Wilson on Wines

THE WONDERFUL WINES OF SICILY

Posted by admin on May 30, 2019

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 25th May, 2019

Sicily is an island of huge contrasts: ugly and chaotic at times, amazingly beautiful, enchanting and serene at others. Any downsides are offset by the warmth, friendliness and vitality of the people, the excellent food and of course, the wine.

In the past, Sicily was best known for inexpensive bulk wine that ended up being turned into cheap Marsala or vermouth. Over the last decade or so, a group of high quality producers has emerged, primarily using indigenous grapes to produce a variety of red and white wines (and sparkling too) with their own unique Sicilian character.

In many ways this is the ideal place to grow vines; Sicily gets more sun than any other part of Europe, 2,500 hours, compared with 2,000 on the mainland and 1,800 in the south of France. The constant winds keep temperatures in check, particularly on the higher mountainside slopes. Over 40 per cent of vineyards are farmed organically (the highest in the world), a figure that rises further in quality estates.

While you will find some of the international grape varieties (Syrah in particular has been around a long time), Sicily has a treasure trove of indigenous varieties, some very ancient, that are only now beginning to show their true potential. Many of these have various different clones that are almost like separate varieties

Four white grapes are worth remembering: Inzolia and Cataratto are usually used in fresh fruity wines. Grillo, once used to make Marsala, shows real potential. Decent inexpensive versions of these can be found on the shelves of your local supermarket. These days, most of the white grapes are picked early and the resulting wines are crisp, light and dry. Carricante, grown almost exclusively on the slopes on Mount Etna, can be delightful – the elegant, cool fruits and acidity, tasting more like the Loire than Mediterranean.

For red wines, Nero d’Avola grown on warmer flat sites can be rich and powerful; wines from the cooler hillside sites can be surprisingly floral and elegant. Nerello Mascalese, grown primarily on the slopes of Mount Etna, produces distinctive, very exciting wines with soft, silky Pinot-like fruit, often combined with a dry tannic finish.

Frapatto, usually grown in the southeastern corner of the island (often blended with Nero d’Avola to produce Cerasuolo di Vitoria) is fragrant and light with juicy strawberry fruits. Perricone is highly regarded by many quality producers, and is often blended with Nero d’Avola.

Sicilian food is unique and magnificent, varying region by region, clearly showing influences of the various invaders that have passed through over the centuries. Every kind of fish is eaten, high quality Mediterranean vegetables take pride of place in many recipes. Sicilian whites go perfectly with fresh grilled fish, and the reds with rich pasta dishes and roasted vegetables.

Nero d’Avola Principi di Butera IGT Sicilia 2015
14%, €16.99
Attractively aromatic, with supple rounded red cherry fruits, black olives, and a nicely rounded finish. A good flexible red to serve on its own or with an Otto Lenghinian mezze of kofte and Mediterranean salads.
From Deveneys, Dublin 14; Fresh, Dublin 2 and 7, freshthegoodfoodmarket.ie; Boggans, Wexford

Sherazadze Donnafugatta 2017, Sicilia DOC, Nero d’Avola
13%, €22.99
A lovely fresh juicy mouthful of voluptuous dark fruits with hints of spice, and nicely integrated tannins on the finish. Serve cool with roast lamb accompanied by roast Mediterranean vegetables or caponata.
From Sweeneys Wines, Dublin 11, sweeneyswines.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, ely64.com; Thomas Woodberrys, Galway, woodberrys.ie; Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin, searsons.com; Gibney’s, Malahide, Co Dublin, gibneys.com; Alain & Christine’s, Kenmare, Co Kerry, acwine.ie; Red Island Wine Co, Skerries, Co Dublin; wineonline.ie; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie

Pietradolce Etna Bianco 2018
13%, €27
An elegant, refined and delicious light white with cool green fruits, mouthwatering lemon zest, and a long dry finish. Grilled white fish with lemon and herbs.
From Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; Deveneys, Dublin 14

