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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:
$47.16
$52.40
Colour: Lively, deep ruby-red; nature's gift.
Perfume: Complex scent of ripe red fruit (mainly black cherry), spices,...
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 - Case of 6
Bottle:
$18.00
Strong Soave tradition here, drawing on the older nomenclature of the zone that once referenced Chablis-type and...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
12 bottles:
$29.34
• 100% Carignan.
• Practicing Organic.
• Poor Ranch Vyd (mult-generational family owned on benchland outside...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$21.85
$23.00
6 bottles:
$13.87
Pale yellow with greenish hues. Light-bodied and refreshing, offering a bouquet of melons, ripe apples, and pear....
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
6 bottles:
$29.34
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red.
Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$18.13
Big raspberry and plum aromas on the nose as well as a hint of eucalyptus and liquorice. The wine is rich and mouth...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$16.85
Roasted coffee and liquorice on the nose with some blackberry notes and a light smokiness showing the age of the...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.93
12 bottles:
$13.65
All old vine Carignan, the 2019 Côtes Catalanes Tessellae from Jean-Marc Lafage offers a beautifully pure nose of...
700ml
Bottle:
$91.20
12 bottles:
$80.94
Fukano Blonde—an all-new, limited expression from the famed distillery—is bottled to showcase the beauty of...
700ml
Bottle:
$93.48
$98.40
12 bottles:
$88.92
Texturally robust and aromatically refined, Fukano’s Sherry Cask whisky feels and tastes downright luxurious....
Carignan Garganega Japanese Whiskey Sideritis
Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.
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.
Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.
The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.
Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.
While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.