Calvados, cider, Rodinella, Bi...

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

La Cidrerie, created in 1950 by François Sehedic father, has been specialized in the production of drinks from apples to cider of ancient varieties specific to the Breton terroir and particularly to the prestigious Fouesnant. Marie Laure Séhédic and her husband Christian Daniélou continue today to highlight the area. The cider house holds organic and biodynamic certification.

Traditional cider from Brittany with a funky twist to its bright and inviting nose. A touch of sweetness that finishes nice and dry and is wonderfully rustic in its style. This is true farmhouse cider.

Fouesnant Cider 750ml is the heir to authentic know-how and a long family tradition. Made from orchards located in Pays Fousnantais, this cider is a blend of old varieties and harvested by hand. The apples are sorted manually and the pressing is done when the fruits are fully ripe, from the end of September to December. The fermentation of this cider is slow and it ends with natural fermentation in the bottle for about 2 and a half months, which gives it a fine and digestible bubble Recognised for its bitterness, roundness and persistent aromas of fresh apple, fresh butter and hazelnut. Made from 100% Apple juice fermented. We recommend drinking the Fouenant Cider as an aperitif.

Best Traditional Cider - Australian Cider Awards 2024

This cider is a nod to the traditional English style—dry, but not overly so. We started with a base of cider apples, carefully blending the highly esteemed Kingston Black variety with a generous portion of Brown’s apple, known for its mild sharpness. The fermentation was a slow process, as we aimed for a “keeve”—a tricky technique that didn’t entirely go as planned, but still yielded some delightful results.

The final cider offers a well-rounded apple flavour, complemented by a fresh finish, intriguing tannins, and a hint of funk that adds character. It’s a balanced and enjoyable cider with depth, perfect for those who appreciate a bit of complexity in their glass

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Born from the harmony of the soil, apple trees and the climate of the Breton Coast, Cornouaille cider is a golden cider with fruit aromas. To the eye, it presents a golden-orange colour, a generous and fine mousse. On the nose, it offers an aromatic complexity where you can find fruity, floral, spicy aromas. After a supple attack, the mouth is structured with a beautiful amplitude (rounding around a dominant bittersweet). Made from 100% Apple juice fermented. To consume as an aperitif or to accompany salads, fish or seafood. Serve chilled!

The biodynamic orchards are comprised of trees upto 50+ years old containing 40-50 varieties of heirloom apples. The hand-harvested fruit is dehydrated for 4-5 weeks and simply ground and pressed then settled for clarification before fermenting naturally, originating in tank and finishing in bottle. Bubbles develop within two weeks of bottling. It has lovely aromatics of graham and baked apple, followed by elegant bubbles and an off-dry profile on the palate.
ERIC BORDELET

Situated on 115 acres, Wille Smiths is 30 minutes south of Hobart in the Huon Valley, a once thriving apple-growing region that exported apples all over the globe and earned Tasmania the title of the 'Apple Isle'.

Our farm went organic in 1997, thanks to the innovation of current orchardist, Andrew Smith. It was a bold move, transforming the orchard to organic, and involved a lot of new techniques and training to achieve. With a new focus on organic farming and the use of the apples in our cider, they hope to bring back the glory of the 'Apple Isle' days once more.

The cidery is located at the  orchard, meaning the fruit travels the smallest distance possible from tree to bottle. It's a full circle process which all occurs in one place, right here on the farm.

Be in no doubt, this is one of the countries of not the worlds greatest ciders. Bold statement for sure but we think you will agree once you try it. This used to be called the French Blend but the various type of apples have moved it away from a predominantly French blend so they have changed the name. This is a seasonal release and one we are looking forward too. If you have never tried these we cannot recommend them enough - so bloody delicious!

A medium-bodied, fruity and crunchy red with cherries, sweet spices and leafy notes. Joyful and succulent. Sustainable. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLING

25% Corvina; 25% Corvinone; 30% Rondinella; 10% Molinara; 10% Rossignola, Negrara, Dindarella.

Lucchine is the name of the vineyard that provides the grapes. It is located in the plains at the foot of Pedemonte hills in the heart of the historic Valpolicella Classico area. The Tedeschi Family has been linked to winemaking since 1630. However, it was the purchase of several vineyards in 1824 by Nicolo Tedeschi which laid the foundation for the family's current winemaking business. These are classicaly styled but modern takes with a consistency that few producers can boast.

