Do we ship to you?.
750ml
Bottle:
$76.94
Undergoing a four-week maceration followed by approximately nine months in French oak (50% new), Es is intoxicating:...
750ml
Bottle:
$133.60
Gianfranco Fino has rightfully entered the range of those winegrowers tied to traditions wishing to save old...
375ml
Bottle:
$87.94
$97.79
Amazing depth of colour and outstanding red berry flavours, particularly strawberry, lend this red Icewine to pair...
375ml
Bottle:
$70.99
$76.94
This is a glorious icewine where acidity and sugar are in perfect harmony. The candied orange peel, ginger, straw and...
375ml
Bottle:
$66.94
$74.20
The 2019 Gold Vidal Icewine was fermented and aged for about 14 weeks in 90% new French oak. It comes in with 272...
375ml
Bottle:
$58.90
$60.00
6 bottles:
$58.20
Vidal is a hybrid (Ugni Blanc and Seibel) that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It is the...
750ml
Bottle:
$53.95
The bold aroma suggests sarsaparilla and allspice underlined by maple sugar. The sweet-spiced palate resounds with...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.95
12 bottles:
$41.11
A brand new wine for Jolie-Laide, several years in the making. This is a new planting at an exciting vineyard in...
750ml
Bottle:
$102.22
$107.60
A rich and concentrated nose is full of baking spices, baked fruit and soft vanilla cookies. The elegant flavors...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.32
$19.28
12 bottles:
$14.00
Big, inky-black fruit, spice and white pepper; layered and rich in the mouth with jammy black cherries, truffles,...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.24
12 bottles:
$15.92
Deep ruby red with violet reflections. Intense fruity bouquet with notes of plum and cherry, hints of Mediterranean...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.94
6 bottles:
$16.60
A balanced, medium-bodied red, with light tannins and a subtle underpinning of fresh, loamy earth layered with...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.34
$15.59
12 bottles:
$14.05
Dense ruby red with a purplish rim, it is immediately intense on the nose with marked aromas of ripe and fleshy red...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.73
12 bottles:
$13.99
Dark, brooding and spicy, the 2019 Primitivo di Manduria lifts up with notes of crushed rocks, cardamom and black...
Armagnac Ice Wine Mondeuse Primitivo
Armagnac is a beloved grape brandy, hailing from the beautiful French region of Gascony, in the south-west of the country. It has been in constant production since sometime just before the fifteenth century, and over the decades has been the toast of royal households across Europe. Today, it is still enjoyed for its unique flavor profile and characteristics, and although it is understandably compared with Cognac, its more famous cousin, lovers of Armagnac claim that its distinctive rusticity and full body make it a superior brandy, perfect as a digestif or as an evening treat.
Armagnac is made from more than one grape varietal, but the major player in this drink is the fine Ugni Blanc grape, more commonly known by its Italian name, Trebbiano. This is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, and grows beautifully in Gascony, which has a similar microclimate as its neighbouring wine region, Bordeaux. Armagnac grapes reveal fascinating and complex flavors after distillation, which commonly include christmas cake, earthy, oaky notes and praline.
Armagnac is sold under two categories - vintage, and non-vintage. A vintage Armagnac is made from a blend of grapes which have been grown in a single year, and will have the date printed on the label. Non-vintage Armagnacs, on the other hand, are labelled according to their age. V.S indicates that the brandy has been aged for a minimum of two years, VSOP for four years, XO six years, and Hors d’Age is a premium Armagnac which has been aged for at least ten years.
As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.
Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.