I am a fan of Corsican wine but hadn’t tasted the red wine from Domaine Vico until last weekend. It is very nicely balanced with intense ripe but savoury dark cherries, liquorice and dried herbs, and some drying tannins on the finish. Definitely one worth trying. It went perfectly with my beef cheeks with mushrooms.
€28.95 from Mitchell & Son, Sandycove and Harcourt Cellars; The Wine centre, Kilkenny; J.J. O’Driscoll, Cork; Myles Creek, Kilkee.
This is made from two local grape varieties whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Some argue that Niellucciu is a clone of Sangiovese, others that it is uniquely Corsican. The other variety, Sciaccarellu is probably also Italian in origin, but both have been grown on Corsicaa for centuries, probably brought from Italy by the Genoese who ruled the island for centuries. Apparently Niellucciu provides the colour, structure and tannins, and Sciaccarellu the elegance, fruit and finesse.
This is a delicious, fresh, light, lively wine with wonderful pure black and red cherry fruits. There is a savoury element, and a minerality but the overall impression is one of clean ripe fruit. This is fantastic value for money.
I imagine it would go well with pork dishes and charcuterie as it has the acidity to cut through light but rich foods.
This wine is made from the Baga grape variety, which is often high in both tannins and acidity – not an attractive combination. However the Dinamico and their other wines made from Baga are perfectly balanced, ripe, and easy to drink.
Filipa Pato is the daughter of Luís Pato, one of Portugal’s most revered wine producers. She and her Belgian husband William Wouters have their own estate in Bairrada where they produce “vinhos autênticos sem maquilhagem” or authentic wines without make-up, using only indigenous grape varieties including Baga, Bical, Arinto, Cercial and Maria Gomes. Sparkling, red and white wines are all great, with a seductive delicacy and freshness.
I received these three samples from Taylor’s a few months ago, tasted them, but never posted my notes. If you have a child born in 2022, you could buy a case for her or him. Even if you haven’t, they are worth buying. While all three are approachable now, they will last for twenty years, possibly more. They will all arrive in Ireland in the New Year.
Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 2022
Lush and opulent with masses of delicious, sweet dark fruits, a nice spiciness, lingering nicely. Very Fonseca and very delicious. Voluptuous and seductive with plenty of power. Almost ready to drink now, but will keep. 18/20
Taylor’s Vargellas Vintage Port 2018, Quinta de Vargellas
A very fine vintage port, elegant and restrained with rich concentrated dark forest fruits and plenty of fine tannins on the finish. It seems lighter than the Fonseca, possibly more refined. Still a great port. 17/20
Taylor’s Sentinels 2022 Vintage Port
The first Sentinels released by Taylors, made with fruit sourced from vineyards in the Pinhão Valley. Smooth with a lovely fresh succulent ripeness hiding a firm tannic core. Dark cherries and blackcurrants with a seductive sweetness. 17.5/20
I recently spent a few days in La Mancha, the world’s largest vineyard with over 150 thousand hectares of vines. To put it in perspective, La Mancha has more land under vines than all of Australia. At one time it was the source of much uninspiring bulk wine or distilled into brandy, but there are now a growing number of interesting small growers who champion the local grapes (mainly Tempranillo, called Cencibel here) and Airén, a white grape variety. I tasted a number of really exciting wines, proof that La Mancha is capable of much more than volume. However, it was also great to visit a few large wineries who produce inexpensive, easy-drinking wine that we can all afford to drink.
The visit was supported by the EU, Viño de España.
Bodegas y Viñedos de Ponce
One of the highlights of my trip was to Bodegas y Viñedos Ponce. These wines, available in many of our independent wine shops and wine bars, are well worth seeking out. The wines are elegant and fresh and offer excellent value for money.
Ponce has been to the fore in rehabilitating a number of local grape varieties. Not only does he make great wines from Albilla and Bobal, he also produces some excellent, refined Monastrell and Garnacha. Viticulture is biodynamic and the winemaking very hands-off.
The winery is small and crowded. The harvest was in full swing when I visited, with grapes bubbling away in open top fermenters. I tasted one of my first wines from the 2024 vintage here.
