OTHER IMPORTS

The flagship Musar bottling, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan is complex and rich, save for the gust of spice that comes in on the acidity and brightens the finish. It’s wild and warm, a mature Mediterranean red with a forest floor complexity that keeps it engaging for hours.

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.

The Crnko farm is located on the eastern side of Slovenia, north of Maribor and just south of the Austrian border. All the fruit is estate grown and comes from the family's 6 hectares of mixed white varietals. The vines are planted in the region's unique marl soils and sustainably farmed. This charming white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Ravenec (Muller-Thurgau), Laski Riesling (Welschriesling). It has only 11% alcohol and is as drinkable and refreshing as wine comes. Riesling dominates the aromatics offering juicy tangerine and quince notes to the silty minerality that Crnko wines often share. As a beverage it is thirst quenching and light on its feet with invigorating acidity that makes it difficult to set down. During the summers in the village of Jarenina, locals mix it with sparkling water and then proceed to consume it long into the night.

THIS IS IT... the "O.Z.", (Original Zinfandel)

Crljenak Kaštelanski was an almost extinct Dalmatian grape varietal until DNA fingerprinting revealed that it was an exact DNA match to both Zinfandel and the Italian grape Primitivo.

Dubrovacki's Crljenak Kaštelanski vines were planted in 2007 above the village of Cavtat, in a new 12 hectare vineyard called Mrcevlje. The average yield per vine for the 2015 vintage was 1.13 kg. After a 5-day maceration and a 30-day fermentation, the wine spent one year in used oak, a combination of 225 and 500 liters Croatian and Hungarian oak barrels. After 2 months in stainless steel, the wine was bottled without fining or filtering. This medium-bodied Zin features aromas and flavors of raspberries and blackberries. Serve with beef, lamb or sausages.

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 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."

Kabaj (kuh bye) is located in the sun kissed Goriška Brda hills of Western Slovenia, neighbor to Collio, Italy. Their 29 acres of hand-tended mature vines are planted to deep Marl soils left behind by an ancient sea. All wines are fermented slowly with native yeast and complete malolactic fermentation. This wine received two weeks of skin contact and was aged for a year in neutral oak. No sulfur was added at bottling and the grapes are sustainably farmed. This dry white displays good texture and dry, apple and pear flavors.

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 hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. This full-bodied red is a blend of Syrah and Tempranillo. Aromas of violets (and a hint of mocha) lead to black currant flavors on the palate.

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 hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. This delightful, dry, aromatic white displays white peach flavors and finishes with notes of citrus. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino.

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 hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. Winemaker Jaques Poulain believes in farming harmoniously with nature.

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 hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats.

The 2018 Le Gris is composed of 100% Cinsault. This rose has a lovely pale pink color and aromas of fresh berries on the nose. On the palate rich red berry and peach flavors lead to a clean dry finish.

Organically farmed Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino.

100% Saperavi from the Mukuzani appelation in the Kakheti region of the Republic of George. Dry with black cherry aromas and flavors.

Naturally sweet on the palate, warm, velvety with delicate fruit flavors. Complements soft cheeses, sweet meat and fish dishes and all desserts.

This Plavac has a very dark color. On the nose you find aromas of boysenberries with a hint of fine herbs. On the palate this red has good fruit without a hint of jamminess. The finish is long and smooth.

The Milos(Mee-loash)family has farmed and lived on their land near the village of Ston for over 500 years. Their vineyards are located on steep hillsides leading down to the Adriatic Sea. The Plavac Mali (a relative of Zinfandel) vines are head pruned and organically farmed. Fermentation (only the native yeasts are used) takes place in open-topped stainless steel to start and then finishes in large Slavonian oak barrels, never new. The wine is aged first in the barrels then in the bottle until its ready to be released.

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.

Pasaeli K2 is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot grown in the Serez vineyard in Kaynaklar - Izmir. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak. This is the winery's best seller in Turkey, and has gained them some notoriety with Jancis Robinson, among other critics, over the years. The nose has rich aromas of sweet, ripe cassis and blackberry.

Yapincak is a grape variety grown exclusively on the European side of Turkey (Thrace) near coastal villages. The fruit for this wine comes from a single vineyard in Sarkoy that is about 150 meters above sea level and is facing south towards Sea of Marmara. There is always a cooling breeze coming from the sea. The vineyard has a gentle incline which is great for drainage. The vines are about 35 years old and are free standing vines with low yields and high quality. The grapes are pressed with whole clusters and 90% fermented in stainless steel tanks with the other 10% in neutral French oak barrels. Aged for 3 months sur lie before bottling. Very pale gold. Highly distinctive aroma, both rich and tangy. Intense lemon, hint of clementine plus a more oily minerality and quince. Lovely citrus on the palate too - bright and crisp and full in the mouth with decent acidity and minerality.

This amber/orange wine comes from the Telavi wine district of the Republic of Georgia. It is composed of the ancient Georgian white grape variety, Rkatsiteli, fermented and aged on the skins in traditional clay amphora (Qvevri).

Sansigot is a red variety that, before the 1950s, made up about 20 percent of black grapes growing on the Croatian island, Krk. It is also grown on the tiny island of Susak to the southwest, where it is described as yielding “deeply colored, full-bodied wines” (Robinson, et al, Wine Grapes). On Krk, Ivica Dobrincic of Sipun (she-poon) Winery makes a varietal Sansigot that is light to medium bodied, with a delicate floral aroma, cherry-like fruit and low tannins.