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750ml
Bottle:
$16.94
$18.00
From one of Margaret River's longstanding family-owned and operated wineries, this is a charming Shiraz. It's...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.94
12 bottles:
$23.46
This red has terrific purity to the green tea, raspberry puree, blueberry and blood orange flavors, while polished...
750ml
Bottle:
$51.94
12 bottles:
$50.90
Nostalgic aromas of the Aussie bush, with a core of sweet cherries doused with cloves and cardamon. Smoked...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.85
$20.40
This is a traditional Australian shiraz in the best sense, with a wealth of black, red and ripe orange fruit. Deep...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.01
12 bottles:
$18.62
This shiraz is a bright and youthful red colour with some rich purple hues. On the nose are aromas of plum,...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
$32.00
#97 of Top 100: 2020. Blackberry and huckleberry flavors are concentrated and plump, with appealing details of black...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.80
12 bottles:
$20.38
Juicy and fresh, with blood orange, raspberry and maraschino cherry flavors and accents of clove, rosemary and cedar...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.94
12 bottles:
$39.14
• Syrah.
• Sourced from a single vineyard on the east-facing slopes of Colbinabbin in the northern Mount Camel...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.94
12 bottles:
$23.46
The 2021 Napoleone Vineyard Shiraz is ripe and polished with a succulent core of red fruit in the mouth. There is...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz L Block 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$44.62
Appearance: Intense and deep ruby colour with hints of violet.
Nose: Black fruits, violet and fur.
Palate: Fresh...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz L Block 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$59.37
The most immediate attribute of this 2018 L-Block Shiraz is its ripeness. The fruit is ripe to the point of...
Mavrodaphne Syrah Australia Margaret River Victoria
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?
Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.
Whilst most of Australia consists of arid deserts and dense bushland, the oceanic coasts to the south of the country have a terrain and climate ideal for vine cultivation and wine production. It took several decades of failed attempts at the end of the 18th century in order to produce vines of a decent enough quality for making wine, but since those first false starts, the Australian wine industry has continued to grow and grow. Today, wine production makes up for a considerable part of the Australian economy, with exports in recent years reaching unprecedented levels and even overtaking France for the first time ever. Whilst the greatest successes in regards to quality have been the result of the Syrah grape varietal (known locally as Shiraz), Australia utilizes several Old World grapes, and has had fantastic results from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay and more. As the Australian passion for locally produced wine continues to develop, wineries have begun experimenting with a wider range of grape varietals, meaning that nowadays it isn't uncommon to find high quality Australian wines made from Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Viognier, amongst many others.
When it comes to the south-westerly part of Australia, the Margaret River is by far the most important and productive of the area's wine producing regions. The region itself currently has over five thousand hectares of land under vine, and there are almost one hundred and fifty wineries operating there, making the most of the humid and warm climate many experts claim is remarkably similar to that which is found in the Bordeaux region of France. Such a climate can only produce fantastic yields of grapes of exceptional quality, and indeed, Margaret River currently produces almost twenty percent of Australia's wines. Both red and white wine grapes grow in the region, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sémillon being the varietals most commonly and widely grown.
The Australian region of Victoria is the country's most historically significant wine region, with vine cultivation and wine production going on there since the mid 19th century. In those times, Victoria produced over half of all Australia's wines. However, today, despite having a huge number of wineries, Victoria has begun to focus on quality over quantity – many of the six hundred wineries based in this region produce wines made from lesser known grape varietals, often producing fascinating wines full of character, but made from vines with far lower yields and a considerably smaller audience. Today, most of the viticulture in Victoria takes place near the cool, coastal region around Melbourne. However, recent years have seen irrigation projects help wine makers grow vines in the more arid parts of the region, with a wide range of grapes now being grown.