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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.94
12 bottles: $9.74
Big rich fruit aromas of blue berry and smoke. Full bodied and bold, upfront and direct. (Bronze) - DWWA 2023
DC
88
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.90
12 bottles: $19.50
The Lionheart of Dandelion Vineyards is our old vine Barossa vineyard. These ancient, gnarled vines, many over a...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.15
6 bottles: $96.19
A savoury, red-fruited quality to the fruit with spiced plums and raspberry jam. Powerful, supercharged in the mouth,...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
96
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.90
12 bottles: $19.50
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.69
12 bottles: $19.30
Violet florals with blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. The fruit-focused palate has a smooth sheen of...
JS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $97.94
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.90
A big and rich wine but it shows freshness and energy underneath the juicy and rather thick fruit with plush tannins....
12 FREE
WS
94
JS
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $62.71 $69.68
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.99
A spicy and peppery shiraz with blackberries, stems and hints of herbs and green tobacco. Very varietal. Medium body....
JS
94
DC
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.41 $18.33
12 bottles: $16.63
Dense and dark, with hints of black walnut liqueur and date-nut bread in the background as blackberry and blueberry...
WS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $71.00
6 bottles: $69.58
This biodynamically farmed Shiraz from over-100-year-old vines needs some time in glass or decanter to open up. When...
12 FREE
WE
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $97.99
6 bottles: $97.20
This vintage of one of Yalumba's most premium wines is back up to the level of the 2013. It's a rich and heady combo...
12 FREE
WE
94
WA
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $109.94 $113.99
Still evolving but already supremely rewarding, with its elegant florals and spices married to seamlessly integrated...
12 FREE
DC
95
JH
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $114.92
6 bottles: $112.62
Starts off on a firm frame, with restrained notes of blueberry, huckleberry and malty Assam black tea. Hints of...
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WS
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $88.95
Fragranced and aromatically complex on the nose - beguiling and totally captivating red berries, clove, vanilla,...
12 FREE
DC
97
WA
96
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $156.12
This dense ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits a sweet nose of vanilla, graphite, blackberry, and cassis. Full-bodied...
WA
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $110.14
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $52.88
Readers should think of it as a French Vacqueyras on steroids. From 60-year-old vines in the Ebenezer district of...
WA
93
WS
92
Sale
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $474.45 $494.07
Flagship of the Hoffmann Vineyard Collaboration, Hoffmann Vineyard Shiraz encompasses the try expression of the...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $502.14
Flagship of the Hoffmann Vineyard Collaboration, Hoffmann Vineyard Shiraz encompasses the try expression of the...

Mavrodaphne Syrah Xinomavro Australia Barossa Barossa Valley

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?

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.

Xinomavro is the predominant grape varietal of Macedonia, although it is also grown in many parts of Greece where the climatic conditions are suitable for this particular fruit. The names translates as 'acid black', which gives some clue as to the nature of this varietal. The grapes are renowned for their high tannin content, which is a result of the thick and blue-black skins found on the fruit. This particular characteristic results in a superb aging potential in wines made from the Xinomavro varietal, as time spent in barrels softens these strong, astringent tannins and allows the full range of their flavors to come through in the wine. Most commonly, Xinomavro grapes are associated with aromas of red gooseberry, spices, olives and dried fruit, such as dried tomato.

Whilst most of Australia consists of arid deserts and dense bushland, the oceanic coasts to the south of the country have a terrain and climate ideal for vine cultivation and wine production. It took several decades of failed attempts at the end of the 18th century in order to produce vines of a decent enough quality for making wine, but since those first false starts, the Australian wine industry has continued to grow and grow. Today, wine production makes up for a considerable part of the Australian economy, with exports in recent years reaching unprecedented levels and even overtaking France for the first time ever. Whilst the greatest successes in regards to quality have been the result of the Syrah grape varietal (known locally as Shiraz), Australia utilizes several Old World grapes, and has had fantastic results from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay and more. As the Australian passion for locally produced wine continues to develop, wineries have begun experimenting with a wider range of grape varietals, meaning that nowadays it isn't uncommon to find high quality Australian wines made from Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Viognier, amongst many others.

The Barossa Valley in Australia is one of the New World's most interesting wine regions, having been established in the late 19th century by German settlers. The region benefits enormously from the relatively temperate climate, which ranges from being hot on the lower parts of the valley, to quite cool as the altitude increases on the valley slopes. Barossa Valley produces mostly Shiraz wines, and has become one of the key Australian regions for this distinctive grape varietal which has gone on to be a major grape for the Australian wine industry. Despite suffering from a poor reputation in the mid 20th century, by the 1980s, plenty of unique and forward-thinking wineries set up in Barossa to take advantage of its excellent climate, and set about producing the excellent red and white wines which the region is famed for today.