura @yumishimada @crftcollective @cheezits #beer #sour #sourale #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #peaches #sawa #Sawā #Brazil #Chicago #Japan

 

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Finding the Real Dory

AdegaMãe
Dory
vinho tinto 2019
IG Lisboa
Turcifal, Portugal
Touriga Nacional 38%, Syrah 27%, Pinot Noir 12%, Aragonez 23%
Winemakers: Anselmo Mendes and Diogo Lopes

Cherry purple gothiness. Uncork and let it breathe…then exhale and breathe in deep cherry, plum, baking chocolate, and warm pepper. Another deep hug in a glass. Rolling around back and forth over my tongue and there’s cherries, strawberries, blueberries, fresh picked blackberries seeds and all, and fenugreek. Nice and juicy and a happy wine. Don’t over think it. Just enjoy and maybe order some bacalhau croquettes. Mmmmm.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it more velvet, sweet, glorious

Dory’s name comes from a nod to the small shallow boats the cod fishermen of old (not the cute Pixar/Disney fish). One would wonder, why that? Well, João António Alves founder of AdegaMãe, is also the founder of Riberalves which is the leader of cod in Portugal. He and his family now have a hand in two of the best of Portugal, wine and cod (bacalhau). The more I read on the history of how the fishermen used to travel so insanely far and believe me not in a luxurious quarters, I wonder at their amazing physical and mental strength and endurance. Once the home base ship ended up in Newfoundland they’d take off in the smaller one man boats (Dóris) into perilous waters and fish their fill, return to the main and immediately salt the fish. These guys make “Deadliest Catch” look like child’s play.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @adegamae_wines @aidilwines @cheezits #cheezit #wine #vinho  #winestagram #instawine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Turcifal #Portugal #Lisboa #TourigaNacional #Syrah #PinotNoir #Aragonez #Riberalves #Dory

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A Good ol’ Wild Flock

João aka Duckman
Maria Duck – Pet Nat
Bairrada, Portugal
100% Fernão Pires (a.k.a. Maria Gomes)
Sustainable, unfiltered, unfined, natural, hand-harvested, and wild
Winemaker: Maria Pato

Hazy golden with lots of white lively bubbles. Breathing in a mix of apple and pear cider, hay, tangy tangerine, apricot, and orangesicle. Zip, pop, bang and my tongue is dancing with zingy citrus, tart lemon candy wedges, kumquats, crabapples, and gooseberries. Wow, now that’s a wake up call to a party.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mellows the tart out

Oh Duckman, how you never fail to surprise and make me happy. Maria and the rest of the flock (father Luis, sister Filipa, and past relatives that date back to the 18th century) all have had their feet paddling around in wine, as I’ve written about in past posts. This project, is all Maria. There’s as little intervention as possible for these indigenous Fernão Pires grapes, that come from their Amoreira da Gândara vineyard. All stainless and no oak, help this little quacker soar, sing and zing fresh! This is a pet nat that is not only delicious, fun, and a joy to drink, but it also makes you think. It transports you to her part of the world in Portugal and invites you to stay.

@vinewinenyc @joao_pato_aka_duckman @SaviosSelections #wine #winestagram #instawine  #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #portugal #bairrada #FernãoPires #MariaGomes #sustainable #natural #wild #duckman #petnat #pétnat

 

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It’s All in The Family

Weingut Steininger
Grüner Veltliner
Ried Loisium
Kamptal Reserve DAC 2018
Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria
100% Grüner Veltliner
Sustainable farming and vegan
Winemakers: Karl Steininger and his son-in-law Peter

Deep rich gold color. A fresh breath of Golden Delicious apples, pears, apple blossoms, grass, granite, and a dreamy and elevated feeling. First sip and it is like truly biting into a fresh Golden Delicious apple just picked from the tree (sweet and some tart/fresh), then poached pears, honey, granite, dried sage, white pepper. All this in the party and a dry ending. Why do I want a thin crispy slice of fried bacon? It’s an elixir of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: more sweet. Less dry, but still addictive

