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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...
750ml
Bottle:
$57.94
12 bottles:
$56.78
From warm, fully south-facing vineyards near the township of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Agostina Pieri’s 2018...
750ml
Bottle:
$49.86
$52.00
12 bottles:
$49.40
Overtones of vanilla give way to pungent fennel and sage. Belying Agostina Pieri’s warm, southerly location, the...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$33.16
A bold wine with impressive tannic structure. Ripe black fruit and dark berries on the nose with hints of roasted...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$64.94
A concentrated bead of blackberries and minerals pervades the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied with...
750ml
Bottle:
$49.90
$52.00
12 bottles:
$49.40
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
750ml
Bottle:
$52.92
$56.00
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
750ml
Bottle:
$102.95
$113.99
Super clean black fruit and minerals on the nose and palate. Floral and herbal nuances, too. Medium-to full-bodied...
750ml
Bottle:
$98.94
$104.80
This has a complex nose of cranberries, dried pineapple, soy, bark, cardamom, mocha, iodine and wet leather....
750ml
Bottle:
$104.16
$112.00
Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.85
$20.80
12 bottles:
$19.45
The unoaked 2022 Rosso di Montalcino offers redcurrant, dried raspberry, cherry cola, lavender candy and wild rose....
750ml
Bottle:
$16.83
$18.28
A vibrant, elegant red, despite the firm tannins. Reveals prevailing floral, cherry, strawberry and iron flavors as...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.99
$28.88
12 bottles:
$23.56
The 2022 Chianti Classico Peppoli is a youthful ruby magenta, and is highly expressive with lively aromas of...
750ml
Bottle:
$32.92
$35.60
6 bottles:
$32.00
A juicy red, with flesh and bright acidity framing cherry and strawberry flavors. Firm and taut, yet finds...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.90
$17.54
12 bottles:
$15.87
The Rosso di Montepulciano 2020 has a ruby red colour highlighted by purple streaks. The bouquet presents caresses of...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.68
$12.56
A tight, focused red with currant and cherry character and hints of chocolate and sandalwood. Medium to full body,...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
12 bottles:
$15.62
A versatile, young red wine with a ruby red colour and a bouquet characterised by inviting aromas of ripe cherries,...
Garganega Mavrodaphne Robola Sangiovese 750ml
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.
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?
In the mountains of Cephalonia, the mineral rich soils assist in the growing of one of the finest of Greece's white grape varietals – the Robola grape. These noble yellowish grapes are notable for the wines they produce, which generally contain summer fruits, peach and citrus aromas, coupled with flavors which extend beyond the usual range of white wines, revealing smoky and mineral notes, and a lengthy, lemony after-taste. These fine characteristics helped the regions it is grown in gain AOC status, and wine-makers in this area have many generations of practice in bringing out the elegant and subtle characteristics of this grape.
Robola, and the other wines of Cephalonia have a long and illustrious history, being mentioned even in ancient epic poems such as Homer's Iliad. However, it was the Venetians who first recognized the great potential of Robola grapes, which quickly became the focus for the areas wine-makers and tradesmen. Nowadays, Robola wines act as an excellent example of a refined Greek dry white wine, which can be either drank as a light and refreshing summer aperitif, or alongside grilled white meats, salads, or white fish. Robola wines, as a rule, do not age particularly well, and it is highly recommended that bottles are drunk young, within two years of bottling. By doing so, you can enjoy the unique characteristics of this remarkable wine, complete with the balanced combination of chalky, smoky citrus flavors and delicate peach aromas which typify the finest examples of Robola varietal wines.
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?
The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.