I do like Valpolicella, especially when it’s red fruited, balanced, and easy to drink, which is what this wine delivers. Strawberry, white pepper, a dusty frame of tannin, a sweetness to poached strawberry and raspberry, a little blood orange, with a peppery finish of good length. Puts me in mind of Pelaverga in a way, and there’s that low key energy to the wine that makes it so appealing. A little bit of ripe tomato tang, new leather, and lots of red fruited and spicy interest. You have to like them red fruited and peppery, but here’s a frisky and good wine that’s not trying too hard to be anything other than a good drink. Like it. Yum. GARY WALSH, the wine front

Established by Gabriele and Miriam Dalcanele in 2006, La Dama represents the new breed of winemakers in the region. Modern, fresh yet compelling wines coaxed from organically farmed vineyards in the fabled commune of Negrar, home to some of the great names including the legendary Giuseppe Quintarelli.

Their 10 hectare estate has been certified organic since 2015 and works only with the native varieties of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara. Oak influence is kept to a minimum in order to ensure the vineyard speaks for itself in the glass.

Opens with wild forest fruits, a touch of red currant flecked throughout and dusted with sweet, peppery spice. Silky fruit, super vibrant and punchy packed with flavour but delivered in La Dama's typical ethereal style. A little dark cherry, a splash of blackberry, and a touch of wild strawberry fruit too. Finishes long and fresh. Another great drop. 

Established by Gabriele and Miriam Dalcanele in 2006, La Dama represents the new breed of winemakers in the region. Modern, fresh yet compelling wines coaxed from organically farmed vineyards in the fabled commune of Negrar. It's also pertinent to note that Gabriele spent some time making sparkling wine before starting LA Dama and is well-versed in the style. This is also no afterthought, pet nat either. He only uses the best molinara grapes off the property to make this incredibly delicious sparkling. 

Wonderful cassis and cranberry fruit all punchy, bright, and layered with a delicate spice and chalky top note. Gentle bubbles caress with a fine film that carries pristine red fruits along. Lovely balance with a freshness and nervy energy that you expect from the style but so often don’t receive. Honestly, this is a masterclass in what pet-nat should look like – bright, crunchy, and full of life with a purity of fruit at its core.

Mostly estate fruit with Poire coming from very old trees scattered throughout the region. 30 varieties of apples, 20 varieties of pears and 8 varieties of Cormes

Aptly described by Eric as a ‘Poire de soif’ or thirst quenching pear cider perfect for aperitif or with seafood and cheeses. So pure, so delicious. Awesome at any time of the day.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Pomarina takes its name from the Latin word for apple; Poma. In autumn, organically-grown apples are carefully selected and harvested from El Gaitero's own orchards and local growers, which are regulated under the PDO Sidra de Asturias

Golden with straw/yellow hue. It's floral, skinsy, deep and open in style. There are sweet, nutty, savoury and bitter elements. Abundant small bubbles add to the skin richness, mouthfeel and weight. The freshness of air-dried-apple granola in the cool of morning jostles with the perfume heft of a muggy wheat field after rain. Skins, then seeds and later, a touch of apple core bitterness gives rim to a mouthfeel of brilliant balance, which holds beautifully and releases with a delicate acetic rinse. Apple poetry!

This prestigious offering combines 19 apple varieties, prepared according to an ancestral method of maceration. The nose exhales a mixture of fruity and mineral notes: stewed apple apricot, lemon, honey and mile spices.Ample, balanced palate, boasting intense flavours, brought out by extremely small bubbles.
A premium cider that can be served with a meal or offered as an aperitif and indeed Normand's cheese.Worth ageing. ericbordelet.com

A gentle fine bead cuts the cassis and cranberry fruit that underlies a subtle chalky and delicate spice lift. Fine and breezy in style it still packs in plenty of flavour. Crisp and vivacious. Lovely poise and precision too but never straying away from its easy-going nature and trying to be something its not. What every pet-nat should be. 

