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Rapid Ship
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $44.40
12 bottles: $42.18
Floral nose. Waxy (candlewax, crayons), then spicy, fruity notes emerge, in particular raisin and plum, becomes more...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.00
The nose develops an intensity of violet and wild berries aromas. The mousse is fair and creamy, with a dry yet full...
12 FREE
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $36.79
6 bottles: $36.00
The nose is fragrant, delicate and harmonious. On the palate, this grappa is intense and complex, but with a smooth...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $82.39
4 bottles: $81.60
Complex profile with multiple nuances attributable to spicy and fruity notes with hints of vanilla, morello cherry...
12 FREE
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $40.08
6 bottles: $31.60
Bold and bright on the nose, hints of fresh fennel and black licorice dominate the nose, with slight touches of Meyer...
12 FREE
UBC
90
Case only
Spirits
700ml - Case of 4
Bottle: $82.50
Sweet oak and cereal on the nose. Enjoyably elegant on the palate, with rich nutty and floral notes. Richly textured...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.60
12 bottles: $28.50
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $26.40
12 bottles: $22.80
Aged in oak for 12 months, this golden grappa edges close to aged brandy territory—although one sip and that grappa...
WE
89
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $24.33
Testacalda is a pure Lambrusco di Sorbara Spumante Metodo Classico made with the ancient and traditional method of...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $13.00
Slightly sparkling ruby red wine, semi dry, vinous and intense bouquet, with a characteristically fruity scent,...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
12 bottles: $11.52
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $20.94
Aromas of yellow peach, Golden Delicious apple and white flowers waft from the glass of this wine. Fresh and easy on...
12 FREE
WE
88
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.65
12 bottles: $12.40
Color: Garnet red with a frothy fragrance, brilliant. Nose: Clean, distinctive with hints of violet and raspberry....
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.67 $14.39
12 bottles: $10.93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.93 $21.00
12 bottles: $18.81
50% Barbera/50% Dolcetto (a strain of it called Nibio). The fruit is destemmed, crushed and spontaneously...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.20
12 bottles: $20.78
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $9.45
Lambrusco, a lightly sparkling, slightly sweet red wine is served well-chilled, and so is a godsend in the summer,...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.20 $18.00
Powder pink mousse; very pale ruby red, almost pink, tending towards cyclamen; clear aromas of roses, almost ripe...
Rapid Ship
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $12.99
The wine is a deep red ruby, with purple highlights and a light mousse and rim of the same color. It has an intense...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $6.99
The wine is a deep red ruby, with purple highlights and a light mousse and rim of the same color. It has an intense...

Grappa Lambrusco Red Blend Ribolla Gialla Italy

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.

Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.


Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.

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.