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Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.99
The wine has a deep, rich purple color. Intense red fruits are on the nose, with black pepper spice and a touch of...
White
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.30 $54.00
Pouring a jeweled ruby hue, the 2019 Nerello Mascalese Centennial Mountain Vineyard brings forward sun-kissed aromas...
12 FREE
JD
93
VM
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.44 $21.60
12 bottles: $17.10
This wine has great color, with a dark purple and red hue. There are spicy, earthy aromas of black cherry, black...
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.57
12 bottles: $9.51
Fresh and fragrant with orange blossom, apricot, and peach aromas. A well-balanced, sweet, bubbly wine that is full...
Sale
White
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $34.76 $36.59
4 bottles: $21.60
Fresh fruit flavors of guava and Bartlett pear. Delicate, yet full flavored. Serve Chilled.
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.00
12 bottles: $27.44
The 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is medium garnet-purple in color and opens with notions of raspberry tart,...
12 FREE
WA
93
JD
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.80
12 bottles: $32.14
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.20
12 bottles: $24.70
From two old vineyards, located in the municipality of Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slope of...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.89 $17.49
12 bottles: $15.83
This is a very successful Zinfandel, blending earth, spice and fruit into a savory, yet thirst-quenching package....
WE
93
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.73 $14.14
12 bottles: $10.67
Crystal clear with a pale green hue. Crisp and fresh bursting with delicious fruit flavours. The palate is light with...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.13
6 bottles: $27.57
A rich wine with layers of raspberry, cherry, and blackberry complemented by vanilla, licorice, and toast....
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.82
12 bottles: $9.51
Color of wine is straw yellow with a light green hue. Scents of gardenia, ripe fruit notes of apricot, peach and...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $21.35
A lush, full-bodied Zinfandel that blaze dark berry, earth and grassy aromas that complement a rich and complex...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.48 $18.40
12 bottles: $14.64
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $45.36 $50.40
The 2019 Zinfandel Cat's Cradle is similarly hued but has a purer, crisper, more youthful vibe as well as ample plum...
JD
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $43.20 $48.00
6 bottles: $34.40
Dark plum and black-cherry flavors show great richness and breadth in this mouth-filling, slightly tannic wine as it...
WE
92
JD
90
Instore only
White
187ml
Bottle: $6.99
Barefoot Moscato is a sweet, lively white wine with a light, crisp acidity. Tropical aromas of pineapple and orange...
Instore only
White
3.0Ltr
Bottle: $16.99
Barefoot Moscato is a sweet, lively white wine with a light, crisp acidity. Tropical aromas of pineapple and orange...
Sale
White
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $21.09 $22.20
6 bottles: $13.00
A cheerful blush color in the glass, this rosé is all pink grapefruit, strawberry jam, and pink lemonade on the...
UBC
91

Mavrodaphne Muscat Mencia Zinfandel

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 most widely grown and easily recognized wine grape varietals in the world is the Muscat, an ancient grape with an exceptional amount of versatility. For centuries, Muscat varietal grapes have been used all over Europe for the production of wonderfully fruity wines of many different shades and colors, which, with their strong 'grapey' flavor have come to be known as a quintessential fine wine grape. Their relatively high acidity also means they are ideal for the production of sparkling wines, and the fizzy Muscat wines of Italy are widely agreed to be amongst the best in the world. In more recent years, New World countries have shown a huge amount of flair when it comes to the Muscat grape, and have had plenty of success in allowing its natural and vibrant character to come through in the bottle.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.