Last of the summer wine: light whites to savour

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday, 18th August 2018.

While the summer is still with us, another look at light whites. These are wines that may not fill the mouth with rich powerful flavours, but they more than make up for it with a subtle complexity that seduces and charms.

 Tasted quickly before dinner, my bottle of Soave La Rocca 2015 from Pieropan was pleasant, refreshing and light, but little more. It was only half an hour later with food that it slowly revealed a wonderful multi-layered character. A few retailers have told me we are starting to drink less, but drink better wine, very welcome news. Sadly this doesn’t seem to extend to light white wines yet. A bottle of Pieropan La Rocca will set you back €36.99 (Redmonds, Ranelagh, 64 Wine, Glasthule) but it is worth it.

 A vast quantity of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (usually sold in distinctive fish-shaped bottles) is produced each year. One producer alone, Fazi Battaglia, makes three million bottles annually. Verdicchio is a grape variety that generally produces refreshing wines with good acidity. If you restrict the yields and have the right soil, the wines can be subtle but excellent. Increase the yields and you get a decent crisp fresh dry wine, usually with a slight fizz.

 At entry level, Lidl should have a few bottles of its version of Verdicchio for €7.99 as part of its Italian wine sale. There are plenty of very high quality wines too, including San Lorenzo (€23.70, SIYPS.com, Sheridan’s Cheesemongers) and Bucci. The Bucci wine below is excellent but the Riserva (€41), one of my desert island wines, will keep and improve for decades. Verdicchio goes well with lighter herby foods, antipasti, risotto primavera, prawns with linguini, or pesto Genovese.

 I have always loved the pure, refreshing flavours of Muscadet. I even like some of the cheap stuff. Real Muscadet has been enjoying a welcome mini-revival recently. The less expensive versions make the perfect summer drink, light in alcohol with satisfying plump mouth-watering zesty green fruits. Move up a gear to the best single estates and you can enjoy some brilliant, expressive wines; at €20-€30 they may seem expensive, but they are certainly worth it. Muscadet goes well with seafood, a platter of fruits de mer, some oysters or a bowl of mussels.

All of the multiples should have a Muscadet, including Tesco (€10) and SuperValu, who offer two, one at €9/€12 and the tasty Domaine du Haut Bourg (€12.95). Mary Pawle (marypawlewines.com) has the fascinating sulphur-free Muscadet L’Air Innocent 2015, Vin Nature, Domaine de la Fessardière for €18.60.

Bottles of the Week

Aldi Exquisite Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine sur lie 2017 12%, €8.99
Light refreshing green apple fruits with a crisp dry finish. Perfect with a bowl of moules marinière and a few hunks of crusty baguette.
Stockist: Aldi

Verdicchio dei Casetlli di Jesi Albiano 2016, Marotti Campi 12.5%, €11.20 (down from €14.95 during August)
Plump rounded apples and nectarines with lively lime zest bringing it to life. With mixed antipasti or pesto Genovese.
Stockist: O’Briens

Verdicchio Classico Superior, Villa Bucci 13.5%, €22
From the best producer in the region, an exquisite elegant wine with floral aromas, light vanilla, almonds and green apple fruits, and a lingering finish. Lovely with linguini with prawns, lemon and parsley.
Stockists: 64 Wine, Glasthule, Co Dublin, 64wine.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, redmonds.ie; the Corkscrew, Chatham Street, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; wineonline.ie

Granite de Clisson 2012, Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine, Domaine de la Vinconnière 13%, €26.95
A superb mineral-laced wine with rich, elegant textured maturing fruits and the 2016 sur lie (€14.95) is also worth trying.
Stockist: Searsons Wine Merchants, Monkstown, Co Dublin, searsons.com

A wine even our wine writer hadn’t heard about

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 28th July, 2018

I am wary of books that promise to take the mystery out of wine. Wine is actually quite complicated. This may explain why many people learn to love a few grape varieties – Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon – and ignore everything else. I have sympathy for this way of thinking. I use it myself in many other walks of life.

But there are said to be between 5,000 and 10,000 varieties of Vitis vinifera, the wine grape. Few of us will have heard of the most widely planted variety of all, Kyoho, which is found mostly in China. As much of that crop is used for eating rather than drinking, we are more familiar with the next four most widely planted Vitis vinifera varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and then two found almost exclusively in Spain, Tempranillo and Airén.

