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Sale
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $9.53 $10.25
Aromas of fresh peaches leap from the glass along with hints of ginger and lilac. Once sipped, a shower of foamy...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Vivacious and aromatic, this delicate Italian pale pink sparkler Is perfect for enjoying anytime. Notes of...
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $17.28
Color and Appearance: Brilliant, straw yellow, fine and persistent perlage. Bouquet: Elegantly fruity with hints of...
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $17.28
Color and Appearance: Brilliant, straw yellow, fine and persistent perlage. Bouquet: Elegantly fruity with hints of...
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $17.28
Color and Appearance: Brilliant, straw yellow, fine and persistent perlage. Bouquet: Elegantly fruity with hints of...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.40 $13.78
12 bottles: $12.35
COLOR: Powdery pink. NOSE: Sparkling wine with pink “powder” color. It displays soft notes of red fruit to the...
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.05
12 bottles: $11.81
COLOR: Clear pale yellow in colour, with greenish reflections. NOSE: Fresh and slightly fruity bouquet with delicate...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.90 $17.50
12 bottles: $16.63
Luminous straw-green. Honey, white flowers, crushed rocks and lemon oil all come alive in this nicely chiseled,...
VM
91
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $15.74 $17.49
The NV Prosecco Garbel represents amazing value in its category. Sweet white flowers, young peach and hints of...
VM
89
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.37
Dry and savory with a pleasant easy bubble. Aromas of white nectarine, and peach skin, sea shells, and lemon. A...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
12 bottles: $12.68
Made from 100% Garganega, the main grape variety in the Soave DOC. A bright, fresh wine with delicate almond blossom...
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $15.63
12 bottles: $14.25
With the recent launch of Altaneve Prosecco DOC, we are directly competing against the larger Prosecco producers on...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $23.37 $24.60
12 bottles: $22.80
Altaneve Rosé is an exclusive blend of Pinot Nero and Glera grapes hand-cultivated in the foothills of the Alps, in...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
Colour straw yellow. Bouquet pleasant, light, fine and delicate, fruity, with a characteristic bouquet of apple....
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $71.80
Intense yellow with highlights veering towards gold reflexes in color. Notes of fine tropical fruit with so, delicate...
12 FREE
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $26.89
Pale yellow in color with greenish highlights and a rich tropical bouquet. Medium bodied on the palate with a...
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $44.04
So pink, reflections veering towards salmon pink. Intense red berry and fruit compote aromas. Delicate but...
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.94
12 bottles: $16.60
12 FREE
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $13.87 $15.41
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.20 $18.00
6 bottles: $12.13
This pale straw-colored prosecco pours with a fine, persistent fizz. As the bubbles dissipate, subtly peachy and...
UBC
92

Champagne Blend Garganega Zinfandel Italy 750ml

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.


We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.

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.