Tired of sauvignon? Bored with Pinot Grigio? Try the Northern Rhone

This article was first published in The Irish Times, Saturday 9th March, 2019

Tiring of Sauvignon? Bored with Pinot Grigio? Today a few alternatives from one of the less celebrated regions of France. It took a seminar from importers Tindal & Co with Stephane Montez of Domaine de Monteillet to remind me how much I liked these wines. I am a big fan of both red and white wines of the northern Rhône. They rarely have the power or richness of their southern counterparts, but they make up for this with a delicious freshness, purity of fruit and elegance.

Two relatively unknown grapes, Marsanne and Roussanne, are responsible for some very good white wines that should be right up our street. They are typically crisp and dry, low in alcohol and free of oak influence. Yet, talking to importers and retailers, these wines are not an easy sell; several of the larger producers in the region offer these wines, often at very attractive prices, but they are not available in this country, O’Briens being an honourable exception.

Marsanne is said to be the more neutral of the two, with good acidity and clean melon fruits. It is usually blended with Roussanne, which is richer and more aromatic. I appreciate that €30-€40 for a bottle is hardly bargain basement, but compared with top-quality Chardonnay from either Burgundy or the New World, or the great Rieslings from Germany, they represent very good value for money. What’s more, not only do they drink well from the start, but they have an uncanny ability to age for five or more years. I have been buying and stashing away the odd bottle or two over the past few years and now have a modest collection that is providing me with a lots of pleasure.

Searsons has a treasure-trove of northern whites, including the excellent Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage (€27.95), the Jolivet St. Joseph (€42) and Les Hautes de Monteillet (€24.95). JN Wine has the Coursodon St Joseph Les Silices (€35.95), and various independents stock the Yves Cuilleron Marsanne (€19.95).

Outside of the Rhône, you will find the odd planting of Marsanne and/or Roussanne. You will find both in the Savoie, including some spectacularly good Roussanne. The most famous outpost outside of the region is on the other side of the globe in Victoria, Australia, where Tahbilk has the largest planting of Marsanne in the world. It is ridiculously cheap, drinks well young and ages for ever, taking on amazing honey and nut flavours. Being light- to medium-bodied, these are food-friendly wines, perfect to eat alongside most fish dishes and chicken too. As they are low in alcohol, you can happily sip them on their own. My favourite matches are probably crab with home-made mayo or a creamy pasta dish.

Côtes du Rhône Blanc Les Abeilles 2016, Jean-Luc Colombo
13%, €15.95
Light refreshing with delicate mellow peach fruits a spicy, herby, edge, good cleansing acidity and a very attractive soft finish. Hake fried in butter with fresh herbs and lemon.
From O’Briens, obrienswine.ie

Crozes-Hermitage 2015, Alain Graillot Organic
13%, €29.95
Graillot red and white wines are superb, with an ability to improve with age. This is a delightful wine, with subtle plump peaches and apricots, given verve by some tangy lemon zest. Drink solo or with lighter fish and white meats – crab salad or mild herby Thai chicken?
From siyps.com; Mitchell & Son, CHQ, Sandycove and Avoca, Kilmacanogue and Dunboyne, mitchellandson.com

St Joseph ‘Grand Duc du Montillet’ 2017, Domaine du Monteillet
13%, €38
His Les Hautes du Montillet (€24.95) is very good, but this is superb; fresh and intensely floral with lightly textured plump rounded stone fruits, subtle nuts and a long finish. With prawns, scallops or fried brill.
From Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin, searsons.com; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4, baggotstreetwines.com

Tahbilk Marsanne 2018, Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria
12%, €14.25
A wonderful wine and a steal at this price. Zesty lemon, apples, and stone fruits with a touch of honey. Drink now or keep 10 years plus. With a spicy pork and pepper stir fry.
From Wines Direct, Mullingar, and Arnotts, Dublin, winesdirect.ie

Tempranillo: workhorse wine or thoroughbred tipple?

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 2nd March, 2019

Both the cheapest and most expensive wines in Spain are made from the same grape variety: tempranillo. It is now Spain’s most widely planted red grape, yet strangely it is seldom found outside of the country, except in Portugal. Tempranillo means “little early one” as it ripens earlier than garnacha, the other great grape of Spain. In Catalunya they call it “ull de lebre” (or eye of the hare) and in the Douro valley it is known as tinta roriz.

