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Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
1.0Ltr
Bottle: $9.18 $12.75
A newcomer to the marketplace, this velvety, blended Irish whiskey offers sweet, malty flavors that incorporate baked...
WE
94
Instore only
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $10.99
A newcomer to the marketplace, this velvety, blended Irish whiskey offers sweet, malty flavors that incorporate baked...
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.17 $21.30
12 bottles: $17.52
A very ripe, jammy cabernet franc with sweet cherries, baked strawberries and licorice spices. Very rich and fruity...
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $109.93
6 bottles: $107.73
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.94 $16.25
12 bottles: $14.64
This pretty Gewurztraminer has golden yellow hints. Nice aromatic intensity and exotic fruits. The bouquet is intense...
White
750ml
Bottle: $23.90
12 bottles: $23.42
Pale yellow with yellow gold sparkles Complex and intense nose, floral and spicy at the same time. It has weight as...
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $30.24 $33.60
100% Cabernet Franc from the Ampeleia di Sopra parcels at 450-600 meters above sea level. Vines were planted between...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.62 $12.91
12 bottles: $11.52
COLOR: Ruby red with purple highlights. NOSE: Elegant fruit aromas of cherries and plums with an enticing warm,...
Sale
Red
Red
750ml
Bottle: $65.82
12 bottles: $64.50
Once at the winery, the grapes undergo native fermentation with no added sulfites, resulting in a living wine that is...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.00
12 bottles: $25.48
Produced from very old vines (60-65 yrs!), this Barbera exudes floral, black currant, and licorice aromas. The palate...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $20.95
12 bottles: $20.53
100% Barbera from vines located in Perno in the village of Monforte d'Alba, on the right slope in front of...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $27.74 $29.20
12 bottles: $26.60
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2019. This easy-drinking whiskey has a straw hue, mild vanilla aroma and feather-light feel on the...
WE
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.38 $20.40
6 bottles: $17.50
Laced with blackberry, black cherry and spice flavors, this red is rich and juicy. Well-structured too, yet balanced...
WE
90
WS
90
Sale
Red
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.24 $17.09
12 bottles: $13.18
Salmon-pink. Fine and elegant nose with ripe red berries aromas and hints of black pepper. Enjoyable wine, fruit...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.64 $31.99
Alluring aromas of dark-skinned berry, exotic spice and an earthy note of tilled soil come together in the glass. The...
WE
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $87.99
6 bottles: $86.23
Like all great wines, Barbera too has its own crus. In certain areas and vineyards where it reaches the highest of...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $33.93
12 bottles: $33.25
100% Cabernet Franc. Close to the town of Chinon, Clos Guillot is a hillside vineyard with S-SW exposure, near the...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.94 $27.60
100% Cabernet Franc. The Grézeaux vines are the Baudry’s oldest at around 50 years and were the very first part of...

Barbera Cabernet Franc Gewurztraminer Irish Whiskey

For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.

Gewurztraminer is renowned for being a particularly tricky grape varietal to grow and cultivate, but is one which plenty of wineries persevere with due to its unique properties and excellent flavors The vines themselves are highly robust, and can even be unruly when in the correct type of soil, but they cannot grow well in terroirs which contain chalk or other similar components. They are also extremely susceptible to a wide range of diseases and rot, and due to their early budding and fruiting, they cannot survive frost. However, despite these problems, in cooler climates and on the right terroir, the Gewurztraminer grape varietal produces wonderful results quite unlike any other vine. The pink grapes are packed full of elegant and sweet flavors, their relatively high sugar content offering a light sweetness alongside floral notes, perfumed and aromatic aromas, and a distinctive taste of lychees.

The Irish are hailed as being the original producers of whiskey in the British Isles, and their innovations and techniques were so successful, that neighbouring Scotland were quickly influenced by them in the 15th century. Centuries later, it was the Irish who brought whiskey to America, and their style of whiskey has since become popular all over the world.

However, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the Irish whiskey industry - from being a dominant force in the 19th century, whose produce was considered far superior to that of Scotland, political upheaval and war saw the Irish whiskey almost disappear forever in the early 20th century. Today, the Irish whiskey manufacturers are back on their feet, and they are once again proving that the original is often the best. With new distilleries opening every year, it is safe to say that Irish whiskey is very much back.

Irish whiskey differs from Scotch whisky in a number of ways, and not least the spelling - the extra ‘e’ was said to be added in the 19th century as a way of distancing the Irish drink from what they saw as an inferior Scottish product. Irish whiskey was traditionally made in enormous stills, as a way of ensuring consistency from bottle to bottle, and maintaining the quality and complexity their reputation was founded on. The typical tasting notes of fine Irish whiskey include apple and vanilla, alongside spicy and sweet touches of nutmeg and fresh hay, making this a highly pleasant and smooth drink, made for relaxation and stimulating conversation about times past.