Rosso del Conte 2014, Regaleali, Tasca d’Almerita, Sicily Contea di Scalfani
14%, €53
Made from a blend of Nero d’Avola and Perricone. A magnificent wine, rich and hugely concentrated with very ripe sweet cherry fruits, held together by a fine tannic structure. Save it for your finest roast of beef or lamb.
From winesofitaly.ie

Tags: Etna Bianco, Pietradolce Etna Bianco, Principi di Butera, Rosso del Conte Regaleali, Sherazadze Donnafugatta, Sicily

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Wines of the Week – Deux Les Deux Cols

Posted by admin on May 24, 2019

Two wines from the same estate today. Les Deux Cols was founded by Anglo-Irishman Simon Tyrrell back in 2012. A specialist Rhône importer based in Ireland, he studied winemaking in Plumpton College in the U.K. He was later joined by former sommelier and wine importer Charles Derain, and later still by wine retailer Gerard Maguire. They now have four hectares of vines in one of the coolest parts of the Southern Rhône, on the boundary of the Gard and the Ardèche. Most of the vineyards are on a line of hills above the village of Saint Gervais at an altitude of 220 metres. They have a complex soil structure with a limestone base, and a topsoil that may contain loess, granite, sand, clay or loam, all within in a short distance.

I have always found the wines good, but in 2017, I think they have hit new heights. They may seem expensive for Côtes du Rhône, but I believe they offer great value for money.

Zéphyr 2017, Côtes du Rhône (organic)

Made primarily from the Roussanne grape, this is fermented and aged six months in in barrique. It is a medium-bodied wine with floral aromas and a very attractive textured palate with succulent peaches and apricots, interwoven with honey and toasted nuts. A lively acidity keeps it fresh and there is a lovely savoury bite on the finish. A nice wine with real character.

Try it with richer fish dishes, or chicken dishes. Chicken in a creamy sauce sounds good.

€24.95 from from La Touche, Greystones, Latouchewines4u.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, Ely64.com; The Cinnamon Cottage, Cork, cinnamoncottage.ie; No. 21, Cork;

J.J. Fields, Skibbereen, fieldsofskibbereen.com; Eleven Deli, Greystones; Eleven Deli, Greystones, elevendeli.ie: Clontarf Wines, Dublin 3 clontarfwines.ie; Donnybrook Fair, donnybrookfair.ie; Drinkstore, D7, drinkstore.ie; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Whelehan’s Wines, Loughlinstown, whelehanswines.ie; Deveney’s, Dundrum; Redmonds, Dublin 6; Redmonds.ie; Martin’s Off Licence, Dublin 3, martinsofflicence.ie; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, jusdevine.ie.

Alizé 2017, Côtes du Rhône

A very stylish Côtes du Rhône, elegant and long, with harmonious smooth dark forest fruits and hints of liquorice. At 13.5% alcohol, it is vibrant and fresh, and very different to many of the bigger, more heady wines found under the same appellation.

This would go nicely with white meats, and firm cheeses.

€18.95 from La Touche, Greystones, Latouchewines4u.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, Ely64.com; The Cinnamon Cottage, Cork, cinnamoncottage.ie; No. 21, Cork;

Tags: Alizé 2017, Cotes du Rhone, Les Deux Cols, Zéphyr 2017

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Climate change in a glass: How a warming world is altering wine

Posted by admin on May 23, 2019

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 18th May.

According to the viticulturist Dr Richard Smart, the world’s wine industry “is the canary in the coal mine, because it’s the early-warning system”. A map of the world’s wine regions shows that almost all vineyards lie in two narrow ribbons, between 30 and 50 degrees north and south of the equator. This is changing gradually, partly because of increasingly sophisticated methods of viticulture but also because, all around the world, grapes are ripening earlier.

Even a degree or two’s change in annual temperatures can make a huge difference to the quality and style of a wine – which is why every vintage is unique. There will be winners and losers: cool regions such as the Loire and southwest France, Hawke’s Bay, in New Zealand, and Tasmania, in Australia, once had difficulty ripening red grapes. Nowadays they don’t. Very high quality sparkling wine is now being produced in the UK.