I’m going to admit, I’ve had some pretty crappy Grüner Veltliner’s by the glass in restaurants in the past. I was nervous but happily surprised. This one is awesome. From what I’m reading it’s partially indebted to where Weingut Steininger is located in Langenlois in the Kamptal region where it sounds like the area revolves around wine in all aspects of its culture. This is another tale of wine passing down through the family where Karl and Brigitta inherited the vines/farm from his parents. Realizing if they were going to do this right, Karl went to oenology school and they both decided to focus on local grapes of the highest quality (that also played well with the land and climate) if they were going to make it. Didn’t hurt that Brigitta grew up in a wine family too. They have passed their knowledge on to their daughters and each has chosen their own path. Eva and her husband Peter are already hands on in the winery. Lisa studied tourism but came back to the winery, married João Fonseca and they birthed Steininger Kraftvoll which is a port style wine, and I really want to try it if I can find it. Lastly their daughter Anna didn’t stray from wine or Kamptal either, but she and her husband Martin Arndorfer forged on and opened their own winery. I guess it truly is all in the family.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @weingutsteininger @ArtisanalCellars #kwselection @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #whitewine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #sustainable #vegan #winestagram #instawine #GrünerVeltliner #Langenlois #Kamptal #Austria #WeingutSteininger

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Brother Wolf, Sister Moon

La garagista Farm + Winery
Loups-Garoux 2017
Vermont Rouge
Barnard, VT
Frontenac Noir
Organic, biodynamic, unfined, unfiltered
Winemaker: Deirdre Heekin with Caleb Barber, and Camila Carrillo

Deepest darkest red velvet with some activity on top center. At first sniff, massive cherries and flowers (maybe roses), then dark raisins and other dried fruit, oak, warm spice and dark cocoa. Staring at that activity in the glass, lift, and sip and it’s tingly like tiny popping bubbles. There’s tart cherry, dried plums, white raisins, figs… lots and lots of figs, a little lemon, wild herbs, cranberries, and strawberries as it warms up. It’s free, deep, fresh, wild, unabashed and romantic all at the same time

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: More tingly and sweeter

When I think Vermont, my mind always goes to cheese and Sugar Glider Kitchen run by my favorite pastry chef, Gesine Bullock-Prado. So when I see Vermont wine, I’m intrigued. Reading about Deirdre Heekin, and she sounds like when she gets her mind set to something, she not only does it but perfects it. Natural wine seemed to call out to her from her and her husband’s restaurant and her travels. Eventually she decided to embark on her own and even started out making it in her bathtub. I really hope they had a second in their house. She also researched grapes that could work with Vermont’s climate and some of these ended up being hybrids such as the grape in Loups-Garoux: Frontenac Noir (a hybrid of Landot Noir and Vitis riparia [also known as riverbank grape]). Wow, what a grape, seriously. It’s not only the grapes that they select, that build the beauty of their alpine wines, ciders, and other bottles they dream up; it’s the fact that the vines and the farm all blend and weave into each other. You’ll find chickens and other creatures (not werewolves) roaming free, vegetables planted between vines, all sorts of flowers flowing, and bees bopping along. Oh, and when we’re out of this mess, maybe the pop-ups will return, they’ll open their tasting room doors, and there’ll be a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor in their homegrown dishes paired with their wines. If you want to get word, join their newsletter on their site. I’m about to sign up right now.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @lagaragista @cheezits @gesinebp @sugargliderkitchen1 #cheezit #organic #sustainable #biodynamic #wine #winestagram #instawine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #FrontenacNoir #Barnard #VT #vermont

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Explosion, Experiments and Delicious Success

Torch & Crown Brewing Company
King Elizabeth
Barleywine
11.4% ABV
New York, NY
Founders, brewers, and youthful troublemakers/geniuses: Joe Correia and John Dantzler

