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Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.72
6 bottles: $44.00
Intense, deep red in colour, Desiderio 2019 reveals inviting notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, rose petals and...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.71 $17.59
12 bottles: $11.88
Flavors of rich, ripe cherries and plums are enriched by the smooth, deep, well-structured background. A beautifully...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $68.94 $73.20
Rated 97 - This Barone Ricasoli 2018 Casalferro is a selection of the best Merlot from three different vineyards with...
12 FREE
WNR
97
JS
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $79.94
6 bottles: $78.34
A rich, dark expression of Merlot, this red walks the line between austerity and generosity, the latter gaining...
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WS
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.86 $18.80
6 bottles: $15.84
A wine with a distinct charisma. Bellissima Merlot is a smooth wine with charming fruity flavors of plum and cherry....
Red
750ml
Bottle: $144.95
6 bottles: $142.05
This is a pure merlot with violets, blueberries and hints of minerals and black truffles. Black olives, too....
12 FREE
JS
97
WA
92
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $21.85 $23.00
6 bottles: $13.87
Deep ruby red color. Vibrant, complex aromas with typical fragrant hints of hay. On the palate, stylish spice...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.58 $14.30
12 bottles: $11.40
Deep ruby red color. Vibrant, complex aromas with typical fragrant hints of hay. On the palate, stylish spice...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.24 $17.09
12 bottles: $13.18
Bollini Merlot comes from Trentino, where the clay soils in the cool, dry highland vineyards are ideally suited to...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $8.55
The color is deep ruby red, almost garnet. Berry-like aroma, intense, with typical Merlot character. Dry, soft,...
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Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $22.74 $23.94
6 bottles: $13.85
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.99
Wonderfully aromatic and fruity, blending silky flavors of blackberry, cherry, and blackcurrant.
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $45.28
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.89
12 bottles: $96.91
A pretty red with aromas of blueberries, plums, incense and tea leaves. Full-bodied and structured with a creamy...
12 FREE
WS
94
JS
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $69.94
6 bottles: $68.54
The 2019 Merlot Liu' is another outrageously beautiful wine from Rampolla. Deep, inky and explosive, the 2019...
12 FREE
WA
94
VM
94
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $28.84 $30.36
6 bottles: $19.20
With its ruby red color and round notes of plum, red cherry and a hint of chocolate, it’s a varietal that thrives...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.11 $15.91
12 bottles: $11.52
With its ruby red color and round notes of plum, red cherry and a hint of chocolate, it’s a varietal that thrives...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $12.45
Fragrant aromas of red berries, soft round fruit flavors and a smooth stylish finish
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $41.00
6 bottles: $40.18
Intense ruby red with garnet reflections. Fruity, slightly herbaceous, with distinct raspberry fragrance in youth, in...
12 FREE
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $68.48 $72.08
6 bottles: $64.01
12 FREE

Ice Wine Merlot Italy Switzerland

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.




Switzerland is composed by 26 cantons and 4 linguistic areas: the German one, the French one, the Italian and the Romanche. This creates a richness of various expressions, which are also reflected in traditions, lifestyles, eating and drinking manners. Its wine-producing geography is subdivided into six areas: the cantons of Valais, of Vaud and of Geneva, the three lakes' region (Western Switzerland), the German-speaking area (Eastern Switzerland), and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. Moreover, Switzerland's particular geographical situation, in between four wine-producing nations (France, Italy, Germany and Austria), offers an extreme diversity in the characters of its wines.


Swiss vineyards give a large choice of grape varieties, although they are still scarcely known abroad. The most typical white grape variety is Chasselas, whose extreme sensitivity to both soil and situation is reflected in subtle differences in taste. Among the red grape varieties, the most widespread is Pinot Noir which can take very different characters depending on the region from where it comes and the type of vinification it has undergone.


History



Vineyards have been cultivated in Switzerland since the Roman era. Even though certain traces can be found of a more ancient origin, many native Swiss vines have Latin names. Christianity and the needs of religious services ensured the cultivation of the vineyards throughout the Middle Age and long after it. However, wine would not be used in masses only and, despite its highs and lows, the wine-production in Switzerland lasted and developed to our days. Swiss products can now be seen abroad as cultural ambassadors of a country whose winegrowers completely dedicate themselves to producing the very best.