At the other extreme, warmer areas such the southern Rhône in France, central Spain, parts of California and the Barossa Valley in Australia may become too hot to sustain viticulture. Irrigation, once commonplace in hot regions, may become expensive or illegal. Increased ripeness means higher sugar levels, leading to more alcohol. In classic regions, such as Bordeaux and the Napa Valley, alcohol levels have increased over the past 20 years from 12.5 per cent to 14.5 per cent and more – a lot of Napa Valley wines now comes in at over 15 per cent. Yet many consumers are looking for lighter wines with lower alcohol.

A producer can chose to pick early to keep sugar levels low, although the danger is that the phenolic compounds, tannins and anthocyanins essential to high-quality wine may not have ripened yet.

Forward-looking producers such as Miguel Torres in Catalonia long ago began planting vines at much higher altitudes and investigating possible alternative grape varieties. (Torres is also investigating carbon capture and storage.) Others without that option are looking at planting vines on their cooler, north-facing slopes or adjusting their leaf canopies to protect grapes from sunburn.

The other option is to plant varieties that can thrive in warmer, drier climates. Here the Mediterranean countries have plenty of ancient indigenous varieties to offer. White grapes, such as Vermentino and Fiano from Italy and Arinto from Portugal, retain their acidity even in hot climates. For red wines, expect to see more Touriga Nacional, Castelâo and Trincadera from Portugal, as well as Nero d’Avola, Aglianico and Grenache instead of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

But most European wine regions are restricted to growing a limited number of grape varieties, and marketing Sauvignon Blanc or Malbec is a lot easier than marketing Aglianico.

Of course, this doesn’t address the other effects of climate change: extremes in weather, such as storms, floods or drought, as well as frost and hail are all predicted to increase.

Castellini Vermentino 2017, IGT Toscana
12.5%, €10 (down from €16.99) from Thursday, May 23rd

Floral, herbal nose with plump pear and ripe peach fruits, with good refreshing acidity. On its own, or with Italian fish dishes – spaghetti with clams, mussels or prawns.
From SuperValu, supervalu.ie

Prova Regia Arinto 2017, Bucelas, Portugal
12.5%, €13.95

Move over Sauvignon. Stimulating, appetisingly fresh and crisp with bright luscious fruits and a racy mouth-watering acidity, finishing dry. As an aperitif, or with grilled white fish.
From O’Briens, obrienswine.ie; Fresh, freshthegoodfoodmarket.ie; La Touche, Greystones, Co Wicklow,latouchewines4u.ie; Matson’s, Grange and Bandon, Co Cork; MacGuinness Wines, Dundalk, Co Louth, dundalkwines.com; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4, donnybrookfair.ie; Deveney’s, Dublin 16; D-Six Wines, Dublin 6; peggykellys.ie; Red Island Wine, Skerries, Co Dublin; Redmonds, Dublin 6, redmonds.ie; Morton’s, Dublin 6,mortons.ie; Listons, Dublin 2, listonsfoodstore.ie; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin,jusdevine.ie; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com; McCabes, Dublin 18; the Coach House, Dublin 16, thecoachhouseofflicence.ie; Lilac Wines, Dublin 3, lilacwines.ie; Sweeneys Wines, Dublin 11, sweeneyswines.ie.

Fossil 2015, Vale de Capucha, Lisbon (organic)
13%, €20

Made with 60 per cent Touriga Nacional, this wonderful, moreish wine with violet aromas, lively concentrated dark fruits – blackcurrants, blackberries and wild fruits, with a strong, refreshing mineral streak, is unputdownable. Try it with pork dishes – grilled chops or a herby roast.
From Urbanity, Dublin 7, urbanity.ie; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Lilac Wines, Dublin 3, lilacwines.ie; Grape & Grain, Stillorgan, Co Dublin,leopardstowninn.ie; Baker’s Corner, Kill of the Grange, Co Dublin; 1601 Off-licence, Kinsale, Co Cork; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com; Drinkstore, Dublin 7,drinkstore.ie; Martin’s Off-Licence, Dublin 3, martinsofflicence.ie.

