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Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93 $15.34
Color : Ruby red with delicate garnet undertones. Nose : The minerality of the nose creates a delicate combination...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of sour cherry...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.40
Color: Dark ruby red with violet highlights that, after ageing, turn on garnet red. Bouquet: Intense, resolute but...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.26
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of spice and ripe...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.90
Very intense and elegant ruby red colour; broad and complex fruity fragrance with hints of plum, cherry jam and...
12 FREE
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $83.15
3 bottles: $81.49
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.94
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.54 $12.57
Deep ruby red with violet reflections; intense fruity bouquet with notes of plum and cherry, hints of Mediterranean...
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.44
12 bottles: $21.01
This deep, dark red is medium bodied in the mouth but finishes with elegance, depth, and structure.
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.43 $13.87
Broad, ripe black fruit and spice aromas, with notes of pepper, toasty vanilla and Mediterranean scrub. On the...
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Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $34.37 $36.18
12 bottles: $29.81
D’Usse was developed as a brand and is a bit cagey about age and appellation. It’s curiously dark amber for a...
VM
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.94
12 bottles: $8.94
Notes of ripe plums, cherry jam and tobacco characterize the bouquet of this pure varietal Primitivo from the Apulia...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $61.56 $64.80
This VSOP Cognac is aged for four years in oak barrels, followed by six months in Mizunara, a particularly...
12 FREE
WE
93
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $104.88 $110.40
An incredibly enticing bouquet of orange blossom, honeysuckle, ripe peach, and vanilla prime the palate for a racy...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $173.94
Cognac PARK Borderies Mizunara Single Cask 2004 draws its specificity from a marriage of Single Cru Cognac which is...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $69.60
This silky single-vineyard Cognac hits all the right notes, layering rounded vanilla, sherry and butterscotch with...
12 FREE
WE
98
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $38.76 $40.80
12 bottles: $31.64
We recognise firstly the combined aromas of spring-dried flowers, of baked apples and of macerated cherries that open...
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $58.80
12 bottles: $50.16
Candied orange peel, vanilla and oak tease the nose. Meanwhile, the palate is oak-forward, translating into vanilla,...
12 FREE
WE
90
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $98.04 $103.20
6 bottles: $86.40
Crafted to magnify the exquisite characteristics of the Grande Champagne, a famed growing region known for producing...
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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $116.28 $122.40
Made with a blend of brandies aged 20 to 25 years, this is a pleasant sipper, with complex flavors that unfold...
12 FREE
WE
93

Cognac Other Italian Reds Primitivo

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.