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ENGLISH FIZZ

English sparkling wine has been making headlines for a number of years now. Leaving aside the understandable national pride of some U.K. journalists (every country suffers from it) there are some seriously good English sparkling wines – at fairly serious prices too. The success, Irish winemaker Dermot Sugrue reckons, is partly down to low yields enforced by the climate. Limerick-born Sugrue makes a number of excellent sparkling wines for Wiston Estate on the South Downs and for his own label Sugrue Pierre (his wife is a Pierre). All of the wines are made from one or more of the classic Champagne grapes. For the recent Wine Geese tasting held in the Ballymaloe pop-up shop in Brown Thomas Cork, Dermot brought over the Wiston Rosé a delicious strawberry-scented dry wine that I would prefer to many a Champagne. We also tasted his delicious Sugrue Pierre sparkling dry white called ‘The Trouble with Dreams’. This is an impeccably made elegant balanced wine, with a wonderful purity of sophisticated pristine fruit, a toastiness that comes through once opened a few minutes, and a lip-smacking clean dry finish. The 2010 vintage (sadly sold out) garnered ninety-six points, the highest ever score for an English sparkling wine, in the latest edition of Decanter magazine. Let us hope some enterprising Irish importer manages to bag a few cases of Wiston or Sugure Pierre– they deserve a place on our shelves – possibly as the best Irish wine? Or does that honour go to Simon Tyrrell with his two excellent Côtes du Rhône? We also tasted these at the Brown Thomas tasting.

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The Cork Debate

I am becoming more than a little tired of the cork debate. Before the zealots from either side get started (and both sides can be very evangelical at times) I fully accept that corks are a very unreliable form of closure. It is deeply frustrating to spend a large sum of money on a bottle of wine, lay it down for a few years, only to discover the wine is faulty. That aside, when pleasant conversations about wine degenerate into heated discussions about corks and screwcaps, I tend to lose interest rapidly.

At a dinner party last week, I served two bottles of Cepparello 2006, Paulo di Marche’s subtle elegant Super-Tuscan Sangiovese. They had been given to me as a thank-you by a very generous friend. The sole difference between the two was one had been bottled under cork, the other screwcap or stelvin. David Gleave, M.D. of wine importer Liberty has persuaded some of his producers to change to screwcap for his U.K. clients although conservative Italy and other countries still demand cork. Our tasting was inconclusive. The screwcap version seemed slightly fresher – or was it my imagination? But both were super wines, subtle refined and mellow. We happily drank both.

However, Gleave’s point (and that of others too) was proven not by the Cepparello but by the wine I served with the starter; Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2002 from Trimbach.  This is one of my favourite wines. The first bottle was fine but a little shy and retiring. The second was superb; more developed with magnificent honey and nuts wrapped up in a fine core of acidity. Neither wine was corked or faulty. It was simply bottle variation. Had I only uncorked the first bottle I would have been a little disappointed, wondering why I had bought a case of this wine when I came across it at a tasting four years ago. A fairly conclusive argument for screwcap?

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1967 burgundy versus 1966 claret – old wines and old friends

Old wine and old friends

This week I had the pleasure of whiling away a few hours with Peter Dunne, my first wine boss in Mitchell & Son, and someone whose company I enjoy greatly. We promise to meet every six months but it inevitably happens only every 18-24. Peter provided the wines on this occasion, a 1967 Gevrey-Chambertin from Mommessin and a Ch. Pontet-Canet 1966. Both were bottled by Mitchell and Son in Dublin as was the practice then.

 

The Burgundy was delightful and instead of fading, improved as the afternoon wore on (or maybe it was us). It had sweet ripe fruit, no sous-bois or putrification as Peter put it; just pleasant soft silky fruit. The Pontet-Canet will not go down as one of the greatest wines I have tasted, but was almost as nice in its own way. Drier and firmer with some old fading mahogany fruit, it was still all together, although modern winedrinkers might complain of a lack of fruit. Drinking elderly wine is a particular pleasure, something not everyone enjoys, but I have to say there are few things better than sniffing and sipping away at light mature wines in good company for a few ‘lost hours’.

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Two great wines last weekend

I‘ve been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks winewise. This is partly the result of my drink less, drink better regime. If I cut out wine three days a week, I am going to make sure I enjoy the remaining few days. The three Rhône Syrahs of last week (see previous blog) was followed by two delicious wines on Saturday night.

We ate a Caesar’s salad followed by crab linguini followed by a few slices of Ossau-Iraty, one of my favourite cheeses, made from sheep’s milk.

Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling 2012

12.5%

€25

An award winning wine and deservedly so. Beautiful lifted aromatic nose, wonderful crisp light lime and green apple fruits, perfectly balanced.  Delicious with crab linguini.

