Wine

Wine online from Great Wines Direct

Wine is typically a fermented grape-based alcoholic beverage. The sugar in the grapes is consumed by yeast, which then breaks it down into ethanol and carbon dioxide while also producing heat.

Different kinds of wine are mostly influenced by various yeast strains and grape varieties. These variations are the result of intricate interactions between the biological growth of the grape, the fermentation reactions, the terroir (growing region) of the grape, and the wine-making process.

Legal appellations are established in many nations to specify wine styles and quality. These often place limitations on the allowable grape types, geographical origin, and other characteristics of wine production.

Since ancient times, wine has been made. The Caucasus region in what is now Georgia (6000 BCE), Persia (5000 BCE), Italy, and Armenia (4000 BCE) has the earliest wine artefacts.

While there are some similarities between New World wine and alcoholic beverages manufactured by native Americans, these connections relate mostly to later Spanish practises in New Spain.

Later, as viticulture methods for Old World wine advanced, Europe would have three of the greatest wine-producing regions. Today, Italy, Spain, France, the United States, and China are the five nations with the largest wine-producing regions.

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White 12.5

Vachnadziani Winery, Kakheti, Rkatsiteli 2023 75cl £12.38

A refreshing and easy-drinking wine with lively aromas of citrus with white pepper hints through to a clean, pithy finish

Red 15

ArmAs, Aragatsotn, Karmrahyut Reserve 2015 75cl £30.91

A perfumed and complex Karmrahyut with an intense and exotic bouquet of cranberry, cherry, plum, dried lavender and spice enhanced by balsamic notes and a robust finish

Red 14

Lake Breeze Bull Ant, Langhorne Creek, Cabernet Merlot 2021 75cl £16.90

An amazing lifted bouquet of juicy blackcurrant fruit with a touch of mocha, cloves and eucalyptus reflected in the fleshy and peppery palate

White 13

San Silvestro, Nas-cetta del Commune di Novello, Langhe 2023 75cl £16.80

Aromatic notes of acacia flowers, lemon curd and frangipan with a refreshing and tangy white pepper bite on the finish

White 12.5

Domaine Brigitte Cerveau, Petit Chablis 2023 75cl £23.75

Classic Petit Chablis showing notes of taut green fruits layered with an attractive flinty character through to a salty finish

White 13

Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles 2021 75cl £73.39

The Louis Michel house style is to make Chablis pure and unadorned: allowing the attributes of each vineyard plot to stand out, without the clutter of oak influence On the Grand Cru hillside, The Grenouilles climat (site) typically produces powerful, rich, deep, full-bodied wine: impressive from the beginning and capable of ageing for many years

Red 12

Red Miller 18 Balfour 75cl £66.91

Red 14

Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape, Cuvee Marie Beurrier 2013 75cl £181.88

Henri Bonneau (1938-2016) was considered by many aficionados to be the 'King of Chateauneuf-du-Pape' His rare wines possess a magical, ethereal, silky quality, with astonishing finesse and nuanced subtlety, which sets them apart from the more typical, robust style of the appellation This unique character arose from vines situated in 'Le Crau' - perhaps the finest sector - and always ageing the wines for 5-10 years in old Burgundy barrels before deciding whether to bottle as Chateauneuf-du-Pape or the more celebrated Cuvee Marie Beurrier or Reserve des Celestins If a vintage didn't pass muster, it might never actually be bottled as Chateauneuf, but instead find its way into the vin de table, 'Les Rouliers' Since Henri's death, his son, Marcel, has taken the reins as the 13th generation proprietor of this legendary estate

Red 14

Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape, Cuvee Marie Beurrier Magnum 2013 150cl £394.48

White 13.5

Vina Echeverria, Gran Reserva, Valle de Curico, Chardonnay 2023 75cl £13.84

Toasty oak and brioche integrated with tropical and spicy fruit, creamy with an appealing ripeness

White 12

Vina Echeverria, Reserva, Valle de Curico, Sauvignon Blanc 2024 37.5cl £6.35

This easy-drinking Sauvignon Blanc combines lively aromas of passion fruit and grapefruit with refreshing flavours of lemon sherbert

Red 13.5

Vina Echeverria, Reserva, Valle de Curico, Carmenere 2023 75cl £12.14

A juicy wine with smooth damson and green bell pepper flavours and a hint of mint on the finish

Rose 13

Chateau de l'Aumerade, Cuvee Marie Christine Rose, Cru Classe Cotes de Provence 2023 150cl £52.08

Elegantly styled, with aromas of ripe strawberries and peach with a hint of vanilla culminating in a refreshing finish Classic Provencal rose

Red 14.5

Aster, 'El Espino', Ribera del Duero 2020 75cl £47.40

A sleek wine with wonderful vibrancy and expressive notes of black fruits, liquorice, cardamon and minerality layered with hints of coffee through to a succulent finish

Red 15

Aster, Finca El Otero, Ribera del Duero 2019 75cl £72.68

Powerful notes of black fruit combine with toasty overtones, coffee, toffee, sweet spice and cedar Creamy, smooth and harmonious

Red 14

La Rioja Alta SA, '890', Rioja Gran Reserva 2010 75cl £223.07

Classic, timeless Rioja full of aromatic nuances of black plum compote, tobacco leaf, spice and chocolate enveloping a pure, velvety palate