History

The grape vine was probably introduced into north west India from Persia as early as 2500 BC - in the Vedic texts two drinks are mentioned: Soma and Sura; later historical works (notably Kautilya's Arthashastra - c. 300 BC) mentions Madhu (wine) of various kinds and qualities - some home brewed.

Down the centuries wine has been the drink of the Kshatriyas (warrior castes) - along with beer and spirits prepared from wheat/maize/barley in the north and rice/paddy in the northeast and south, and many of the royal Rajput Maharajas had their own, closely-guarded recipes for alcoholic drinks - for example Asha from Udaipur, Kasturi from Jodhpur, and Jagmohan & Manmohan from Kishengarh.

The Mughal emperors maintained extensive vineyards in the Deccan (Hyderabad); with the advent of the British in the 19th century local industry may have been revived (Indian wines were exhibited at the Great Calcutta Exhibition of 1884) but most vineyards were practically wiped out by the devastation of phylloxera in the 1890s.

Caduceus

Caduceus Cellars is a winery in the Verde Valley of Arizona, United States owned by Maynard James Keenan, a musician descended from Northern Italian winemakers. While the winery is named after caduceus, an ancient symbol for commerce and staff of the Greek god Hermes, the vineyard is named Merkin Vineyards, after a pubic wig.
Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards are based in the unincorporated area of Page Springs/Cornville, Arizona, southwest of Keenan's place of residence, as well as the cellar where wine tasting is available, in Jerome. Keenan has characterized the neighbors of the winery as "a teetotaling Republican community".

Da Vinci Wine

   

Da Vinci is the art of making great Chianti by pairing premium grapes from the renowned Chianti region with the experience and modern winemaking techniques of winemaker Alberto Antonini.

The result is a modern-style Chianti which is fruit-forward and soft while maintaining true Chianti characteristics. The goal is to accentuate pretty Sangiovese varietal attributes while minimizing acidic, bitter and astringent characters that were oftentimes found in "traditional" Chianti.

Our approach to this Old-World classic has not gone unnoticed, as exemplified by our numerous awards and accolades received.

Champaqne Clerambault

Champagne is a world renowned French sparkling wine. There are many different types, styles and flavours of champagne; with strict rules on its production.

Though sometimes reserved for celebrations; it can be enjoyed far more often, adding delight and enchantment to savour on any occasion.

Reviews of Non-Vintage Champagne

A blend of several champagne vintages, generally mixed to provide a consistent house style.

Mixed Vintage Champagnes

Reviews of Non-Vintage Rosé Champagne

Pink champagne, either from extended contact with the grape skins or by the addition of some red wine.

Mixed Vintage Rosé (Pink) Champagnes

Reviews of Vintage Champagne

Vintage champagne is from 100% of grapes from that year. It is aged for a minimum of 3 years.

3 Blind Moose

We felt like having a funny "blind" taste test. The name and label are pretty funny. So we go into this tasting with low expectations.

The bottle is one of those cheap ones with almost no dimple on the bottom. The foil has a nice moose on top drinking a glass. Under the foil is a very short plastic cork. The bottle says "we think you will fall for our Cabernet Sauvignon , whose rich cherry, cassis, and subtle oak (unnoticeable) flavors match beautifully with everything." (Really, everything??) 13.5% Alcohol.

The color in the glass is a nice red, but we can see the wine is fairly thin. It does not produce any "fingers" when swirled. The nose is faint, but has an agreeable berry scent. On the palate, we mainly identified currant and chokecherry. This wine is thin and shows no complexity. The finish is smooth and doesn't exhibit any tannin or oak. It drinks like cool-aid.

Rex Goliath Winery

HRM Rex Goliath is based in the town of Gonzalez within the Monterey AVA. Owner Nicolaus Hahn produces wines that offer exceptional value under this label. None are over $10.

HRM Rex Goliath is named after a legendary 47 pound rooster that used to travel with a Texas Circus. “His Royal Majesty” (HRM) was advertised to visitors as the world’s largest rooster.
The Hahn Family was quite taken by this story, and in 2002, decided to name a line of wines after HRM. They have been making wine in Monterey County since 1980 and also own Hahn Estates and Smith & Hook. Shedding light on their fascination with HRM, Hahn translates to “rooster” in German.
Winemaker Mike Kafka crafts balanced wines that pair well with food. Kafka grew up in California’s Central Valley and has a deep appreciation for farming as well as fine wine and cuisine. He has a degree in Viticulture and Enology from Fresno St.
HRM Rex Goliath’s current releases include the 2005 California Chardonnay, 2006 California Pinot Grigio, California Merlot, California Pinot Noir, California Cabernet Sauvignon, and Central Coast Shiraz.

Domaine Laroche

The Laroche family has been making wine in Chablis since 1850. Michel Laroche, the fifth generation, arrived in 1967 to continue a long tradition of allowing the wine to express its unique origin: The True Chablis. Michel has witnessed significant changes in Chablis and is the first generation to make a living exclusively from producing and selling wine.

