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750ml
Bottle:
$57.08
$60.08
6 bottles:
$52.01
Chapel Down’s first vineyards were planted in the 1970s; the winery now has 200 acres in the chalk soils of Kent,...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.37
12 bottles:
$40.54
A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with reserves from previous years, and lees-aged for 2 ½ to 3 years to give...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.51
12 bottles:
$40.67
A delightfully pale, salmon pink colour, made wholly from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes and lees-aged for 2 to...
750ml
Bottle:
$56.88
$74.94
All our wines are tasted and judged against their peers in the principal judging week of DWWA – but making the...
750ml
Bottle:
$289.94
$305.20
From an excellent vintage and on lees for over six years, this exceptional bubbly is also England's most expensive...
750ml
Bottle:
$60.79
6 bottles:
$60.00
A complex and expertly made English bubbly from one of the nation's top estates, this opens with some struck match...
750ml
Bottle:
$68.94
6 bottles:
$68.00
This sunset-hued vintage rosé demonstrates just how far England has come on the winemaking front. And what the...
750ml
Bottle:
$65.20
6 bottles:
$64.00
#54 ENTHUSIAST 100 2022. This is a vibrant and beautifully crafted blanc de blancs. Aromas of lemon, pear and green...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.50
$36.00
Notions of spiky lemon zest and rounded shortbread vie for dominance on the wine's lively nose. These opposing...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.83
$39.80
Evocative redcurrant notes play on the nose. They become more intense on the palate where lively fizz lets them mix...
Pre-Arrival
Gusbourne Estate Blanc De Blancs 2014
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$77.16
Chalk, flint and stone are the first impressions on the nose. These are followed by overtones of lemon and...
Pre-Arrival
Gusbourne Estate Blanc De Blancs 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$61.30
All our wines are tasted and judged against their peers in the principal judging week of DWWA – but making the...
Pre-Arrival
Gusbourne Estate Brut Reserve 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$54.19
A complex and expertly made English bubbly from one of the nation's top estates, this opens with some struck match...
Pre-Arrival
Gusbourne Estate Rose Traditional Method 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$61.82
This sunset-hued vintage rosé demonstrates just how far England has come on the winemaking front. And what the...
Pre-Arrival
Hambledon Vineyard Brut Premiere Cuvee NV
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$52.68
Confit lemon, orange blossom and white lily exude on the nose, nestling amongst ripe apricot, white peach and baked...
Pre-Arrival
Sugrue Sparkling Blanc De Blancs Cuvee BOZ 2015
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$73.78
“I crafted this Blanc de Blancs with long cellar-ageing in mind, and I am delighted with the results: it is...
Pre-Arrival
Wiston Estate Cuvee Brut 2015
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$43.70
Notions of spiky lemon zest and rounded shortbread vie for dominance on the wine's lively nose. These opposing...
Champagne Blend Garganega Savatiano England
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.
Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.
However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.
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?