A weekend’s Drinking of Wine, Beer, Gin and Tonic Water

Two beers at the weekend, both consumed after a few hours in the garden. I also tried out the Herbal Crest tonic water, made with kefir water, with my Bertha’s Revenge gin. It was excellent.

Eight degrees Barefoot Bohemian Pilsner
Lightly spicy with a subtle bitter twist. Perfect summer drinking.These guys really make great beer in every style.

Wicklow Wolf A Beer Called Rwanda
I had a bottle of this coffee flavoured beer lying around; I had forgotten how good it is. Lovely medium-bodied ale with a very pleasant fruitiness.Wicklow Wolf are another of our best craft brewers.

Goisot 2008 Bourgogne Aligoté
I bought a case of this and have been slowly consuming it over the last five years. It is still very good, but starting to fade a little. Lovely crisp slightly nutty fruits. Light and very enjoyable.

Delheim Chardonnay sur Lie 2013, Stellenbosch
A sample from O’Briens (€21.95) that went perfectly with my salmon cutlets. Rich and creamy with toasted nuts and some spice. Lovely wine.

Domaine d’Eole 2015, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence
€16.95 from Whelehans. A lovely rosé full of exuberant young strawberry fruits. Also matched very nicely to my salmon cutlets.

Fleurie2014 Domaine de la Madone
A wine of the week in Saturday’s Irish Times. Light vibrant and deliciously fruity; it improved as the evening went on, suggesting it will be even better with a little time. €17 from Mitchell & Son.

Maison Plantevin Côtes du Rhône 2014
An organic red from Wines Direct (€13.95) and great value for money. Rich and warming with lovely ripe red fruits. Went really well with my barbecued chicken.

Fernando de Castilla Antique Amontillado
The leftovers from a Spanish wine talk I gave down in Ballymaloe last week, this is a brilliant sherry, all grilled almonds and other nuts with a crisp bone-dry long finish. €39.95 per 500ml bottle from Searsons.