Six hectares of domaine vines in the late 1960s have turned into more than 130 hectares today, including a shareholding in the Château de Chemilly. Domaine Laroche is one of the largest vineyard owners in Burgundy, with offices located in the birthplace of Chablis: a ninth to sixteenth century listed monastery called l'Obédiencerie, where monks made the first Chablis.

The ancient monument was home to the monks of Saint Martin, the patron saint of both Chablis and of horse travellers. The monks tended vines where today's Grand Cru vines are located as early as the 9th century. It was in the tower cellar of the Obédiencerie where the first barrels of Chablis were matured. The Obédiencerie's cellar also housed a small crypt containing the relics of Saint Martin.

Exported to 77 different countries, Domaine Laroche wines are recognised around the world and regularly win prizes for their superior quality.

Domaine Carneros

Domaine Carneros in the heart of Carneros, is the California expression of the tradition and excellence of its founder, Champagne Taittinger.  Established in 1987, Domaine Carneros is considered a regional landmark. Exquisite views of endless vineyard-covered hills are the perfect setting to savor our wines.
All of our wines bear the Carneros Appellation, with 95% of our fruit coming from estate vineyards. In April 2008, we received organic certification of all Estate vineyards by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
Domaine Carneros in the heart of Carneros, is the California expression of the tradition and excellence of its founder, Champagne Taittinger.  Established in 1987, Domaine Carneros is considered a regional landmark. Exquisite views of endless vineyard-covered hills are the perfect setting to savor our wines.
All of our wines bear the Carneros Appellation, with 95% of our fruit coming from estate vineyards. In April 2008, we received organic certification of all Estate vineyards by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). 

Yellow Tail

Yellow Tail is a brand of wine produced by Casella Wines Pty Ltd. Casella wines is based in Yenda, Australia, which has a population of approximately 1000 people. The Casella family has produced wines since the 1820s in Italy. However in 1951 the Casella family, headed by Filippo Casella and his wife Maria, moved to Australia for a better life. YellowTail is a new wine brand and was a chance for the family winery to enter into the bottled wine market—having previously supplied bulk wine to other wineries. YellowTail was developed around the year 2000, originally marketed to export countries and became the number one imported wine to the USA by 2003. In that time the family-owned winery expanded 10 times its original size. The winery has the capacity to have approximately 300 million litres on site with more wine produced and stored elsewhere.

De Saint Gall

Product Description

STYLE: An elegant and refined Champagne with a rich creamy character and a fine crisp mousse.
SERVING: Serve chilled. This champagne is ideal as an aperitif serve it with oysters or other cold fresh seafood for a delectable treat.
KEEPING: This wine is ready to drink now, but will keep for a further twelve months from date of purchase if stored horizontally in a cool, dark place.
ABOUT THIS WINE: Blanc de Blancs is a special style of champagne made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, which gives the wine an especially creamy elegant character. Marks and Spencer is proud to have worked with the celebrated and experienced champagne master Alain Coharde to create this unique and sophisticated example of a delightful style of sparkling wine. CONTAINS: Sulphites Note: Picture may not necessarily reflect the actual vintage date.

Chateau Lazaridi

In 1987 Nicos Lazaridis estamblises NICO LAZARIDI, the first organized wine-producing facility in the Drama region. An ancient tradition has been regenerated and the wines bearing the label CHATEAU NICO LAZARIDI immediately win the esteem of wine-lovers everywhere.

Nico Lazaridi wines are made from grapes grown in an area between the villages of Agora, Pigadia and Adriani, not far from the city of Drama. In this delightful landscape of lake, woodland and underground stream are 80 hectares of lenear vineyards, 55 of them owned outright by the company and the remainder leased.

Here, the climate is Mediterranean, temperate and dry, acoording to the season. The vines are protected by sheltering mountains, and the conditions are ideal not only for international varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ugni Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese, but also for the experimental cultivation of such Greek varieties as Greco di Tufo, Aglianico and Grecanino. The perfect place for growing fine quality wine grapes.

Hatten Wines

Hatten Wines was established in 1994.  The family owned company is 100% Balinese and is based in Sanur, Bali.  In the early 1960’s the family started with the production of rice wine “Brem” a version of the famous Arak.  The factory is still in operation next door to Hatten Wines.

Hatten Wines – meaning “progress”, has over 40 staff , employed in the 3 main locations – The vineyard, 14.5 hectares in Singaraja on the north/east of Bali, the winery in Sanur and the Distribution office in Simpang Siur, Kuta.

The First and truly Balinese winery, located in the heart of Sanur, has been hard at work since 1994 bringing to hotels’ and restaurants’ tables a taste of Bali in the most extraordinary way. Our unique winery and its products are defying the traditional winemaking rules in using unconventional grapes, grown on the North coast of the island. 

Recently voted in the top 10 for fastest improving producers in Asia, Hatten wines are proud of the fact they are a 100% Balinese company and committed to international standards of quality and taste. The leaders in wine making in Bali, Hatten Wines is an extremely unique winery.

The Little Penguin

The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to between 30 and 33 cm tall (12 to 13 inches), is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.
Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names. In Australia, they are also referred to as Fairy Penguins because of their tiny size. In New Zealand, they are also called Little Blue Penguins, or just Blue Penguins, owing to their slate-blue plumage, and they are called Kororā in Māori.