Bordeaux wines that don’t cost a fortune

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 16th November, 2018

As one of the best-known names, Bordeaux can command a premium price for its very top wines. Sadly these days, a bottle of the very best classed-growth Bordeaux costs hundreds of euro, out of reach for most of us. However, less expensive Bordeaux can offer great value for money, and ranks as one of the great food wines.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend you drink it with Christmas turkey (the tannins can clash with both turkey meat and cranberry sauce), but, judging from sales over the festive period, most of the country disagrees with me.

When it comes to a roast of beef or lamb, though, Bordeaux is hard to beat. If you are catering for vegetarians and vegans, roast red peppers, mushrooms (great with many red wines) and cheese dishes all go well with red Bordeaux.

Most retailers bring in a selection of Bordeaux for the Christmas season, so here we present a round-up of the best on offer from budget busters to the very finest.

For those on a budget, SuperValu has the ever reliable Chateau Pey Latour (€9 on promotion), and 64 Wine the very attractive fruit-filled Chateau Canon La Foret (€14). Lidl has Chateau Carpena Côtes du Bourg (€9.99), which I marginally preferred to its Côtes de Bourg, Chateau les Graves de Cau (€8.99). Dunnes Stores has Chateau Darzac and Chateau Bois Pertuis (both €12.50).

Moving up in price, Molloy’s Liquor Stores has an ambitious new range of Bordeaux, from €18.95 to €33; my pick of the bunch was the €24.95 Chateau Moulin Borie (see below). O’Briens Wines can always be relied upon to have a good selection; this year my star picks include the fine elegant Chateau Mauvesin-Barton 2014 (€25.95), the soft-maturing Chateau Rolland de By (€28.95) and the fruit-filled Chateau St Marie (€15.95). Among its excellent selection of Bordeaux, Terroirs in Donnybrook has two organic wines, the supremely elegant margaux Chateau Mille Roses 2015 (€39.50) and the very attractive Les Demoiselles de Falfas 2016 (€24.50).

As might be expected, Mitchell & Son is not short on options when it comes to Bordeaux; I would certainly be happy with a bottle of Chateau La Justice 2015 (€21.95) or, at a less elevated price, Cuvée des Abeilles 2015, Chateau d’Auzanet (€14.95) and Grand Bateau Bordeaux (€16.95). If you fancy visiting Bordeaux, Mitchells will be running a wine trip there next summer; see mitchellandson.com for details.

Whelehan’s in Loughlinstown is another good source of Bordeaux. From its tasty selection, Chateau le Crock 2010 St Estèphe (€45) is a seriously good wine, and I was very taken with the Chateau La Fleur Pourrot 2012 St Émilion Grand Cru (€35).

Bordeaux de Gloria 2016, Bordeaux
12.5%, €19.95
A very attractive elegant bordeaux with blackcurrants and a touch of spice, finishing on a lightly tannic note. Roast lamb or beef.
From La Touche, Greystones, latouchewines4u.ie; Grapevine, Dalkey, onthegrapevine.ie; Deveney’s, Dundrum; Higgins, Clonskeagh; O’Driscoll’s, Cahersiveen, Co.Kerry; Grape & Grain, Leopardstown Inn, leopardstowninn.ie; Londis, Malahide; Drinkstore, Manor Street, Dublin, drinkstore.ie

Chateau Moulin-Borie 2015, Listrac-Moulis
13.5%, €24.95
Ripe, smooth and sophisticated with concentrated red fruits overlaid with spice, and well-integrated tannins on the finish. Try it with a roast of beef.
From Molloy’s Liquor Stores, molloys.ie

Chateau Lamarsalle 2014, Montagne St Émilion, Biodynamic
13.5%, €28
Delicious vibrant claret, loaded with ripe damsons and blackberries, a good backbone of tannin and excellent length.  A great match for roast beef, lamb or a rare steak.
From 64 Wine, Glasthule; Ely Wine Store, Maynooth, elywinebar.ie

Chateau le Puy Barthelemy 2011, Côtes de Bordeaux, Francs Biodynamic
13.5%, €135
Forward, ripe dark fruits, some undergrowth and a long dry finish. Supremely elegant and long. With an aged fillet of beef.
From Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh, redmonds.ie; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; siyps.com

Wine secrets: what’s really in your bottle?

