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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
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $17.50
Typical Albarino from the Salnés Valley, in Rías Baixas, to enjoy now and for the next 5 years.
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $16.51
Clean and fresh with delicate citrus notes on the nose and a palate packed with green apple, orange peel and lime...
White
750ml
Bottle: $41.94
12 bottles: $41.10
"Alma de Mar" is one of Xurxo's top wines, and comes from a single plot of 100% Albariño very close to the sea. The...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $43.94
12 bottles: $43.06
Xurxo makes this wine from 100% Albariño from a tiny 1 ha vineyard of 35 year old vines grown organically on clay...
12 FREE
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
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.90 $17.09
Citrus and slightly tropical notes. Full bodied with good structure, fresh and mineral. Long finish with the light...
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...
White
750ml
Bottle: $79.94
The super austere, sharp and mineral 2020 Atalier La Encrucijada reminded me of the first Leirana wines (that were...
12 FREE
WA
94
White
750ml
Bottle: $23.51
12 bottles: $23.03
Elegant lemon-yellow color, clean and glossy. It is a very intense wine on the nose with persistent quality aromas,...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $9.51
100% Monastrell. Old bushvines in rocky limestone and sand. Unoaked.
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
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: $17.50
12 bottles: $15.44
Albariño From a vineyard in Salnés; vinified in tank with minimal sulfur. The wine spends a few months on the lees...
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: $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

Albarino Mavrodaphne Mencia Mourvedre

The pale skinned grapes of the Albarino varietal have been grown in and around Spain and Portugal for almost a thousand years, where they are highly enjoyed and prized by the locals for their distinctive aroma, and sharp, tart acidity levels. Over the past century, their influence has spread to the New World, and many vineyards keen to emulate the white wines of Spain have had considerable success with this varietal. The light bodied wines which are produced from the Albarino grapes have wonderfully aromatic properties, and carry ripe flavors of soft summer fruits, apricot and peach, with a mild and pleasantly bitter after taste brought on by their thick skins. Because of their acidic nature, they are a fantastic match for many Spanish foods, and are best served chilled on a hot day.

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.