Casal di Serra Verdicchio was first made in 1983 from grapes grown in the Montecarotto Vineyard. It now includes grapes from three other vineyards, all of which are fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and fruit flavours. It is then aged in tank for five months in contact with yeast lees but with no malolactic fermentation. 

Verdicchio tastes great with Seafood, the ideal match with Verdicchio, as is soft cheese.

The Marche region

The altitude vineyards and sea breezes in the warm Mediterranean Marche region both combine to create a wine with vibrant freshness and bright acidity as well as a medium to full body. Verdicchio is nearly always made as a 100% varietal dry white and also lends itself to high quality sparkling wine, thanks to its robust acidity.

The earliest written mention of the Verdicchio grape is in 1569 and it makes some of the most age worthy dry whites in all of Italy, even at relatively modest prices such as this outstanding wine from Umani Ronchi, which is now organically certified and represents one of our greatest hidden treasures on our white wine shelves.

Buy it by the case and watch its tasty flavours unfold over four to five years, potentially longer.

Savoury, structured and classically beautiful Bordeaux which drinks beautifully with complex black olive, dried herb and fragrant dark fruit flavours now; made from 48% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc. 

Chateau Magnol has 31 hectares of grapes in the Haut-Médoc, west of the city of Bordeaux and has gravel as well as sandy soils in its vineyards. It has gained the classification of Cru Bourgeois, which this commandingly impressive wine more than lives up to. 

MELON LIQUEUR

O Luar do Sil means: “The Reflection of the Moon on the river Sil” and the vineyards are located in the steep sided valley of the Sil river. This is 100% Godello and the grapes were harvested from two plots of granite soil near the Codos de Larouco.

Grapes are harvested by hand in the middle of September using 15kg crates. After destemming, they undergo a cold maceration below 8ºc to obtain the maximum expression of fruit. They are then pressed at low pressure and racked to remove the gross lees. The must is fermented using selected yeast for 14 days at a controlled temperature in stainless steel vats. After fermentation, the wine is kept of the fine lees for 6 months to gain richness, body and aromatic power, using batonage to redistribute the fine lees, after which it is naturally clarified.

Tasting Notes - A clean, bright colour with a glycerin rim in the glass. Subtly complex on the nose with white and wild flower notes. On the palate it shows great balance between fresh, green fruit and the ripeness of fine lees. Agreeable, complex and delicate with a predominating fruit and mineral sensation.

Apple

13.9% ABV.

If you are looking for a treat yourself or for the wine lover in your life, here is a Spanish red that will surprise and please in equal measure. 

This full bodied wine has the dark fruit flavours of a Mediterranean wine but is beautifully balanced by the naturally high acidity of the Mencia grape, which provides a sense of freshness to the wine. This fascinating blend of five grapes is mostly Mencia which makes up 90% of the wine with the remaining grapes being Brancellao, Mouton, Souson and Garnacha Tintorera. The wine was aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels. 

Spain is known for its wealth of old vines, mostly grown en vaso (in the shape of a vase) and low to the ground to keep them anchored since there is no trellis they can rely on for support.

These sturdy vines have hefty trunks and, impressively, produce grapes even when they are 100 years of age and older. The fruit tends to taste extremely concentrated and is not exactly plentiful on these old vines, which can yield as low as one to 1.5 kgs of grapes per vine but the results are worth retaining these beautiful, noble and commanding old plants. 

An elegant floral and citrus driven wine with great purity, made with 100% Albarino from Rías Baixas in Spain's northwest. A perfect match for most seafood.

Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a northern Rhône wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rhône blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Violès on Le Plan de Dieu supplemented by some from Visan. Soils are a mixture of limestone and blue clay. Average vine density is 7,000 vines per hectare with the average age a very heartening 30 to 50 years. Vines are hand-harvested – yields averaging 40 hl/ha – before being sorted in both vineyard and cellar.

 Ogier joined his father Michel in 1997 to work the family vineyards and built a glamorous new winery just south of Ampuis overlooked by the steep Côte Rôtie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rhône to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

The Domaine des Espiers is located in the heart of Vaucluse, between the banks of the Ouvèze and Dentelles de Montmirail. This is an excellent value Cote du Rhone with smooth tannins, warm berry fruit flavours and a medium body. 

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec from Margaret River, Western Australia

Generosity, layers and contours surround the palate. Density of dark forest fruits combine with cacao, cracked coffee and anise. Vibrancy and energy is underlined with a mineral and graphite acid line and delicate elegant finish.