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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $9.53 $10.25
Aromas of fresh peaches leap from the glass along with hints of ginger and lilac. Once sipped, a shower of foamy...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Vivacious and aromatic, this delicate Italian pale pink sparkler Is perfect for enjoying anytime. Notes of...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $67.50
The 2019 Gracias Madre, 100% Grenache Noir, is fabulous. Rich, creamy and super-expressive, the 2019 offers notable...
12 FREE
VM
94
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.90 $17.50
12 bottles: $16.63
Luminous straw-green. Honey, white flowers, crushed rocks and lemon oil all come alive in this nicely chiseled,...
VM
91
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $45.61
Rich and mouthwatering, this feels like raw silk on the palate, offering exotic hints of toasted coconut and lime...
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WS
93
WE
90
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
The golden yellow color of this Blanc de Blancs and its delicate bubbles highlight the finesse of its effervescence....
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
Colour straw yellow. Bouquet pleasant, light, fine and delicate, fruity, with a characteristic bouquet of apple....
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $7.99
Ballatore Gran Spumante Sparkling White Wine is sweet and crisp. Aromas of ripe peach and apricot combine with melon...
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $41.32 $47.22
This unique, zero-dosage Champagne boasts the perfect balance of dryness and sweetness resulting in a clean, crisp...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $37.94
Exuberant grapefruit peel, almond skin, honeysuckle, and lime zest rise from the glass with a suggestion of red...
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UBC
93
DC
90
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $25.19 $28.79
In 1955, a group of wine growers from the village of Mardeuil, a small village on the hillsides of Epernay, joined...
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $49.90
12 bottles: $48.90
This rose is characterized by a soft pink color that turns over the years to old pink, by an exuberant foam and a...
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $84.89
A gorgeous rosé Champagne with sliced strawberries, orange peel and hints of cream and pie crust. Medium body, tight...
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JS
94
DC
93
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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.84 $10.58
Aromas of cocoa and mocha, with flavors of boysenberry, blackberry and blueberry.
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $64.99 $74.94
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier sourced from more than 300 crus, including 85% grands and premiers crus;...
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DC
96
W&S
93
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $18.99
Dry, crisp, fresh and incredibly fragrant, this sparkling wine is a terrific bargain. The good news is there are...
WA
90
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $13.99
A delicious Crémant that punches well above the weight of its price tag. Its intense pink salmon hue hints at the...
DC
90
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $20.94
12 bottles: $20.52
Sliced pears, lemon curd, white peaches and pastries on the nose. Medium-bodied with a creamy mousse and subtle,...
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WE
89
JS
89
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Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $32.94 $33.60
Some bread dough and pie crust to the lightly cooked apples and hints of pear skins. It’s full-bodied with a round...
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JS
92
WA
91
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $27.15
12 bottles: $26.61
A very subtle nose is promising with its hints of ripe red apple, gentle shortbread and lemon zest. The palate...
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WE
92

Champagne Blend Mondeuse Petite Sirah Robola Rapid Ship

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Petite Sirah was first brought from France to America in the 1880s. It later went on to become one of the only grapes to make it through the devastating Phylloxera virus in the 1890s, both World Wars, and the Great Depression. During Prohibition, it was a main ingredient used to make sacramental wines. In fact, through the 1960s it was a major blending grape in a number of the finest wines produced in California.

By itself, a bottle of Petite Sirah usually has no problem making a quick impression on consumers. With a large amount of natural color and tannins, wines made with the grape commonly feature intensive sweet fruit characteristics like fresh raspberry or blackberry jam, black pepper spice, and plenty of backbone or structure.

There are a number of different styles available. Some concentrate on highlighting fresh, fruity flavors; others are bigger, more voluptuous; and it keeps going up the ladder until you reach the powerful, more machismo-style category.

In the mountains of Cephalonia, the mineral rich soils assist in the growing of one of the finest of Greece's white grape varietals – the Robola grape. These noble yellowish grapes are notable for the wines they produce, which generally contain summer fruits, peach and citrus aromas, coupled with flavors which extend beyond the usual range of white wines, revealing smoky and mineral notes, and a lengthy, lemony after-taste. These fine characteristics helped the regions it is grown in gain AOC status, and wine-makers in this area have many generations of practice in bringing out the elegant and subtle characteristics of this grape.

Robola, and the other wines of Cephalonia have a long and illustrious history, being mentioned even in ancient epic poems such as Homer's Iliad. However, it was the Venetians who first recognized the great potential of Robola grapes, which quickly became the focus for the areas wine-makers and tradesmen. Nowadays, Robola wines act as an excellent example of a refined Greek dry white wine, which can be either drank as a light and refreshing summer aperitif, or alongside grilled white meats, salads, or white fish. Robola wines, as a rule, do not age particularly well, and it is highly recommended that bottles are drunk young, within two years of bottling. By doing so, you can enjoy the unique characteristics of this remarkable wine, complete with the balanced combination of chalky, smoky citrus flavors and delicate peach aromas which typify the finest examples of Robola varietal wines.

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?