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750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
$19.60
12 bottles:
$17.58
Our cool climate, estate grown Syrah offers generous aromas of black pepper, coffee and berry. On the palate, flavors...
750ml
Bottle:
$44.92
6 bottles:
$44.02
The O’Riada is a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, fully charged with spice, floral notes and ripe red fruits.
Food...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.94
12 bottles:
$14.64
• Certified organic.
• 100% Syrah.
• Limestone soil with lots of pebbles.
• Partially de-stemmed.
•...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.94
12 bottles:
$18.56
A vibrant nose, effusing copious Mediterranean spices, thyme, peppercorn, ripe plums and cherries. Fresh and bright...
750ml
Bottle:
$61.56
$64.80
This VSOP Cognac is aged for four years in oak barrels, followed by six months in Mizunara, a particularly...
750ml
Bottle:
$104.88
$110.40
An incredibly enticing bouquet of orange blossom, honeysuckle, ripe peach, and vanilla prime the palate for a racy...
750ml
Bottle:
$173.94
Cognac PARK Borderies Mizunara Single Cask 2004 draws its specificity from a marriage of Single Cru Cognac which is...
750ml
Bottle:
$69.60
This silky single-vineyard Cognac hits all the right notes, layering rounded vanilla, sherry and butterscotch with...
750ml
Bottle:
$38.76
$40.80
12 bottles:
$31.64
We recognise firstly the combined aromas of spring-dried flowers, of baked apples and of macerated cherries that open...
750ml
Bottle:
$58.80
12 bottles:
$50.16
Candied orange peel, vanilla and oak tease the nose. Meanwhile, the palate is oak-forward, translating into vanilla,...
750ml
Bottle:
$98.04
$103.20
6 bottles:
$86.40
Crafted to magnify the exquisite characteristics of the Grande Champagne, a famed growing region known for producing...
750ml
Bottle:
$116.28
$122.40
Made with a blend of brandies aged 20 to 25 years, this is a pleasant sipper, with complex flavors that unfold...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.58
Especially, delicate and floral, attractive to the nose and pleasant to the palate. Its fresh and juicy character is...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.11
$15.91
12 bottles:
$11.52
This Syrah’s elegant smoky tones lead to notes of concentrated berry, raspberry, boysenberry, dried herbs and hints...
375ml
Bottle:
$28.17
$29.65
12 bottles:
$26.23
RATED BEST VS COGNAC 2022. Dark amber color. Aromas and flavors of chocolate covered candied orange, baked apple...
375ml
Bottle:
$42.59
$44.83
12 bottles:
$26.30
Intensely aromatic and opulent on the nose with notes of cedar, milk chocolate, golden raisin, and stewed apricot....
750ml
Bottle:
$37.01
$38.96
Intensely aromatic and opulent on the nose with notes of cedar, milk chocolate, golden raisin, and stewed apricot....
750ml
Bottle:
$216.68
$228.08
6 bottles:
$184.40
Profoundly focused and alluring on the nose with roasted plum, walnut skin, beeswax, apple pie crust, and salted...
700ml
Bottle:
$253.84
$267.20
Introducing Courvoisier XO Royal, a blend inspired by our historic cognacs that graced the royal courts of Europe. In...
Cognac Mavrodaphne Syrah Vidal Blanc
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.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
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?
Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.