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500ml
Bottle:
$28.99
12 bottles:
$28.42
A nutty and intense marsala with salty undertones to the dried fruit, such as figs and sultanas. Some nuttiness, too....
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$25.02
$27.80
6 bottles:
$19.59
With hints of raisins and vanilla it is dry, full, and harmonic on the palate. Colombo Marsala Fine Dry is perfect...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.26
$14.73
12 bottles:
$11.88
With hints of raisins and vanilla it is dry, full, and harmonic on the palate. Colombo Marsala Fine Dry is perfect...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$25.02
$27.80
6 bottles:
$18.61
Dark amber, with hints of dates and apricots it is sweet, full, warm and harmonic on the palate with an elegant,...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.26
$14.73
12 bottles:
$11.88
Dark amber, with hints of dates and apricots it is sweet, full, warm and harmonic on the palate with an elegant,...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$117.54
The Petite Arvine Fully-Les Raffos is masterful in its refinement and balance. It is airy on the nose; one perceives...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$102.12
The Petite Arvine Fully-Les Raffos is masterful in its refinement and balance. It is airy on the nose; one perceives...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.08
12 bottles:
$13.59
The Florio Vecchioflorio Marsala Superiore Dry appears amber-colored with gold highlights in the glass. The nose...
375ml
Bottle:
$11.45
$12.05
24 bottles:
$8.43
Warm and round with an elegant background of dried fruit and raisins.
750ml
Bottle:
$15.49
12 bottles:
$15.19
Warm and round with an elegant background of dried fruit and raisins.
750ml
Bottle:
$21.20
12 bottles:
$20.78
• 100% Mavrodaphne.
• Low yielding vines from loamy clay soils.
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel.
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$20.00
Deep purple color with crimson highlights. Elegant floral nose with peony and violet flowers along with the typical...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.55
12 bottles:
$27.00
Sliced green apples, fennel, lemon rind and white peaches on the nose. It’s wonderfully fresh, medium- to...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.94
12 bottles:
$26.40
• 100% Petite Arvine.
• Sandy soils of morainic origin.
• Hand-harvested.
• Brief maceration on the skins....
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$28.84
$30.36
6 bottles:
$18.34
Aromas and flavors of fruits, dry figs and prumes. This Marsla boasts well balanced fruit and spice.
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$48.51
Lively and golden, aromas of yellow apple, burnt caramel, and white pepper on the nose. The palate is rich and full,...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$34.79
Complex aromas of mountain herbs, white flowers, hay, honey and citrus. On the palate the wine continues to evolve...
Marsala Mavrodaphne Petite Arvine
Marsala is a well known fortified wine from Italy’s largest island, Sicily. A largely misunderstood and undervalued fortified wine, it is most commonly associated with its sweet variety - usually used as a cooking wine - although the finest dry Masalas are able to stand up to more revered, similar wines such as Sherry and Madeira. Marsala has been made in Sicily since the mid 18th century, and it grew wildly popular around Europe as sailors introduced it to port towns across the continent. Marsala wine has a beautiful set of flavors, most typically including apricot, tamarind, vanilla and tobacco, making it a delightfully intense treat when served as a sipping wine.
Marsala wine comes in several different varieties, and most of them are a world away from the sweet wines used in sauces and chicken dishes. Amber, golden and ruby versions of Masala are produced, from a range of different native grape varietals, and many of the finest are aged for over ten years to achieve a fascinating set of complex flavors and a remarkably smooth finish. It is usually made from the Grillo, Inzolia, Damaschino and Catarratto white grapes, although the ruby Masala wines uses typical Sicilian red varietals such as Nero d’Avola and Calabrese, among others.
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?