OTHER IMPORTS

A delightful dry white from Slavonia (Eastern Croatia), this Grasevina (a.k.a. Welschriesling)was fermented in stainless steel with its native yeasts. It is light, fresh and fruity. Excellent with shrimp, fish, cured ham and hard cheese.

Owned by Jill and Naji Boutros, Château Belle-Vue is a dynamic operation. It’s a small one (even by Lebanese standards), comprising just 24 hectares in plots scattered about Bhamdoun in the Mount Lebanon range. The grapes are organically farmed and the vineyards are at elevations ranging from 3,116 to 4101 feet. The 2011 Le Chateau is composed of 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Syrah. It is a rich, full-bodied yet elegant red ready to drink now.

The 2006 Chateau Musar is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault sourced from vineyards located in the Bekaa Valley. The vines are planted on gravelly soils over limestone. The average age of the organically farmed vines is 40-years-old. This unfiltered and unfined red displays nice fruit, an elegant mid-palate, and a persistent finish.

Moreno Coronica, whose family has lived in the area for 600 years, founded his winery in 1992 after the fall of communist Yugoslavia. Located about an hour's drive south of Trieste, Italy, Moreno has 75 acres of vineyards planted in "Terra Rossa" soil. He is well known for his crisp dry white made from Malvasia Istarka. This delicious white was fermented and aged in stainless steel. On the nose you find aromas of citrus and sea shells; in the mouth the wine is elegant, flavorful and deliciously dry.

Moreno Coronica's Dry Malvasia Istarska is considered a bench mark example of this indigenous variety. This is an unbeatable white with fresh grilled shellfish doused in Istrian olive oil. Enjoyed over the course of a few days it blossoms, becoming fuller, softer and more candied aromatically.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "El Ixsir (Elixir) is the top wine produced by the Ixsir winery located just outside Batroun, Lebanon. The excellent 2012 is composed of 55% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot aged 24 months in French oak (50% new). On the nose you find aromas of blackberries, black cherries, red fruits and a hint of woody spice. On the palate silky, lush fruit flavors are balanced with good structure and a long finish. Drinking very well now if decanted, the 2012 will benefit from another year or two in the bottle. The Wine Advocate gave this 92 points praising its Cote Rotie-like style."

This pleasant, clean, fruity yet crisp Pinot Grigio comes to us from father and son team Edi and Aleks Simcic (SEEM chitch) in the Primorska region of Slovenia, just a stone's throw from Italy's Friulian border and the Colli Orientali. Green apples on the nose; good fruit in the mouth balanced by good acidity on the finish. Great value!

Full-bodied and well-balanced with smooth tannins, this wine is packed with flavors of dried strawberry, raspberry licorice, and hints of wild game. Enjoy with grilled and cured meats, hard cheeses and pizza. Grgic Vina was established in 1996 by legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Croation-born Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, and his daughter, Violet. The winery is just north of the historic walled city Dubrovnik in the southern Dalmatian wine region. Mike started the winery to produce the finest wines from native Dalmatian grapes. When Mike Grgich came to the Napa Valley in 1958 to make wine, he noticed a remarkable resemblance between the Zinfandel and Plavac Mali of his native Croatia. Some 35 years later, Mike worked with scientists at University of California, Davis to prove that Zinfandel was actually Crljenak Kaštelanski, a grape native to Croatia and parent of Plavac Mali.

This crisp, dry wine offers a trip to the Mediterranean in a glass with citrus, almonds, ripe melon and savory herbs. Match its refreshing acidity and flavors with fresh seafood and light cheeses. Grgic Vina was established in 1996 by legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Croatian-born Miljenko "Mike" Grgich and his daughter, Violet. The winery is an hour or so drive from the historic walled city Dubrovnik in the southern Dalmatian wine region. Mike started the winery to produce the finest wines from native Dalmatian grapes, and he concentrates on crafting Croatia's very best varietals: Posip and Plavac Mali.

This old world red is composed of Areni and Sireni grown at high-elevation in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia. The Koor has a deep, dark color and aromas of blue and black fruit. In the mouth it is rich, fruity and dry on the long finish. This is a serious, reserve level red we think you will enjoy.

This dry, flavorful white offers aromas and flavors of citrus, ripe yellow plums, apple and chamomile. Round and rich in the mouth it finishes with crisp flavors of Meyer lemon. Voskeat is an old grape variety which probably originated in Western Armenia. During the Soviet occupation it was mainly used to make fortified or sparkling wine. Today Armenian winemakers are making delicious, dry table wines from this grape.

This red, sourced from high altitude vineyards in Lebanon's Batroun district, is composed of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon; 26% Caladoc (a cross of Malbec and Grenache); 22% Syrah and 17% Tempranillo. Decanter magazine describes Ixsir's Altitudes Rouge as: "... a beautifully integrated wine made with the help of Chateau Angelus' Hubert de Bouard. Lifted cassis, capsicum, herbs and violets meld with silky tannins and fresh acidity."

This is a delightful blend of organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Marselan (a crossing of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon) from the Zaer region of Morocco. La Ferme Rouge was founded as a vineyard and olive orchard in 1908. The winery was started in 1933. Located in the Zaer region of Morocco, about 45 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean and at an elevation of 450 meters, the vineyards benefit from cool ocean breezes. Grapes are organically farmed, hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. Winemaker Jaques Poulain believes in farming harmoniously with nature.

Stagnum is considered by many to be the best Plavac Mali wine. This renewed wine from legendary winemaker Frano Miloš is among the best that Croatia has to offer and represent the line of our best wines from the Plavac Mali variety. Wine is produced from the highest quality grapes from old hand-crafted vineyards from the southern slopes of the Peljesac peninsula. The fermentation is spontaneous using only autochthonous yeasts, and the aging takes place in large wooden barrels of Slavonian oak. The wine is unfiltered with minimal amounts of sulfites. Specific soil, centuries-old tradition and a completely natural way of producing, places this wine within a special group of high-quality natural wines of high elegance. Stagnum is a complex wine with a distinct blend, concentration, and elegance.

In 1930, at just 20 years old, Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar, inspired by Lebanon's 6,000 year winemaking tradition and his travels in Bordeaux. His 'wines with noblesse' greatly impressed senior officers in the army following on from the French mandate of the 1920s. Major Ronald Barton, of Château Langoa-Barton, stationed in Lebanon during World War II became a great friend, strengthening the links between Chateau Musar and Bordeaux that remain to this day. Flanked by snow-covered mountains, and nestled at 1000m (3,000 feet) above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoilt, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined. Hochar Père et Fils Red has been described as the ‘second’ wine of Chateau Musar, and it does bear some resemblance to the ‘Grand Vin’: rich, spicy and profoundly fruity, with a mellow quality derived from lengthy oak- and bottle ageing. Since its launch in the late 1980s, it has been sourced from a single Bekaa Valley vineyard planted in the late 1940s. When young, the wines are robust and aromatic, with baked plum, warm earth, leather, thyme and dark chocolate characters. With age they become tawnier and spicier.

Certified Organic. Red and black fruit, brambleberry, flowers, nutmeg, white pepper and spice. Rich dark chocolate notes on the tangy mid-palate. Long finish.