Champagne, Calvados, Sake, Bar...

Paolo Scavino owns 29 hectares entirely in the Barolo area and works on 20 Barolo historical crus located in Castiglione Falletto, Barolo, La Morra, Novello, Serralunga d'Alba, Verduno and Roddi. The Scavino family distinguishes itself from the beginning by their scrupulous care of the vineyards and passion for terroir. Their core beliefs is the supremacy of the viticulture above the oenology therefore the focus is the care of the vines in order to grow ripe and healthy grapes. In winemaking minimal and equal intervention are sought, to preserve natural diversities, terroir.

Second year in a row for this wine (new vintage) so you know it must be good. While they may be well know for their excellent Barolo this wine is always one that sucks us in when we try it. Nebbiolo from younger vines and those that don't quite make the cut go into this delicious Piemontese red. A melange of read and black fruits with roasted earthy notes from the neb component striking a beautiful counterpoint of savouryness to the sweet fruits. So plush and mellow but with a tingling spine of energy and fresh cut acidity. A wonderfull combo of vibrancy and velvety fruit. Love this 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!

Ripe, plummy fruits leap from the glass followed up by violets, dried rose, gravel and something that reminds me of the perfect Sunday lamb roast. Yum. This is unctuous, round and ripe at first but just when it's needed that tart Barbera acidity comes to the rescue, freshening the palate and propelling the wine forward revealing a lovely mineral tingle and foundation of ripe tannin in its wake. This is very appealing and even more so when you see the price tag. ALEX DOBSON

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 domaine crafts two Barbara wines, both sitting at what we could call ‘the serious end’ of the Barbera spectrum. In a Bibendum setting, this means closer in style to the structured, ageworthy style of Cavallotto, rather than, say, the approachable and seductive character of Sandrone or Massolino. This wine is the more fruit-forward of the two and is drawn from the Majano vineyard in Neive, sitting at 190 metres on sandy clay. The oldest vines here have reached 50 years of age, bringing uncommon depth and vinosity. The wine was matured in stainless steel for 12 months before bottling.

This is superb; bloody and ferrous yet with lovely florals and a pure, dark cherry core. It immediately speaks as to why we love this producer. There’s depth yet great finesse and it’s loaded with character.

Handago’ means Handa area/village/city where Kunizakari has been located since 1844.

This Sake is made with 100% local rice from their contracted rice farmers. Delicate citrus tones on the nose, clean and light texture and Umami from the rice, fully flavoured with fresh grape fruitiness.

‘Karakuchi’ means dry and crisp, and this Sake has a beautifully dry, crisp and clean finish.

The 2020 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Gepin is deep, flavorful with tons of character. It emerges from the Cottà cru, where the wines are naturally rich and creamy. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and incense all open nicely. A year of aging in cask adds structure. What I like most about the 2020 is the combination of fruit intensity and depth, but in the restrained, classic style that is the norm here these days. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

The name of this wine is taken from the previous farmer. Gepin tended these old parcels of Barbera in the great crus of Ronchi (Barbaresco) and Cottà (Neive), planted between 1950 and 1974.

This wine has improved out of sight in recent vintages (in part thanks to enhanced barrel integration) and has now become a regular in our portfolio. Where the classic Barbera is raised in tank, the Gepin matures for 12 months in low-impact, large Austrian casks (from you know who) and is bottled unfiltered

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!

Oka Kura is Junmai sake based, aromatized with four unique Japanese botanicals, and fortified with shochu. It is produced in Kumamoto, Japan, at the Tsutsumi Distillery. Oka Kura has a medium-light body with a round mouthfeel provided by the sake. You can very clearly taste the rice, yeast, yuzu, wormwood, and sansho. The combination of yuzu and yomogi creates a strong grapefruit backbone that dominates the palate beginning to end. 

Oka Kura Bermutto is a uniquely Japanese take on the category of vermouth made from aromatised, shochu-fortified sake. Technically it's not a vermouth because it is not wine-based, but it works in cocktails as a vermouth should—as a botanically-infusing, low ABV modifier— that bridges a gap between sake, shochu, and vermouth.

The name Fukuju is derived from one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology. Fukuju is a relatively small brewery, making artisan and craft sake. Current owner Yasafuku San is 13th generation.

The house style is very elegant. The water in Nada/Kobe is called Miyamizu, and it is hard water by Japanese standards, full of minerals and is famous water in the ‘sake world’. Nada regional style is dry and has good grip with spiciness.

Water’s influence is very significant in Sake style, and Fukuju use this Miyamizu as well as blending pure water (filtered soft water) to make particular style of Sake. They take ‘water’ seriously in making and developing new way of Sake making.

Fukuju is traditional with a modern approach at the same time. Since the large earthquake in this area in 1995, they built their brewery which is Seismic structure, and are progressing to create ecofriendly and sustainable way of Sake making.

The water in Nada/Kobe is called Miyamizu and is famous because it's full of minerals. Fukuju Junmai Sake is dry and has good grip with spiciness.

