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750ml
Bottle:
$15.89
$17.09
12 bottles:
$15.57
‘Telleira’ is the Galician word for tile factory. In the past, tiles were made in this plot with the clay from...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.94
12 bottles:
$31.30
• Varietal Mencía from a few parcels, some younger and some up to 100 years old.
• Spontaneous fermentation in...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.94
12 bottles:
$18.56
There is a note of dry hay and esparto grass in the 2022 Fusco, which made me think of some wines from Douro in...
750ml
Bottle:
$59.94
$64.08
Native to the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, mencía is known for its thick skins and dark fruit and...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.31
$12.57
Our wine stands out because of its marked fruity character which brings out all the qualities and characteristics of...
750ml
Bottle:
$36.00
12 bottles:
$34.20
A new paraje bottling from Antoine Graillot, the 2021 Encinas La Rata is from just below El Rapolao, on clay-rich...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.89
$26.40
12 bottles:
$25.37
The 2021 Encinas feels cleaner and less reductive than previous years but still has the earthy rusticity that seems...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$21.50
A vin de soif, made in a light, refreshing style. Earthy with some smoked meat aromas on the nose. The palate is...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$19.01
A vin de soif, made in a light, refreshing style. Earthy with some smoked meat aromas on the nose. The palate is...
750ml
Bottle:
$69.89
The 2021 Ultreia Valtuille was produced with the clay part of their Villegas plot, as the sandy part was used for the...
750ml
Bottle:
$69.94
Again, the cooler 2021 seems to have worked nicely for the 2021 Ultreia Cova de la Raposa, which compensates for the...
750ml
Bottle:
$69.94
The nose of the 2021 Ultreia Petra is completely different from the rest of the Ultreia range. This is only two...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.87
$19.60
The biggest volume of the winery is the 2021 Ultreia Saint Jacques, which represents some 170,000 bottles, and...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.00
A seamless red, medium-bodied and lightly chalky in texture, with fine tannins enmeshed with flavors of mulled cherry...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.94
$13.43
12 bottles:
$11.52
Chateau de la Chesnaie is a family owned estate dedicated to the production of high quality Muscadet. This wine is...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.94
$14.30
12 bottles:
$12.35
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 30-year-old Muscadet vines planted on a gentle slope of sandy/silty soils overlaid on a...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
Mavrodaphne Melon de Bourgogne Mencia Other Italian Reds 750ml
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?
One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.
Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.