Dark brown with reddish tint and small head in light cappuccino foam. Spirited sniffs of anise, herbs, tangerine and orange, and a little Dr. Pepper. Kicking back a powerful punch of toffee, caramels, cocoa, and those southern homemade Chewies that look like brownies but no, so much better. A little bitter that is maybe even like some burnt edges of the pan that just might have stayed in the oven a minute or two too long. Also a little banana and mandarin. I am so surprised at how much I am enjoying this little can, and maybe I should have taken the recommendation at Beer Boutique and bought a second back up one.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Blerg! No do not pair!

When I saw this can, I thought, label alone I must have this! Figured I would mostly be writing about Elizabeth, who as they say is the emperor of their production facility in the Bronx. He has one faulty eye but who cares, I have a one-eyed kitty and have a deep soft spot for them. Then I stumbled upon the story of how Joe Correia and John Dantzler ended up in beer. These two, what little inventive trouble makers they were as kids. They as many, had fake IDs but evidently went into the wrong NYC bar and got busted. They were 16, what do you think kids at that age are going to do, wait until they’re 21? No way! They started with a home brew kit and well, let’s just say like most guys they didn’t read the full instructions, and busted again but by John’s mom due to the explosion in her kitchen. That didn’t stop them. They got better and better, and won home-brew awards (underage), so their dads got the credit. And look at them now, they made it through college in differing degrees. They didn’t kill themselves with their experiments and now they have their own business, and they make damn good beer! Oh and there’s a restaurant too, and they do take out and delivery. Check out their party packs. The Super Bowl one looks fab.

@torchandcrown @BeerBoutiqueInc @cheezits #beer #barleywine #KingElizabeth #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram  #NewYork #NY #Manhattan #Bronx #cats #catsofinstagram #caturday #oneeyedcats #oneeyedcatsofinstagram

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Beauty on a High Hill

Buli
515 S.L.M. 2019
Toscano Bianco IGT
Trequanda, Siena, Italy
Chardonnay 70%, Trebbiano 30%
Organic, guyot, and hand harvested
Founder and owner: Robert Buly
Enologist: Diego Ciurletti
Agronomist: Alessandro Gemini
Cantina Chief: Stefano Censini

Pale shining gold. Scents pop out of cantaloupes, honeydew, a little smoky/peat but seriously delicate, Red Delicious apples and a faint whiff of their blossoms. Also smidge of salt and something mineral or the more I think of it if you have ever stripped a fresh apple branch, it’s that smell. Its green, clean, and grounding. First sip and there’s a small squeeze of lemon like one wedge hanging on the side of your glass, muskmelon, honeydew, peaches, Red and Golden delicious apples, and honey that tastes like it had a walnut aging in it for a while…Mmmm. A little oak warmth that turns to smoke with a lick of salt but nothing overpowering. I read someone mention harsh at the end, but there is nothing harsh unless you think a basic tiny lemon squeeze harsh. All I know is I want some west coast oysters with mignonette right now.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: a little more dark nightshade, some grass and a little more rich and round

Sea level means so much in cooking, baking, and farming. While 515 meters S.L.M. is not good for cooking grits (you seriously have to have the right sea level for southern certified grits), it is fabulous for these grapes. Robert Buly enlisted his cousin Giulio to help in the search for the perfect place for him to get back to his family’s “deep roots”, in 2006, Podere Collalto (farm on a high hill) came up for sale. What’s even better it was only 6 miles from his cousin’s place. It has it all…great sunlight. beautiful summer breeze, rugged good soil and plenty of room for a vineyard and olive trees. Check out the site for images from their enchanting little part of the world, it will brighten your day.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @buliwine @darkstarimports @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #whitewine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #trequanda #toscano #tuscany #siena #italy #winestagram #instawine #Chardonnay #Trebbiano