If you buy an inexpensive glugging red from La Mancha, a vast swathe of flat land running south from Madrid, it will more than likely be made from cencibel, the local name for tempranillo. Yields here are high and prices low. The wines are generally scented, light and fruity. Provided they have not been subjected to clumsy oak treatments, they are among my favourite midweek wines.

Pretty much every wine shop and supermarket will have one or more on offer at less than €15, and sometimes below €10. At this price, I prefer to avoid any labelled reserva or gran reserva as this means they will have been aged in oak barrels. Drink them with tortillas/frittatas, chicken dishes, paella with chicken and chorizo, tomato-based pasta dishes and pizza.

In the cooler mountains in the north of Rioja, tempranillo tends towards elegance and poise. Grown in the right place, and with lower yields, it is responsible for some of the most wonderful long-lived (50 years or more) wines of all. Young rioja (known as joven) is usually exuberant and fruity, reservas and gran reservas will have been aged in oak barrels. Done well, it adds structure and complexity. Traditionally rioja was a blend of various grapes, but single-varietal tempranillo seems more and more common.

West of Rioja, in the regions of Ribera del Duero and Toro, different clones of tempranillo are referred to as tinto país, tinto fino or tinto de toro. From very different climate and soils, these are powerful, ripe and muscular wines, a world away from rioja. The best, from producers such as Pingus, Emilio Moro, Pesquera, Hacienda de Monastario, Pago de los Capellanes and Alîon, are a very seductive mix of heady, sweet fruit, good acidity and ripe tannins. Match them with substantial lamb dishes, either barbecued or casseroles.

As well as the Albali featured, SuperValu (which has a Spanish wine sale running until March 6th) has the San Jorge Ribera del Duero (€12) and if you want to try a mature tempranillo, try the Cune gran reserva 2012 (€15). Tesco has the oaky Campaneo OV Tempranillo for €8. Good independent retailers should have Canfo (€12), Albizu (€13) or a selection of riojas to try.

Vina Albali tempranillo, Valdepeñas
12.5%, €8 until March 6th
Faintly floral aromas with light refreshing easy-drinking red fruits, and a tannin-free finish. By itself or with chicken dishes.
From SuperValu

Rayos Uva Rioja 2016, Rioja, biodynamic
14%, €19
Unoaked rioja full of mouth-watering, pure fresh black cherry fruits, with an earthy core and strong mineral element. A wine that will fill you with happiness and goodwill. Drink it with pork chops or lamb cutlets.
From La Touche, Greystones, Co Wicklow; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; Bradley’s, Cork; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, Co Dublin; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6W; Lilliput Stores, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7; The Corkscrew, Dublin 2; Liston’s, Dublin 2; Nectar Wines, Sandymount, Dublin 4

Lindes de Remelluri 2014, Viñedos de Labastida, Remelluri, Rioja
14%, €23
Wonderful, impeccably balanced wine, with restrained, concentrated dark cherry and damson fruits, subtle spice, a lovely freshness and a long, clean, dry finish. Requires food: roast lamb or beef would be perfect.
From Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin; The Corkscrew, Dublin 2; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6W

Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero, Cosecha 2016, biodynamic
14%, €26.99
Sleek, smooth, powerful ripe dark fruits overlaid with spice. Very moreish. Try it with a roast of lamb or a well-aged steak.
From 1601, Kinsale, Co Cork; Fresh, Dublin; Joyce’s supermarkets, Co Galway; Donnybrook Fair, Dublin; branches of O’Briens; Redmond’s of Ranelagh, Dublin 6

‘Organic’ wine: is it worth the label it’s printed on?

This is a longer version of an article that appeared in The Irish Times, Saturday 23rd February, 2019

More organic wines are being produced than ever, but who decides what is organic and how strict are the rules? European wines are governed by legislation introduced in 2012. Until then, a producer could only mention “wine made from organic grapes” on the label. The legislation includes, for the first time, practices in both vineyard and cellar. This sounds great, but many argue that the bar was set far too low.

While maximum amounts of sulphur were lowered compared to ‘normal’ wine, levels up to 100mg/l for red wines and 150mg/l for white and rosé wines are still permitted. Copper spray is just about the only weapon an organic grower can use against disease. Until recently they could spray up to 30kg per hectare over six years, technically 5kg per year, but often more in wet years and less in dry vintages. This has now been lowered to 4kg per hectare every year, which may cause problems in wetter areas in the future.