Juan Antonio Ponce produced his first wine here in 2007. Prior to that he spent 2021-2025 working with Telmo Rodríguez and his winemaker Pablo Eguzkiza in various vineyards around Spain. He obviously has huge respect for both men and you sense they gave him the confidence and experience to come back to his roots and make wine using local grape varieties.
His family lives locally, about 12 kilometres from the winery, and had been supplying grapes to the co-operative for several generations. Ponce has 12 hectares of vines, with a mix of calcareous and sandy soils.
He works exclusively with Mediterranean grapes, mainly Bobal and Albilla (a local variety, not the same as Albillo). In addition, he grows Garnacha, the little-known Moravia and others. But he made his name with Bobal, a variety scorned by much of the wine world until recently.
Many consumers may not have come across it but Bobal is the third most widely-planted variety in Spain, after Tempranillo and Airén. It is very popular in La Mancha and the South-East and Utiel-Requena in particular. It buds late and has good resistance to drought. The wines typically are deeply coloured with high acidity and tannins. Despite this it is sometimes used to make rosés and even sparkling wines. Ponce was one of the first to make quality wines from this variety. ” There is no typicity for Bobal”, he tells me. “The character of any wine comes from the people and the vineyard.” He is very talkative, passionate, inquisitive, and obviously a very talented winemaker.
All of his vines are grown en vaso or gobelet with no irrigation. Most are 40-90 years old. “Everything,” he says, “is very traditional.” Most of the vineyards are at 800 metres. The exception is a parcel of 100-year-old ungrafted Bobal that are at 900 metres. “This region is facing problems, but it is a good time for traditional growers. You have to respect the vineyards and the grapes.” All of his wines are organic. “It is impossible to find good old vineyards, so now I have to plant new ones.” These include Albillo, Garnacha, Monastrell and some Bobal.
He began the 2024 white harvest on the 5th of August, the 14th for the reds. Monastrell is always the last to be picked. Ponce grows it at height where it has a long cool ripening, giving it an elegance. “The grapes ripen at a much lower alcohol here than in Jumilla.Garnacha is unique as it adapts and works well in Priorat, Rioja, Madrid and the South-East too.”
In the cellar, everything is fermented in open top fermenters using indigenous yeasts and aged in large old large wooden casks. He does no fining, filtration or clarification. “The oak gives my wines a natural stabilisation.” There is no temperature control for the red wines.
The Ponce wines are a world away from the typical massive, oaky extracted tannic wines of the region. All the wines I tasted were 13% abv or less and were marked by a purity and freshness. They also offer excellent value for money. “For me it is very important to offer good value. I make some inexpensive wines so the consumer will come back, and some will try my more expensive wines.”
I tasted eleven Ponce wines during my visit. They are available from good independent wine shops.
Ponce Blanco 2025 Manchuela
Fresh racy pear and melon fruits with a subtle salinity. Made from 100% Albilla. 12,000 bottles made. €22-24.
Ponce Selección 2022, Manchuela Complex, creamy, textured and elegant with a subtle herbiness and a fine mineral edge. 100% Albilla. €23 15.5/20
Clos Lojen 2023 100% Bobal from 40-60 year old vines picked from two plots. 100% whole berry fermentation. Delicious pure savoury ripe plums. Juicy and fresh. A real vin de soif. €16.50-€17 15.5/20
La Xara Garnacha 2023 100% Garnacha. Fresh wild strawberries. Vibrant and moreish with a mineral edge and a lovely elegance. €19 16/20
Depaula 2023 100% Monastrell. Whole berry fermentation. Lovely succulent dark fruits, garrigue herbs and tobacco. Real concentration. It does have tannins, but they are well-integrated. €16.50-€17 15/20
Buena Pinta 2022 Made from the Moravia variety – ‘you either love it or you hate it”, says Ponce. It starts off with juicy ripe dark fruits and finishes with a very dry tannic finish. Okay but overly tannic at present for my taste. 14.5/20
La Casilla 2023 100% Bobal. Lovely concentrated sweet dark fruits, some Mediterranean herbs and tobacco. Nice grip and real elegance. €22-23. 16+/20
PF 2023 100% Bobal, made from a parcel of 100-year-old ungrafted vines. Intense earthy sweet ripe dark fruits and black olives with plenty of structure and excellent length. €32.50 17/20
La Estrecha 2023 A single vineyard wine, 4,000 bottles produced, from 75-year-old Bobal wines with 10-15% ‘others’. Ethereal. Floral, Garnacha – like with complex strawberries, spice and a lovely lingering finish. A real star. 18/20
Pino 2023 100% Bobal from calcerous soils, 3,000 bottles. Linear with lovely long elegant dark fruits and very fine tannins. Fantastic wine. €32.50 17/20
O’Briens recently introduced some great wines from two exciting Sherry producers. Both are family-owned with a long and noble history. More importantly, both produce some great wines.
