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750ml
Bottle:
$23.49
12 bottles:
$23.02
Colour: Deep ruby red with typical purple hues.
Nose: Wide, vinous with notes of violet, cherry, currant, plum and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.94
Lots of pleasant, fresh red berries here with a hint of red licorice adding interest. Medium-bodied with fresh...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$30.00
Characteristic aromas of Barbera, with a flowery and fruity bouquet. A full, persistent taste which is nicely dry and...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$21.90
A round, lush version, displaying black cherry, plum and accents of violet and earth. Balanced and succulent, with...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.60
12 bottles:
$23.13
Clear, deep garnet with purplish highlight.
750ml
Bottle:
$18.79
12 bottles:
$18.41
Barbera d'Alba comes from the hilly areas around the city of Alba in Piemonte. Franco Amoroso Barbera d'Alba is rich...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.38
$17.09
12 bottles:
$13.18
This has aromas of nutmeg, chocolate, cherries and poached plums. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lightly chewy...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.09
12 bottles:
$16.75
Franco Amoroso Barbera'Asti is elegant and polished with layers of dark red cherry fruit, lively acidity and subtle...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.93
Plum and cherry aromas are ripe and rich with intense fruitiness. Sleek attack, quite concentrated and assertive, but...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.80
12 bottles:
$20.38
Our Barbera d'Alba comes from a wonderful range of estate vineyards. It is fermented for an average of 20 days and...
750ml
Bottle:
$30.90
12 bottles:
$30.28
An outstanding example of Barbera from old vines, some dating back to 1949. Strained, deeply rooted plants produce...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.32
12 bottles:
$25.79
Wine of notable structure with intense ripe fruit aromas and hints of spice. Full-bodied and smooth on the palate....
750ml
Bottle:
$15.08
12 bottles:
$14.78
Wine of notable structure with intense ripe fruit aromas and hints of spice. Full-bodied and smooth on the palate....
750ml
Bottle:
$23.52
6 bottles:
$23.05
Straw yellow in colour with green highlights. Persistent bouquet with the aroma of herbs and citrus fruits....
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$20.80
Intense ruby color. Free nose with notes of cherry and berries. Corresponding taste, full-bodied and balanced by...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.40
12 bottles:
$23.94
This traditional process allows the maintenance of the fresh acidity and spicy notes of an easy-to-drink, fragrant,...
Barbera Chardonnay Grappa Italy Piedmont
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.
Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.
Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.
Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.
Situated in the north-western part of Italy, the region of Piedmont is known worldwide and is highly respected for the quality of the wines produced there. Many of the most successful sub-regions in Piedmont produce many of the world's finest red wines, such as those made from the excellent Nebbiolo grape varietal in areas such as Barolo and Barbaresco. However, the historic wineries which typify this region use a relatively wide variety of grapes, including Dolcetto and Barbera for their red wines, which are typically aged and have a delightful velvety character. Piedmont isn't all about beautifully complex red wines, though, as it is also famed for high quality, elegant sparkling wines, notably the Asti wines made with the white Moscato grape. The region benefits from a range of terroirs which are often well expressed in the sparkling wines, and a wonderfully consistent climate ideal for vineyard cultivation.