 

Fürst Spätburgunder Tradition 2010, Franken

13%

€26

I bought a few bottles of this, an utterly delicious German Pinot Noir from one of the leading practitioners, Rudolf Fürst. Fragrant nose, soft silky light cherry fruits with good acidity and a seamless finish. Perfect with the cheese and by itself.

 

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SYRAH WEEKEND

Crozes-Hermitage 2005 Alain Graillot

St. Joseph ‘Les Royes’1999 Domaine Courbis

Syrah ‘Sensation du Nord’ 2009 Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond

Over the August bank holiday weekend, I sipped my way through three delicious light elegant Syrahs from the Northern Rhône.  Over the last few years, probably only Pinot Noir has given me more pleasure than wines from this region. Most have a seductive delicacy and finesse combined with light alcohol and a savoury edge.

Bangs per buck Alain Graillot’s red Crozes Hermitage must be one of the best value wines in the market. Both red and white sell for under €30, and both are accessible young but with an ability to age – a wonderful combination. The red is never big nor alcoholic winning you over with its subtle charms. I have drunk many vintages and rarely been disappointed. This was a bottle of 2005, given to me by a friend. It was great wine; light elegant with slightly pithy dark cherry fruits, some liquorice and a pleasing underlying earthiness. The finish was silky smooth. I savoured it over three days and it was as good the third day as the first.

The Saint Joseph 1999 Courbis was another gift, originally cellared in one of the Oxbridge colleges. 1999 was a great year in the northern Rhône. The wine did not have quite the elegance of the Graillot, but had lovely developed medium-bodied savoury dark fruits and very good length. Really delicious wine.

The third wine was a 2009 Vin de pays des collines Rhodanniennes Syrah from Christophe Bonnefond, one of the up-and-coming producers in Côte Rotie. This was made from young vines I think. It was very good, lighter than the others but with lovely purity of fruit.  There was a little new oak on the finish in particular, but it never overshadowed the smooth fresh ripe dark fruits. It sells for just under €20. Mine came from Jus de Vine in Portmarnock.

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FRENCH BASQUE WINE

IROULÉGY ARRETXEA 2009

 

From Terroirs in Donnybrook one of the few French Basque wines available in this country; both Wines on the Green and 64wine have Txacoli, the white Spanish Basque wine. Arretxea are the leading estate in the region and the wine was very good, especially with meatballs in a mushroom sauce. It sells for €19.50 and is pretty good value at that.

This was very good although ripe and richer than I had anticipated; great colour, ripe dark fruit on the nose, soft rounded forest fruits on the palate with a little spice and a smooth finish. It has some of the structure you would expect of Iroulégy, but the tannins are ripe and well integrated.

 

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DUNGARVAN COMERAGH CHALLENGER IRISH BITTER -bringing back warm memories of last year’s Electric Picnic

The Dungarvan Brewing Company has just released their summer brew, an Irish bitter. With 3.8% abv, subtle floral aromas and a delicious light fresh thirst-quenching palate, the Comeragh Challenger has that perfect combination of low alcohol and lots of flavour. For drinking on those warm summer evenings. It brings back warm memories of last years Electric Picnic for some reason.

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SOUTH AFRICAN CHENIN BLANC

We don’t see many good South African wines in this country these days. Has the bottom fallen out of the market or am I looking in the wrong place? I know that many visitors to South Africa import their own wine directly. However, Dr. Eilis Cryan of Kinnegar Wines keeps the flag flying with a list that includes some of the best names in the Cape.  She was kind enough to drop around a few samples from producers she represents for a Chenin Blanc tasting. As these include Ken Forrester (Mr. Chenin in SA) de Trafford and Mullineux, three of the most highly regarded ‘new’ producers, I was really looking forward to the tasting. I had tasted a range of less expensive South African Chenins a few months back. Most were disappointing, possibly because they were from older vintages and tiring a little.

However, these were in a very different class, completely unlike Loire Chenin, and all sharing a textured richness bordering on opulence in some cases, some were blended with other varieties, others fermented in new oak. I preferred the fresher crisper versions, although I can see how the bigger wines would go well with certain foods and tried them out with barbequed chicken – they worked well but even then I still preferred the lighter versions. My two favourites were produced by Mullineux. The Kloof Street Chenin Blanc had plump tropical fruits, peaches and good acidity, possibly with a few grams of residual sugar. But overall a lovely combination of acidity and rich fruit. The other white was a really interesting wine, a blend of 65% Chenin Blanc, 26% Clairette Blanc and 9% Viognier. It was mouth-filling and rounded but with lovely clean acidity and a touch of peach kernels from the Viognier. Nice wine. Both are available from Kinnegar Wines (www.kinnegar.com) at €16 and €22 a bottle respectively. As well as these, I have a half-bottle of Mullineux Straw Wine that I can’t wait to try.  Keep you posted.