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A bitter obtained from a skilful work through infusion in a water-alcohol solution with well-balanced roots and herbs, aromatic plants and citrus fruit that give the product a classic taste, round, harmonious with fruity and lightly bitter sensations that make it unique in its kind.
Clear, transparent, classic red color; its perfect mixability makes it an ideal base for the preparation of cocktails of higher quality. TUVE TURIN

Known more as a cutting-edge cider maker, Eric Bordelet was a top sommelier at Arpege in Paris, before returning home to Normandy in 1992 to take over the family business. He biodynamically grows more than 20 apple varieties and 15 pear varieties. JASON WILSON, Vinous

Eric Bordelet approaches Cider-making with the same intensity as a passionate oenologist brings to winemaking. Bordelet worked as sommelier in the leading 3 star Parisian restaurant, ‘Arpege’ where he became deeply familiar with the top winemakers and wineries of France. In 1992 he took over the tiny patch of family farmed orchards in Charchigné, in the heart of Normandy’s premium Cider producing area. Since then he has set about rescuing the ancient ‘heirloom’ varieties of pears and apples that produce tiny quantities and amazing flavour.

Produced from pear trees estimated to be about 300 years old. Poiré Granit has 25-80 grams of sugar per liter, yet it doesn't taste particularly sweet.  This is due to the tannin and acidity, which Bordelet says is twice as high as the apple! Stunning as aperitif or with cheese or desserts. With just 4% alc/vol this can be enjoyed any time. Cider simply doesn't get better than this !!

A wine that originated from where the Valpolicella tadition of drying grapes and the freshness and fragrance of grapes pressed during harvest are combined. This gives birth to a wine of great concentration and elegance, where the freshness suprises when countered by the dark, sweet fruits and long persistent palate.

This skirts such a lovely middle-ground and the lighter, fresher style we see from La Dama is given a little oomph and lick of pizzaz that is hard not to love. Pepper and camphor on the nose with dark roasted ground spice and a Campari like citrus flourish. It belies what comes after which seems so pretty and energetic but matched with some lovey dark, broody fruit that swims around a concentrated but focused core. It comes of subtle and persistent and ultimately so readily appealing. A very cool drop!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Aged in small apple brandy casks for over 12 months, this rich and generous liqueur is a result of blending pressed French and British heirloom apple varieties with our apple spirit.

Complex and well-structured with baked apple and spice, balanced with firm tannins and cask influence.

Our take on the traditional aperitif from North-West France – enjoy as such or serve with blue cheese or dessert. WILLIE SMITH

In the words of Sergio and Lorenzo, their Aromatico Bitter is a "collision… made by mixing cold with heat, bitter with sweet, bright red with the brown tones of the earth". With a partially different mix than for the Chinato, here we have a neutral alcohol, sugar, distilled water and a natural infusion of aromatic herbs, which include gentian, cinchona, liquorice, wild cherry and cardo gobbo. Initially packed with bitter herbs, this cocktail of medicinal goodies moves into a typical bittersweet taste, with marked notes of fresh fruit and spices. 25% alc.

Complex delicate aromas of peonies and roses, changing into black cherries and dried red plums. There are cloves, earth and licorice, with a balsamic note and freshness. A warm, enveloping structure with velvety tannins, persistence depth, plays with the balsamic aromas. 100 days of drying, before fermentation, and aged in oak for 36 months. LA DAMA

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A compelling bouquet of dusty dried violets, fresh coffee grounds, cocoa powder and dried black cherries makes the 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant'Urbano impossible to ignore. This is wonderfully lifted and graceful in style, dense yet energetic with silken textures and polished red berry fruits that slowly saturate the palate. The 2019 youthfully folds in upon itself, leaving a bitter tinge of spice, dark chocolate and fine-grained tannins. The balance here is something to behold. The 2019 is full of potential—bury it deep. ANTONIO GALLONI,Vinous

The Speri’s presence in this winemaking heartland goes back to 1874, though the original homestead and cellars are even older - 1580. From generation to generation for well over a century, the Speri family have handed down a heritage of pride in their land and passion for its fruits. The family operation now comprises of Carlo (pr/admin), vineyardists Eliseo, Marco and Giampietro, winemakers Paolo and Alberto, marketing manager Giampaolo, and the fifth generation Luca and Chiara Speri.