Bodegas Barón was founded in 1895 by Manuel Barón Fernández. His wife’s family had been involved in the sherry business for ten generations, so they could claim to be amongst the oldest producers in the region. Today the company is owned by José Rodriguez Jiménez and his two sons. Based in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, they specialise in Manzanilla.
Once a large successful Sherry producer, Bodega Cayetano del Pino & Cia, like many bodegas, went through a difficult period in the late 20th century, as world consumption fell, and the market became dominated by mass-produced poor quality wines. The family-owned bodega has recently re-emerged and developed a reputation as one of the leading producers of Palo Cortado Sherry.
VOS stands for Very Old Sherry and signifies that the wines are at least twenty years old. All of the wines below are bone dry. I am indebted to the excellent Sherrynotes.com website for much of the background information above.
Hats off to O’Briens for sourcing these fascinating wines. If you enjoy Sherry, all are definitely worth a try.
Xixarito Manzanilla Pasada en Rama Bodegas Barón
15%
€24.95 from O’Briens.
Yeasty aromas, fresh and saline with green apples, green olives (including the brine), and almonds. It has a lightly toasty note, with a delicious freshness and crisp dry finish. Enjoy this chilled with jamón ibérico, toasted almonds and other simple tapas.
Xixarito Oloroso Bodegas Barón
19.5%
€29.95 from O’Briens.
This has light mahogany polish, toffee and caramel, toasted walnuts and a tangy freshness. It finishes bone dry. This is fine but doesn’t quite reach the heights of the other wines below, but then it is quite a bit cheaper.
Amontillado VOS Bodegas Cayetano del Pino & Cia
21%ABV
€39.95 for a 50cl bottle
A beautiful wine with real elegance and depth; there is a refreshing acidity alongside toasted almonds, wood polish and burnt orange peel. The finish lingers very nicely. The flavours are not quite as explosive as the Palo Cortado, but this is a very stylish refined Sherry.
Palo Cortado VOS Bodegas Cayetano del Pino & Cia
21%
€49.95 for a 50cl. bottle
This is an incredible complex wine, packed with flavour and full of character. Intense aromas and flavours of toasted walnuts and hazelnuts, orange peel, dried fruits and citrus with a long tangy dry savoury mineral finish. I am a big fan of aged sherries with Comté cheese. By chance I stumbled across a brilliant match for this Palo Cortado; Ossau-Iraty, a sheep’s cheese from south-west France.
Four wines this week; all were in the running to feature in an Irish Times article I wrote last Saturday, but for various reasons (price, availability, late arrivals) did not make it to the final four. It was not because they weren’t good enough, so this week four great white wines all from lesser-known regions of Spain.
Ikigall 2022, Gallina de Piel, Penèdes (Organic) Catalunya
13%
€21.95
Cool, vivid and fresh with racy orange peel, white fruits a touch of fennel and a crisp mineral finish. It improved further as the wine opened up and became warmer.
An unoaked wine made from 85% Xarel.lo, 10% Malvasia de Sitges and 5% Muscat of Alexandria. Gallina de Piel is a winemaking project set up by David Seijas, formerly head sommelier at the famous El Bulli restaurant in Catalunya. Seijas selects parcels of indigenous grapes from various parts of Northern Spain to create wines suited to gastronomy.
