Semillon 2008, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley

Semillon 2008, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley  –  12.5%  –  €15.49

Jeff Schrapel and daughter Tanya are the fifth and sixth generation of this family to run Bethany wines in the historic Barossa Valley. I have always been a fan of their Semillon, which takes on a lovely character with a few years ageing. This is a delicious complex wine with rounded fresh melon fruits, lime zest, subtle grilled hazelnuts and a dry finish. Perfect with chicken, pork or salmon.

Stockists: O’Briens

Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2011 Guigal

Côtes du Rhône Rouge Guigal 2011  –  14%  –  €15.99

This was once consumed in vast quantities by most of middle-class Dublin; these days many have now moved on to other wines. I hadn’t tried it for a few years, and was very pleasantly surprised when I opened up a bottle recently. This is a very tasty smooth medium-bodied wine with ripe but savoury black fruits and a touch of spice. The white version, at the same price is also a very decent enjoyable wine.

Stockists: Supervalu, O’Briens and many independents.

Tramin Pinot Grigio 2013, Alto-Adige Sud-Tirol

Tramin Pinot Grigio 2013, Alto-Adige Sud-Tirol  –  13%  –  €15.99 per bottle

The Alto Adige is a wonderful source for clean fresh white wines; we don’t see enough of them in this country. This wine shone in a blind tasting of Pinot Grigio. It is so much better than the standard Veneto versions that clog up most restaurant wine lists. Beautifully balanced, lively and lightly textured, with ginger spice, pears and very good length.

Stockists: Wines on the Green, Dawson St.; McCabes, Blackrock; 64 Wine, Glasthule; Baggot Street Wines; Blackrock Cellar; Clontarf Wines; Gibneys, Malahide; Jus de Vin, Portmarnock; Martins, Fairview; Nolans, Clontarf; The Vintry, Dublin 6.

I Moline de Grace Chianti Classico 2010

I Moline de Grace Chianti Classico 2010  –  13.5%  –  € 19.95 per bottle

Chianti is not to everyone’s taste; some are put off by the lifted acidity and savoury bite of Sangiovese. I love it, particularly with red meat and game. This is a lighter version, but with lovely succulent fruit; lively with juicy sour cherries and herbs finishing with some well-judged tannins. Perfect with red or white meats, and very well-priced.

Stockists: Whelehan Wines, Loughlinstown, www.whelehanwines.ie

POSH PINK

 POSH ROSÉS

 Wagner-Stempel Rosé 2013, Rheinhessen, Germany

€17-19

This is a delicious rosé; wonderful subtle red cherry fruits and a lip-smacking dry finish. A mere 12% alcohol and dangerously moreish.

Daniel Wagner-Stempel, who visited Ireland recently, is one of the most highly regarded young wine producers in Germany today. Based in the less-fashionable Rheinhessen region, he fashions a series of exotic, fruit-filled   white and red wines.

Stockists: Wicklow Wine Co.; The Corkscrew, Chatham St.; Searsons, Monkstown.

 Sipp Mack Rosé d’Alsace 2013 13%

€17.49

In a similar vein to the Wagner-Stempel above, this is a delightful, elegant, fragrant, raspberry-scented rosé with good acidity and a long dry. By the way, Mitchells also have a delicious, more full-bodied Côtes du Rhône rosé  from Domaine Brusset for €15.49.

Alsace tries very hard to make red wine from Pinot Noir. In many cases the wines are little too light and acidic. However, Pinot noir can make excellent rosé and perhaps this is what Alsace should make with this variety.

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

Two great wines last weekend

I‘ve been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks winewise. This is partly the result of my drink less, drink better regime. If I cut out wine three days a week, I am going to make sure I enjoy the remaining few days. The three Rhône Syrahs of last week (see previous blog) was followed by two delicious wines on Saturday night.

We ate a Caesar’s salad followed by crab linguini followed by a few slices of Ossau-Iraty, one of my favourite cheeses, made from sheep’s milk.

Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling 2012

12.5%

€25

An award winning wine and deservedly so. Beautiful lifted aromatic nose, wonderful crisp light lime and green apple fruits, perfectly balanced.  Delicious with crab linguini.

Fürst Spätburgunder Tradition 2010, Franken

13%

€26

I bought a few bottles of this, an utterly delicious German Pinot Noir from one of the leading practitioners, Rudolf Fürst. Fragrant nose, soft silky light cherry fruits with good acidity and a seamless finish. Perfect with the cheese and by itself.

SYRAH WEEKEND

Crozes-Hermitage 2005 Alain Graillot

St. Joseph ‘Les Royes’1999 Domaine Courbis

Syrah ‘Sensation du Nord’ 2009 Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond

Over the August bank holiday weekend, I sipped my way through three delicious light elegant Syrahs from the Northern Rhône.  Over the last few years, probably only Pinot Noir has given me more pleasure than wines from this region. Most have a seductive delicacy and finesse combined with light alcohol and a savoury edge.

Bangs per buck Alain Graillot’s red Crozes Hermitage must be one of the best value wines in the market. Both red and white sell for under €30, and both are accessible young but with an ability to age – a wonderful combination. The red is never big nor alcoholic winning you over with its subtle charms. I have drunk many vintages and rarely been disappointed. This was a bottle of 2005, given to me by a friend. It was great wine; light elegant with slightly pithy dark cherry fruits, some liquorice and a pleasing underlying earthiness. The finish was silky smooth. I savoured it over three days and it was as good the third day as the first.

The Saint Joseph 1999 Courbis was another gift, originally cellared in one of the Oxbridge colleges. 1999 was a great year in the northern Rhône. The wine did not have quite the elegance of the Graillot, but had lovely developed medium-bodied savoury dark fruits and very good length. Really delicious wine.

The third wine was a 2009 Vin de pays des collines Rhodanniennes Syrah from Christophe Bonnefond, one of the up-and-coming producers in Côte Rotie. This was made from young vines I think. It was very good, lighter than the others but with lovely purity of fruit.  There was a little new oak on the finish in particular, but it never overshadowed the smooth fresh ripe dark fruits. It sells for just under €20. Mine came from Jus de Vine in Portmarnock.

FRENCH BASQUE WINE

IROULÉGY ARRETXEA 2009

From Terroirs in Donnybrook one of the few French Basque wines available in this country; both Wines on the Green and 64wine have Txacoli, the white Spanish Basque wine. Arretxea are the leading estate in the region and the wine was very good, especially with meatballs in a mushroom sauce. It sells for €19.50 and is pretty good value at that.

This was very good although ripe and richer than I had anticipated; great colour, ripe dark fruit on the nose, soft rounded forest fruits on the palate with a little spice and a smooth finish. It has some of the structure you would expect of Iroulégy, but the tannins are ripe and well integrated.