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Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.80
12 bottles: $18.24
This blend of 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and 5% Sangiovese is a smooth, full-bodied cru made in an...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.99
A fresh nose of blueberries, plums, cassis and violets. It’s medium-bodied with velvety tannins. It’s easygoing...
12 FREE
JS
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.56 $18.48
12 bottles: $13.18
Fruit forward and light-bodied red blend with notes of violet, cherry and earthy undertones
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $28.94
Lovely aromas of freshly cut herbs, raspberry cheesecake, crushed stones and citrus. Medium body, fine and polished...
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JS
91
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $21.85 $23.00
6 bottles: $13.87
Red
750ml
Bottle: $93.94
12 bottles: $92.06
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.56 $18.48
12 bottles: $13.18
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $13.28
Color: Intense ruby red. Bouquet: Aromas of ripe fruit, spices, vanilla. Taste: Properly fruity on the palate,...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.42 $13.86
12 bottles: $12.35
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.94
Bradisismo expresses a synthesis between the intense aroma of ripen and concentrated cherry of the Cabernet...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.94 $70.80
Here's an iconic wine from the Veneto made from a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot. The Maculan 2017...
12 FREE
WA
96
JS
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.64
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $5.89
Porta Vita literally translated means to “Bring Life”. The wines come from northeastern Italy’s Tre Venezie-a...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.99
Sweet, spunky, fizzy, never flat. Always chillin'. The real deal.
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.71 $17.59
12 bottles: $11.40
Sweet, fruity, full of life. Always a good time.
Red
750ml
Bottle: $45.94
6 bottles: $45.02
Lively ruby. It opens with a rich, tasty berry medley (cherry, red plum, blackberry), followed by layered aromas of...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.94 $16.66
12 bottles: $15.83
A very typical Veneto-style red with aromas and flavors of spicy red berries and a hint of potpourri. Medium-bodied...
JS
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.74 $17.49
A savory blend of black cherries, extra dark chocolate and underbrush wafts up from the 2020 Rosso Alanera. This is...
VM
89
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $96.95
Sale
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $500.12 $532.04

Cognac Italian Red Blends Melon de Bourgogne Italy Veneto

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.

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.

As historically one of the most important regions in the world regarding trade and experimentation, it comes as no surprise to discover that Veneto has always been a well respected and innovative wine region. This area of north-easterly area of Italy benefits greatly from a continental climate tempered by the Alps, and plenty of influence from the Germanic countries it is near to. Veneto is most commonly associated with beautifully elegant white wines, such as those of Soave, and has over ninety thousand hectares under vine. Impressively, within that area, over a third of the vineyards in the Veneto region have been granted official AOC status, and many of the sub-regions and appellations of Veneto have gone on to be world-famous in regards to quality. One such example is Valpolicella, where some of Italy's finest and most complex red wines are produced.