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Bottle: $48.18
A layered and very rich Chianti Classico with blackberries, chocolate and hints of coffee. Full body, round tannins...
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $43.95
A tight, fruity red with black-cherry and blueberry aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with chewy yet...
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750ml - Case of 6
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The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori offers a beguiling mix of Sangiovese energy and Cabernet...
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Beautiful aromas of roses and other flowers, together with cherries and orange peel. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine...
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Bottle: $61.45
This full-bodied wine offers intense aromas and flavors of red berries offset by notes of leather and incense,...
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Bottle: $197.95 $208.67
Very complex aromas of tanned leather, dried fruits and flowers. So beautiful to smell. This is so full and...
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750ml - Case of 6
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Very complex aromas of tanned leather, dried fruits and flowers. So beautiful to smell. This is so full and...
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Bottle: $133.36
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This is really beautiful with black cherries, porcini mushrooms, black walnuts and dried flowers on the nose. It’s...
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This is really beautiful with black cherries, porcini mushrooms, black walnuts and dried flowers on the nose. It’s...
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Wonderful aromas of ripe fruit such as plums, and grilled meat. Then it shows fresh soil and sliced mushroom. Full...
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A flavorful yet delicately fruity wine with dried fruit, cedar and spice character. Medium body, hints of walnuts and...
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750ml - Case of 6
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Andrea Cortonesi of Uccelliera shows real talent when it comes to highlighting vintage variation in his wines. His...
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Balsam herbs, cocoa and sweet white smoke give way to crushed black cherry and plum as the 2017 Brunello di...
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750ml - Case of 3
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An enticing version, whose vibrant character sets the pace for fresh black cherry, blackberry, iron and tobacco, with...
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750ml - Case of 3
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Offers forthcoming aromas and flavors of blackberry, black currant, licorice, tobacco and vanilla backed by vivid...
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750ml - Case of 12
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A pretty, fruity red, yet there’s tension and firm tannins to the blueberry, orange-peel and walnut character....
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The Riserva is only made in exceptionally good years with the best Sangiovese selected from the estate’s oldest...

Ice Wine Other Italian Reds Mavrodaphne Sangiovese

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?

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.