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750ml
Bottle:
$56.94
6 bottles:
$55.80
This is a very successful aglianico from Basilicata replete with dark but fresh berries; the aromas of blackberries,...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.52
12 bottles:
$17.86
Ruby-red coloured wine tending to violet-purple. Soft fruit aroma with a prevalence of plum and morello cherry. Well...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$44.40
Aromas of wild berry, espresso, dark spice and French oak take center stage while the firmly structured palate...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$31.60
COLOUR: Ruby red.
BOUQUET: Scent of red berries with spicy pepper notes.
TASTE: Sapid taste, with subtle and complex...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$20.00
Red ruby tending to garnet. Complex nose with scent of cherry, black plum, herbal such eucalyptus. Notes of tobacco,...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$36.20
A dark and deep red, medium- to full-bodied, this is tightly meshed and firm. Reveals dense tannins, yet maintains a...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$36.94
A sleek red, with fine tannins serving as a supple, well-meshed frame for the tapestry of crushed raspberry and wild...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.43
Like cracking open an ashen stone to find a bevy of incense, dried herbs, wild blueberries and smoke, the 2019...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.43
Dark and brooding in the glass, the 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Damaschito opens with sage, violet, earth...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.50
12 bottles:
$18.53
The 2020 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Gricos lifts from the glass with a pretty bouquet that mixes dusty rose with...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$21.90
Crushed red plums, blood orange and sweet spice create an alluring bouquet as the 2021 Aglianico del Vulture Grifalco...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$16.66
12 bottles:
$15.83
Elegant aromatics of cherry and ripe plum, accompanied by hints of spices and licorice root. The rich, well-balanced...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.89
$22.00
The 2021 Aglianico del Vulture Macarico is incredibly pretty, wafting up from the glass with a dark blend of exotic...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.94
$14.73
Intense ruby in red color, this Italian red
has an elegant nose of fresh red fruit
with hints of spice. The palate is...
750ml
Bottle:
$59.94
The 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo opens slowly at this young stage, yet it’s quite intense all the same....
750ml
Bottle:
$27.89
$31.20
Aromas of blackberries, sweet paprika, fresh rosemary and plums. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Sweet fruit and...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$55.62
The 2016 Aglianico del Vulture Don Anselmo opens slowly at this young stage, yet it’s quite intense all the same....
Aglianico Chenin Blanc Mavrodaphne Italy Basilicata
Aglianico is a black skinned grape most commonly associated with the exquisite wines of the Campania region of Italy. It thrives most happily in hot and dry climates, and as such, has had plenty of success in the New World, particularly in the United States, where it is used to great effect in many red wines. It was believed to come from Greece several thousand years ago, brought by Pheonician tradesman, and was wildly popular in Roman times, when it was used in the finest wines made by the Roman empire. Aglianico grapes produce full bodied red wines which have a high tannin and acid content. As such, it has excellent ageing potential, and with a standard amount of time in a barrel, it rounds out and mellows to produce beautifully balanced wines.
Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.