Mont Horrocks Nero d’Avola 2017, Clare Valley, Australia (organic)
13.7%, €39.99

Australian Nero d’Avola: a sign of the future? This one is excellent: medium to full bodied, with perky bright red cherry fruits, touches of spice and smooth, gentle tannins on the finish. Drink cool with herby grilled chicken.
From wineonline.ie; Blackrock Cellar, Co Dublin, blackrockcellar.com.

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Two middle-aged wines.

Posted by admin on May 20, 2019

I recently retrieved a few cases of wine from a kind (and trusted) friend who allows me to store my wine in the basement of his house. I had bought all of them 5-10 years ago, all between €20-50 a bottle. As a result we have been having some lovely surprises over the last few weeks, including these two last weekend.

Ekam 2008, Castell d’Encus, Costers del Serge, Spain

13%

Glorious developed nose of herbs and honey; there is plenty of precise crisp lime zest and minerals, and the palate fills out with rich complex mature stone fruits, honey and grilled nuts, finishing dry. Delectable wine – and I have two more bottles to savour!

Riesling is rarely found in Spain, but here it forms the majority in a quite unique bend with Albariño! It works amazingly well. From vineyards at 1,000 metres altitude. I bought three bottles of this some 7-8 years ago, and squirreled it away. I wish I had bought more. The Celtic Whiskey Shop/Wines on the Green are listing the 2016 vintage for €32.

Sankt Paul 2010 Spätburgunder, Erste Lage, Friederich Becker, Pfalz

13.5%

Relatively full-bodied and powerful with lush ripe red cherry fruits, hints of spice and some toasty oak. Rounded, voluptuous and silky, with almost a sweetness to the fruit. Opened out very nicely over an hour or so.

Becker is reckoned to be one of the finest producers of Spätburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) in Germany. The wines are generally made in a rich powerful style. Most of his vines actually lie over the border in France, although not the single-vineyard Sankt Paul. I bought a couple of bottles of this wine from Cabot & Co. following a visit to the estate back 6-7 years ago. It has aged very well. Still available from Cabot & Co for €64 exc VAT.

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A Duo from Sicily

Posted by admin on May 17, 2019

“The amount of bullshit in the wine world is almost as much as that in the world of fashion”. Marco de Grazia, founder of Tenuta delle Terre Nere, doesn’t pull his punches. “Winemaking is a cultural process whereby you want to express the character of that vineyard; therefore you have to step back. Most winemakers have very big egos – we are the opposite, we want you to taste the vineyard.”

Thirty years ago, de Grazia, an American wine importer, was one of the very first to set up an estate on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, an ancient vineyard that had largely been forgotten. Since then, the region has been recognized as one of the finest in Sicily, with producers from all over Italy flocking to buy up vineyards.

Today the Terre Nere estate has 55 hectares on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, 27 of which are in production. That includes 24 separate parcels, four released as single vineyard wines. Except for seven hectares of recently planted vineyards all of the vines are 50-100 years old, growing at altitudes of 600-1,000 metres. All of the Terre Nere wines are made from local, indigenous grape varieties. “A happy vineyard produces happy grapes”, says de Grazia; all of the wines are organic and vegan.

De Grazia recently visited Dublin where he, and importers Wine Mason, put on a tasting of the Terre Nere wines. The wines are all good, and some spectacular; over the last few years, this has become one of my favourite Italian producers.

Etna Bianco 2017 Tenuta delle Terre Nere

Floral, fresh and light, with soft pears and subtle stone fruits, and a lively mineral acidity. There is a fantastic succulence and purity to the fruit. Delicious wine with real character and good length.

This would go perfectly with simply-cooked white fish. Grilled hake or sole.

