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White
750ml
Bottle: $13.76
12 bottles: $13.48
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $47.16 $52.40
Colour: Lively, deep ruby-red; nature's gift. Perfume: Complex scent of ripe red fruit (mainly black cherry), spices,...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $17.64 $19.60
12 bottles: $15.83
A clean, simple Gavi with sliced apples and hints of stones and white almonds. Crisp, dry and light on the palate...
WE
88
JS
88
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94
12 bottles: $29.34
• 100% Carignan. • Practicing Organic. • Poor Ranch Vyd (mult-generational family owned on benchland outside...
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $82.39
4 bottles: $81.60
Complex profile with multiple nuances attributable to spicy and fruity notes with hints of vanilla, morello cherry...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $40.91
6 bottles: $40.09
COLOR: Pale straw yellow with green reflections. NOSE: Rich and intense bouquet on the nose, with complex fragrances...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.72
6 bottles: $18.35
Lemons, sliced apples, wet stones and apricots on the nose. Creamy, medium-bodied and fresh, with deliciously clear...
JS
91
DC
90
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.90 $15.08
12 bottles: $13.59
A complexity of honeydew melon, apple, pear and acacia with a salty mineral crunch, racy acidity and an almond...
DC
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $63.12
3 bottles: $62.40
12 FREE
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $24.00
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $19.20
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.60
12 bottles: $28.50
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $26.40
12 bottles: $22.80
Aged in oak for 12 months, this golden grappa edges close to aged brandy territory—although one sip and that grappa...
WE
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94
6 bottles: $29.34
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red. Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.80
6 bottles: $44.00
12 FREE
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.93 $20.40
12 bottles: $18.55
100% Cortese from Ulivi's estate vines in and around Gavi. As always, the fruit was destemmed and spontaneously...
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.41
12 bottles: $12.16
COLOR: Pale yellow with green reflections. NOSE: Fresh nose with grapefruit notes and underlying minerality. FLAVOR:...
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.65
12 bottles: $15.34
Light and clear with a heavenly bouquet reminiscent of almond trees in blossom. Dry and harmonious with a final...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.94 $18.80
The Cortese grape always makes for etched and sharp white wines with a strong salty mineral component. That's exactly...
WA
88
WS
88

Carignan Cortese Other Italian Reds Grappa 750ml

Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.

The Cortese white wine grape varietal has been grown in and around south Piedmont, Italy, for at least five hundred years. Its delicate nature and moderate acidity have made it a favorite with people around the world, and it is most commonly served alongside the excellent seafood and shellfish dishes of the part of Italy it is traditionally grown in. Cortese grapes are easily identifiable by their lime and greengage flavors, and their generally delicate and medium bodied character. Cortese wines are also notable for their freshness and crispness, again, making them an ideal match for seafood. Whilst colder years often produce harsher, more acidic Cortese wines, practices such as allowing malolactic fermentation can solve any such problems and still produce delicious white wines made from this varietal.

Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.


Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.