Calvados, Red, Grillo, cider

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!

Some years ago, my passion always growing for white wines and my desire to produce white wine to recount the limestone and the sense of the rock of the Iblei Mounts, I started to search for a place where to plant a new vineyard. In 2016 after some research, I found Santa Margherita, a contrada I fell in love with, at the base at the foot of Chiaramonte Gulfi, an ancient village on the Iblei Mounts. The vineyard, sited at 490 meters on the level of the sea, surrounded by pine forest, oaks and secular olive trees, is divided in 4 parcels on sandy calcareous marl of whitish colour, with sand and yellowish white calcarenites. They are sediments that comes from sea since Pleistocene period. The parcels Costa Sud and Costa Nord, with a training system method called alberello, they have rich soil about gypsum and fossils and give complexity and salinity. The parcels Terrazza and Trefile, with a training system, alberello growing on trellis, are rich about limestone and give more pulp and acidity. The variety? The Grillo. White grape variety, with great personality, very diffused in west Sicily and since last ten years in East Sicily too with historic name of Riddu. Probably it is a cross of Zibibbo and Catarratto. It has a good aromatic intensity, that remind you of typical citrus notes accompanied by spicy vegetal notes and white flowers. It has a good balance between the alcoholic sensation and the acidity, and it is particularly savory. In this way, I would like that this variety be considered an intermediary, a tool available to the terroir and not the aim. The wine, after a short maceration of 48 hours, ferments spontaneously in concrete and oval Austrian oak barrel, in which it has aged for 12 months. ARIANNA OCCHIPINTI

Precise nose with layers and layers of red berries, strawberries, blueberries, hibiscus, and minerals. Hint of moss, stems and white pepper, too. Beautifully knit and nimble with a precise, medium-bodied palate rounded by firm yet very silky, polished tannins. A refined, juicy finish with fine herbs that makes you crave a second glass. Really long. Drink or hold. (95) JAMES SUCKLING

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!

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!

Black raspberry fruits and a potpourri of dried country herbs lavender, mint, thyme and sinsimella. Marked by the leather and spice of SamsÌ_, but entirely without heaviness, it has a lovely fresh and easy release. Spicey, chewy, nice sweet pippy-purple fruits of a fine, open developed balsamic herbal expression and a deep sense of the earth.

The 2016 Valpolicella Superiore is intense, with a captivating bouquet that blends cedar shavings, savory herbs and balsamic spices with rum-soaked cherries, sweet lavender and dark chocolate. This sweeps across the palate with silken textures, delivering masses of tart red and black fruits along with hints of espresso bean. Crunchy mineral tones and zesty acidity add dramatic lift. The 2016 tapers off long and staining, sporting a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as grippy tannins resonate. The 2016 is a well-muscled dancer yet still youthfully coiled. (95) ERIC GUIDO

Dense garnet color, full of polished aromas of balsamic, cedar wood, earthy minerality, licorice, leather, restrained bramble fruit and coffee grounds. Dry, full-bodied and velvety on the palate, with lifted acidity and an austere finish. Long, slightly chocolatey aftertaste. (96) JAMES SUCKLING

The new release for 2024, 2016 is a much anticipated vintage from Dal Forno given that the 2017 was released first. But it has needed the extra time in bottle: export manager Marco Pinna explained that production volumes in 2016 were compromised by hailstorms in 2015. This had the result of naturally reducing yields and lending even more concentration than usual to the wine. Darker and richer in aroma compared to the 2017 Valpolicella, it clings on to a nutty, reductive character, with wisps of mint and fenugreek. In the mouth it's fleshy and powerful; less vertical than the 2017. There's a slightly meaty touch to the ripe, concentrated red and black berries, lifted by floral notes of iris and violets as well as crushed rock and exotic spices. Voluptuous black cherry emerges towards the end, but this still feels quite tight and closed; the best is yet to come. (97) DECANTER

The 1988 Marsala Superiore Oro Riserva is a dark amber color with orange hues. It opens with a spice-box bouquet that takes all the confections of Autumn and Christmas blended with dried apricots, peaches and cedar shavings. It's silky smooth yet lifted and decidedly savory, with a burst of ground ginger and sour citrus complicating its remnants of tart orchard fruit. Butterscotch comes together with clove and golden raisin as the 1988 finishes impossibly long and potent. It shows just a touch of forgivable heat as suggestions of hazelnut linger on and on. More like a brown spirit than a wine, the 1988 is irresistible. ERIC GUIDO

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!

The only vergine riserva ever made by de Bartoli who was encouraged to try this style by Berry Bros and Rudd
The 1988 Marsala Vergine Riserva mixes amber with red hues, lifting up dusty and savory with notes of cave-aged gouda, quince, baked apple and clove. With time in the glass, it gains in volume, evolving to show rich dark chocolates and dried roses. There are depths of texture here, yet it's wonderfully balanced by vibrant acidity as salted caramel and exotic spices wash across the palate, leaving a coating of mineral-drenched orchard fruits under an air of burnt sugar and tobacco. The experience goes on and on, as minutes can go by, and you're still not just tasting but feeling the 1988's glycerol heft lingering incredibly long. This edition of the Vergine Riserva was bottled in 2019, which is stated on the front label. ERIC GUIDO

Toasted hazelnuts, mahogany, hard cheese touches, toast and spice. Touch of sweet fruit to enter, then toasted hazelnut and walnut. Spice, some chew, with a very long, pain d'épices and toasted hazelnut finish. Salty tang. 19% TIM JACKSON MW