Give it a go! Part 3: Lugana

As in France many wines in Italy are named after the region, a well known example is Valpolicella. Another one you may have come across is Lugana, these wines come from a small area in Northern Italy located along southeast of Lake Garda near San Martino della Battaglia. The wines from Lugana are white and are made from the trebbiano grape, also known in france as Ugni Blanc and used in the production of Cognac. As trebbiano is usch a widely planted grape its style


Zenato Lugana


The grapes for this wine come from the lovely area enclosed within the morainic arc on the south shore of Lake Garda, stretching from Peschiera to Desenzano. This limited-production wine is a green-flecked straw yellow in appearance; marked by elegant and appealing fragrances, it shows a crisp, fruity palate that is supple and rounded as well. The wine is dry with balanced acidity and a slight and pleasant finish.


Tommasi 'Le Fornaci' Lugana currently 2 bottles for €25


The vines for this wine are cultivated in soil deposited glacier which carved out Lake Garda in the Le Fornaci Vineyard. This soil characteristically yields only a small volume of the most prestigious Trebbiano di Lugana grapes. The wine is a lovely moon yellow in colour and displays clean aromas with spicy hints, highlighted by delicious hints of tropical fruit.

Give it a go! Part 2: Albarino

Last time we looked a grenache a red wine, this time we'll go for some a different white, Albarino from Galicia in Spain. These whites have something different to offer the white wine lover.

Albarino is noted for its distinctive aroma, very similar to that of Viognier, suggesting apricot and
peach. The wine produced is unusually light, and generally high in acidity with low alcohol levels of 11.5-12.5%. produces white wines with good acidity, rich, but dry mouth feel and peachy fruit characters.

In recent years Albarino has attracted the attention of Australian winemakers, as they strive to produce interesting varietal wines. But, earlier this year it was discovered that grape growers and wine makers in Australia have selling mis-labelled Albarino for over a decade. What they thought was this great Spanish grape,turned out to be a French grape called Savagnin (this grape is different from the sauvignon blanc grape we all know it is mainly found in Jura in France).

As a result Spain remains the world leader in Albarino and the Sin Palabras Albarino we have on offer for August is a fantastic example of this wine with its nice depth of nutty fruit, peach and pear notes. This wine is made from 50 year old vines and is loaded with personalityit has great texture in the mouth and a delicous fresh finish.

Check out the Discounts on These Great Wines

Our 20% off 20 wines Sale is over but not to worry we still have great offers in store for August, Check out the following wines there is something here for everybody from Albarino to Zinfandel

WHITES

Sin Palabras Albarino, Spain

Regular Price € 16.95 Now 2 bottles for €30

This wine is made from 50 year old plus Albarino grapes located on granite soils on the banks of the River Ulla. The result is a wine loaded with personality; well balanced acidity; the wine is a bit Viognier-like, with a nice depth of nutty fruit, some peach and pear notes, good texture and a fresh finish.

Wild South Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

Regular Price € 16.95 Now 2 bottles for €30

“Old fashioned” in style, the nose offers up gooseberry and grass with asparagus and capsicum that carry through to the pungent, flavoursome palate. Full of gooseberry, lime, asparagus, bean and capsicum with a slightly grainy texture, a refreshing zesty brightness and a long mouth-filling finish.

Tommasi ‘Le Fornaci’ Lugana

Regular Price € 13.45 Now 2 bottle for €25

Take your senses on a picturesque trip to the shores of Lake Garda. The lucky grapes grown here have produced a sensational bright and sunny white with a lemony colour and delicious combination of white fruit and hazelnut flavours all perfectly finished with a zip of minerality.

Honore de Berticot Sauvignon, France

Regular Price € 11.95 Now 2 bottle for €20

The Sauvignon Blanc is a pale yellow-golden colour with gooseberries, grass, lemon, and wild flowers on the nose. The palate is well balanced with some ripe gooseberry fruit coming through. Refreshing with a reasonably long finish.

REDS

Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueryas, France

Regular Price € 19.95 Now 2 bottles for €35

Very inviting, with crushed plum, warm espresso, Black forest cake and black tea notes that stay fresh and lively thanks to the long, graphite tinged finish. Aromas of cherry, black fruits, and red pepper. Filled with ripe fruits, very subtle but noticeable spices, and warm earth notes. Well balanced with an interesting rounded finish.

The Bill Pinot Noir, Chile

Regular Price € 19.95 Now 2 bottles for €35

Notes of dark red fruit, with lingering aromas of forest undergrowth and hints of Rosemary take this wine to a superior level of expression. The Bill will allow you to enjoy a brilliant example of Pinot Noir with exceptional intensity of Aromas and length on the palate.

Botalcura Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva, Chile

Regular Price € 17.95 Now 2 bottles for €30

This cabernet shows the harmony and finesse of all its components. It has a good colour, delicate fruit aromas, and spicy elements from the forward wood, revealing its ageing in noble oak. The impression in the mouth is linear and well balanced, with backbone. The acid and tannin structure is elegant yet firm, making this wine a good candidate for extended bottle ageing, which will result in fine integration of its many flavours.

Domaine de Bisconte Cotes du Roussillon, France

Regular Price € 11.95 Now 2 bottle for €20

40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30% Carignan. 12 months in oak. Ripe red fruit leads the way with wonderfully characterful wine. Medium to full bodied with subtle notes of vanilla and soft tannins. Long and elegant.

Borsao Selection, Spain

Regular Price € 11.95 Now 2 bottle for €20

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Tempranillo. A young wine with body and the spicy flavours typical of grapes grown in the shade of the moncayo. At the nose one can appreciate the aroma of ripe fruit with floral tones. In addition it has a finish that reminds us of its youth and complexity- in the aftertaste difficult to match.