The red wines of Mount Etna tend to get all of the attention, but the white wines can be spectacularly good and are well worth seeking out. The Bianco is made from a blend of 65% Carricante, with varying smaller proportions of Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, and Minella. Organic and vegan.

€25.95 from Redmonds, Dublin 6; Redmonds.ie; Ely Wine Store, Maynooth; elywinebar.ie; Mitchell & Son, chq, Dublin 1, Sandycove, and Avoca, Kilmacanogue & Dunboyne, mitchellandson.com; The Wicklow Wine Co., Wicklow, wicklowwineco.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, Ely64.com; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com; Devenys, Dublin 14;

Etna Rosso Guardioloa 2016, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

Elegant, high-toned cool savoury red fruits – redcurrants and cherries, with a taut structure, and fine drying tannins and minerals on the finish. Fantastic concentration and depth. Magnificent wine.

Keep for a year or two, or if you must open it now, decant and drink alongside roast or grilled pork with tomato-based sauce of some kind.

This is made from primarily Nerello Mascalase with some Nerello Cappuccio, from a single vineyard, one of the highest plots at around 1,000 metres. Di Grazia describes it as “an austere taut coiled spring”, and “a soprano of a wine”. I bought some of the 2014 to lay down for a year or so.

€45 from The Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com.

Tags: Etna Bianco, Etna Rosso, Guardiola, Nerello Mascalese, Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Wine Mason

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Four great Rieslings to pair with seafood, Asian spices and Alsace classics

Posted by admin on May 16, 2019

Rieslings from Aldi, Wittmann, Zinck and Immich-Batterieberg

First published in The Irish Times, 11th May, 2019

Having missed a connecting flight from London home to Dublin a few weeks back, and utterly exhausted, I treated myself to a reviving glass of Pewsey Vale’s The Contours Riesling, from Australia, and some potted shrimp with sourdough toast. It wasn’t cheap, but it was by far the best airport food I have had in years. It also reminded me just how good Riesling is with food.

Riesling is a contender, alongside Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, for the greatest white grape variety, with or without food. The food-matching side is all down to the acidity; white wines (and red) with good acidity tend to go well with food.

The best Riesling comes from four places: Alsace, Austria, Australia and Germany. Alsace and Austrian Riesling tends to be richer, higher in alcohol and dry. Australian Riesling, from the Clare and Eden Valleys, is light, bone dry and laced with lime and citrus. German Riesling varies, but if it has the word “Trocken” on the label, as many do, it will be dry (or just off dry) too.

Alsace Riesling goes really well with Alsatian food, such as coq au Riesling, choucroute garnie and other pork dishes, including belly of pork, as well as with all kinds of creamy sauces – try it with pork chops in a creamy mushroom sauce. A glass of Alsace Riesling is almost mandatory with onion tart, one of my favourite posh lunchtime dishes.

Riesling, particularly the German type, is very popular in Scandinavia as a partner for cured, smoked and lightly pickled seafood. Farther afield, it provides the perfect balance of light fruit and crisp acidity to match raw seafood – oysters, tartares, sashimi and ceviche. German Riesling tends to be lighter than others in alcohol (although not always these days), and I love it with fresh crab (sometimes with slivers of apple, matching the wine’s green-apple fruits) or with plainly grilled white fish.

German and Australian Riesling also work with Asian food. Try Aussie Riesling with crab cakes, pad thai and seafood salads, as well as with dishes with ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass and green chillies. I once came across a memorable Mexican match of halibut ceviche with coriander leaves on a taco with a glass of Aussie Riesling. Heaven.

As you may have realised, much of the above is merely a ploy to get you to drink more Riesling. Over the past month I have enjoyed a bottle at least once a week. Most have been German Trockens, including several bottles I had aged for a few years. All have been brilliant, including a few glasses of the I Love Mosel Riesling (from Wines Direct, €18.25) that I couldn’t quite fit in below.