Most of us, I suspect, automatically think that organic wine is more natural, and in some ways it is. But it is worth taking a quick look at the regulations (see ecocert.com). Organic producers can still add yeasts, Diammonium Phosphate, tannins and oak chips (they don’t have to be organic) as well as being allowed to acidify, de-acidify, and add sugar. If you clarify with egg whites, isinglass or gelatin, these should be organic – when available it says – although if you add sugar or grape must, this must be organic. Does this really tally with our view of what organic wine should be?

As one rather frustrated Irish importer said to me, “The sad thing is that everyone wants a quick and handy label, and that’s what they tried to achieve with the legislation. I understand that the “greater good” is to try and bring big companies around to the idea of organics as they are the biggest users of chemicals, so even a watered down version might have some merit . But does anybody really think that a cheap organic supermarket chicken is as good as the neighbour down the road who has them running around the field but yet has no certification?” On the other hand, some importers in the U.S. and elsewhere will only buy wines that are certified organic, leaving some producers with little choice.

Many small artisan producers will tell you that they are organic but not certified. Either it is too expensive or the paperwork too laborious. The only guarantee is their name on the bottle. Should we believe them? Generally I do, as mostly they seem genuine and exhibit a real respect for their land. Another importer told me “I’d rather have wines certified organic for my house wines, as I know they must be using less chemicals, but for the others it is all down to trusting my producers”.

Sinéad and Liam Cabot work on both sides of the fence, importing producing and importing wine. Liam comments “We cultivate grapes as naturally as possible (we sprayed with locally sourced whey last year against oidium), we dislike copper, we add nothing in the cellar (so none of that stuff allowed with organics/biodynamics) other than small doses of SO2 (which we consider essential). But even these are well below the levels generally allowed for natural wines – e.g. total 20mg/l (free 10mg/l) for our Blaufränkisch, total 35 mg/l (free 12mg/l) for Furmint. It is not about the numbers, it is about working intelligently to understand when you make the additions; for instance, our 2018 whites are still without any SO2 at all – yet they are completely stable.”

At a tasting given by Marcos Fernandez, chief winemaker for Argentine producer Doña Paula, part of Santa Rita, said “We are now fully certified sustainable, which to me is more than organic.” His argument was that Certified Sustainable programmes encompass far more than simply what takes place in vineyard and winery, and follows the process from start to finish, and including energy use, recycling, environmental impact and long term sustainability. All Santa Rita Estates are now certified. In New Zealand 94% of vineyards operate under independently audited sustainability programmes – and over 10% of wineries are certified organic. Biodynamic viticulture is more of a philosophy or way of living, and many of its practitioners are the kind of people who resist regulation. The two biggest certifying organisations are Demeter and Biodyvin, but some growers disagree with their criteria. Perhaps the answer is to shop with people you trust?

Growers are certainly using far less herbicides and fungicides – in the past the wine industry was on of the worst offenders. Even if the criteria for organic certification is weak, at least producers have to start the process. The use of sulphur and other chemicals must be at an all-time low and most producers are increasingly seeking to reduce unnecessary interventions. Yet if we keep demanding cheap wine, it seems inevitable that producers will have to resort to higher levels of (perfectly legal) manipulation.

Jarrarte 2017 Rioja Joven, Abel Mendoza,14%, €17

Jarrarte 2017 Rioja Joven, Abel Mendoza

14%, €17

Organic but not certified. A full-on full-bodied wine bursting with rounded sweet dark plum fruits and a tannin-free finish. With a rack of lamb.

Stockists: Cabot and Co, Westport, cabotandco.com; Grapevine, Dalkey, onthegrapevine.ie; PoppySeed, Clarinbridge, poppyseed.ie.

Doña Paula Estate Black Edition 2016, Luján de Cuyo, Argentina

13.6%, €16.99

Certified Sustainable. Medium-bodied with nicely balanced dark fruits and spice with well-judged tannins on the finish. With a gourmet burger.

Stockists: Tesco, tesco.ie; Dunnes Stores, dunnesstores.com; SuperValu, supervalu.ie.

Di Gino 2016, Rosso Piceno San Lorenzo

13%, €19.50-€21

Uncertified biodynamic/organic. A charming, elegant, fragrant wine, with delicious juicy dark cherry fruits and very mild tannins. Lighter pasta dishes – cacio e pepe?

