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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.94
12 bottles: $16.60
This wine shows aromas of red fruits (mainly morello cherries) and spices (licorice, grey pepper). On the palate, the...
Rapid Ship
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $44.40
Floral nose. Waxy (candlewax, crayons), then spicy, fruity notes emerge, in particular raisin and plum, becomes more...
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.93
12 bottles: $29.33
Lots of ripe black fruits (blackberries, black cherries) emerge from the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts De...
12 FREE
JD
93
WA
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.73
Soft, ripe black forest compote nose; nice concentration of fruit on the palate. Good weight. Really well balanced in...
DC
96
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.94 $13.01
Grown on sunny slopes and harvested at the peak of ripeness, Syrah and Grenache grapes give the wine its deep ruby...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93 $14.73
Louis Barruol’s family acquired this estate in 1490, though its winemaking origins date back to Gallo-Roman times....
WS
90
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.93
12 bottles: $36.19
92-94 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Du Baron, which has not been bottled yet, should be terrific. It offers...
12 FREE
JD
94
JS
92
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $47.90 $49.00
12 bottles: $46.94
The deeply fragrant nose pulls you inexorably into this majestic Chateauneuf. So vibrant and refined for this amount...
12 FREE
JS
96
JD
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.94
12 bottles: $12.94
Vibrant and bright aromas of pomegranate, raspberry, fresh herbs and purple flowers all showcase the elegance of this...
WE
93
Rapid Ship
Dessert/Fortified Wine
500ml
Bottle: $41.54
Tasted at the Disznóko vertical in London, the 2013 Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos is an (Aszú) blend of 75% Furmint, 15%...
12 FREE
WA
93
WS
93
Rapid Ship
Red
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.36 $15.90
Gold color, Very aromatic wine with a hint of dry apricot, fresh white flower, honey and bit of buttery on the mouth....
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $99.94
Pour yourself a glass of this and spend an hour experiencing how it opens up in stages. At first there’s an...
12 FREE
JS
99
WA
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.90
12 bottles: $29.30
Darkly coloured. Lovely sense of freshness, florality and herbal detail. Fairly full and rounded, quite mature...
12 FREE
DC
93
JD
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $92.63 $99.60
Stunningly complex nose of dried flowers, beeswax and candied citrus peel. However, the interplay of richness and...
12 FREE
VM
95
JS
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $35.00 $40.00
Last of the 2020s from bottle, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Matteo checks in as 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah all from...
JD
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $139.94
The tiny production 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure is all Grenache brought up in a single foudre. It's slightly...
12 FREE
JD
98
WA
96
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.90 $21.60
Charming and drinkable, this fresh red features up-front crushed cherry and plum notes, which are inviting on the...
WS
89
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.93
12 bottles: $32.27
Notes of sun-drenched black cherry and strawberry preserves are sonorous in this fruit-forward, piercing blend of 90%...
12 FREE
WE
94
VM
93
Rapid Ship
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $39.90
Made from Zibibbo grapes which have dried in the sun for 20 days to concentrate the flavours and sugars, added to...
12 FREE
DC
91

Dessert Wine Grappa Red Rhone Blend Viognier Rapid Ship

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.

Although primarily associated with the Rhone region of France, the precise origins of the Viognier grape variety are unknown, and the subject of much debate. However, these fine and delicate green skinned grapes are an important varietal for many of France's most elegant white wines, and they are quickly beginning to spread around the New World, too, where wineries are discovering their unique qualities and unusual character. Viognier grapes are notoriously difficult to grow, due to the fact they are highly susceptible to mildew, but wineries persevere with them nonetheless, producing wines which are highly aromatic and have a great, fruit-forward character. Their delicate aroma suggests sweetness due to its flowery, sappy nature, but the wine itself generally very dry and crisp, and full of summery, light and refined qualities.