Lunch with Enrico

Enrico Fantasia is one of the more interesting and engaging characters in the wine trade. Born on the island of Venice, he played French horn in the Gran Teatro La Fenice opera house in the city. Tiring of this, he ran a wine bar, and by a series of chance encounters ended up working for Sheridan’s cheesemongers in Galway, importing wine from Italy. He still supplies Sheridan’s with wine, but now runs his own wine company, Grapecircus, mainly supplying restaurants around Dublin. He is very knowledgeable about both food and wine, and even spent a few months working for Dario Cecchini, the world-famous butcher in Panzano in Chianti.

Italy is full of interesting wines that we rarely if ever see in this country. The current economic situation has made things even worse. Enrico laments the fact that the only white Italian wines that seem to sell here are Pinot Grigio and Gavi. I see most Gavi as little more than rich man’s (or woman’s) Pinot Grigio, so that says it all. Even Soave is seen as a little bit too esoteric. Why is it that we Irish don’t respect good Italian wine? It is often said that we don’t understand the food either – what Dublin really needs is one genuine high-quality Italian restaurant (London is full of them) and maybe everything would change. Enrico, however, is persevering, and with the help of Séan Gargano, one of the best sommeliers in Dublin, imports a range of really interesting, well-chosen wines. Most of them are available in Sheridan’s cheese shop in Dublin, possibly elsewhere too.

We had lunch in Dax Café on Pembroke Street, my first visit there. The place was buzzing. Over a strangely sweet salad of ham hock and other bits, followed by a plate of good cheese, we drank a bottle of Rosso di Montalcino.(Canalicchio di Sopra, €22.00 from Sheridan’s). It epitomised everything that is good about Italian and Tuscan wine; nicely concentrated with savoury dark almost bitter cherries, good acidity and a lightly tannic finish. A subtle rather than showy wine, but very enjoyable with food, one of those wines that opens out and improves as you work your way down the bottle.

Easter Alternatives

When tasting at home, I usually taste blind (and then ‘seen’ afterwards) and try to taste a group of 6-8 similar wines at the same time. My backlog of wines had been building up, and after two days of very disappointing tastings, I really wasn’t looking forward to tasting still more wine. I understand this is not a complaint that many people understand, but tasting a series of well-made, but uninteresting wines night after night tires very quickly. Last night I found five wines supplied for a ‘Something different for Easter’ article which never materialised. We had nothing for dinner, so I bought a shoulder of lamb from my local butcher, which I roasted. Not only was the lamb magnificent – tender and full of flavour, but three of the wines were really enjoyable and each went very nicely with the lamb. So, three very different wines, each good in their own way, and perfect with Easter lamb. I also tasted a few white wines, and really enjoyed a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, pert of the Superquinn wine sale currently running.

J. Mourat ‘Sacré Blanc’ Chenin Blanc 2010

Fresh honey and quince on nose and palate, with good acidity and pretty decent length. A really enjoyable interesting wine at a great price.

€11.99 down to €9 for the Superquinn Spring French Wine Sale

Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2009

Light violets and red cherries on the nose; light sweet fruit with good acidity; very pleasant and refreshing, with a nice earthy note on the finish. A very Italian wine that went very nicely with the lamb.

€14.50-14.95 from Fallon & Byrne, Exchequer St; Baggot Street Wines; 64Wine, Glasthule; Wicklow Arms, Greystones; Deveneys, Rathmines; Corkscrew, Chatham St.; Nectar Wines, Sandyford; Hargadons, Cabinteely.

Castello di Potentino 2005, Montecucco Rosso

Sweet ripe cherry nose with an earthy note; on the palate, sweet old-style Italian, with tea and liquorice flavours alongside the mature sweet fruit; possibly not the most polished, with some drying tannins on the finish. Possibly tiring a little, but a wine of real character and I really liked it – great with the lamb too.

€14.10 from www.fromvineyardsdirect.com

Domaine des Hauts Châssis, Cuvée Esquisse 2010

Forward clean dark fruits on the nose; sweet and savoury at the same time, with cool just-ripe dark cherries, and a light savoury kick, and a touch of tobacco; no great concentration or structure, but a very pleasant wine for drinking now.

€19.95 from www.thewinestore.ie , The Vineyard Galway; On The Grapevine, Dalkey.

PORTUGESE TASTING

PORTUGESE TASTING

Below a range of really interesting off-beat wines that I tasted for a recent article in The Irish Times. Sadly I am limited to four wines each week, so I thought I would include the remainder here. All were tasted blind.