Stockists: Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, sheridanscheesemongers.com; Morton’s, Ranelagh, mortons.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; siyps.com.

Reto 2016, Manchuela, Bodegas Ponce

13.5%, €21.50

Uncertified biodynamic/organic. Delightful floral aromas leading on to a rich but refreshing palate with clean mineral lines and subtle peach fruits. By itself or with fish; a mussel risotto?

Stockists: La Touche, Greystones, latouchewines4u.ie; Ely 64, Glasthule, ely64.com; Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, baggotstreetwines.com; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; Clontarf Wines, clontarfwines.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Martin’s Off Licence, Fairview, martinsofflicence.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh; redmonds.ie; siyps.ie; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, thecorkscrew.ie; the Wicklow Wine Co, wicklowwineco.ie.

The best lesser known Italian wines

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 16th February, 2019

A quick quiz to temporarily silence the wine bore in your life; ask him (and it invariably is a him) what are Cirò, Sangue di Giuda, Sfursat, Rossese di Dolceacqua  and Nero di Troia? The answer is they are all wines from Italy.

Italy is a treasure trove of exciting wines from lesser-known regions and indigenous grape varieties made in unique styles. It has a range of soils and climates that allow it to produce a bewildering number of wines, and local traditions going back centuries.

There are more than 400 different classifications and in excess of 350 indigenous authorised grape varieties (and 500 others in use), found in 20 different regions. It is no surprise that even the nerdiest wine nerd will have problems remembering them all.

Italy is big in the wine world. Producing some 50 million hectolitres of wine each year, it vies with France as the world’s largest producer, responsible for almost a quarter of global production. When you remember that it runs from the wine-producing island of Pantelleria, a mere 60km from Tunisia, to the frozen Alps in the north, you can see why there is such amazing diversity.

Sometimes it can be a disadvantage, as the rest of the world struggles to understand and appreciate all of these wines. Many wine drinkers simply stick to a handful of well-known names and ignore the rest. This really is their loss, as the standard of winemaking in lesser-known Italy has shot up in recent years.

These four glorious “unknowns” will get your taste buds working in overdrive. Please don’t be afraid to try these, none cost more than €20.

Italians love wines with good acidity and sometimes a slight bitterness – which makes them brilliant food wines.

Rosso Piceno comes from the Marche region on the Adriatic coast, just north of the better-known Abruzzo region. Along with neighbours Rosso Conero and Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, the wines here offer excellent value for money. O’Briens Rosso Piceno must be made from a minimum of 60 per cent Sangiovese, the remainder Montepulciano.

Marzemino is rarely found outside of Italy where it is primarily grown in the cooler alpine Trentino-Alto Adige region. The wines are light and perfumed with juicy sour cherry fruits.

Neighbouring Friuli in the north-east corner of Italy, is responsible for many of Italy’s greatest white wines, as well as some light, elegant reds, this time from the local Refosco grape.

Puglia or Apulia, produces massive quantities of wine, much of it of very average quality. Primitivo (aka Zinfandel) and Negroamaro are the two most popular varieties, but our featured wine is a little more recherche, featuring a blend of Nero di Troia and Aglianico, grapes unique to the south of Italy.

Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno 2017, Organic
13% €15.95
Seductive, smooth, elegant red with toothsome red cherry fruits, a touch of spice and a dry finish. Great value for money. With roast pork or chicken.
From Drinkstore, Manor Street, D7; Avoca Rathcoole; Mortons of Galway, 148 Salthill Road Lower, Galway; Red Island Wine Company, 64 Church Street, Townparks, Skerries, Co Dublin.

Ponte del Diavolo Refosco 2016, Friuli
12.5% €15.99
Light refreshing red berries and strawberries with a lovely kick on the finish. Perfect by itself or with chicken or pork based salads.
From Blackrock Cellar, 23 Rock Hill, Blackrock, Co Dublin; Clontarf Wines, 48 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3 ; Red Island Wine Co. Skerriesmpany, 64 Church Street, Townparks, Skerries, Co Dublin.