Organic. Lalù’s Barbera just gets better. The new release is the first to include fruit from the new estate vineyard of Bricco Giubellini in Monforte. The vines here lie on Diano sandstone at a lofty 530 metres, an altitude that brings welcome freshness to warmer Piemonte vintages such as 2022 and 2023. The balance of the Barbera is drawn from fruit purchased from Monforte’s San Sebastiano—another site Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala believe exceptional for this variety.

Made with a mix of whole berries and bunches, the wine fermented and matured for eight months entirely in concrete. It’s a more powerful, sensual release than last year, still perfumed and vibrant yet more textural. The wine slinks out of the glass with pure red berries, violets and brown spices before turning towards more earthy shades of liquorice and woody herbs. The palate has joyous purity as well as a lovely mouthwatering quality from both the powdery tannins and the variety’s bright acidity while also hinting at Lalù’s light touch in the cellar. A first-class artisanal Barbera here.

This is a bit of a banger. Raspberry, almond paste, dried roses, a fair bit of white pepper and spice, aniseed too. It’s medium-bodied, frisky and fresh, plenty of red fruits, dried herb, a ‘mineral’ feel to it, not least with regards to acidity, peppery tannin, lots of energy, also kind of earthy and gravelly too, with a brisk finish of excellent length. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

The 2020 Freisa Bonina is another fabulous wine in the entry-level portion of the range. Bright and translucent, the 2020 delivers striking complexity and nuance. Rose petal, lavender, spice, mint and dried herbs all open in the glass. The 2020 is translucent, bright and wonderfully expressive. For readers who want to explore Freisa, this is certainly a great start. ANOTONIO GALLONI,Vinous

ANDRE CLOUET (9/10) 

Bouzy and Ambonnay are the epicentre of pinot noir in Champagne, and the Clouet family is the priviledged custodian of eight hectares of estate vines in the best middle slopes of both villages.  These are rich and concentrated expressions of pinot noir, wines of deep complexity, multi faceted interest and engaging character, yet with remarkable restraint and sense of control.  Recent tastings confirm my impression that this small and relatively unknown grower ranks high among Champagne's finest practitioners of pinot noir - and expresses one of the best value of all.

100% Bouzy and Ambonnay pinot noir.  6g/L dosage
Release after release, year after year, I have always marvelled at the lemon blossom freshness that Clouet manages to capture in pinot noir from two of Champagne's most powerful terroirs.  Here it is again, in a captivating interplay of fleshy mirabelle plums, white peaches, crunchy golden delicious apples, and even a hint of pepper.  Wild honey and mixed spice join the maelstrom along the way, gliding obediently into a well defined finish of soft minerality and integrated dosage.  TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide 2014-2015

(100% Pinot Noir)The NV Brut Grande Reserve offers up layers of mineral-infused red fruits on a silky, mid-weight frame, with gorgeous length and a refined, subtle mousse. This impeccable, elegant wine shows terrific overall balance as well as complexity. I loved it. Andre Clouet is based in Bouzy, a village where Pinot Noir speaks with great eloquence, as is evident in these superb, pedigreed Champagnes. ANTONIO GALLONI, Robert Parker

Stefanetto comes from mature vines in Busso’s San Stunet vineyard (see notes for the Barbaresco San Stunet below). The higher altitude (380m above sea level), age of vines (25 to 50 years old) and limestone rich soils all contribute to a deeper and more structured Barbera than the Majano. Accordingly, this wine is raised in neutral barrels of various sizes for at least 12 months. It is also released with one extra year of age.

This has more overt flesh, more plummy fruit, wilder notes and powdery tannins. In short, it’s a dark and layered Barbera of enormous character and length.

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This is a classy single vineyard barbera. From 45-65 year old densely planted vines, the Marun was the brainchild of Matteo Correggia. He sourced fruit from sandy soils at the top of the hill with a sunny exposition and good air flow to stifle vine disease.

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!

Black tea and Umeshu blended. Ume and tropical notes on the nose with almond character. Medium body Umeshu with a creamy texture, the palate shows clean sweetness and good quality black tea, tannin and clean acidity. The finish is clean. Chilled Umeshu straight, over ice,or cold spring water. Great for Umeshu cocktail.

Cavallotto’s Vigna del Cuculo is a major-league Barbera from a parcel of 50-plus-year-old vines on the western side of Bricco Boschis. This parcel is named after the cuckoo bird (cuculo)—we’re not sure why, and neither is Alfio Cavallotto! This wine's unique power and ridiculous quality can be attributed to the mature vines, low yields and powerful terroir of the Bricco Boschis. The western aspect and the preponderance of limestone temper Barbera’s natural acidity, and Alfio Cavallotto explains that this ‘Barolo’ terroir contributes to an aromatic range in Barbera that is closer to Nebbiolo.

The winemaking is also distinctive, with up to 18 days on skins (a long time for Barbera) and then aging for 20 months in the same mature Slavonian casks as the Nebbiolo wines. 2021 is a wonderfully fleshy and perfumed year for this benchmark wine. It’s got that core of pure, sweet, plummy fruit so particular to this Barbera, here infused with nuances of anise, dried flower and earthy minerals. The tannins are supple and elegant, the acidity ripe yet racy, and the wine finishes with unusual depth, finesse and complexity for the variety. Equally deep, complex and textural—not all Barbera is created equal.

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!