Canada, Croatia, Volcanoes and Boy Scouts – plus Arbois – a weekends drinking

Vina Laguna Pinot Sivi 2014, Istria, Croatia
A very pleasant Pinot Grigio with light tropical fruits. €14.95 from Mitchell & Son plus other independents.

Domaine de la Pinte Chardonnay, Arbois, Jura 2014
A beautifully crafted wine with fine green apple fruits, lemon zest, subtle hazelnuts and honey, very good acidity and dry length. According to Wink Lorch in her book Jura, Pinte have the largest holding of Savignin in the world – strange that M&S bought the Chardonnay? Biodynamic. €23.50 from Marks & Spencer.

Alonso del Yerro 2012 Ribera del Duero
A full-bodied, smooth wine, rich in velvety dark fruits, with good length and plenty of power. The kind of wine that would appeal to the hedonists/Parkerites amongst us. Sent to me by the producer. They were imported by Vinostito at one stage, but are currently seeking distribution in Ireland. Give me a shout if you are interested.

Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
I met Brian Meyer, my former scout leader at a function recently; he told me how his cousins had emigrated to Canada decades ago, and ended up owning a vineyard. He visited them at a family reunion and they had sent him a case of Chardonnay, which he said was ‘very nice’. Two weeks later I was in Marks & Spencer and what did I see but the Meyer Family Pinot Noir. I drank it with roast duck (also from M&S) over the weekend. This is a seriously good Pinot, light and juicy but concentrated, with dark cherries and plums. Pricewise, it stacks up well against the competition from Burgundy, Germany and the New World too. €28 from Marks & Spencer

Benanti Etna Rosso 2014
Part of a tasting for a piece on Etna wines for the Irish Times. Both red and white were nice elegant wines; the red had more fruit and intensity than the white. Waiting for the pricing. Imported by Honest2Goodness.

Castel Firmian Marzemino 2014, Mezzacorona, Trentino
A very tasty light wine with leafy crunchy redcurrant fruits, and good acidity. Drank this with pork chops and mushrooms – worked very well. Nice wine. €15 from Mitchell & Son.