×
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $29.88 $31.20
12 bottles: $29.64
The 2021 Grenache Blanc Thompson Vineyard is bright and beautifully focused. Orchard fruit, mint, white pepper and...
VM
93
Instore only
White
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $19.94
Crisp with flavors of apple and pineapple. semi-sweet and refreshing with floral aromas. Serve Chilled.
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.89 $13.43
12 bottles: $11.65
A round, creamy-textured red with blackberry, dark-walnut and some chocolate character. It’s medium-bodied with a...
JS
92
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $35.00
Ripe pineapple, papaya, and slatey minerality on the nose. Intense but well-balanced tropical fruit flavors on the...
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $199.94
The 2021 Mourvèdre is another archetypal example of the variety from Andremily, where winemaker Jim Binns manages to...
12 FREE
WA
100
WNR
98
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $11.71 $13.01
This refreshing wine has fruity and citrus aromas with notes of lemon and mineral hints. Fresh and light on the...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.62 $12.91
12 bottles: $11.52
COLOR: Ruby red with purple highlights. NOSE: Elegant fruit aromas of cherries and plums with an enticing warm,...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.00
12 bottles: $25.48
Produced from very old vines (60-65 yrs!), this Barbera exudes floral, black currant, and licorice aromas. The palate...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $20.95
12 bottles: $20.53
100% Barbera from vines located in Perno in the village of Monforte d'Alba, on the right slope in front of...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $9.51
100% Monastrell. Old bushvines in rocky limestone and sand. Unoaked.
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.38 $20.40
6 bottles: $17.50
Laced with blackberry, black cherry and spice flavors, this red is rich and juicy. Well-structured too, yet balanced...
WE
90
WS
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $27.95
12 bottles: $27.39
Catarratto (biotypes Lucido, Comune, and Catarratteddo) from the contradas of Bausa, Amafi, and Abbadessa, guyot and...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.64 $31.99
Alluring aromas of dark-skinned berry, exotic spice and an earthy note of tilled soil come together in the glass. The...
WE
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $87.99
6 bottles: $86.23
Like all great wines, Barbera too has its own crus. In certain areas and vineyards where it reaches the highest of...
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $19.38 $20.40
• Kyoho. • Hybrid of V. vinifera and V. labrusca. • The only vineyard in Australia producing Kyoho and was...
White
750ml
Bottle: $28.94
12 bottles: $28.36
• Telti Kuruk, an indigenous varietal of Ukraine. • The vineyards are situated on a mixture of red clay and loam...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.94
12 bottles: $34.24
• 100% Barbera. • Practicing Biodynamic. • Sierra Foothills AVA (Shake Ridge Vyd). • Planted in early...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.90
12 bottles: $39.10
Quite light in the glass, this bottling pops on the nose with fresh berry aromas that are leveled by a crushed rock...
12 FREE
WE
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.95
12 bottles: $18.57
Hints of beeswax, dusty yellow flowers and cardamom waft up to create a decidedly savory bouquet as the 2020. Insolia...
12 FREE
VM
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $12.90

Barbera Mavrodaphne Mencia Mourvedre

For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.

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?

Mourvèdre is a fascinating and ancient grape varietal, thought to have been introduced to Spain by the ancient Phoenicians over two thousand years ago. Since then, it has found a home in many regions of France, and has gone on to be a key grape varietal in the New World, where it is often blended with Grenache and Syrah varietals to make a beautifully rounded and balanced red wine. The Mourvèdre grape itself is renowned for holding a complex set of flavours, which are often described as meaty or gamey, with plenty of bramble fruit notes. As such, they are often served with dark meats, and are enjoyed in many countries across the globe. The grapes are not the easiest to cultivate, as they require plenty of sunshine alongside well irrigated soil. However, their quality and unique attributes mean that wineries all over the globe continue to persevere with this special varietal.