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White
750ml
Bottle: $18.08
12 bottles: $17.72
Fresh and clean with green-apple and lemon character. Hints of dried apricots. Medium body. Some lime. Easy finish....
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.08
12 bottles: $17.72
COLOR: Wine of very elegant red color. BOUQUET: Intense aroma, with fruity hints of ripe plums, cherry jam and notes...
White
750ml
Bottle: $25.20
12 bottles: $24.70
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Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $44.40
12 bottles: $42.18
Floral nose. Waxy (candlewax, crayons), then spicy, fruity notes emerge, in particular raisin and plum, becomes more...
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $20.14 $21.20
12 bottles: $17.42
Dark cherry, plum and cassis flavors, with rich cinnamon, herb and coffee notes. Full flavored grilled or sauced...
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $36.79
6 bottles: $36.00
The nose is fragrant, delicate and harmonious. On the palate, this grappa is intense and complex, but with a smooth...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $82.39
4 bottles: $81.60
Complex profile with multiple nuances attributable to spicy and fruity notes with hints of vanilla, morello cherry...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.15
12 bottles: $15.83
Appearance: Luminous, deep ruby red, with purplish rim. Bouquet: Fruity aromas of dark cherry, wild cherry, red...
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $40.08
6 bottles: $31.60
Bold and bright on the nose, hints of fresh fennel and black licorice dominate the nose, with slight touches of Meyer...
12 FREE
UBC
90
Case only
Spirits
700ml - Case of 4
Bottle: $82.50
Sweet oak and cereal on the nose. Enjoyably elegant on the palate, with rich nutty and floral notes. Richly textured...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $39.94 $43.09
Pretty date, caramel and hazelnut husk notes meld nicely, showing good cut through the ginger- and toasted...
WS
92
WA
90
Sale
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White
750ml
Bottle: $14.85 $15.94
The non-vintage Rainwater Medium Dry is aged for three years in oak casks and this was bottled in January 2011. It...
WA
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $23.94 $25.20
12 bottles: $22.80
A wine that is full expression of the potential of Apulian nature, the Rosso dei Vespa combines the traditional...
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.60
12 bottles: $28.50
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $26.40
12 bottles: $22.80
Aged in oak for 12 months, this golden grappa edges close to aged brandy territory—although one sip and that grappa...
WE
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93 $15.34
Color : Ruby red with delicate garnet undertones. Nose : The minerality of the nose creates a delicate combination...
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.17
12 bottles: $14.87
A refreshing delight, Cantina Gabriele Malvasia carries a sweet and easy to drink composition. With sweet and spicy...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of sour cherry...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.40
Color: Dark ruby red with violet highlights that, after ageing, turn on garnet red. Bouquet: Intense, resolute but...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.26
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of spice and ripe...

Grappa Malvasia Mencia Primitivo

Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.


Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.