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750ml
Bottle:
$20.95
12 bottles:
$20.53
Pignatello aka Perricone and Nero d'Avola from 2ha of vineyards, planted 2003-2013. Guyot + Alberello. 140m asl....
750ml
Bottle:
$29.95
12 bottles:
$29.35
The 2020 Cerasuolo di Vitoria is peppery and perfumed, with a dusting of autumnal spices giving way to red currants...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.10
$18.00
Savory and soulful, this lithe red opens with earthy aromas of tilled earth, eucalyptus oil, blue flower, game and...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.95
$32.00
Dynamite example of old vines from Etna. Structured and intense without being too tight to drink young. Bouquet of...
750ml
Bottle:
$10.84
$12.05
COLOR: Intense, dark ruby red.
NOSE: Notes of black fruit, blackberry and strawberries, flowers and herbs.
FLAVOR:...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.94
$20.72
COLOR: Ruby red color with purple highlights.
NOSE: The bouquet on the nose is intense and rich, with luscious fruity...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.90
$29.60
Brilliant, bright ruby translucent colour. Nose is complex, rich, deep and intricate. Strands of earthy black cherry,...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.75
$35.28
6 bottles:
$31.20
Single-crop Nerello Mascalese, native variety grown in free-standing and espalier over 12 hectares of vines at an...
750ml
Bottle:
$57.60
6 bottles:
$56.45
This shows crazy aromas of blueberry, jasmine, elderberries, minerals and nutmeg. Medium-bodied with lots of crunchy...
750ml
Bottle:
$49.75
$55.28
Smoked meat, volcanic ash, licorice and wild cherries. It’s medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins. Delightfully...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.00
Blackberry, tar and blueberry aromas follow through to a full body with firm, super fine and lightly chewy tannins...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.31
12 bottles:
$21.86
Lots of blackberry and asphalt aromas and flavors. Medium body, round and creamy tannins and a juicy finish....
750ml
Bottle:
$99.94
3 bottles:
$97.94
Orange peel and candied cherry with subtle salted caramel aromas follow through to a medium body, with fine and...
750ml
Bottle:
$47.93
6 bottles:
$46.97
The 2019 Tancredi Dolce & Gabbana is dark and intense, with an air of smoky crushed rocks and savory herbs that gives...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.60
Pale ruby red, Sul Vulcano offers an elegant bouquet with notes of wild berries (strawberry and red currant) and...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.94
$34.00
A light- to medium-bodied red, with citrusy acidity and savory hints of loamy earth and smoke underscoring flavors of...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.94
$23.52
6 bottles:
$22.80
The 2018 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Giambattista Valli is understated yet refined, featuring purple-tinged flowers,...
Italian Red Blends Tequila Italy Sicily
Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.
One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.
The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.
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.
The beautiful island of Sicily has been growing grapevines and producing wines for thousands of years, ever since the ancient Greeks first landed on its golden shores and noticed the island's true potential as a haven for quality grapes. Today, the island is one of Italy's primary wine regions, and even though over eighty percent of Sicily's grapevines are used for the production of sweet fortified wines, the remaining wineries making other wine styles are renowned around the world for their quality and character. Indeed, Sicilian wineries are famed for their ability to capture something of the sun-drenched region in their wines, and the vines they cultivate benefit enormously from the almost constant sunshine and the incredibly fertile volcanic soils which typify the island.