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750ml
Bottle:
$29.88
$31.20
12 bottles:
$29.64
The 2021 Grenache Blanc Thompson Vineyard is bright and beautifully focused. Orchard fruit, mint, white pepper and...
5.0Ltr
Bottle:
$19.94
Crisp with flavors of apple and pineapple. semi-sweet and refreshing with floral aromas. Serve Chilled.
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$35.00
Ripe pineapple, papaya, and slatey minerality on the nose. Intense but well-balanced tropical fruit flavors on the...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.71
$13.01
This refreshing wine has fruity and citrus aromas with notes of lemon and mineral hints. Fresh and light on the...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.38
$20.40
• Kyoho. • Hybrid of V. vinifera and V. labrusca. • The only vineyard in Australia producing Kyoho and was...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.89
$21.60
The nose develops an intensity of violet and wild berries aromas. The mousse is fair and creamy, with a dry yet full...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.94
12 bottles:
$28.36
• Telti Kuruk, an indigenous varietal of Ukraine.
• The vineyards are situated on a mixture of red clay and loam...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.95
12 bottles:
$18.57
Hints of beeswax, dusty yellow flowers and cardamom waft up to create a decidedly savory bouquet as the 2020. Insolia...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$23.94
White flower aromas such as jasmine combine with faintly tropical fruit and a dairy hint to the nose. On the palate,...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.93
$29.92
A light touch of vanilla frames the honey, peach and salty, mineral flavors in this lively white. Fine balance and...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.25
$13.95
12 bottles:
$10.45
A harmonious blend of enticing fruit with a soft, distinctive finish to complement poultry and light sauces.
750ml
Bottle:
$12.44
$13.09
12 bottles:
$9.51
An elegant German-style wine, with delicate floral aromas yielding to a long smooth finish.
750ml
Bottle:
$19.08
$21.20
When young, it is fresh, linear and furnished with great sophistication and elegance with delicate hints of white...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.84
12 bottles:
$17.48
100% Albillo Real from small plots around the village of San Martin de Valdeiglesias. The various plots are planted...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$24.33
Testacalda is a pure Lambrusco di Sorbara Spumante Metodo Classico made with the ancient and traditional method of...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$13.00
Slightly sparkling ruby red wine, semi dry, vinous and intense bouquet, with a characteristically fruity scent,...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.65
12 bottles:
$12.40
Color: Garnet red with a frothy fragrance, brilliant. Nose: Clean, distinctive with hints of violet and raspberry....
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$20.80
Color: Straw yellow with golden highlights.
Bouquet: Very intense and complex with fresh hints which recall lemon and...
Lambrusco Mavrodaphne Mencia Mencia
Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.
Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.
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?