Do we ship to you?.
750ml
Bottle:
$40.68
$42.82
6 bottles:
$36.32
Rich and smooth with deep, intriguing notes of roasted grain, vanilla, and honey that are unlike any other.
700ml
Bottle:
$56.54
$59.52
In Basque language, BIKKUN means a thing you do with someone, in pairs. This is the origin of our BIKKUN Vatted Malt...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.95
12 bottles:
$22.49
The 2022 Nero d'Avola is dark and woodsy in the glass, with dried blueberries and exotic spices lifted by sage hints....
750ml
Bottle:
$54.04
$56.88
6 bottles:
$50.87
This unique newcomer—a French single-malt whisky finished in used Cognac barrels—tastes like a soft, golden...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
6 bottles:
$29.34
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red.
Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
Eye: Limpid and garnet-coloured, darkened by purple tints. The coloured legs run slowly and cling to the glass. Nose:...
750ml
Bottle:
$79.93
6 bottles:
$78.33
The 2019 Sicilia Mille e Una Notte is a blend of Nero d'Avola, Petit Verdot, Syrah and other complementary grapes....
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.81
Creamy oak gives this a rather hedonistic feel to the blackberries with walnuts and some new leather. A hint of figs....
750ml
Bottle:
$142.95
Distilled by Hans Reisetbauer, this is like an amplified version of his 12 year old (see below). Red pears,...
750ml
Bottle:
$77.39
$81.46
Burning cedar, chocolate-flavored tobacco notes, and sooty ash pierce through this powerful whisky's smoky aromas,...
700ml
Bottle:
$37.37
$39.34
This lightly-peated whisky is golden and bright, offering honey and fresh pear aromas. The silky palate opens mellow...
750ml
Bottle:
$42.53
$44.77
Peppery spice rubs, light vanilla, and whipped cream meet a stealthy growth of grassy peat smoke, leading to aromas...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$68.50
Rich and powerful with expressions of ripe cherries, dark chocolate and spices. This full bodied wine is supported by...
Blaterle Carignan Mavrodaphne Nero D'avola Other Whiskey 12 Ship Free Items
Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.
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?
Italy’s largest island, Sicily, has a wine producing history that can put most other European regions to shame. It was producing quality wines before the days of the Roman empire, and even the Ancient Greeks were not the first to cultivate vines on the island. For as long as anyone knows, the key grape varietal of Sicily has been Nero d’Avola, the beautiful, deep blue skinned grape which produces the region’s characterful, powerful red wines. While in the past, Nero d’Avola was mainly used as a blending grape, due to its deep color and intensely full body, it is today being increasingly celebrated as a single varietal wine grape, and is perfect for those who like their wines boisterous, loud and strong.
Nero d’Avola is grown pretty much everywhere on Sicily, as demand for wines made from this grape have never been higher. Despite its power and body, it is quite a versatile grape - it can be aged in oak barrels, which produces a dense and dark wine which puts its intense characteristics to good use, but it is also often drunk quite young, which allows its jammy, plummy character to come forward. It is also used to make rose wines in some appellations of Sicily, demonstrating a softer side to this otherwise heavy, deeply flavorful grape.