WHITE WINES

Cistus Branco Reserva 2009, Douro
14%
€11.50

Not much on the nose; crisp pithy stone fruits, bone dry with some quince. A pleasant wine with a bit of character. 11/20

Stockists: Mitchell & Son, IFSC and Glasthule. www.mitchellandson.com

Quinta da Lixa 2010, Vinho Verde
11.5%
€9.99

A little fiz when you pour, as is traditional with Vinho Verde; lifted tropical fruit and pear aromas; light crisp and fresh with apple and grapefruit. A mouth-watering wine with lots of zip. This would be great as an aperitif or with slighter seafood. The Muscadet of Portugal? Very good value. 11.5/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Provia Régia Premium 2010, Bucelas
13%
€12.99

Rich pear and peach aromas, with a touch of bananas too; light, but this carries quite a bit of fruit, ripe peaches shot through with lemon zest and grapefruit; Very stylish fresh wine. 13/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Morgado de Sta. Catherina Reserva 2008
13.5%
€14.99

Arinto fermented and aged in new French oak. A much deeper colour, with broad spice, cloves and some peach fruits. Good acidity too. This would appeal to those who enjoy oaky wines. I prefer slightly less spice. Good wine though. 12/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Antão Vaz de Peceguina
13.5%
€17.95

A lightly floral nose; medium-bodied with a nice creamy texture, spiced apples and pears, with lovely clean length. This is a really well-made modern wine, bearing some similarity to a white Burgundy. 14.5/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

RED WINES

Quinta do Cardo, Beria Interior, 2009
13%
€9.99

Is this the Portugese version of Beaujolais? It has light fresh raspberry and redcurrant fruits, tangy and lively, with a dry slightly raspy finish. Different and possibly not a crowd pleaser, but I really enjoyed it with dinner later – it is certainly a food wine. 11.5/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Grilos 2008 Dão
13%
€11.25

Light violets on the nose; a very good food wine with nice acidity, no real tannins, and pleasant smooth easy dark damson fruits; no huge concentration but an appealing good everyday wine, of the sort I really enjoy. 12.5/20

Wicklow Wine Company info@wicklowwineco.ie 0404 66767 for stockists.

Quinta do Cachão 2009, Douro
14%
€11.30

Relatively light fruits, cooler with good acidity and no rough edges, although a nice earthy savoury touch. This went down very nicely with roast pork for dinner. 11.5/20

Karwig Wines www.karwigwines.ie , email info@karwigwines.ie for local stockists.

Dom Rafael, Mouchão 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano
14%
€14

Mouchão is one of the historic wineries of Portugal, owned by the Reynolds family since the mid-nineteenth century, (with a brief interlude during the revolution in 1974). The flagship wine, just called Mouchão is serious stuff indeed, and well worth trying out. There are also a few special cuvées which I tasted on a visit there a few years back. The Dom Rafael is made to be drunk earlier. This is a fairly powerful structured wine with serious chewy ripe dark fruits, well-integrated tannins and very good concentration. A great winter wine with real character to serve with stews or red meats. 14/20

Paulo Laureano Clássico 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano
14.5%
€11.95

This had a funky slightly animal edge to the dark plum aromas and some spice too; on the palate earthy meaty warm fruits and no real tannins. A rustic wine but pleasant with a slight tarriness too. Warming wine and very well-priced too. 12/20

For stockists, contact Mitchell & Son, IFSC and Glasthule. www.mitchellandson.com 01 2302301/01 6125540.

Paulo Laureano Permium 2008, DOC Alentejo
14.5%
€15.95

A medium to full-bodied wine with some new oak, but a nice distinctive cool plum character, nice loose tannic structure; a very well-made wine. There is very good quality fruit on the centre-palate. It opened out, and seemed to take on weight after a while into a fairly big swarthy wine that I really enjoyed. 13/20

For stockists, contact Mitchell & Son, IFSC and Glasthule. www.mitchellandson.com

Herdade dos Grouse Vinho Regional Alentejano
14.5%
€16.99 but on special at €12.99 in Fresh Outlets and La Touche Wines, Greystones

This was very different in style to the other wines; very modern, with svelte ripe rich classy fruits, and plenty of spicy new oak. There is good concentration too and quite noticable alcohol.
A very appealing commercial style, almost Europe meets Australia with a Portugese twist. 13/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Quinta dos Aciprestes 2007, Douro
14%
€11.99

Savoury blackcurrant and wet-stone on the nose; somehow less structured than I expected, with sweet ripe strawberries, a real earthy maturity, a decent whack of alcohol but it seems in balance. It improved with time, developing a pleasing swarthiness. Nice wine. 12/20

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

Casa de Santar 2008, Dão
13.5%
€12.95

Light pure dark cherry aromas; a really attractvie wine with clean morello and plum fruits a lovely light acidic kick at the end, good persitence and a dry finish. Yummy.14/20

Wicklow Wine Company info@wicklowwineco.ie 0404 66767 for stockists.

