Wines and Champagne

Cases of wine to suit all budgets and occasions.

Champagne is a sparkling wine named after the Champagne region of France. It is usually made from either the white Chardonnay or the black Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier grape. Often drunk as a toast and in celebration.

A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, typically brandy, giving the wine a higher alcohol content than would be possible with natural fermentation processes. Common fortified wines include Sherry, Port and Madeira.

As their name suggests, fruit wines are made from fruit, or flowers, herbs and vegetables - including elderberry, plum, blackberry, dandelion and even parsnip. Ginger wine is a fortified wine made from ground ginger and raisons.

Medeira is a fortified wine from the Madeira Islands of Portugal. Properly sealed in bottles, Madeira is one of the longest lasting wnies - with some surviving over 150 years. Muscat wines are made in Australia using the Muscat grape and the solera system (a series of barrels used for ageing liquids).

Port (or Port wine) is a sweet fortified wine from Portugal which is often served as a dessert wine. Varieties of Port include Tawny, Ruby, White (made from white grapes) and various Vintage ports.

Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes - with the skin being left in contact with the juice during fermentation, a process called maceration which gives the wine the colour. Red wine grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Nior and Shiraz.

Rosé wines are made from red grapes where only brief contact is allowed between the skins and the juice. This results in a wine more like a white wine, lacking the deep colour and tannic structure of reds made from the same grape varieties. Rosé wines are best served cold.