Aldi Exquisite Clare Valley Riesling 2015, Australia
13%, €9.99
Crisp lime zest and green-apple fruits, with mouthwatering acidity and a dry finish. Pair with prawn noodles, Thai crab cakes or spicy, herby Asian seafood dishes.
From Aldi, aldi.ie

Wittmann Riesling Trocken 2017, Rheinhessen, Germany (Organic)
12%, €22-€25
Luscious nectarines and peaches, a touch of honey, with a vivid streak of lemon zest. Perfect with crab salad, stir-fried prawns, seared salmon or chicken tikka.
From Listons, Dublin 2, listonsfoodstore.ie; Red Island Wine, Skerries, Co Dublin; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; Grapevine, Dalkey, Co Dublin, onthegrapevine.ie

Riesling 2017, Domaine Zinck, Alsace (Organic)
12.5%, €22.90
Delicious crisp, light dry riesling zinging with green apples and lemon zest. Try it with plainly grilled sea trout, onion tart or roast chicken.
From Morton’s, Dublin 6, mortons.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, ely64.com; siyps.com; McCabes @ the Gables, Dublin 18, mccabeswines.ie

Immich-Batterieberg Riesling Detonation 2017 (Organic), Mosel
11.5%, €26
I love everything about this wine: the pristine fresh peach and zingy lemon-zest fruits, the wonderful cleansing mineral acidity, the whiff of smoke and the excellent length. Pair with fresh crab salads, sashimi or simply cooked scallops or Dublin Bay prawns. From Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Loose Canon, Dublin 2, loosecanon.ie; Lilliput Stores, Dublin 7, lilliputstores.com; Grapevine, Dalkey, Co Dublin, onthegrapevine.ie

Tags: Aldi Exquisite Clare Valley Riesling, Detonation Riesling, Domaine Zinck, Immich-Batterieberg, Riesling, Wittmann

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Light, fruity flavours are the best wines for the summer season

Posted by admin on May 14, 2019

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 4th May, 2019

The great outdoors is not the place to bring your finest wines unless you are having a very posh alfresco lunch or dinner. Otherwise, if the sun is out, you should be cracking open something light and fruity – white, rosé or red, and preferably cool or chilled.

For white wine the rule is simple: go for something lowish in alcohol, unoaked and fresh; New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Spanish Albariño and French Muscadet are all ideal. For red wines, try Beaujolais, Loire Cabernet, Austrian Blaufränkisch, New Zealand Pinot Noir or one of the Chilean reds from Itata I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Beaujolais for me is the perfect all-purpose summer wine, with or without food. I tried it with my brined and barbecued shoulder of pork; it worked surprisingly well, the fresh acidity of the Beaujolais cutting through the fatty pork. You could try it with grilled pork chops, garlicky posh sausages, lamb, and vegetable brochettes, as well as cold meats and pates. Alongside, you could serve two other great French picnic wines, Muscadet and Provence rosé.

Like Beaujolais, Muscadet is one of the great summer wines, lively and refreshing, light enough to drink on its own but a great match for salads, white meats and fish. You can find inexpensive versions in most supermarkets. Aldi and SuperValu in particular offer good value. But as is invariably the case, if you spend a few euro more, the wine will so much better. These days Muscadet produces some very high-quality, nuanced, complex wines, and I adore them.

For many people, a chilled glass of rosé is the very essence of summer. Dry or off-dry, it is another great all-purpose wine, to be dunk solo, with salads and cold foods, and spicy barbecued white meats such as chicken. Just try to avoid the very sweet versions.

I have barbecued half a dozen times so far this year, each time a roast of some sort, although burgers grilled over charcoal with mesquite proved very popular too. Winewise, the St Hallett below worked really well with a whole roast chicken stuffed with garlic and herbs. This would also partner Jess Murphy’s lamb chops recipe in today’s Magazine very nicely, as would a Côtes du Rhône or Languedoc, or a Malbec from Argentina.

