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Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.20
12 bottles: $18.82
A new wine for 'A Vita (although it was made once before, in the 2012 vintage), the 'il Rosso' is Gaglioppo (from the...
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $10.99
The Alps defend Delle Venezie D.O.C., Italy from chilled northern winds, while heat from the Mediterranean creates...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.71 $17.59
12 bottles: $12.35
This crisp, refreshing Pinot Grigio offers aromas of fresh melon and green apple followed by flavors of pear and...
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $10.01
12 bottles: $9.51
Golden yellow in color with ripe apple, pear, and apricot aromas along with notes of wild flowers and honey. Medium...
Sale
White
375ml
Bottle: $12.13 $13.48
12 bottles: $11.40
Pretty honeysuckle aromas lead to easygoing lemon sorbet and melon flavors in this white. Drink now. 100,000 cases made.
WS
88
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.67 $24.08
12 bottles: $15.85
Pretty honeysuckle aromas lead to easygoing lemon sorbet and melon flavors in this white. Drink now. 100,000 cases made.
WS
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.95
12 bottles: $18.57
Abacela was the first to plant, produce and bottle Albariño in the Pacific Northwest, thus paving the way for...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $17.85 $19.60
A full-bodied, elegant white wine. Yellowish-green to straw yellow in color. A soft scent of honey, pears, and...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.63 $18.48
12 bottles: $14.25
A super-fresh, zingy and refreshing wine made for picnics, shucked oysters and such. Crisp apples, white peaches and...
JS
90
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $17.50
Typical Albarino from the Salnés Valley, in Rías Baixas, to enjoy now and for the next 5 years.
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $12.00
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $11.05 $11.70
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $23.66
Lovely and fresh with aromas of crunchy red berries, red plum, tomato, and leather. The palate has a touch of spice,...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.89 $35.20
In the glass, the wine shows colors of red garnet accompanied by a bouquet of cherries, menthol and a hint of...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.15 $17.08
12 bottles: $15.44
In the glass, the wine is deep ruby with purple hues. On the nose, the wine is delicate with notes of cherry,...
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $16.51
Clean and fresh with delicate citrus notes on the nose and a palate packed with green apple, orange peel and lime...
White
750ml
Bottle: $41.94
12 bottles: $41.10
"Alma de Mar" is one of Xurxo's top wines, and comes from a single plot of 100% Albariño very close to the sea. The...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $43.94
12 bottles: $43.06
Xurxo makes this wine from 100% Albariño from a tiny 1 ha vineyard of 35 year old vines grown organically on clay...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $46.50
12 bottles: $45.57
A very special wine made in honor of Xurxo's brother from a few small parcels of older 40-45 year old vines Albariño...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $23.20
12 bottles: $22.04
Clean and fresh with lively floral and tropical notes and hints of citric aromas. Balanced and fresh on the palate,...

Albarino Italian Red Blends Mavrodaphne Pinot Gris

The pale skinned grapes of the Albarino varietal have been grown in and around Spain and Portugal for almost a thousand years, where they are highly enjoyed and prized by the locals for their distinctive aroma, and sharp, tart acidity levels. Over the past century, their influence has spread to the New World, and many vineyards keen to emulate the white wines of Spain have had considerable success with this varietal. The light bodied wines which are produced from the Albarino grapes have wonderfully aromatic properties, and carry ripe flavors of soft summer fruits, apricot and peach, with a mild and pleasantly bitter after taste brought on by their thick skins. Because of their acidic nature, they are a fantastic match for many Spanish foods, and are best served chilled on a hot day.

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?

The Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris grape varietal is now one of the most widely grown vines in the world, due to the surge in popularity of Pinot Grigio wines over the past twenty years or so. These grayish-blue fruits, which hang in their distinctively conical bunches, are responsible for a very broad range of wines famous for their variety of color tones and flavors Pinot Grigio varietal grapes are highly influenced by terroir, climate and particularly the skill and expertise of the vintners who process them. As such, there are full bodied, amber colored wines made from this grape, and there are equally delicious yet far leaner, paler, lighter bodied and crisp white wines made from the same species in other parts of the world.