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300ml
Bottle:
$17.67
$18.60
12 bottles:
$15.04
Intoxicating stewed pear aromas emerge as you nose the glass. In the mouth, it's all sweet, ripe banana, malt, and...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.75
12 bottles:
$12.50
Ruby red more or less pale, with subtle amber highlights. The nose gives a delicate fragrance, with notes of wild...
750ml
Bottle:
$65.94
6 bottles:
$63.60
Nose: Cacao, vanilla, oak. Palate: Medium bodied. Finish: Long, subtle finish.
750ml
Bottle:
$65.94
6 bottles:
$63.60
Nose: Apple, pineapple, lemon peel. Palate: Light bodied. Finish: Crisp, smooth finish.
750ml
Bottle:
$65.94
6 bottles:
$63.60
Nose: White flower, orange peel, nectar, maple. Palate: Full bodied. Finish: Long, gentle finish.
750ml
Bottle:
$199.94
$224.94
Deep gold color. Lovely opening aroma is delicately spicy and brown rice-like in its grain intensity. In the mouth,...
720ml
Bottle:
$48.00
12 bottles:
$45.60
A beautifully dense and complex sake, the Ichiban Matoi contains notes of fresh tropical fruit like melon, papaya and...
300ml
Bottle:
$10.69
$11.25
A bit of a stretch for brewer-owner Sumikawa-san, this Junmai Ginjo steps outside of his normally luscious and full...
720ml
Bottle:
$20.52
$21.60
A bit of a stretch for brewer-owner Sumikawa-san, this Junmai Ginjo steps outside of his normally luscious and full...
Grignolino Japanese Whiskey Sake Savatiano
Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.
The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.
Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.
While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.
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?