Do we ship to you?.
750ml
Bottle:
$21.89
$24.00
This strikes a lovely balance between herbs and just-ripe citrus and stone fruit. It’s medium-bodied with sleek...
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...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.72
6 bottles:
$18.00
COLOR: Pale straw yellow with green highlights.
NOSE: The color is pale straw yellow with green reflections. The...
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...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.41
12 bottles:
$12.16
COLOR: Pale yellow with green reflections.
NOSE: Fresh nose with grapefruit notes and underlying minerality.
FLAVOR:...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$28.84
$30.36
6 bottles:
$19.20
With aromas and flavors of apricot, peach, and pear, it’s the result of excellent growing conditions along the...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.11
$15.91
12 bottles:
$11.52
With aromas and flavors of apricot, peach, and pear, it’s the result of excellent growing conditions along the...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.94
$18.40
The Cortese grape always makes for etched and sharp white wines with a strong salty mineral component. That's exactly...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.79
12 bottles:
$18.41
Colour: Straw-yellow with typical greenish hues.
Nose: Wide, delightful, wildflower, almonds scent, white and yellow...
750ml
Bottle:
$32.80
6 bottles:
$32.14
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$21.92
A fresh, simple but attractive Gavi here with sliced apples, pears and nectarines. Scented, pure and floral on the...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
12 bottles:
$15.62
Soft pressing and fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Heavenly bouquet reminiscent of Almond trees in bloom. Lush...
Cortese Other Italian Reds Mavrodaphne Riesling Italy
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.
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?
Riesling grapes have been grown in and around central Europe for centuries, and over time, they became the lasting symbol of south Germany's ancient and proud wine culture. Whilst the reputation of German wines abroad has in the past been mixed, the Germans themselves take an enormous amount of pride in their wineries, and Riesling grapes have now spread around the globe, growing anywhere with the correct climate in which they can thrive. Riesling grape varietals generally require much cooler climatic conditions than many other white grapes, and they are generally considered to be a very 'terroir expressive' varietal, meaning that the features and characteristics of the terroir they are grown on comes across in the flavors and aromas in the bottle. It is this important feature which has allowed Riesling wines to be elevated into the category of 'fine' white wines, as the features of the top quality bottles are generally considered to be highly unique and offer much to interest wine enthusiasts.
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.