BUBBLES

Mionetto Prosecco, Italy

Regular Price € 17.95 Now 2 bottle for €30

Intense peach on the nose, pale straw yellow to the eyes, and citrusy golden apple on the palate, this well-balanced bubbly is great on its own or with light bites.

Food With Wine Part 2: 3 Alternative Foods

Continuing on from last weeks posting about classical combinations of food and wine this week we are going to tackle some of the more of the more notoriously difficult foods to match with wine. This means mainly Asian Cuisine. Easily the most asked about food in this group is Indian curries, these tend to be hard to find wine matches for due to the sheer amount of flavours involved.


So that's where we shall begin, Indian Curries, as with many foods the exact ingredients added will determine the wine that is chosen but the following are some combinations that should work well with curry. Any aromatic and spicy white like a Gewurtramminer, or even a fruity new world chardonnay, lightly or completely unoaked may be a good choice for many. As for reds something low in Tannin like a nice Rioja Crianza or possible a nice Shiraz.


Sushi: being so light and delicate in flavours sushi is one of the few foods that it is almost impossible to find a red to match. In the main a crisp off-dry to dry white would seem to be the order of the day, try a German Riesling Kabinett, or a dry Aussie Riesling, or for those less adventurous a nice Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. For those wanting to be more adventurous try a nice sparkling Cava or Prosecco.


Tex-Mex: for those of you who love your spicy flavours of Mexican and Texan fare, such as Chicken Fajita why not try a Delicious fruity and smooth Californian Zinfandel, or even a big tannic fruity and spicy Petite Sirah. As for Whites Guacamole and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanca is a match made in heaven.

LAST FEW DAYS OFF 20% OFF TWENTY WINES

Its the last few days of our 20% off Twenty wines, if you haven't availed of our fantastic offers now is your chance to try some truely great wines at 20%.

Here are hust a few of the great offers.

Cune Vina Real Rioja Crianza 2005 Regular Price €13.95 Slashed to €11.16

A beautiful Rioja from one of Rioja's top producers. This delicous red comes from their Vina Real vineyard and shows ripe red fruits with a subtle hint of spice on the nose. Well structured with a lingeringsoft finish of red fruits.

Yalumba Y-Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Regular Price €13.95 Slashed to €11.16

From Austalia's oldest family owned winery this bright and lively cabernet sauvignon has aromas of violets, spice and cherries. Subtle hints of mocha ans chocolate on the palate make this a vibrant and delicous red.

Blue Cutting Road Semillon Sauvignon 2008 Regular Price €13.95 Slashed to €11.16

This fantastic refreshing white blend is made by O' Leary Walker from 50 year old Semillon vines with depth added by the sauvignon blanc, this is a wonderful vivacious white great flavoursome fruit.

Muddy Water Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Regular Price €16.95 Slashed to €13.56

This Fantastic Kiwi Sauvignon with a twist, it is barrel fermented and shows gooseberry and lemon grass aromas. Mouthfilling flavours part herb, part fruit. A nice vibrant change from the fruity Marlborough Style.

Wine With Food What Goes With What Part 1: Classic Matches

A question we often get asked at all the time is which wines go with which foods. The simple answer is what ever you feel like. The old rule of white wine with fish and red wine with red meat has faded these days. We often hear of people enjoying a glass of chardonnay with steak and even a big Aussie shiraz with fish. But for those of you wanting to try some of the traditional food and wine match ups why not try the following .

First up Roast Lamb, this traditional Sunday dinner works fantastically well with a nice red Bordeaux or Rioja which seems as though it was made for lamb.

Second up is Salmon, now according to the traditional rules we should choose a white here but a nice Pinot Noir does the trick. A New World one from New Zealand or Chile hits the spot perfectly if the salmon has a light spicy crust.

Thirdly bring a little bit of the South of France to your home, try a crisp dry rosé with a lovely summer salad. Many people refuse to try rosé but it is a fabulous alternative to whites, and they have been doing it in the south of France forever.

Give it a go! Part 1: Grenache

Normally we don't champion any particular grape variety but over the next few we'll be suggesting a few different grape types and wine styles to try. First up is the Grenache grape, over the last few weeks we've had a great response to Grenache-based wines and wines with Grenache in the Blend, like the Camplazens 'La Garrigue', and the Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz-Grenache . So we decided to let you know a little more about this wonderful grape. Up until recently it was the most planted red grape variety even though it didn't appear on labels, it is used quite extensively in Rhone blends and is one of the 13 permitted grape varieties in Chateaunuef-du-Pape. It is quite popular in new world blends particularly in Australia where it is combined with shiraz to produce big spicy robust reds. But grenache as a single varietal produces lovely reds with raspberry, cherry flavours and a hint of white pepper.

Artazurri Grenacha 2006

Grenache or Grenacha as it is known in Spain is an important grape for blending, many well known Riojas are blends of Tempranillo and Grenacha. The Artazuri is a fabulous old vine grenache, deep ruby, purple tinged in colour. Sweet crunchy raspberry and cherry fruit on the nose and repeated on the palate leading to a luscious finish.

Chateau Camplazens Grenache 2006

A great french grenache from Languedoc, in the south of France, where it is found in many blends. The Camplazens is a full, robust flavours of dark plum, cherry and prune which are overlaid with a dusty almost earthy undertones. This wine also has an inviting hint of spice.

Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache 2006

This lovely new world offering is taking from bush vines, that is vines that are grown like small trees as opposed to high trellising. It has an intense aromas of plums cloves and spices. The palate medium bodied and shows sweet berries and dark cherry fruit flavours and a generous touch of spice.