Roberta Fugatti Marzemino 2017
13% €16
Delicate aromas of violets, light juicy dark fruits, good acidity and a tannin-free finish. A delicious, inviting wine to serve cool with charcuterie and cheese.
From SIYPS.com; Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, various locations

Caiaffa Puglia Rosso
13% €17.95
Bubbly, light, juicy dark cherry fruits with a supple rounded finish. A world away from the standard bruisers from this region. With tomato-based pasta dishes.
From Lilac Wines, 117 Phibsborough Avenue, Dublin 3; Baggot Street
Wines, 17 Baggot Street Upper, Dublin 2; D-Six Wines, 159/163 Harold’s Cross Road, Dublin 6; Nectar Wines, Sandyford Village, Ballawley House, Sandyford Dublin 18

What are the best red wines for less than €15?

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 2nd February, 2019

Still feeling the pinch after Christmas spending? The search for bargain wines reaches an even greater intensity in the months of January and February.

Wines that sell for less than €10 rarely offer genuine value for money, as more than 50 per cent of what you pay will go straight to the Government. Once you pay more than €10, you stand a chance of getting something decent.

In recent months, I have urged readers to try their local independent wine shop or off-licence. Many were badly stung by below-cost selling by the multiples in the weeks before Christmas. This is their leanest time of year, so why not pop into your local indie and ask them to recommend a bottle of wine that offers real value for money? Most parts of Dublin are fortunate enough to have a decent local independent. Further afield it can be hit and miss. Although most retailers now offer an online service, specialists such as Wines Direct and Curious Wines, apparently we still prefer to buy our wine in a shop or supermarket.

This week, I asked four independent retailers from outside the Pale to nominate their best value red wine for less than €15. The four wines chosen all come from regions well known as happy hunting grounds for bargain hunters: Spain, the Languedoc and Puglia.

Declan Brady of Worldwide Wines in Waterford went straight for a Spanish wine from Jumilla. Made from the Monastrell grape (aka Mourvèdre) at 15 per cent alcohol, this is one to blast away those winter cobwebs in the nicest possible way. “It is big, rich and smooth,” says Brady. “We could easily sell it for over €20 and nobody would complain.”

Séamus Daly of Quintessential Wines in Drogheda plumped for an organic Tempranillo from Spain. “Our customers love it,” he says, “it’s a super juicy, well-balanced, floral style of Tempranillo. From family farmed high altitude vineyards, the wine has a lovely freshness not always found in wines from this area.”

Patricia Roberts of hotel, spa, restaurant and wine shop One Pery Square in Limerick says her guests are enthused by the lighter Languedoc red. “Guests see it as an all-rounder, a good match for a variety of foods. Elegant, silky and fruity, it is a step up from many of the high production wines/ labels in the local supermarket. The low alcohol content of 12.5 per cent has brought a few back to the shop for more.”

Lastly Michael Creedon of Bradley’s in Cork went with I Muri, Negroamaro at €14.95, as it consistently gets a positive reaction from our customers. “I think it’s because it offers many of those classic attributes we associate with Italian wines at a very approachable price.” Note some retailers will charge you €15.99.

Les Vignes d’Oc Rouge Grenache / Merlot 2017, Languedoc, France
12.5%, €12.99
Elegant smooth harmonious red fruits, with a soft, easy finish. Chicken pork or tomato-based pasta dishes.
Stockists: Grapevine, Dalkey onthegrapevine.ie; Cabot and Co., Westport, cabotandco.com; No1. Pery Square, Limerick, Oneperysquare.com; The PoppySeed, Clarinbridge, poppyseed.ie.

Lobetia Tempranillo 2017, Dominio de Punctum, VdT de Castilla, Organic
14%, €13.95
A very seductive medium-bodied wine with floral aromas, soft ripe red cherry fruits and an easy finish. A great all rounder with most white or red meats, as well as firm cheeses.
Stockists: Quintessential Wines, Drogheda, quintessentialwines.ie, Salt & Stove, D8, saltandstove.ie, The Hole in the Wall, Blackhorse Ave, Dublin 7: O’Leary’s, Cootehill.

Juan Gil Monastrell 2017, Jumilla
15%, €14.99
Full-bodied, with swarthy dark fruits – plums and blackcurrants, with spicy oak and a supple finish. With substantial meat and bean stews and red meats.
Stockists: Worldwide Wines, Waterford, worldwidewines.ie: Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; The Vintry, Dublin 6, vintry.ie; Fresh Stores, freshthegoodfoodmarket.ie; The Leopardstown Inn, leopardstowninn.ie; The Salthill Liquor Store, Galway; Mortons of Galway, Mortonsofgalway.ie; Clarkes SuperValu, Clarkes SuperValu, supervalu.ie.

