×
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.08
12 bottles: $17.72
Fresh and clean with green-apple and lemon character. Hints of dried apricots. Medium body. Some lime. Easy finish....
JS
90
Sale
Red
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,...
White
750ml
Bottle: $25.20
12 bottles: $24.70
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $20.14 $21.20
12 bottles: $17.42
Dark cherry, plum and cassis flavors, with rich cinnamon, herb and coffee notes. Full flavored grilled or sauced...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94
6 bottles: $29.34
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red. Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.17
12 bottles: $14.87
A refreshing delight, Cantina Gabriele Malvasia carries a sweet and easy to drink composition. With sweet and spicy...
White
750ml
Bottle: $22.40
12 bottles: $21.95
COLOR Pale straw yellow color NOSE The bouquet on the nose is delicately sweet, with floraland fruity notes of citrus...
12 FREE
White
375ml
Bottle: $33.12
6 bottles: $32.46
COLOR: Golden yellow with amber highlights. NOSE: Nose of honey, apricot, citrus and dried figs. FLAVOR: Balanced and...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $24.72
6 bottles: $24.23
The 2020 Secca del Capo is sweetly scented with exotic florals, green melon and candied ginger. It’s soft and round...
VM
89
WA
88
Sale
White
500ml
Bottle: $35.34 $37.20
The NV Vino da Uve Appassite Vino del Volta, a varietal Malvasia Candia Aromatica, entrances with a bouquet of...
VM
94
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $15.41
Luretta proposes an unusual version of Malvasia Aromatica di Candia: instead of light and sparkling, firm and...
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $35.20
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.25
12 bottles: $17.89
COLOR: Concentrated straw yellow with green gold nuances. NOSE: A floral nose interwoven with first-rate notes of...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $15.93
Intense ruby red color with purple hues. On the nose are aromas of ripe raspberries accompanied by spicy notes and...
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.94
12 bottles: $21.50
Brilliant straw yellow with sparkling greenish highlights. Fresh and fragrant nose aromas of honeysuckle with fruity...
12 FREE
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $65.70
I thought the 2011 was the best ever from this stylish wine producer in Sardinia. But the 2012 is clearly better...
JS
94
VM
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $60.83
Very beautiful aromas of violets, purple fruit, fresh lavender and thyme follow through to a medium body with...
JS
93
WS
91
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $43.12
Quite a saline and flavorful malvasia here showing lots of Mediterranean herbs and spices to the dried lemons, tile...
JS
93
VM
91

Carignan Grappa Malvasia Italy Wine

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.

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.