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750ml
Bottle:
$23.49
12 bottles:
$23.02
Colour: Deep ruby red with typical purple hues.
Nose: Wide, vinous with notes of violet, cherry, currant, plum and...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$16.66
12 bottles:
$15.83
An excellent representation of the Barbera variety, it has intense ruby red color and violet reflections. Del Martìn...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$13.70
Red ruby in color. On the palate it is soft and enveloping. Medium to full-bodied and lightly candied, with dark...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.72
6 bottles:
$24.00
Lightly chewy and fresh, this balanced, medium-bodied red has a subtle, pleasing toasty edge to the flavors of...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.39
12 bottles:
$20.52
Ripe nose with lots of dried fruit. Dried figs, creme de cassis, dried cherries, dry earth and baking spices. Juicy...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$17.72
So and expressive, revealing a deep strong character. Well-tempered silky tannins with flawless fruit reminiscent of...
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 - Case of 12
Bottle:
$37.71
Deep and impenetrable ruby red with a purple edge. Delightful nose with ripe scents of cherries, plums and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.94
Lots of pleasant, fresh red berries here with a hint of red licorice adding interest. Medium-bodied with fresh...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$21.90
A round, lush version, displaying black cherry, plum and accents of violet and earth. Balanced and succulent, with...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.60
12 bottles:
$23.13
Clear, deep garnet with purplish highlight.
750ml
Bottle:
$18.00
12 bottles:
$17.10
From calcareous soils at 500m above see level, this pleasant expression of Barbera exhibits intense but delicate...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.79
12 bottles:
$18.41
Barbera d'Alba comes from the hilly areas around the city of Alba in Piemonte. Franco Amoroso Barbera d'Alba is rich...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.38
$17.09
12 bottles:
$13.18
This has aromas of nutmeg, chocolate, cherries and poached plums. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lightly chewy...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.09
12 bottles:
$16.75
Franco Amoroso Barbera'Asti is elegant and polished with layers of dark red cherry fruit, lively acidity and subtle...
Barbera Garganega Nero D'avola Red Blend Italy
For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.
Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.
We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.
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.
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.