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750ml
Bottle:
$59.95
6 bottles:
$58.75
The 2018 Sk’windjiesvlei is simply pure Tinta Barocca aged in two 500-liter barrels. Deep purple in color, it has a...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.40
12 bottles:
$18.03
Aromas of candied apples and spicy pears with some lemon drops follow through to a medium body with some marzipan and...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.20
12 bottles:
$20.78
• 100% Mavrodaphne.
• Low yielding vines from loamy clay soils.
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel.
750ml
Bottle:
$31.94
12 bottles:
$31.30
This crackles with acidity, filled out with crunchy nectarine and white pepper. A lovely, herbaceous, zippy wine,...
500ml
Bottle:
$58.88
6 bottles:
$57.70
The 2010 Tokaji Aszu 5-Puttonyos had been bottled just a fortnight before I tasted it. Considering the growing...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$5.89
Made from the unique Tokay grape, this pale-colored wine is sweet, rich and full of flavor, with the quality you...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$25.01
Deep purple color with crimson highlights. Elegant floral nose with peony and violet flowers along with the typical...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
This serious body wine with great acid backbone has fruit aromas and grapefruit, green apple and peach along with a...
500ml
Bottle:
$65.94
12 bottles:
$64.62
• 100% Furmint.
• South/South-East facing vineyard at 300 meters above sea level.
• Clay mixed with broken...
500ml
Bottle:
$71.94
12 bottles:
$70.50
• 100% Furmint.
• South/South-East facing vineyard at 300 meters above sea level.
• Clay mixed with broken...
500ml
Bottle:
$88.93
$97.20
A gorgeous, gossamer-weight sweetie, creamy in texture yet beautifully balanced by vivid, mouthwatering acidity....
750ml
Bottle:
$87.95
6 bottles:
$86.19
The 2022 Treinspoor is pure Swartland Tinta Barocca that includes 50% whole clusters, 20 to 28 days on the skins and...
Pre-Arrival
Aa Badenhorst Tinta Barocca Sk'windjiesvlei 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$56.93
Easier to drink than it is to spell, let alone pronounce for a non-Afrikaans speaker. Opaque, tannic and typically...
Pre-Arrival
Oremus Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2000
500ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$145.25
Aromas of honey and black tea give way to peach, apricot and tropical fruit flavors in the mouth. This is a...
500ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$108.77
Pre-Arrival
Szepsy Tokaj Furmint Urban 73 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$73.66
The very cool and delicate nose, with notes of mint and parsley, leads you into this very concentrated and tightly...
Muscat Furmint Mavrodaphne Tinta Barocca
Known as Moscato in Italy, and Moscatel in Portugal and Spain, Muscat is one of the oldest continually cultivated grape varietals in the world. It originally came out of the Middle East, and was picked up by the ancient Greeks, who brought it to Italy and elsewhere in their empire. Because of its astounding age and continuous use, it has long since been mutated and crossbred to produce dozens of subspecies, and it is known by lots of synonyms and regional names. Because of this, it is fair to say that there is no ‘true’ Muscat grape. The most popular - and oldest - varietal within this group, however, is Muscat Blanc au Petit Grains, which is grown with great results most notably in France and South Africa.
Known for its light and fruity character, Muscat of Alexandria is the second oldest of the Muscat grapes, and is found in several countries around the Mediterranean. The grape is prized for its versatility - indeed, almost every imaginable type of wine style, from dry to medium to sweet and sparkling, can be made from this varietal. Generally speaking, though, Muscat grapes have a relatively low acidity which make them unsuitable for ageing, meaning the vast majority of Muscat wines are drank very young, wherein they can express their best features.
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?