Do we ship to you?.
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Alta Vita embodies the spirit and purpose-driven lifestyle of the Sardinians. The wine is full-bodied, robust and...
750ml
Bottle:
$45.25
12 bottles:
$44.35
Always one of the more garrigue-scented Châteauneufs, the Brunels' 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape includes hints of...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.94
12 bottles:
$16.60
This wine shows aromas of red fruits (mainly morello cherries) and spices (licorice, grey pepper). On the palate, the...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$17.87
This wine shows aromas of red fruits (mainly morello cherries) and spices (licorice, grey pepper). On the palate, the...
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...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
Cannonau is a typical grapevine in Sardinia that here in Usini assumes unique organoleptic nuances that are found in...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.60
12 bottles:
$34.20
Stews, game, strong cheeses – Best between 16°C and 18°C.
Wine list comments: The bouquet is fine and complex....
750ml
Bottle:
$17.09
12 bottles:
$13.18
Intense purple red color. Intense nose of flowers (violet) and black fruits (black cherry, blackcurrant) combined...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.40
$26.00
This wine always overdelivers, and this vintage's blend of 50% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 7% Mourvèdre and 5% Counoise...
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:
$16.94
12 bottles:
$16.60
Heaps of dark berry fruit, along with classic Provence garrigue notes (rosemary, thyme, sage), and a broad, rich and...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.94
This deeply coloured wine has an inviting nose of dark cherry and chocolate. The palate is dense and rich, with...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.93
12 bottles:
$29.33
Lots of ripe black fruits (blackberries, black cherries) emerge from the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts De...
750ml
Bottle:
$44.40
12 bottles:
$43.51
Good depth of colour. Intense berry and juniper freshness with well-integrated oak lending a little background spice....
750ml
Bottle:
$44.40
12 bottles:
$41.04
A warm, generous and exuberant red, loaded with juicy cherry and licorice notes that glide along a silky palate, with...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.93
$14.30
12 bottles:
$12.67
Raspberry and currant notes on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with chewy tannins. Fresh acidity and fleshy texture on...
375ml
Bottle:
$12.50
12 bottles:
$12.25
Very fresh red-cherry and floral aromas for this appellation, together with some healthy tannins on the full-bodied,...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.75
$14.30
12 bottles:
$13.47
Very fresh red-cherry and floral aromas for this appellation, together with some healthy tannins on the full-bodied,...
Grenache Lambrusco Melon de Bourgogne Red Rhone Blend
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.
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.
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.