Wine+.ie Read All About it

I read about wine all of the time. I do 'get it' that most people want to drink wine and not read about it at all. BUT when they do get to read a bit about wine wouldn't it be nice to know that what you are reading is something more than just random opinion, old and out of date cliches or just error riddled pieces of nonsense? Of course it would. 

Incline from O'Briens.

How about this gem from one of our leading weekend reads - before I go further I need to emphasise that I'm not knocking columnists per se. Oh, and I also need to say that I'm not pretending to be 'holier than thou' either!! It's just a case of being annoyed when I see wine being treated flippantly in a way that most editors wouldn't like food or cars or books, or indeed most things, to be treated.

'German wine can be a bit tricky to get hold of in Ireland'. Odd thing to say when O'Brien's are easily found and carry excellent wines from Germany at very affordable prices. Besides Aldi and Lidl clearly wouldn't pull their shutters up without waving their own flags. In fact, many independents make an issue out of the fact they do carry exclusive German offerings. Just because the Irish don't buy them doesn't mean they're not on sale. They are! 

The same piece:  The anti-freeze scandal of the 1980's did not help matters. This is a shame because good whites made from grapes such as Riesling or Muller Thurgau tend to be exquisite ...
Groan. Are we still trotting out the Austrian di-ethlyene glycol (it never was anti freeze..) scandal in an attempt to explain sales of German wine. Even the Austrians have moved on! Show me an exquisite Muller Thurgau. Please. I'm always on the look out for something new and wonderful. So far these have been anything but Muller Thurgau.. The quotes from this column goes on and on. My favourite is that if I want to find quality I should as, 'As a very basic rule, look out for the word Auslese on the label ...which signifies reasonable quality..' This is so basically wrong I'm not even going to explain it.

Super column on WineSpeak in the May/June issue of Wine+.ie

I find poor and badly researched wine writing all over the wine trade. A restaurant last week told me that me that the Bierzo I was about to try from its list was a, 'Surprisingly complex young wine from Mencia grapes'. Surprising to whom? Hardly the poor fool reading the list! Presumably to the person writing the list then. Right. So he/she doesn't know their wine either. 

I don't mind typos. They happen. I don't mind exaggerated descriptions. They make it fun. I don't mind honesty naively expressed. Honesty is always welcome. What I do mind is pretentious twaddling masquerading as informed opinion. Its neither needed nor necessary. Two simple words will always be easier to read, to understand and to remember than a paragraph of poor fitting words.  

How about the supermarket last year that brought us wines from Alsace and Bordeaux in its Mediterranean Wine Sale ... that's just plain funny.

 If you find Wine+.ie straying .... let us know. If you find others have already. Let us know all about that as well. After all we do want you to Read All About It. That's what Wine+.ie is all about. A good Read.    

   

Santa Rita at Bloom

Santa Rita in Bloom has a nice ring to it. Well, this year its happening. The team behind Santa Rita commissioned a garden from Cork based designer Ingrid Swan for this years Bloom garden show in the Phoenix Park on the June Bank Holiday weekend. Brilliant idea. Well done Santa Rita - a leader behaving like one....

 

A Moment in Time by Santa Rita and Ingrid Swan

 Press Release Time. Santa Rita tells us that:

The horticultural link goes back to the Santa Rita estate in Alto Jahuel , Chile where our beautiful manor house and 40 hectare park is found. The house, named Casa Real, after which our legendary  award winning wine Casa Real is labelled,  is surrounded by wonderful ornate gardens and parklands which are regularly opened up to the public, schools and local communities. Both the house and our gardens in Chile are listed as national monuments and whilst Santa Rita is steeped in tradition both in terms of their garden and viticultural history, their contemporary and progressive approach to winemaking is reflected in both the outstanding wines they produce and the modern approach to the ‘Santa Rita’ garden.

Entitled 'Santa Rita - the moment is yours', the idea behind the garden is to create an extension to the family living area, an area that appeals to the senses as well as providing a setting for family gatherings, social meet ups or moments of quiet reflection, each of which slot neatly into the 'Santa Rita Moments' in which to enjoy a glass of wine. 

Dunnes Stores Mediterranean Wine Sale

Recently Wine+.ie recommended one of the wines in the Dunnes Stores upcoming Mediterranean Sale. It was the white Vina del Vero from Somontano in northern Spain - very good value at €9.00 

 

 Everything about the wine is pure Med. The label, the citrus fruit bouquet, the tangy, crisp, ripe palate and a lovely long juicy finish. Both the red Vina del Vero and the Rose are also worth buying at the same price. The red is Syrah/Tempranilllo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend while the rose is 'full on pink' with loads of rich dry fruit tucked into the bottle. Lets see more from Somontano. Its a region with a lot of to offer.  

The Mediterranean Sale runs from the 7th to the 27th April and has quiet a few very good value and  well made wines in it. Have a look at these:

Leval Vermentino €9.50 

I've always loved this (Vermentino) white grape. It always seems to have a rich tapestry of neutrality! WineSpeak!! What I mean is it has good structure (acid and textural feel in the mouth without any obvious fleshy fruitinesss) This makes it a versatile food wine. Absolutely brilliant with a spiced pizza. 

Poco a Poco Blanco €9.00

My notes here say, 'Love it'. Fine blend of Macabeo and Sauvignon Blanc. Great modern feel to the fruit with loads of freshness and restrained fruitiness. Sunshine wine.

(The red Poco a Poco is a Temparanillo and will sell at only €8.50. It's relatively simple and soft but well worth the money.)

