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700ml
Bottle:
$44.80
6 bottles:
$44.00
Grappa patiently stored in the underground cellars of the Poli Distillery, flowing-steam distilled. Its aroma recalls...
700ml
Bottle:
$60.80
Powerful and proud like a lion. Grappa Riserva, aged through Solera method, flowing-steam distilled. Its aroma...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.00
12 bottles:
$15.68
Luc and Jerome Choblet are the third generation to make wine at their family estate, in the Côtes de Grandlieu...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.52
$21.60
This remarkable Vin de France (thus without vintage on the label) has not only the color of a honeydew melon, it also...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$54.93
6 bottles:
$53.83
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
750ml
Bottle:
$28.94
12 bottles:
$28.36
From a high desert site in the Gabilan Mountains, neighboring Pinnacles State Park. Harvested from a south facing...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.97
$35.76
12 bottles:
$30.10
Kruna is a colorless, hard alcoholic drink with 50% alcohol, very potable, harmonious, full, and warm mouthfeel. Wine...
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 - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.94
12 bottles:
$20.52
From Bien Nacido in Santa Maria, this is a crisp, mineral driven wine with captivating brininess. Made for shucking...
375ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$28.50
Delightful and floral on the nose, evoking aromas of Chamomile tea and honey. Light, smooth and delicate on the...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$50.16
Delightful and floral on the nose, evoking aromas of Chamomile tea and honey. Light, smooth and delicate on the...
375ml - Case of 7
Bottle:
$79.56
Delightful and floral on the nose, evoking aromas of Chamomile tea and honey. Light, smooth and delicate on the...
Grappa Melon de Bourgogne Mencia Primitivo
Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.
Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.
One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.
Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.
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.