Château du Coing de St Fiacre 2016, Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine sur Lie
12%, €16.55
Lively pure ripe apple and pear fruits, subtle lemon zest and a fine mineral acidity. Drink it by itself, with shellfish, or summery salads.
From Bradleys Off-licence, Cork, bradleysofflicence.ie; Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 2, fallonandbyrne.com; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; Le Caveau, Kilkenny, lecaveau.ie; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Listons, Dublin 2, listonsfoodstore.ie; MacGuinness Wines, Dundalk, Co Louth, dundalkwines.com; Worldwide Wines, Waterford, worldwidewines.ie

Fleurs de Prairie Côtes de Provence Rosé 2018
13%, €9.99
It comes in a very bling bottle and has tangy ripe raspberry and strawberry fruits, finishing dry. Serve with summery grilled seafood and chicken dishes or with salads. This would be good with Jess’s sherry and sesame drumsticks.
From Aldi, aldi.ie

St Hallet Gamekeper’s Red 2015, Barossa, Australia
14%, €15.95 (down from €19.95 for May)
Medium-bodied, smooth and ripe, this would go down a treat with those spicy lamb chops and/or the chicken drumsticks. Perfect barbeque red.
From O’Briens, obrienswine.ie

Beaujolais Villages Le Vin des Roches 2016, Domaine Longère
12.5%, €23
Light, fresh, juicy red cherries and plums, with real length and style. The perfect summer wine to serve lightly chilled with all sorts of picnic foods, salads and barbecued white meats.
From Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, Ely64.com; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com; First Draft Coffee & Wine, Dublin 8, firstdraftcoffeeandwine.com; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie

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FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER

Posted by admin on May 3, 2019

It is often said that wine is all about time and place; it tastes better (or worse) depending on the food, the company and where you find yourself eating. I had tried the two wines below before in professional tastings. Both were very good but had been outshone by rival wines. Both tasted immeasurably better one Friday night, after a long, hard week, over dinner at home with my wife.

Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume 2017, Domaine Séguinot-Bordet

13%

€30.95

Floral and fresh, very forward with excellent racy acidity to keep balance; verdant lip-smacking green apple fruits, and a cleansing dry finish. Still youthful but irresistible right now.

We had ours with seared scallops with lemon zest and butter.

Fourchaumes is one of the best-known of the premiers crus of Chablis, partly due to its size. It also has a very favourable position just north of the Grands Crus, south facing with clay-limestone Kimmeridgean soils. It is held to be one of the finest of the premiers crus along with Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre, all of which are located on the north banks of the river Serein.

Available from Wines Direct, Mullingar, and Arnott’s, Dublin 1, winesdirect.ie

Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré 2015, St. Julien

13.5%

€45

Classic modern Saint Julien, forward and fragrant, with rich opulent blackcurrant fruits, cedar and subtle new oak, fine tannins and impressive rounded length.

A roast leg of lamb would be perfect.

This is not the second wine of Ch. Léoville-Poyferré (that is Ch. Moulin Riche) but made from younger vines on the estate. Tasted and then Coravined a few weeks earlier. On the first occasion it was fine, but another less expensive wine showed better.

Available from Whelehan’s, Loughlinstown, whelehanswines.ie

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Warmer days mean lighter wines.

Posted by admin on May 2, 2019

Bring out those lighter reds and refreshing white wines that may have seemed anaemic a few weeks ago

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 27th April, 2019

I am tempting fate, but as I type the sun is shining, the sky is a lovely clear blue and the garden is erupting into life – mainly with a lot of unwelcome weeds, or flowers in the wrong place, as my mother insists on calling them. On Wednesday most of northern Europe celebrates May Day, the start of summer – or is it spring? It is time to celebrate new growth and the promise of summer foods.

It’s also time to adjust our drinking habits. Now is the moment to bring out those lighter reds and crisp, cool, refreshing white wines that may have seemed a little anaemic just a few weeks ago. So, today, a quick run through some of my favourite early-summer wines, and the foods to accompany them.