 

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BALLYMALOE LITFEST

A week later, I still have a warm glow inside following the wonderful Ballymaloe Litfest. Darina Allen and her crew managed, in a short time, to pull together the most amazing collection of food and wine writers. I am not sure how they did it, but I don’t think any other food festival could boast a list of speakers that included Madhur Jaffrey, Claudia Roden, Stephanie Alexander, Skye Gyngell, Thomasina Miers, Stevie Parle (both past pupils of Ballymaloe), Claus Myer of Noma fame, Sandor Katz, Camilla Plum, David Thompson, Nick Lander, Jancis Robinson, and many, many more. As it all took place in either Ballymaloe House or the cookery school, there was a fantastic concentrated group of food and wine lovers. The sun shone, the atmosphere was brilliant, and the events in the Big Shed were as much Electric Picnic as food festival. Sadly, as I was roped into a number of events, I did not manage to attend many talks. Two highlights of the weekend; Sandor Katz showing how easy it is to make fermented vegetables (I will never fret over the safety of my kimchi and sauerkraut again), and dinner seated beside my all-time food hero Claudia Roden, who was illuminating, entertaining, modest and a veritable mine of information.  However, the most enjoyable part of all was being able to share a few glasses of good wine and craft beer with an eclectic mix of writers, volunteers, producers and punters, all united by a love of food. A weekend to remember.

 

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THREE WISE MEN

One of the best trade tastings each year is held by three of Ireland’s best small importers, although strangely none of them is Irish! Each specializes in a particular part of Europe, and each shows around twenty wines from their part of the world. It makes for a very manageable, fascinating and varied tasting.

Tyrrell & Co.

I am not sure if it was the vintages or my mood, but the entire range of Tyrrell wines were showing really well yesterday, red and white wines. It helps if you are showing the 2010 and 2011 vintages from the Rhône Valley I suppose, but almost every wine seemed star quality. There were some stunning white wines, and I loved the fresh elegance of the 2011 red wines from the Northern Rhône.

Ventoux ‘Persia’ 2011 Domaine de Fondrèche

€25 from www.thewinestore.ie

The nose is wonderfully complex with a mix of peaches, pears and wet stone; the palate is both fresh and full with rich peach fruits and a strong mineral streak.

Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2011 Domaine Yann Chave

€25-30 from www.thewinestore.ie

An exercise in elegance with light fresh limpid pure yellow fruits that glide across the palette seamlessly. Wonderful wine.

St. Joseph Grand Duc 2011, Domaine du Monteillet

€29.95 from www.thewienstore.ie

Superb, haunting fragrant nose, silky soft pure savoury dark fruits and liquorice on the palate. Not showing much tannic structure, but a joy to drink right now.

 

Grapecircus Wines

Enrico Fantasia, who hails from Venice, has an uncanny ability to select wines that are always interesting, often excellent and usually well-priced. It was the red wines that showed best for me yesterday, although I loved the San Lorenzo Verdicchio.  I also had a second opportunity to try the wines made on the estate belonging to rock star Sting (I don’t expect he gets too involved in the winemaking himself).  All of his wines can be bought in Sheridan’s cheese mongers. Grapecircus@gmail.com.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2011 Fattoria San Lorenzo

€16.95-17.50

A very rich intense textured Verdicchio with a panoply of exotic fruits, tangerine acidity and very good length. Yummy.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Le Salare 2010, Barba

€11.95-12.50

I featured this as a wine of the week (and year) in 2012. It is lovely as ever with super fresh light crunchy red fruits, all elegance and style.

Marche Rosso ‘Il Casolare’ 2011 Fattoria San Lorenzo

€11.95-12.50

The brother to the Verdicchio above, this is another characterful wine with lovely fresh red and black fruits, an attractive herbiness and easy finish.

 

Nomad Wine Importers

Former sommelier at Patrick Guilbaud, Charles Derain has built up a formidable list of fine Burgundies and a few other French wines too. Charles@nomadwineimporters.com

St Bris Exogyra Virgula 2010 Domaine Goisot

€12.33 exc VAT wholsale

The Goisots make a range of thrilling white and red wines in the communes of St. Bris and Irancy. The Chardonnay, Aligoté and Pinot Noir are all delicious, but this was the first time I had tried their Sauvignon. It is a stunning light mineral-laden crisp dry wine with precise green fruits and an invigorating freshness.

Rully 2011 Domaine J.B. Ponsot

€14.92 exc VAT wholesale

This is a lovely medium-bodied wine with toasted hazelnuts on nose and palate, lightly textured with lanolin on the lengthy finish. A class above most other Rully.

Lombeline Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2011

€10 exc VAT wholesale

Lovely light delicate fragrant Pinot with fresh young cherry fruits – the sort of wine you could drink all day.

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