The family now have 60 hectares of autochtonous vines in the finest Classico districts, divided into three distinct crus; La Roverina, Sant’Urbano and La Roggia. In these hills the vines enjoy a mild climate that you would not expect at this northerly latitude and are planted at a much higher density than the appellation’s average using organic farming methods.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Poli are best known for there fine range of premium Grappa, liquers and distillates from North east Italy. Established in 1898 this quality producer has over a 100 years' experience with distilling. Recently they have produced a unique Gin - MARCONI 46. Artisanaly distilled and obtained from a unique infusion of juniper berries, muscat grape, mountain pine, cembra pine, mint, cardamom and coriander reminding of the Asiago plateau in the north of the Veneto region, where the Poli family comes from. This is a heady and perfumed gin that is at once powerful and refined. A truly unique product that speaks of its home in the hills and of the philosophy of this family run operation.

In addition to this month's Italian Mixed dozen we thought we would like to offer a Negroni pack featuring this incredible product. We have matched it with our very own Vermouths and Bitters from its western counterpart Turin Vermouth. Their philosophy is to maintain tradition through the production while sourcing aromats and herbs from all over the world and based on the local wines of the Piemonte's hills. Together this forms once of the world great classic cocktail- the Negroni.

This classic was first created for Count Camillo Negroni in 1919 at Florence's Café Casoni.  A century later and millions of Negroinis, and this has sealed itself as one of the world's greatest classics. Below is the deceptively simple and delicious cocktail. We have included 2 bottles each of the Turin Bitters and the Drapo Rosso Vermouth so once you have gone through your first bottle of Marconi 46 all you have to do is grab another bottle or choose any one of your favourite local or international gins.

Ingredients

1 oz. Italian Bitters
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Sweet vermouth

Instructions

Stir Tuve Bitters, gin, and vermouth in an ice-filled tumbler; garnish with orange slice.

There are only a select few, perfect locations, to grow great wine on this big blue orb of ours and those are between 30 and 50 degrees north and south latitudes. Those regions need to provide just the right temperature, humidity, heat and climate to grow high quality grapes. We are absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to the northern reaches with the whole of Europe at our disposal, but travel further south and things are a little different.

While New Zealand and Tasmania provide us with plenty of choices (and we would be remiss not to include them) the southern reaches sitting on and just below the 40 degrees latitude offer a up a wholy unique drinking experience.

While grapes like riesling, cabernet and pinot noir are familiar to us, a number of the wines in this months pack aren't seen so regularly on your local wines list or on the shelves of your corner wine store. From Malbec's in Argentina to the infamous Pinotage and the more classic varietals like Chenin in South Africa this is an exploration of all that is good in these great southern lands of ours.

Where do we start with such an awesome selection of interesting wine? It's hard to decide we might just do a quick run down by country.

South America is relatively new to the wine scene but has come along in leap and bounds. WE start with a couple of classics with the Finca Los Moras Malbec and the Santa Ana Cabernet. These are text book varietal wines with plenty to love in their up-front fruit and modern styling. For something a little different we through in the Bouchon pais. For those who do not know, Pais is an old variety that is Chile's answer to pinot noir. With a little more bite and a wild flourish this a great introduction to this fascinating wine.

Closer to home in New Zealand we have few classic drops with the Palliser Estate Pencarrow pinot. A wine you would be hard pressed to find with the structure, concentration and complexity at the same price. Off to Hawkes Bay for some stonking Chardonnay from Bilancia fame and some of the world most underrated syrah from stars Te Mata. What a treat!

Just in our backyard, Tassie continues to pump out some of the best wine in the country and while we would never miss out on showcasing another great pinot there is some real winners with pinot gris and riesling on the rise. The Moores Hill gris is a freat example of textural and vibrant gris from the Apple Isle with the Riversdale riesling hot on its tale.

And for something a little different we have got the latest release Willie Smiths Cider. This is an absolute belter, and we couldn't help but included it once we were told it had been released. Perfect timing! We will take that one!

Last, and something we don't see much in Aus is a cracking selection of wines from South Africa. Long-term customers may recognise some of these wines and as far as we are concerned, they are some of the best modern day Cape wines to make it over. The Bare Bones cinsault is a zippy red full of energy while the Winery of Good Hope pinotage is a juicy and fun take on this classic red variety,

And what would a selection of wine from South Africa be without a chenin blanc. The Secateurs is clean and crunchy with a plush fruit profile that is cleaned up by chenin's zippy acidity.
All in al a pretty awesome and exciting collection of stellar wines from the great south!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!