 I Muri Negroamaro 20 , IGP Puglia, Vigneti del Salento
13.5%, €14.95-€15.99
A richly flavoured medium-bodied wine with cherries, black fruits, liquorice and coffee with an underlying earthiness and a rounded finish. With spicy lamb dishes.
Stockists: Bradleys Off-licence, Cork, bradleysofflicence.ie; The Vintry, Dublin 6, vintry.ie; Morton’s, Ranelagh, mortons.ie; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny, Thewinecentre.ie; Drinkstore, Manor St., Dublin 7, drinkstore.ie; McHughs, Kilbarrack Road and Malahide Rd., mchughs.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh; Redmonds.ie; Power & Co. Fine Wines, Lucan; Power-wine.com; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com.

Who says Ireland can’t have a wine industry of its own?

Irish wine: David Llewellyn harvesting grapes at the Lusca vineyard, in north Co Dublin. Photograph: @davidsorchard/Twitter

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 26th January, 2019

By my reckoning the Pant Du vineyard, just south of Anglesey, in north Wales, is about 120km from the coast of Co Wicklow. The principality now has more than 15 vineyards. I have tasted some very good sparkling wines from one, Ancre Hill, in Monmouth. Will it be long before we have our own wine industry in Ireland?

David Llewellyn (who also grows apples) was the pioneer over here, planting vines, under cover and outside, in the early 2000s. He released the Lusca 2016 Cabernet Merlot recently. He may soon have competition from Waterford, where David Dennison is working on his Irish wine, and Tipperary, where rumour has it that there are plantings of Frühburgunder.

I was always taught that wine is the produce of fresh grapes, so the following three drinks probably cannot technically be called wine. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t very nice.

Killahora Orchards, in Co Cork, has 108 varieties of apple and 36 of perry pear on the site of an ancient orchard. Barry Walsh and Tim and Dave Watson produce several ciders, a pommeau (a mix of apple juice and apple brandy) and an ice wine. Killahora deserves a whole article to itself, and I promise to address that later this year.

Ice wine is made by picking frozen grapes and gently pressing them to extract sugars and other dissolved solids without the frozen water. Most is produced in Canada and Germany. It is possible to cheat a little and put fresh grapes in a freezer. More recently apple producers have been doing the same with frozen apples, making ice cider. The Killahora apple ice wine gently ferments for up to a year, making a wine with 11 per cent alcohol, lots of sugar and plenty of refreshing acidity.

Kate and Denis Dempsey set up the Kinsale Mead Company two years ago. The idea came about after work trips to Portland, in the United States, where he got to know people making wine, cider, perry and mead. “It was always at the back of my mind: how come no one in Ireland is making mead?” Denis says.

Their meads are neither sweet nor cloying. “We wanted to make serious, proper drinks that would work with food. The reaction has been really good; people love the fact that they are rediscovering an ancient Irish drink.”

The Dempseys hope one day to be able to make all of their mead from Irish honey. At the moment they import honey from Spain.

I have written about the Mónéir strawberry wine, from Wicklow Way Wines, before. Today I include its blackberry and elderflower wine, described to me by one member of the wine trade as tasting like a light Bardolino.

Móinéir Blackberry Wine, Wicklow Way Wines
11%, €22
Fragrant aromas of red cherries and black fruits; concentrated cassis and blackberries with good acidity and excellent length. Very moreish, attractive wine. Ours went well with pork. From Mitchell & Son, Dublin, Co Wicklow and Co Meath; La Touche, Greystones, Co Wicklow; Wines on the Green, Dublin 2; Bubble Brothers, English Market, Cork; Avoca, Dublin, Co Meath, Co Kerry, Co Wicklow and Belfast; Wicklow Wine Co, Wicklow; Quintessential Wines, Drogheda, Co Louth.

Atlantic Dry Mead, Kinsale Mead Company
12% €22 (70cl)
Very seductive subtle flavours of honey and citrus, with a lovely clean finish. I enjoyed this with two firm cheeses, Comté and Caís na Tiré. From selected SuperValu; O’Briens; Dunnes Stores, Cork; Mitchell & Son; McCambridges, Galway; Ardkeen Quality Foodstore, Waterford; Wine Centre, Kilkenny; 1601 off-licence, Kinsale, Co Cork; Wines on the Green; Dollard & Co, Dublin 2; Martin’s, Clontarf, Dublin 3; Bubble Brothers, Cork.

