Chateau D'Orignac Pineau Des Charentes
$58.99
Pineau des Charentes is a classic French aperitif made from unfermented grape juice and Cognac.
DB Schmitt Erdreic
$42.99
The Schmitt winery has been in the family for over 230 years, with Bianka and Daniel working their 16 hectares for the last decade. They work in full biodynamic, which they learned from legendary Alsace vigneron Patrick Meyer and are one of only 80 producers in Germany to be Demeter certified.
Tavel Prieure De Montezargues 1.5L Mag
$74.99
89 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2013 vintage - and a great 1500-mL large-format bottle, too! The review: "Made in a lighter style (for Tavel), with pretty rose bud, red currants and framboise, the 2013 Tavel is medium-bodied and juicy on the palate, with racy acidity coming through on the palate. As with a number of Tavels, this beauty will be better in another 3-4 months and have upwards of 2-3 years of longevity."
Canella LIDO Prosecco Rose 200ml
$8.99
A refreshing rose style from one of Italy's premier Prosecco producers.
Batasiolo Moscato D Asti
$22.99
A fresh, fizzy wine from one of Italy's most famous wine regions!
Meinklang Prosa Sparkling
$32.99
This sparkling rosé is made from a combination of Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, and Blaufränkisch. The grapes are direct pressed into stainless steel to ferment. The charmant method is used to trap CO2 and render the wine bubbly. It is loosely filtered and stabilized with 70ppm of Sulphur before bottling. The final wine has 14g/l of residual sugar. Pair with appetizers or charcuterie. Serve slightly chilled. Suitable for vegans and fans of organic wines made with minimal intervention!
Escarpment Pahi Pinot Noir
$74.99
Escarpment strives to produce wines that capture a unique sense of place. Their home vineyard on Te Muna Road is situated just minutes east of Martinborough village, with 24 hectares of distinctive alluvial gravel, and terraced land stretches out along the banks of the Huangarua River. The soils of the vineyard are alluvial loams that were formed by the Huangarua River over 20,000 years ago. With very deep alluvial gravels now layered over the loams, this composition ensures exceptional drainage, one of the key prerequisites for nurturing and producing premium quality, healthy grape vines.
Takizawa Blue Tokubetsu
$37.99
Rich, Full-Bodied rice flavour and sweetness brewed using Kokuyo Water which is soft. The slower fermentation with soft water process results in a delicate, clean, and refined sake profile. The Tokubetsu designation in this category refers to a polishing ratio of 60% or less. This sake gives you lustrous umami, a rich yet supple mouthfeel, and a sharply defined, clean finish.
Becker Guillaume Red Wine
$31.99
Guillaume is the French translation of Wilhelm. The name Wilhelm in turn means the conqueror.
With a mouthful of a label name like Familie Friedrich Becker Guillaume Rotwein, you must be wondering: is this wine German or French? This Cuvee takes its queues from both wine-making countries, typically being made with a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Dornfelder. It also sometimes features Pinot Meunier and Blauer Portugieser (a red grape variety planted mostly in Germany, Austria and also in Portugal, under the name “Português Azul”). The exact recipe for this Cuvee changes from vintage to vintage.
Thanks to the growing region, the grapes are grown on two different soil types. Some vines are planted on deep loam and clay soils while others are rooted in limestone soils. The age of the vines is between 19 and 35 years. The grapes are hand-picked, destemmed and allowed to naturally ferment. After two to three weeks of fermentation in open oak vats and vats, they were gently pressed. Further maturation took place for 25 months in large and small oak barrels. The wine was bottled in December 2022 without filtration or fining.
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The Becker family owns more than 30 hectares and produces over 12,000 cases annually. Positioned on the very border with France in the town of Schweigen, the Beckers have witnessed that border shifting throughout history. Today, they have vineyards on both the French and German sides, at the edge of the Palatinate (Pfalz) forest—with 50 percent of their land situated on the French side in Alsace.
The soils in the area are composed of deep layers of shell limestone, with various topsoils, which in combination with the region’s mild climate, provide the ideal growing conditions for Spätburgunder. Hence, the logical focus is on the variety. As one of the pioneers, Fritz Becker Sr. was also one of the first winemakers in the region to mature his Spätburgunder in barriques.
Their most prestigious vineyard is Kammerberg, a steep single vineyard on deep marl and limestone near Wissembourg, recovered by Fritz Sr. in 1967. The old vines are mostly German clones and some French and grow on deep marl lime soils that produce powerful but also refined, mineral-driven Pinot Noirs (it is all about the dirt here!); St. Paul cultivated here in the 14th century by the Cistercians of Wissembourg, which had since become overgrown but the Beckers uprooted trees and bushes in early 2000 and planted Spätburgunder; and Sonnenberg, with poor limestone soils ideal for growing Riesling.
From KWM: We sourced these wines a year ago after reading the rave reviews from numerous publications, in Germany and beyond. The Pinot Noirs are prized and will give Burgundy fans a solid alternative.