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Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $22.80 $24.00
12 bottles: $19.38
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
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
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.80
6 bottles: $44.00
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.50
12 bottles: $24.99
The young red 2020 Castro Candaz, from a very warm vintage in Ribeira Sacra, is quite fruit-driven, straightforward...
12 FREE
WA
90
Red
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.00
A seamless red, medium-bodied and lightly chalky in texture, with fine tannins enmeshed with flavors of mulled cherry...
12 FREE
WS
91
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $63.00 $72.00
I was blown away by the 2020 wines in barrel in June 2021 and found the 2020 Villa de Corullón very ready, open,...
WA
97
JS
95
Red
375ml
Bottle: $32.00
12 bottles: $31.36
The vino de villa village red 2021 Corullón is extremely floral and elegant, clean, precise, fresh and very complete...
12 FREE
WA
97
JS
95
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.89
12 bottles: $50.85
The vino de villa village red 2021 Corullón is extremely floral and elegant, clean, precise, fresh and very complete...
12 FREE
WA
97
JS
95
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $139.94
The ultra elegant, sleek and mineral 2021 Moncerbal has amazing freshness, ultra refined tannins and lots of...
12 FREE
WA
98
JS
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.06 $28.64
2021 is clearly the finest vintage of the trio of 2020, 2021 and 2022, and the bottled 2021 Pétalos delivers what...
WA
93
JS
93
Spirits
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $53.58 $56.40
12 bottles: $50.16
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $46.80
12 bottles: $39.90
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.00
12 bottles: $25.48
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.94
12 bottles: $21.50
Eye: Limpid and garnet-coloured, darkened by purple tints. The coloured legs run slowly and cling to the glass. Nose:...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.13
Big raspberry and plum aromas on the nose as well as a hint of eucalyptus and liquorice. The wine is rich and mouth...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $16.85
Roasted coffee and liquorice on the nose with some blackberry notes and a light smokiness showing the age of the...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93
12 bottles: $13.65
All old vine Carignan, the 2019 Côtes Catalanes Tessellae from Jean-Marc Lafage offers a beautifully pure nose of...
JD
92

Carignan Grappa Mencia Txakoli

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.