Killahora Orchards, Rare Apple Ice Wine 2017
11%, €27 (375ml)
An explosion of flavours: toffee apples, baked spiced apples, honey and apricot. Crisp and acidic; sweet but not in the least bit cloying. Try it with tarte Tatin or apple pie. From Terroirs, Dublin 4; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4; Bradleys, Cork; McCambridges, Galway.

Lusca Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2016
13%, €49 (€30 per half-bottle)
Attractive, clean, light blackcurrant and redcurrant fruits, good acidity and a decent finish. Try with white meats and charcuterie. From David Llewellyn (087-2843879); Wines on the Green, Dublin 2; Mitchell & Son; Lilac Wines, Dublin 3; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny; Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6W.

Doing dry January? Here are some great alternatives to wine

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 12th January, 2019

How are you getting on with your dry January? Alcohol is something of an occupational hazard for a drinks writer; it is my job to drink, or at least taste, the stuff on a very regular basis. Mine is one of the few jobs that permits you to pour a glass of wine, whiskey or beer at 9.30am. While most of us dutifully spit out everything we taste, I know that a little alcohol passes into my bloodstream with every mouthful. Hence I never drive to tastings, and keep a close eye on my consumption.

I have no problem with the concept of a dry January, but it is not really practical for a wine writer. Instead I try to avoid alcohol, when possible, for the first three days of each week throughout the year. Padraig O’Morain’s thought-provoking article in the Irish Times health supplement on dry January rang a few bells for me. My own trigger is to pour a glass of wine at about 6.30pm, when I start preparing dinner. When I first cut out drink, I avoided this impulse by making dinner earlier, by having much simpler, easy-to-prepare meals or by having a soft drink instead.

One of the biggest problems with going dry is what to drink instead. Leaving aside the effect it has on your senses, alcohol does actually make a drink much more complex and interesting. I have never enjoyed sweet fizzy drinks, and while I like water, it can become a little boring after a while. Non-alcoholic wine, led by Torres Natureo, has become so much better, as have alcohol-free beers. Seedlip leads the way as a gin alternative. The range of soft drinks has expanded hugely in recent years so there are plenty of options, many of them made here in Ireland. For me kombucha and water kefir are probably the most interesting. You can make them at home, providing you can get hold of a scoby, but there are plenty available in our shops and supermarkets.

However, making your own drinks is so much more fun and not at all difficult.

It may seem strange but vinegar makes a great base for homemade cocktails; a few teaspoons of the exquisite Irish-made Wildwood balsamic vinegars, or any of the great Irish cider vinegars (I love The Apple Farm or Llewellyn) add a savoury tang to any drink. My current favourite is made simply by leaving a few sprigs of rosemary to macerate in water (still or sparkling) for a few hours in the fridge, sometimes with a few slices of lemon or lime and a teaspoon of vinegar. If I am feeling summery, slices of cucumber and fruit, fresh mint and other herbs make for a fantastic, interesting refreshing drink.

SynerChi Ginger & Lemongrass Live Kombucha
€2.79 (330ml)
Organic, vegan kombucha from Donegal. A delicious, lightly sparkling drink with a lovely spicy kick and a lip-smacking dry finish. From SuperValu; Circle K; Boots; Spar; Londis; Avoca; Donnybrook Fair; Morton’s, Ranelagh, Dublin; the Good Food Store, South Great George’s Street and Ballsbridge, Dublin;  Fresh; McCambridge’s, Galway; plus health stores

King of Kefir Cucumber, Mint & Thyme
€2.90 (330ml)
Made in the Chocolate Factory in Dublin, this is a fascinating complex drink; you certainly get the cucumber and herbs, with a funky touch and an off-dry finish. See kingofkefir.ie for stockists

The Happy Pear Wild Berry Kombucha
€2.50 (200ml)
Intense fresh crunchy redcurrant fruits with a lightly funky spicy dry finish. Very refreshing. Not cheap but delicious.
From The Happy Pear, Greystones, Co Wicklow, and Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Mariko Sparkling Sencha Green Tea
€2 (750ml)
With no calories or sweeteners, this is the least expensive of the drinks featured. Brewed in Co Mayo, this is very pleasant; an effervescent, fragrant drink with light tannins on the finish.
From SuperValu

Ampohora: wine from ancient clay containers

Josko Gravner and his amphorae.