From Martins, D3; Barnhill Stores, Dalkey; Clontarf Wines; Matson’s, Grange; McHughs, D5; A Taste of Spain, D2; Wineonline.ie
Finca Viñoa Treixadura 2021, Ribeiro, Galicia
13%
€22.95
Herbal aromas with fresh clean zippy green fruits, a nice texture and a good dry finish. Well-made wine and well-priced too. Try it with seafood.
Treixadura is grown in the Ribeiro region of Galicia, inland and on the Portuguese border. In Portugal, where it is known as Trajadura, it is a major component in Vinho Verde. In Spain, the wines tend to be aromatic with good levels of acidity and broad peach, and sometimes, tropical fruits.
Mitchell & Son, Glasthule and Avoca; Clontarf Wines.
Ojo y Coillo 2022, Miguel Castro Naillo, Sierra de Montilla
13.3%
€30
An utterly delightful, elegant wine with subtle apple and pear fruits, green olives, grilled almonds and bready notes. It has a refreshing acidity and a long bone-dry finish. A delicious not-sherry!
The Ojo y Coillo is fermented in old fino barrels and then aged under a film of flor for a year, before being put into stainless steel tanks. It is the personal project of Miguel Castro Maíll, who returned for college to his grandfather’s 50–80-year-old vines growing at altitude on albariza soils.
Montilla lies some 150 kilometres from sherry country – Jerez – and makes wines that tasted remarkably similar at times. The soils and climate are not dissimilar, and the region produces the full range of flor-affected wines including fino, amontillado and palo cortado. However, unlike sherry, most Montilla is not fortified and is made using the Pedro Ximénez grape instead of Palomino Fino.
From Blackrock Cellar; Morton’s of Galway; Green Man Wine, D6W
Vibrant and fresh with pear and apple fruits and a very attractive note of fennel. It is light, yet not short on flavour, with a nice bite coming through on the finish. I enjoyed it as an aperitif.
Originally set up by well-known Spanish wine writer Victor de la Serna, the wines are now made by highly regarded winemaker Javi Revert. The winery is based in Manchuela, not far from Valencia, and home to Bobal, a red variety that has been receiving a lot of attention recently. Many of the white grapes are grown at altitude and the wines are surprisingly delicate and light.
The wine is made from a blend of local grape varieties, including 60% Marisancho and 10% Albilla de la Mancha, as well as other local varieties. If you haven’t heard of either, don’t worry. I hadn’t either before researching the wine.
From Manning’s Emporium, Bantry; Green Man Wines, D6; The Allotment
I did a tasting for the local parish recently and mentioned during my talk that the above wine was one of my favourites. The following day, as a thank you, I received a bottle! We tasted the Gai’a Rosé on the night which went down very well. It is available for €13.95 from O’Briens, a great price.
Bright white flowers with a touch of grilled nuts on the nose. Racy, intense lemon zest and salty minerals, crisp white fruits, hints of toasty oak and a lip-smacking dry finish. Utterly gorgeous dry white wine, perfect for summer drinking with shellfish.
Assyrtiko from Santorini is currently enjoying a moment. The region is utterly unique, with volcanic soils planted with ‘koulkura’ or basket trained vines giving protection from the constant winds. There is very little rain, lots of sea mist and plenty of sunshine.
The Gai’a Assyrtiko Wild Ferment is left on the skins for ten hours before being fermented, using wild yeasts, in a mix of stainless-steel tanks, new and old French, American and acacia barrels.
WineSpark held a member’s tasting in the Atrium in Trinity College last week. It was a great venue for a tasting, although a little dark at the corner tables. If you aren’t familiar with WineSpark, the company was set up by Irishman Eamon FitzGerald, one of the founders of Naked Wines in the U.K.
His idea is simple but brilliant; members can buy their wines from WineSpark at much-reduced prices – cost price plus 10% – a considerable saving on standard high-street prices. You pay a monthly subscription of €10 and can buy as much or as little wine as you wish. But obviously the more you buy the more you save!
There were thirty-six wines on tasting, with an emphasis on Spain, although there are plenty more wines on their website. Overall, WineSpark has a great range of wines, well worth checking out. See Winespark.com for details.
