×
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.87 $29.93
Balsamic aromas of camphor and leather mingle earthy whiffs of forest floor, violet and wild berry. Savory, focused...
WE
95
WS
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.94
12 bottles: $26.40
The 2020 Barbaresco Sandaive is a blend of fruit from Rizzi and Roche Massalupo. Dark and nicely layered, with...
12 FREE
VM
93
DC
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $75.60
12 bottles: $71.82
The 2019 Nebbiolo Centennial Mountain Vineyard is a wild, powerful wine endowed with tons of structure and...
12 FREE
VM
94
JD
94
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $45.60 $48.00
12 FREE
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
12 FREE
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
12 FREE
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $46.74 $49.20
12 FREE
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
12 FREE
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
1.8Ltr
Bottle: $74.67 $78.60
A stout, robust and incredibly dry sake, prominent notes of black walnuts and caramel shading into spicy flavors of...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $36.48 $38.40
A stout, robust and incredibly dry sake, prominent notes of black walnuts and caramel shading into spicy flavors of...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $91.28 $96.08
6 bottles: $88.01
Delicate tropical aromas of melon, lychee, and pineapple with the floral hint of honeysuckle. Feather-light, layered...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.40
6 bottles: $18.34
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.82
12 bottles: $96.84
Shows macerated black currant and blackberry notes, with dark charcoal and bay leaf lining the finish. This has good...
12 FREE
WS
90
JS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $126.80 $141.10
This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate,...
12 FREE
JS
96
WE
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $93.15 $103.50
This is a delicious and savory wine with beautiful, ripe and creamy tannins, as well as chocolate and plum character....
12 FREE
JS
94
DC
93
Red
375ml
Bottle: $61.50
12 bottles: $60.27
Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and...
12 FREE
JS
95
DC
94
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $92.07 $99.00
Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and...
12 FREE
JS
95
DC
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $88.56 $98.40
94-95 Savory black and salted-olive character with oyster shells and black licorice. Fine, almost powdery yet firm...
12 FREE
JS
95
VM
94
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
300ml
Bottle: $15.05 $15.84
Layers of dried flowers and baking spice give way to savory salinity. Slightly dry and medium-bodied. Clean and...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $28.88 $30.40
Layers of dried flowers and baking spice give way to savory salinity. Slightly dry and medium-bodied. Clean and...

Japanese Whiskey Nebbiolo Red Bordeaux Sake

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.

The Nebbiolo grape varietal is widely understood to be the fruit responsible for Italy's finest aged wines. However, its popularity and reliability as a grape which gives out outstanding flavors and aromas has led it to be planted in many countries around the world, with much success. These purple grapes are distinguishable by the fact that they take on a milky dust as they begin to reach maturity, leading many to claim that this is the reason for their unusual name, which means 'fog' in Italian. Nebbiolo grapes produce wines which have a wide range of beautiful and fascinating flavors, the most common of which are rich, dark and complex, such as violet, truffle, tobacco and prunes. They are generally aged for many years to balance out their characteristics, as their natural tannin levels tend to be very high.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.