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 5th January, 2019

Did our forefathers know best? The last few decades have seen huge changes in the way wine is made – large, modern wineries that look more like chemical plants, with massive columns of stainless steel joined together by a bewildering number of large pipes. A huge amount of science and technology has gone into making large quantities of consistently drinkable wines. And yet a growing band of winemakers are shunning all of this knowledge and retreating back to the very beginning of wine for their inspiration.

There have always been a few wineries around Europe still using clay amphorae containers – I have a picture somewhere of me sitting in a large one cut in half in a cellar in Portugal. But the recent trend started with Josko Gravner, an Italian/Slovene producer, who wanted to make more natural wines, and to improve the quality of his local grape, Ribolla Gialla. He began by fermenting wine on the skins, producing what is now known as orange wine (although Gravner prefers the term amber, “it is more bright, more alive, more concentrated”). He visited Georgia, the cradle of winemaking, where not only did they ferment wine on the skins, but they fermented and aged the wines for lengthy periods in very large (1,200-2,500-litre) clay amphorae, usually lined with beeswax. This is the oldest method of winemaking known to man, first used in Georgia and neighbouring Armenia somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago. Remarkably, they were still doing so, despite Soviet disapproval. According to Alice Feiring in her book on Georgian winemaking, For the Love of Wine, there were once hundreds of qvevri (amphora) potters, but that number had recently dwindled to three. As demand worldwide has rocketed, I feel sure others are in training. Qvevri and qvevri winemaking now has Unesco World Heritage status.

Ferment and age

Gravner bought some amphorae back to Italy, buried them in the ground below his cellar, and began using them to ferment and age his wines. Other winemakers in the northeast of Italy and Slovenia started doing the same, soon followed, it seems, by half the world’s winemakers. The traditional method in Georgia was to lightly crush the grapes (sometimes by foot) and put juice and grapes into the qvevri, where it will start fermentation and the second malolactic fermentation. The amphora provides a natural and consistent temperature control; the shape is said to aid gentle circulation and clarification, and the wine is given a gentle oxygenation.

Amphorae have been used to make, age and transport wine for thousands of years. Today some winemakers ferment in clay, other simply age the wine for a few months in amphorae. I am not sure I could pick out a wine that has received a little clay treatment, but it is fun to drink a little living history.

 

Fresquito 2017, Montilla-Moriles, Spain, 14%, €13.30

On of my all-time favourite M&S wines, made in clay amphorae in Montilla-Moriles, it is an utterly delicious, vaguely sherry like (but unfortified) wine with delicate toasted nuts, green olives and plump apricot fruits, finishing dry. Amazing value for money.

Stockists: Marks & Spencer

Vermell 2017, Celler del Roure, Valencia (Organic), €16.50

Aged in century-old Spanish clay amphora, this is another favourite of mine. The latest vintage is the best yet, brimming with delicious ripe savoury damsons, some dried herbs and a refreshing acidity. Great with roast chicken.

Stockists: Ely 64, Glasthule, Ely64.com; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, jusdevine.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Searsons, Monkstown, searsons.com; Clontarf Wines, clontarfwines.ie; Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, baggotstreetwines.com; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; Bradleys Off-licence, Cork, bradleysofflicence.ie; Worldwide Wines, Waterford, worldwidewines.ie; Kellys, Clontarf, kellysofflicence.ie; and The Wicklow Wine Co., Wicklow, wicklowwineco.ie.

Iago Bitarishvili Chinuri 2017, Chardakhi, Central Georgia, 12%, €24.80

Pithy textured tannic lemon peel and marmalade, with lovely slightly funky earthy fruit, very good acidity and a long dry finish.

Stockists: Le Caveau, Kilkenny, lecaveau.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; and The Corkscrew, Chatham St., thecorkscrew.ie.

Gravner Bianco Breg 2009, IGT Venezia-Giulia, 15%, €75

Ripe, rich and spicy, with orange peel, dried apricots and figs. Long and quite luscious, although there is still plenty of acidity. Fascinating wine.

Stockists: Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, South Anne Street, Kells, Co Meath, Galway, sheridanscheesemongers.com; SIYPS.com; Ely 64, Glasthule, Ely64.com; and Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie.