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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.
750ml
Bottle:
$19.93
12 bottles:
$19.53
Bright purple-red color. Complex, typical bouquet of small berries red fruits, leather and spices (vanilla, pepper,...
750ml
Bottle:
$46.33
6 bottles:
$45.60
Deep dense intense ruby red colour, with a purple viscous rim.
Intense nose with ripe blackberry, wild strawberry and...
750ml
Bottle:
$30.40
12 bottles:
$29.79
Showing aromas of licorice, black plums, walnuts, spice box and oyster leaves. It’s firm and muscular, with a full...
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:
$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...
Montepulciano Other Whiskey Savatiano Mencia Xinomavro
Montepulciano grapes are one of the most widely cultivated varietals in Italy, with vines growing in twenty of Italy's ninety five provinces. This varietal is renowned for producing high yields, making it popular with vintners looking for a relatively easy varietal to grow. Whilst the grapes tend to have a low skin to juice ratio, the skins themselves are remarkably high in tannins with a lot of pigmentation, which means they often produce rather well bodied wines with a beautiful deep, dark color The wines of Montepulciano grapes are most commonly associated with soft, rounded characteristics, with plenty of juicy, plummy flavors The wines are known for being very smooth and drinkable, and easy to match with a wide range of foods.
Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.
However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.
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?
Xinomavro is the predominant grape varietal of Macedonia, although it is also grown in many parts of Greece where the climatic conditions are suitable for this particular fruit. The names translates as 'acid black', which gives some clue as to the nature of this varietal. The grapes are renowned for their high tannin content, which is a result of the thick and blue-black skins found on the fruit. This particular characteristic results in a superb aging potential in wines made from the Xinomavro varietal, as time spent in barrels softens these strong, astringent tannins and allows the full range of their flavors to come through in the wine. Most commonly, Xinomavro grapes are associated with aromas of red gooseberry, spices, olives and dried fruit, such as dried tomato.