Paco Y Lola Albarino €12.50

Very pleased to see that Dunnes wasn't tempted to try to bring in an Albarino from Rias Baixas at too low a price. (When that happens the wine ends up as a
green and stringy thing) rather than (like here) rich, bracing and distinctly spiced on the finish. This is a fine value example of the queen of Spanish grapes.

6eme Sens €9.00

All three are super wines. Dive in. Spoil yourself. The white has sparkling clean lines to its fruit, the Rose is pointedly dry and rich while the red is all brazen with lush black fruits. 

 

A couple of Great Value For Money reds stood out for me on the day. Marques de Almonicad €10.00 from Carinena in Spain has a very, very dark fruit set into a body that's not so structured as to deflect enjoyment!

I really like the Douro white €11.00 and red €12.00 duo of Vila Real Douro. They both show that we need to explore Portuguese wines more.

My Best Value for Money at the tasting (excllent tasting by the way..) was a tremendous wine from Salice Salentino in southern Italy called Il Tauro. At €10.00 it's a steal.

This is an extensive Sale by Dunnes Stores and its one worth looking forward to. Don't mind the fact that the concept of 'The Mediterranean' is stretched at times to such places as Burgundy which isn't even close to a coastline or Galicia and Bordeaux which by my reckoning face a lot of the Atlantic! Nope its style that counts.

Wine+.ie March 2015 out on Monday!

On Monday we will publish our March edition of Wine+.ie  Ireland's Free online Wine Magazine. 

How do you get it? Simply send an email to subscribe@wineplus.ie

You can find February here!

Sneak preview ........

Recommended Wines have more than ever including this Portuguese beauty called Porto 6 from O'Brien's Wines available right now at only €9.99. Rich bramble fruit with endless depth and length. Just gorgeous as our evenings continue to hold onto a hint of winter.

Frankie Cook has penned us a piece on his favourite grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, for our Wine+Grapes section. Read Frankie's blog at frankstero.com  

This month we have added in a new section on Wine Clubs in Ireland. Where are they? What are they up to? 

In addition Lorcan O'Brien has written an extensive column in another of our new sections Wine+Travel where he guides us through Toro in Spain

Read Lorcan's blog as The Irish Wino at the Hibernian Bacchant

We will continue to give away a magnum of Champagne Pannier. Just 'Like' our Facebook site with a comment as to why you would like to win!

Our main feature this month focuses on the work of Carlos Gatica, chief wine maker at Santa Rita Estates. His focus on quality has seen Santa Rita 120  

We bring you Wine News and much more. ..........

Wine+.ie is Ireland's Online Wine Magazine

The Colours of Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva

Today Febvre and Co treated a large invited audience to a Gran Reserva Vertical Tasting of its Rioja wine Conde de Valdemar. It was hosted by family member Ana Martinez Bujanda. This was her life!

The Vintages: 2005, 1995, 1989, 1987,1985, 1981, 1978 and 1973 were all shown. My wine life also ...

An exceptional Tasting. Ana was happy to say there are not many bottles from the 1970's left and a tasting like this might only take place a few times a year in the whole world!

Coravin Launches in Ireland

Wouldn't it be nice if you could drop into any restaurant and order any one of the wines by the glass? (I'd have thought more than nice actually.....)

Wouldn't it be fun if you could offer your guests a choice of a glass from any one the bottles you might have in the house? (I'd have thought wasteful...)

Wouldn't it be great craic if you could take a glass of wine out of the bottle without taking the cork out first? (I'd have thought brilliant, mystical, StarTrek beam me out, and many other things....)

All possible. Use a Coravin. 

It's inventor Greg Lambrecht was in Dublin today to launch his invention onto the Irish market through the Findlater Wine and Spirit Group. Greg is a talker in the very best possible use of that word! He explained how, as a medical devices engineer/doctor he worked diligently on perfecting a device where he could pour a glass of wine through a sealed cork without affecting the remaining wine in the bottle.

Greg Lambrecht at the Coravin launch in Dublin

Greg began with 40 bottles in his experiment and ended up with over 3,000!! What sort of a basement does this man have? The experiments went on for years and ended up by isolating the exact needle, type of inert gas (Argon) and pressure required to extract the wine. Along the way of course he also proved that his invention worked. You can take a glass of wine through a cork and then go back to the same bottle a number of times over many years and enjoy the same wine as it ages for you. Of course there are so many other uses! (You may now one day be lucky enough to be served a very, very expensive glass of wine where up to now your host might not have wanted to open a whole bottle! In fact you might now be able to suggest it .......) 

A Coravin Needle

The Findlater Group served four exquisite wines through the Coravin. They have promised we will be invited back to taste the exact same bottles again in three months time. Great idea. Great fun. Great wines!

Antinori Cervaro della Sala 2012

Penfolds St Henri 2010

Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva 150th Anniversary 2001

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2011

Price? €299.00    Where? Selected O'Brien's Wines outlets
Verdict: Amazing Gift. It works without fail. Good Value if you use it, if you want to use and if you need to use it! Ponder these before you splash out. Have fun.

Michael Foley Marketing Director at FWSG introduces Greg Lambrecht to Ireland

How does the Coravin System work?
A thin, hollow needle is inserted through the cork to access the wine. The bottle is pressurized with argon, an inert gas that has no effect on the taste profile of wine. The wine then flows through the needle and pours into the glass. The needle is removed from the cork and the cork reseals, protecting the wine from oxidation, enabling you to enjoy your wine glass by glass, weeks or months later.