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Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $28.88 $30.40
Layers of dried flowers and baking spice give way to savory salinity. Slightly dry and medium-bodied. Clean and...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $30.78 $32.40
Instead of big, heady, fruity aromas, this showcases the grain and the koji. Notes of charred pizza crust and roasted...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.90
12 bottles: $27.34
The 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is medium garnet-purple in color and opens with notions of raspberry tart,...
12 FREE
WA
93
JD
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.89 $17.49
12 bottles: $15.83
This is a very successful Zinfandel, blending earth, spice and fruit into a savory, yet thirst-quenching package....
WE
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.13
6 bottles: $27.57
A rich wine with layers of raspberry, cherry, and blackberry complemented by vanilla, licorice, and toast....
12 FREE
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Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $23.26 $24.48
This spirit is amber in color and exhibits nutty, caramel notes on the nose. The palate has subtle hints of citrus...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $20.88
A lush, full-bodied Zinfandel that blaze dark berry, earth and grassy aromas that complement a rich and complex...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.48 $18.40
12 bottles: $14.64
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
1.8Ltr
Bottle: $32.49 $34.20
6 bottles: $31.20
A remarkably elegant honjozo popular with local Miyagi drinkers, this is made from premium Yamada Nishiki rice milled...
Rapid Ship
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $16.25
12 bottles: $15.44
A remarkably elegant honjozo popular with local Miyagi drinkers, this is made from premium Yamada Nishiki rice milled...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $20.52 $21.60
Rich and full, bursting with umami. Deep bass notes of soy sauce mingle with grains and freshly cut herbs.
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $45.60 $48.00
The NV Azuma Ichi Junmai Daiginjo has interesting crispy and refreshing notes, such as green apple, lime and green...
12 FREE
WA
90
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $30.78 $32.40
Medium-full body, savory bass notes of almond and cocoa are contrasted by bright high tones of candied strawberry and...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.40
6 bottles: $45.60
The 2019 Zinfandel Cat's Cradle is similarly hued but has a purer, crisper, more youthful vibe as well as ample plum...
12 FREE
JD
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.80 $42.00
6 bottles: $30.00
This one has a big personality with aromas of black cherry and blackcurrant, nuanced by notes of celery seed, black...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $43.20 $48.00
6 bottles: $34.40
Dark plum and black-cherry flavors show great richness and breadth in this mouth-filling, slightly tannic wine as it...
WE
92
JD
90
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $30.62
12 bottles: $24.40
This velvety Cognac opens with plenty of oak on the nose and palate. The more you sip, the more the oak recedes and...
WE
92
UBC
91
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $44.87 $47.23
6 bottles: $41.83
Familiar American oak aromas of toasted coconut, dill, and baking spices seamlessly intertwine with notes of creme...
12 FREE
WE
93
UBC
93
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $44.45 $46.79
This golden-hued brandy offers an opulent bouquet of toasted oak, crushed lily petals, meringue, and orange balm....
12 FREE
UBC
95
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $111.42 $117.28
6 bottles: $107.26
Fresh green table grapes and peach pit are fruity and earthy on the nose. A suggestion of sweetness in the mouth...
12 FREE
UBC
95

Cognac Irish Whiskey Sake Zinfandel

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

The Irish are hailed as being the original producers of whiskey in the British Isles, and their innovations and techniques were so successful, that neighbouring Scotland were quickly influenced by them in the 15th century. Centuries later, it was the Irish who brought whiskey to America, and their style of whiskey has since become popular all over the world.

However, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the Irish whiskey industry - from being a dominant force in the 19th century, whose produce was considered far superior to that of Scotland, political upheaval and war saw the Irish whiskey almost disappear forever in the early 20th century. Today, the Irish whiskey manufacturers are back on their feet, and they are once again proving that the original is often the best. With new distilleries opening every year, it is safe to say that Irish whiskey is very much back.

Irish whiskey differs from Scotch whisky in a number of ways, and not least the spelling - the extra ‘e’ was said to be added in the 19th century as a way of distancing the Irish drink from what they saw as an inferior Scottish product. Irish whiskey was traditionally made in enormous stills, as a way of ensuring consistency from bottle to bottle, and maintaining the quality and complexity their reputation was founded on. The typical tasting notes of fine Irish whiskey include apple and vanilla, alongside spicy and sweet touches of nutmeg and fresh hay, making this a highly pleasant and smooth drink, made for relaxation and stimulating conversation about times past.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.