The prices in brackets are what FitzGerald calculates the standard retail prices would be.
El Buffon de Arrayan, Albillo 2022, Cebreros
13.1%
€24.06 (€38)
Made from the rare Albillo Real variety, this is a fascinating and delicious wine, deep in colour with broad, rich honeyed peaches and exotic fruits. This has plenty of concentration and body; it is hard to believe it is a mere 13% abv.
La Salvación Godello 2022, Bierzo, César Márquez
12.5% €25.56 (€38)
A stunning wine with a great intensity of flavour; fresh and tangy, with orange peel, pears and peaches with a saline note on the lengthy finish. Great value for money.
El Hato y El Garabato Sin Blanca 2018, Arribes del Duero
12%
€22.53 (€36)
From Arribes, one of the most remote wine regions of Spain, this is a very exciting wine made from a field blend of local grapes, including Juan García, Bruñal, Rufete, Tinta Jeromo and many more including some white grapes. Mouth-watering, succulent red summer fruits with good acidity and a rounded finish. Their De Buena Jera (€30.65) is even better.
Domaine Boucabeille Monte Nero 2021, Côtes du Roussillon
14.5%
€23.36 (€37)
A classic Roussillon, big, powerful and muscular with concentrated dark fruits, dried herbs and a strong mineral element. Not for the faint-hearted but a great wine.
I Filari Nero d’Avola 2020m Sicily
14.5%
€28.54 (€46)
There are many lighter, more elegant Nero d’Avola being produced these days. This isn’t one of them! Big and full-bodied with masses of dark fruits and a core of soft tannins; it still has a certain elegance. One for the hedonists amongst us.
César Marquez Valtuille 2022, Bierzo
13%
€22.61 (€36)
From one of the great producers in Galicia, a very stylish, refined, medium-bodied red with ripe blackcurrant fruits, a touch of liquorice and a savoury finish. Great value for money.
Terre des Dames 2021 Saint-Chinian
14%
€22.73 (€34)
A very stylish wine that combines power with elegance in a very attractive way. Concentrated dark forest fruits with a lick of liquorice, some dried herbs, a lovely freshness, and a long finish. Nice wine.
Martinelle Vetoux Rouge 2022
14.5%
€22.46 (€35)
Powerful and serious with lots of mineral and intense ripe dark fruits, and some swarthy tannins on the finish. Another great full-bodied red wine.
I was in my local O’Briens last weekend and couldn’t resist buying two of my favourite wines for dinner that night. I have been enjoying both for five years, probably a lot longer.
James Kinglake and his team produce a fine range of wines, mostly made from either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. The Étoile is fermented and aged in large French oak foudres and demi-muids using indigenous yeasts. It strikes the perfect balance between rich and fresh, with a beautifully textured palate and good acidity. Subtle toasted almonds ripe pears and apples with a crisp dry finish. Perfect with richer seafood or chicken dishes. Fantastic value for money, especially when compared with any white Burgundy. 13.5%abv.
€18.96 down from €22.95 from O’Briens.
Bardolino Classico Cuvée XV 2022, Guerrieri Rizzardi
I am a big fan of plain Bardolino and Valpolicella (as opposed to all the ripasso and appassimento wines) and the Cuvée XV is a perfect example of the style. The vineyards of Bardolino overlook the stunningly beautiful Lake Garda. The wines tend to be light and fruity. The Cuvée XV is more full-bodied than most but still retains a lovely freshness. Medium-bodied with gorgeous supple ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruits and a tannin free finish. Perfect with most white meats. 13.5%abv
12.5%
€25 from Whelehan’s, Loughlinstown, whelehanswines.ie
Delightful light lively refreshing summer fruits; strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants, with barely perceptibly fine tannins on the finish. Smooth and elegant, this is a perfect summer red, possibly served cool.
Schiava is the grape variety, or more accurately group of grape varieties; known as Trollinger in Germany, it is mostly found in the Alto Adige and Trentino regions of Northern Italy. The grapes come from a number of old vineyards in the village of Kurtatsch.