How about a glass of Lambrusco, a fizzy red wine that you serve chilled? Try it. I am a big fan of real Lambrusco, one of the original pét nats – pétillants naturels, or naturally sparking wines. Bring out your inner hipster and share a glass of this low-alcohol, lightly sparkling wine with a few slices of salami, prosciutto and sourdough bread before dinner or lunch.

Sauvignon Blanc, with its aromas of herbs and greenery, is one of the great spring-summer wines, ideal with soft goat’s cheese salads, whether with beetroot, broad beans or lots of summery herbs, and also good with asparagus.

A glass of Grüner Veltliner from Austria or Riesling Trocken from Germany sings of early summer to me. Both are fairly versatile, Grüner in particular, with all sorts of food, but they come into their own with smoked food – either fish or baked smoked ham, or with lightly spiced herby southeast-Asian chicken or seafood salads. With prawns or scallops served with something citrusy, there is nothing better than a Godello or Albariño from Galicia, or an Alvarinho from Portugal.

Chablis Premier Cru, a step up in price and quality from mere Chablis, is a great wine to serve at smart summer lunches, whether with oysters (traditional), cold chicken salads or, best of all, poached salmon with a buttery sauce or herb mayonnaise. The one below is a stunner, guaranteed to impress your guests.

Is it a little early for rosé? If you are serving a mix of salads, and possibly even barbecued meats, this is one of the most versatile food-friendly wines of all. Red wines should be lighter and served cool or even chilled; with seared salmon or tuna, look to New World Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. My go-to summer wine is Beaujolais of some sort, served with all kinds of cold meats and salads, but I list two interesting alternatives below.

Bardolino “Reboi” 2017, Monte dei Roari
12.5%, €17-€18
Very inviting juicy, piquant black cherries and plums; fresh and very gluggable. With some salumi, mild cheeses and good bread.
From Sheridans Cheesemongers (South Anne Street, Dublin 2, Kells, Co Meath, and Galway branches); siyps.com; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6

Altos Las Hormigas Tinto 2017, Mendoza
13.5%, €17.99
A blend of Bonarda, Malbec and Semillon (yes, the white grape), this is a very attractive, elegant wine with smooth red-cherry fruits and a rounded finish. Try it with dishes featuring herby tomatoes, red peppers or both.
From Cinnamon Cottage, Cork; Corkscrew, Chatham Street, Dublin 2; Donnybrook Fair, branches around Dublin; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6; Red Island Wine, Skerries, Co Dublin; wineonline.ie

Albanta Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas
13%, €10.99
Fresh, succulent pear and green-apple fruits, with a clean, dry finish. With southeast-Asian seafood and chicken salads.
From Aldi

La Chablisienne 1er cru Vaulorent 2015
13.5%, €40
Alluring, sophisticated exotic fruits given shape by a backbone of a fine, cool minerality. It finishes dry, showing great persistence. Excellent, exciting wine.
From Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; Redmonds, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; Vintry, Dublin 6; Clontarf Wines, Dublin 3; Cashel Wine Cellar; Sweeneys Wines, Glasnevin, Dublin 11; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4

Tags: Albanta Albarino, Altos las Hormigos, Bardolino Reboi, Chablis 1er Cru, Liberty Wines

Posted in: Irish Times

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2016 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, Domaine Christophe

Posted by admin on April 26, 2019

2016 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, Domaine Christophe

13%

€49

A lovely complex floral nose; beautifully balanced ripe apple fruits with lime zest; elegant and restrained with a fine seam of mineral acidity. A classic Chablis of the highest order.

Oysters or even better gougères, those gorgeous cheesy choux pastry puffs would be great, but ideally I would keep this for a main course; poached salmon with home-made mayonnaise, or grilled sole with masses of butter and herbs.

This is not cheap, but it was one of my favourite wines from a recent tasting of Chablis Premiers Crus and is certainly worth it. I would happily lay it down for a few years, but it is a pleasure to drink now. This is a small estate, started as recently as 1999.

Available from SIYPS.com; Ely Wine Store, Maynooth; elywinebar.ie.

Posted in: Top Drop

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