100% Mencia from Bodegas Godelia  situated in the region of Bierzo, Spain.

Earthy notes accompany cherry-plum and cooking spice aromas on the nose and lead to a palate with gentle tannins and similar spicy fruit notes delivered in a super fresh style.  

Tasting Note: Shiny golden yellow colour. Ample ripe fruit aromas with typical floral notes of Moscatel grapes. Long and unctuous on the palate, leaving a pleasant, lingering dry finish with a hint of white florals.

Winemaking Notes: Harvested at night, when the grapes have reached optimum ripeness, enhancing their intense aroma. Low-temperature fermentation to preserve the individual aromas of each variety.

Certification: Organic, Vegan

Alcohol: 12.5%

Variety: Moscatel and Chardonnay

Region: Jumilla, Spain

If the word Robola doesn't ring any bells, that's because it's from the relatively remote Greek Ionian islands, such as Kefalonia, the fifth largest of all the country's islands and home to this super fresh, dry, full bodied white. 

Kefalonia is just south of the more famous island of Corfu to the west of the Pelopponese peninsula and the soils combined with the altitude (up to 900 metres above sea level) are diverse, resulting in a range of different styles of wines. 

About the Petrakopoulos winery

Petrakopoulos winery is located near to Thiramonas in the south of Kefalonia. Its grapes are grown on Mt Ainos and nearby and the winery is housed in a small villa, run by winemaker Kiki Siameli. 

This is an outstanding white and we also have a lower priced, exceptionally nice Robola, a younger sibling to this wine. 

From Mullineux Wines

The aim with our Syrah is to give true and complete expression to the Shale & Schist and Granite terroirs in which the vines grow. Approximately half the grapes are whole-bunch fermented and all fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 11 months in French oak, 15% new. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

TASTING NOTES
This perfumed Syrah has notes of spicy citrus rind, refined black fruit, violets and lilies. The palate is elegant and restrained with a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. The finish is long with supple tannins. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.

Another cracker from South Africa's master craftsman Duncan Savage. This is a blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Syrah from Citrusdal Mountain in the Olifants River Valley, Western Cape. This is a pretty wine real depth and sees 70% whole clusters in the ferment. 

"The wine shows a real individuality and personality with bright fragrant violet perfume, sappy spicy peppery raspberry and redcurrant confit complexity, hints of sun raisined cranberries, cured bresaola, boiled raspberry sweets and wild strawberries. The palate weight is soft and sensual, combining the best of both Grenache and Cinsault to form an impressively harmonious, silky soft sappy red blend. The wine seems to grow exponentially in the glass, unfurling and unravelling to reveal layers of strawberry jam, raspberry compote and Turkish delight all framed with bright crystalline acids that really amplify the wines purity, minerality and sense of place.

Such a pretty wine with the sleekest and most polished tannins and a mellow fruit intensity. Despite its eminent drinkability in youth, this is no frivolous ?vin de soif? and could just maybe, over time, acquire a similar cult following to that of Duncan?s excellent Cinsault-dominated Follow The Line red from Darling. A very confident debut!" Drink from 2018 to 2028+. (93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

From Mullineux...

The Swartland is blessed with an abundance of old vine Chenin and we use this as the backbone of our white blend. We then add several small parcels of Mediterranean varieties for complexity, balance and aromatic lift. The grapes come from vineyard parcels in different parts of the Swartland:  the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg,  the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg and the rolling, iron-rich hills west of Malmesbury.

Fermentation is in barrel with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new.

TASTING NOTES
Pale straw in colour, this wine has a nose of ripe, green citrus fruit and Christmas spices. The palate is fresh and richly textured, with notes of ripe pears, almonds and peaches, and a clove-like finish. Best served at about 12 ?C, this wine will show optimally when decanted in the first 3 years after bottling.

Ozu Chardonnay (D.O. Navarra) is 100% Chardonnay and spends three months on its lees prior to bottling. No oak is used and the wine is clean, bright and mineral with a floral and citrus nose.

Pairs well with seafood, grilled and baked fish, white meats, light pasta dishes and sheep's cheeses.

ZENKURO - This is New Zealand's first ever sake, handcrafted since 2015, in Queenstown.  Our fresh, Premium grade junmai style of sake is pure, nothing added, but give a unique twist with the use of Manuka timber, NZ's own miracle tree.

Our brand is Zenkura - while 'zen' means all, 'kuro' means black - a simple but powerful combination born in NZ.  We start with water from the snow-capped Southern Alps and special sake rice that has been milled to remove the outer 40%, leaving only the best part of each grain for the fermentation to begin.

18% ABV.

Stunning Cabernet Franc from Argentina, showing another string to this powerful South American red wine bow - dark blackcurrant and ripe black plum aromas are followed by the fleshy appeal of a lush palate texture and long finish. 

A great wine for drinking now and also to age for eight to nine years and beyond...

2.5 bar in the name of this wine refers to the pressure, which is half of the pressure in bottle fermented sparkling wines, giving this cheeky little quaffer a superb yet subtle spritz. Sun ripened strawberries on the nose lead to a feather light palate with similar red berry flavours. Ethereal and bubbly!

The Payada is a competitive composing and singing of verses native to Argentina, usually accompanied by guitar. The performer is called a Payador and in performances two or more payadores will compete to produce the most eloquent verse, each answering questions posed by the other, often insulting. 

El Payador is a contemporary and fruit driven Argentinian Malbec created in partnership with third generation Mendoza wine-maker Jorge Daniel Falasco. The wine is sourced from a single high altitude vineyard at over twelve hundred metres above sea level and primarily matured in season French oak.

Mara Martín Exceptional white wine born in the heart of Monterrei. The essence of inland Galicia runs through its veins: freshness and serenity. Mara takes you by the hand to a brilliant autumn. Mara participates in the recovery of the Wall of Medeiros, a unique Iron Age fortification surrounded by ancient cave presses. An ancestral wine landscape that little by little will reveal its secrets. Mara was born in the heart of Monterrei. The essence of interior Galicia runs through her veins: freshness and serenity. Mara leads you by the hand to brilliant autumn.

Kurokame Honkaku Shochu - 50 proof, 25%ABV

Kurokame is a surprising imo shochu made with “purple” Satsuma sweet potatoes. These potatoes have a robust reddish purple skin, but are a pale yellow inside. It is distilled traditionally in earthen pots (kame) using black koji (kuro koji) – thus the name, Kurokame – or black stone pot.

Kurokame has a surprisingly neutral nose. Imos tend to smell like fresh dirt in a good way. This imo smells more subtle – almost a roasted essence. The initial palate is spicy with a rich sweetness. And then the roast hits – a roasted wheat flavor. The roast holds along with a hint of sweet spiciness throughout the finish.

This is a delicious imo shochu. It’s difficult to decide whether we prefer it neat, cut with water (hot or cold), or on the rocks. Highly Recommended