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Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.26 $12.35
Alta Vita embodies the spirit and purpose-driven lifestyle of the Sardinians. The wine is full-bodied, robust and...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.94
12 bottles: $19.54
Ruby red in color with aromas of wild blackberry and ripe plum. Intense and elegant on the palate with notes of red...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.00
12 bottles: $14.25
Intense aromas of marasca cherry and redcurrant with hints of blackberry jelly. Dynamic and enveloping on the palate...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.90
Cannonau is a typical grapevine in Sardinia that here in Usini assumes unique organoleptic nuances that are found in...
12 FREE
Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $45.03
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.06 $13.40
12 bottles: $11.88
Color: Deep violet. Aroma: Intense aromas of black fruits, dark chocolate, with notes of toast and olive. Palate:...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.25
12 bottles: $15.93
Known in France as Grenache, this classic Cannonau is full-bodied, pure and authentic. It is a brilliant Ruby red and...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.89 $24.79
Lush and fruit-forward, with hibiscus accents to the raspberry and plum core, adding mineral and spice details around...
WS
89
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.84
12 bottles: $13.56
Spiced red fruit with plums, strawberries and red cherries. A hint of grilled tarragon. Juicy, medium-bodied palate...
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.94
12 bottles: $13.66
Bright and intense ruby red. On the nose, aromas of black cherries and plums with hints of spices. On the palate, it...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.80 $42.00
The top-of-the-range 2020 Luz Carménère feels closed, serious and austere, even in a warm and dry year like 2020....
WA
94
JS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.10
The 2020 Carménère Massal 1945 from Almahue, Cachapoal, was made in used barrels and foudres for 12 months. Garnet...
WA
92
VM
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.44 $16.25
12 bottles: $12.35
Expressive and fruity, featuring luscious berries and plum aromas, alongside hints of coffee and spice, with polished...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $21.09 $22.20
6 bottles: $13.00
This bright ruby-red wine with violet tones and plums and spices aroma, delights with the softness and balance in...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.63
6 bottles: $33.94
Aromas of black fruit, green herbs, smoked meat, oyster and lemon zest. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm,...
12 FREE
JS
93
VM
92
Case only
Spirits
12 FREE
Case only
Spirits
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.01 $17.91
12 bottles: $13.99
Deep ruby red in color, with aromas of cherries and spice, especially black pepper, on the nose. Robust and full...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $89.94
6 bottles: $88.14
This is a very sophisticated Kai with aromas of blackberries, blueberries, violets and graphite that follow through...
12 FREE
JS
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.94 $17.50
12 bottles: $15.44
Tightly wound for Carmenere, but slowly reveals subtle dusty cocoa, petrichor and spice notes up front, joining black...
WS
90

Grenache Carmenere Japanese Whiskey Mencia

The Grenache grape holds the honor of being the most widely planted wine grape varietal on earth. It has a long and impressive history, and has been the backbone of the some of the planet’s most respected and famed wine regions, blended with Syrah in regions such as Chateauneuf du Pape, and in certain other Loire and Languedoc regions where it reigns supreme as a single varietal wine grape. In other key areas, such as Spain’s La Rioja (where it is known as Garnacha Tinta), it is blended with Tempranillo to make that country’s signature red wine, and is widely used as a blending grape in other old and new world countries, due to its unique character and jammy, fruit forward character.


For a long time, the Grenache grape was somewhat looked down upon as an ignoble varietal, incapable of producing wines of any particular interest. However, times are very much changing - in the right hands, Grenache grapes result in astonishingly intense and complex wines, full of fascinating features, and capable of achieving plenty of expression. For a while now, Grenache has been a major player in Australian wines. While not yet quite as extensively planted down under as Shiraz is, the Barossa Valley is bringing out some of the finest examples of this grape’s wines in recent years.

The deep blue colored grapes of the Carmenere varietal have their origins in France, where they are still listed as one of the elite grape varietals allowed by French law for the use in Bordeaux wines, generally regarded to be the finest in the world. However, the use of Carmenere grapes in France has been dwindling for many decades now, and it has been in several New World countries where they have seen their renaissance. Although still mostly used as a blending grape, single variety Carmenere wines are greatly sought after as a result of their deep, complex aromas, stunning blood red color and the fact that the grapes, when processed at optimum ripeness, carry some fascinating flavors, including chocolate, tobacco, and spicy cherry notes.

Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.

The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.

Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.

While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.