First published in The Irish Times on Saturday 3rd November, 2018

It seems strange that a bottle of Coca-Cola must print the ingredients used to make it, whereas a bottle of wine does not. Somehow the wine business, along with beer and spirits, has largely managed to avoid telling us what is contained within. Back labels tend to have flowery descriptions, food recommendations and maybe a little marketing blurb, but very little information on how the wine was actually made. As well as adding the health warnings, maybe the Government might like to insist that a few key ingredients are included.

 Additives and treatments are not always a bad thing; most of us do not want to drink faulty wine, and mass-produced wines do require greater intervention. Even at the very highest level, producers of luxury wines are not above using treatments that improve the finished product. Additives of some sort go back more than 5,000 years, to the very start of winemaking.

The most common is sulphur dioxide, the one ingredient that is listed on a wine label. It was first introduced by the Romans, and most winemakers consider it an essential anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial agent. Levels used are fairly low, and have dropped hugely over the last few decades, ranging from a minimum of 10 parts per million/ppm (sulphur being a by product of fermentation) to the EU legal maximum of 150ppm (parts per million) for red wine, 210ppm for white, and 400ppm for dessert wine. By comparison, raisins and other dried fruits can contain anything from 500ppm to 2,000ppm.

Other additives and processing aids include sugar (to add fizz to sparkling wine or increase alcohol); concentrated grape juice to sweeten; tartaric or ascorbic acid to add acidity; yeasts to get the fermentation going; nutrients such as diammonium phosphate to keep them working away; wood chips, enzymes and malolactic cultures.

Add in fining and filtering agents such as egg whites, isinglass, polyvinylpyrrolodine (PVPP), bentonite, gelatin and casein and lastly water – permitted in some countries to lower alcohol – and wine begins to look slightly less natural. There are also procedures such as reverse osmosis, micro-oxygenation and spinning cones.

Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop, in their book Authentic Wine, give the example of the Co-op supermarket chain in the UK, which lists all ingredients on the back label.

A Sauvignon Blanc has the following ingredients listed: Grapes, acidity regulator (potassium bicarbonate), preservative (potassium meta bisulphate), copper sulphate. Made using antioxidants (carbon dioxide, nitrogen) yeast, yeast nutrient (diammonium phosphate). Cleared using bentonite, filtration pectinolytic enzymes.

Should we be worried about all of these additions? Possibly not; the overall standard of winemaking is higher than ever, and the use of sulphur lower. But although it might remove some of the romance of wine, I think we have a right to know how our wine is made, however unpalatable that might be.

Bellow’s Rock Shiraz 2016, Western Cape, South Africa

14%, €9.95

Rich powerful spicy dark fruits, with a nice seam of acidity running through. Great value at €9.95. With grilled or barbecued red meats.

Stockists: O’Briens, obrienswine.ie

Saint Mont 2016, Plaimont, France

13%, €13.30

Medium-bodied with lovely waxy apple fruits, a hint of pineapple and a dry finish. Intriguing and delicious. With creamy chicken dishes.

Stockists: Marks & Spencer, marksandspencer.ie.

Vermell 2016, Celler del Roure, Valencia Organic

13.5%, €17

Gloriously vibrant fruit-filled wine with herbs, liquorice and so much more. Perfect with a roast chicken.

Stockists: 64 Wine, Glasthule, 64wine.ie; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; Baggot Street Wines, baggotstreetwines.com; Clontarf Wines, clontarfwines.ie; Drinkstore, Manor Street, D7, drinkstore.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Searsons, Monkstown, searsons.com; Martin’s Off Licence, Fairview, martinsofflicence.ie; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, jusdevine.ie; World Wide Wines, Waterford, worldwidewines.ie.

Etna Bianco 2016, Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Organic

12.5%, €25.95

Floral, refined, elegant wine with fresh tangy peaches and apple, and a light creaminess. The perfect posh aperitif or with grilled brill, a wonderful delicate fish.

Stockists: 64 Wine, Glasthule, 64wine.ie; Deveney’s, Dundrum; World Wide Wines, Waterford, worldwidewines.ie; Mitchell & Son, CHQ, Sandycove, and Avoca, Kilmacanogue & Dunboyne, mitchellandson.com; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, thecorkscrew.ie; Grapevine, Dalkey, onthegrapevine.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com.