A superb Piedmontese bubbly dessert wine, Birbet is much in demand, although output is extremely limited. According to popular tradition, the wine was greatly appreciated by, and was the preferred beverage of, one of the most famous characters of the Commedia dell’Arte, Gianduja da Gioan d'laduja or Giovanni of the Jug. The figure drew inspiration for his bubbly high spirits from this fizzy ruby red with a fragrant foam. The character had the reputation of being a heavy drinker. And he regarded Brachetto as the wine most suited to filling the jug he alwa... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

If you ever wondered what to do with Panettone, those odd Italian cakes sold in huge colorful cardboard boxes around the holidays, here's a tip: Enjoy a slice of Panettone with a chilled glass of this excellent dessert wine from La Caudrina. At 5.5% alcohol, you could have the bottle without too much harm. A nice balance between sweetness and welcome acidity makes it dangerously easy to do just that! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

It's not easy making Vin Santo. For starters the grapes (trebbiano and malvasia) are left to dry slowly in a special outbuilding, which concentrates the sugar and flavor component considerably. What little juice is left after this process is fermented and stored in very small casks called caratelli, which are filled just three-fourths of the way. And then time stands still. For four years the wine oxidizes and ages, and then: Perfection! Villa Pillo's Vin Santo is an archetypal example of Tuscany's after dinner sipper. Ideal with biscotto at the close of... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

The F.lli Lombardo company was founded in 1881 when Giuseppe Lombardo Maltese, a man of endless energy and enthusiasm, and a gifted and resourceful shipbuilder, realized that with his sailing ships he could take the wine of his land, Marsala, all over the world. This particular dry Marsala wine makes for a tasty tipple when served alongside many of the holiday season's treats like pannetone and traditional fruitcake. A blend of catarratto and grillo, it is rich and warm with roasted notes and dried fruit flavors. Also very handy to have in the kitchen fo... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker "The 2001 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is stunning in the way it has acquired tons of complexity over the years while remaining fresh and perfumed. High-toned, balsamic aromatics meld into layers of cherries in liqueur, menthol, fresh mint, spices, sweet herbs and flowers as this remarkable wine opens up in the glass. Despite its size and opulence, the wine has maintained essential inner clarity and precision, qualities that are very hard to come by in this style of Vin Santo. Rocca di Montegrossi's Vin Santo is 95% Malvasia and... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Rye (Zibibbo) offers compelling notes of candied ginger, dried figs, spices, flowers and minerals. This is a medium-bodied Ben Rye that comes across as especially beautiful, without the cloying heaviness some vintages have had. The 2007 is a great showing for one of Italy’s most unique sweet wines. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017." (04/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood

So this isn't quite a Vin Santo, it is a Vino Liquoroso. Vino Liquoroso is more like a Port, where the fermentation is blocked by the addition of alcohol to leave a percentage of sugar. The wine is a tasty mixture of Tuscan and Sicilian grapes blended to give you the flavor and feel of Vin Santo at a price point where you don't have to use an eye dropper. If you are used to dipping your biscotti into a glass of Vin Santo at an Italian Restaurant, more than likely it is a Vino Liquoroso! 

Inventory: Hollywood

Marsala may be the best known wine made from Grillo, but that doesn't mean it's the only one. Marco de Bartoli uses the Sicilian varietal as the foundation for his Vecchio Samperi Ventennale, a dessert wine that is comprised of 70% Grillo and 30% Inzolia. This amber-hued dessert wine's allure starts with a nose like ambrosia - dried fruit, savory herbs, almonds and aceto - which carry over to the unctuous palate with waves of acidity. Long on the finish, this beautiful wine should last for 20 to 30 years. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

According to the Wine Spectator: "Aromas of dried papaya, nuts and light caramel. Medium-bodied and medium sweet, with a clean, balanced palate and a nutty aftertaste. Drink now." (10/08) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Utterly integral to the sumptuously simple dessert Zabaglione, Florio's sweet Marsala is too tasty to be relegated to the back of the pantry. Macerate oranges or really any old fruit in a mixture of this with some added sugar and you'll have an authentic sweet sauce for any kind of cake or pudding. It is also delicious all by itself in a glass! Made from varieties indigenous to Sicily, such as grillo, with some inzolia and catarratto, this wine has been carefully aged for 18 months in Slovenian oak. 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

A dash of this dry Marsala in a mushroom risotto can be enlightening. But why stop there? Sicilians will recommend adding a few tablespoons to chicken (or fish) sautéed in olive oil, but it is also an inspiring aperitif when served with cheese (try Sicilian Piacentinu made from sheep's milk and flavored with saffron) and nuts. 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

In the Colli Euganei the Orange Muscat grape is called Fior d’Arancio. As a variety it is very different than the Canelli Muscat; it ripens a few weeks later, contains more aroma and flavor and comes with a thick skin. In order to produce a passito style wine, the grapes are harvested at regular ripening and put on trellises in the 'fruttaio' room, sheltered from the weather. The grapes gradually loose part of their water content and after about 4 month they are crushed and pressed obtaining a thick must that will ferment slowly for almost two years in o... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

"It is rare that I get moved by dessert wine, but this wine is truly special, a stunning representation of what "real" Tuscan Vin Santo is supposed to taste like. Aged for 6 years in 56 liter caratelli (traditional tiny barrels), unfiltered and pure. The wine is a lustrous, deep chestnut colored wine, not quite molasses but thick, and while yes really thick it doesn't come across as cloying, heavy in fact it is seriously long, focused and has an aftertaste I think I'm still tasting. Not inexpensive but for the quality level this wine needs to be experie... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

3 Glasses Gambero Rosso! 94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Golden yellow with a bright orange tinge. Explosive, highly perfumed aromas of ripe apricot, peach, citrus fruits, cinnamon and pepper. Pure and clean, with impressive depth to the ripe citrus and peach flavors; an undercurrent of tropical fruits contributes volume and flesh. The concentrated, very long finish throws off notes of lavender and acacia honey. Perhaps the best-ever Ben Rye, amazingly intense yet elegant and impeccably balanced. " (Jul/Aug 08) 90 points Robert Par... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

Quality Vin Santo is a very labor intensive wine to make. First, one must carefully select the best fruit (in this case, trebbiano and mavlasia), then using the traditional technique, the grapes are laid to rest for a period of four months in the upper section of Verbena's cool cellars. The bunches are then pressed and the 'must' is then aged in small oak barrels for approximately 4 years. The result is a dessert wine to enjoy with the best of friends. Light straw yellow in color with an intense, wonderfully harmonious bouquet. Best enjoyed with plain pa... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

If you ever wondered what to do with Panettone, those odd Italian cakes sold in huge colorful cardboard boxes around the holidays, here's a tip: Enjoy a slice of Panettone with a chilled glass of this excellent dessert wine from La Caudrina. At 5.5% alcohol, you could have the bottle without too much harm. A nice balance between sweetness and welcome acidity makes it dangerously easy to do just that! 

Inventory: Redwood City