Munda 2008, Dão
14.5%
€27.50

This is serious stuff; warm ripe dark fruits and dark chocolate on the nose. A structured young wine with a masses of tight dark fruits, distinctive dark chocolate, and excellent length. Very nicely balanced, if a bit young. Decant before serving, or keep a year or two, but well worth the money.

Imported by Grace Campbell. Email kevinohara1@eircom.net for local stockists.

MR. AMARONE

Mr. Amarone

A range of great Amarone going back twenty three years.

Mr. Amarone, Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi, specialists in all things appassimento, put on a great tasting this afternoon. It was Sandro’s father who first dreamt up the idea of Ripasso in the late 1950’s, making the first commercial vintage in 1964. Some years later, he offered the name to the local Chamber of Commerce, thus allowing other producers to use the term. He is not entirely happy with the current standards (some use the dried grapes three times – the result he says is a bit like a teabag; it gets lighter each time). However we were tasting Amarone. We tried eight wines, including six of the Masi Costasera, their ‘standard’ Amarone, and two vintages of Serègo Alighieri Vaio Amaron, from the ancient estate of the family of Dante Alighieri. It was a really good reminder that high alcohol wines can be perfectly balanced; also that Amarone, a much abused name, is a great wine. Some really good, and two absolutely stunning wines.

 Masi Costasera Amarone 2007

Young, intensely fruity wine, plums, baked fruit and spices. Good acidity, good length; a very good young wine. 14.5/20

Masi Serègo Alighieri Vaio Amaron Amarone 2005

Deeper in colour with pure dark chocolate, coffee and intense ripe dark fruits and vanilla; tannic and long, hugely concentrated. A very impressive young wine, which will only improve. 17.5/20

 Masi Costasera Amarone 2000

Starting to show some mature notes of tea and prunes, but still has some very attractive primary cherry fruits too. Savoury, long and very stylish wine. 16.5/20

 Masi Costasera Amarone 1998

Brown sugar on the nose; soft savoury liquorice flavours – tea, prunes and chocolate too; the alcohol stuck out a little at first, but it opened out very nicely, with a good bitter finish. 16.5/20

 Masi Costasera Amarone 1995

A slightly dirty nose initially, which blew off after a bit. Old woody, mint and figs, but a little vegetal too. Good, but not my favourite. 13.5/20

 Masi Serègo Alighieri Vaio Amaron Amarone 1995

A stunning wine of great power, complexity and balance. Big savoury plums soy, liquorice, cassis and hints of mint; changes all the time in the glass. Huge concentration, a lovely long bitter finish. 18.5/20

 Masi Costasera Amarone 1993

Hard to follow the wine above, and this was fine, but probably starting to fade a little; stewed tea, herbs, some soft prunes and a leafy note. Elegant and enjoyable. 16.5/20

 Masi Costasera Amarone 1988

I thought this was past it at first, but it opened out beautifully to reveal wonderful mature flavours of grilled hazelnuts, stewed fruits and raisins. Lovely sweet-sour flavours. 17/20

A FEW TREATS AT ELY WINE BAR

Just returned from a cellar tasting at Ely Wine Bar, run mainly for the various sommeliers who work there, plus a few wine scribes. We tasted 20 wines, including a number of 2006 Bordeaux; Cos d’Estournel and Pape-Clement both outshone Léoville-Lascases for the moment, two excellent wines still in their youth. Also, a brilliant Bollinger Vieilles Vignes 1998. However the stars for me were two Burgundies, one red, one white and a quartet of Rhônes.

 Beaune Blanc ‘Aigrots’ 2005 Domaine Lafarge €69 in Ely

Wonderful white wine, reminiscent of a really good Hautes Côtes, rather than a Côte d’Or, with grilled nuts, whiteflowers and wet-stones. Lovely firm acidity and excellent length. 16/20

Volnay 2005 Domaine Lafarge €75 in Ely

A beautiful subtle fragrant floral nose; very firm and acidic on the palate, with a green touch (from the stems?) allied to lovely maturing red cherry fruits, and great length. Lovely wine that will develop a further 5 years or more. 16/20

The two red Châteauneuf were poles apart; a big meaty, earthy, tarry Domaine Pegau 1998, and a wonderful pure elegant Clos des Papes 2008, 15% alcohol but perfectly balanced, very long and intensely flavoured.

St. Joseph Cuvée du Papy, Domaine du Monteillet 2008 €59 in Ely

Wonderful fragrant, almost Burgundian nose; elegant delightful pure sweet/savoury dark cherry fruits. A special wine to seek out. 16.5/20

 Cornas ‘Brise Cailloux’ 2006 Domaine du Coulet

A superb just-ripe savoury nose of plums; masses of tight, concentrated ripe dark fruits, a mineral streak, and excellent length. Needs a year or two, but brilliant wine. 17/20