OUR WINES

Itauros

Itauros, a dark-berried vine, is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. Virtually synonymous with the red wines of Tuscany, and all the romanticism that goes with the territory, Sangiovese is the core constituent in some of the great names in Italian wine.

Good-quality Sangiovese is prized for its high acid, firm tannins and balanced nature. Savory flavors of dark cherries and black stonefruit are characteristic, and may be backed by secondary notes of tomato leaf and dried herbs. The use of oak has become more popular and this coaxes richer flavors from the grapes, tending toward plum and wild raspberry.

Erodios

Erodios is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions. Wherever they come from, Erodios wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the product of a natural genetic crossing between key Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Most wine authorities agree that this crossing happened only within the past few centuries, making the variety’s global fame and dominance all the more impressive.

We use oak barrels to produce our wines.

When stored in an oak barrel, wine reacts through a number of chemical processes with the barrel. The result is a more durable and stable wine with a more full-bodied, complex and concentrated palate. Color, for example, becomes intensified. The barrel imparts hundreds of different substances/chemicals to the wine. Some of the most important are tannin, sugar and vanilla aromas.

The barrel also has another, more indirect effect. It allows for a slow and controlled oxygenation (not oxidation) of the wine, which helps to give a rounded and mature wine. The oxygenation occurs both through the surface of the wood and through the bunghole. When wine is aged in a barrel there is constant gradual evaporation, while at the same time the wood absorbs the wine. Therefore, the barrel needs to be regularly replenished with the same wine. This process also adds to the oxygenation of the wine.Through evaporation of water and alcohol, the wine is further concentrated, and the fresh and raw fruit flavor becomes softer.