There are very good reasons why some grape varieties remain little known: the wines they produce are not great. But plenty more are unsung heroes that deserve greater recognition.

Marsanne, for example, is a full-bodied aromatic grape found mainly in the northern Rhone Valley, although plantings have spread out into Languedoc. It usually gives good yields – hence its popularity – but can lack acidity. Because of this it is often blended with more floral varieties, such as Roussanne, that also provide acidity. Marsanne reaches its peak as a blend in white Hermitage, from the Northern Rhône, and at the Tahbilk winery, in the Australian state of Victoria. The Aldi version below won’t quite reach those giddy heights, but it is well worth trying.

I don’t think I had heard of Dafni until I tried it at a tasting last year. Lyrarakis is a family-owned company based in Crete that has made a name by rescuing local ancient grape varieties from obscurity. Dafni gets its name from the Greek word for laurel or bay leaf, and the wine certainly has a pleasant herbiness. (The winery also produces a delicious Assyrtiko.) I don’t see Dafni becoming the new Sauvignon Blanc, but it also deserves a try.

Aglianico typically produces firm, dry, austere, tannic wines that need years to reach maturity. It is grown in the Campania region of southern Italy, most famously around Taurasi, but you will also find it growing on the dark, rich volcanic soils of Monte Vulture, in the neighbouring region of Basilicata. If that description sounds scary, don’t worry; the wine below is a very approachable early-drinking version.

The fourth wine is made primarily from the obscure Mandó grape, which was rediscovered by Pablo Calatayud, who owns Celler del Roure, in Valencia. Earlier this year I wrote about his excellent Vermell. Both that and the Safrà below are aged in ancient clay amphorae before bottling.

Bottles of the Week

Exquisite Collection Marsanne 2017, Languedoc 13%, €8.99
Ripe pears and peaches on nose and palate, finishing bone dry. Great everyday summer drinking by itself or with fish.
From Aldi, aldi.ie

Lyrarakis Dafni 2016, Crete 12.5%, €21.99
An intriguing wine with notes of bay, rosemary and wild thyme that blend in nicely with lemon zest and a reviving acidity. One to try with a herby Greek salad, grilled Mediterranean vegetables or herb and lemon chicken.
From Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Bradleys, Cork, bradleysofflicence.ie

Aglianico del Vulture Pipoli 2016, Vigneti del Vulture 13%, €18-€19
Smooth, rich dark-cherry fruits with chocolate and a rounded, easy finish. Perfect with grilled or roast lamb.
From Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4, donnybrookfair.ie; Fresh, branches around Dublin, freshthegoodfoodmarket.ie; McHughs, Dublin 5, mchughs.ie; Mitchell & Son, branches around Greater Dublin, mitchellandson.com; the Corkscrew, Dublin 2, thecorkscrew.ie; wineonline.ie; Michael’s, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin

Safrà, Celler del Roure 2016, Mandó, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) 13%, €21.50
Gorgeous wine with a delicious combination of fresh, piquant red-cherry fruits and a subtle rustic earthiness. Drink coolish with paella.
From 64 Wine, Glasthule, Co Dublin, 64wine.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, redmonds.ie; Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin, searsons.com; Clontarf Wines, Dublin 3, clontarfwines.ie

Pale pink or cherry-red? Dry or sweet? How to choose the right rosé

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 12th July, 2018

We tend to buy rosé by colour. If the wine is very pale salmon pink, it will be dry; cherry-red and it must be sweet. It isn’t quite that simple, but it is a good starting point. Rosé wines vary hugely in their sugar content and it isn’t always easy to work out which is dry and which is sweet. One useful indicator is origin. California blush is generally sweet, as is Rosé d’Anjou and Mateus Rosé, while pale Provence Rosé is bone-dry. In between there is a host of pleasantly fruity dry wines that are perfect for summer drinking. The success of Provence rosé seems to have convinced some of us that this is the only pink to drink, but there are plenty of other options, including Spanish Rosado, that are every bit as good – and frequently a lot cheaper.

If your memories of Spanish rosé (Rosado in Spanish) are of cheap plonk guzzled on holidays on the costas, then it is time to think again. Spain has a long tradition of making rosado, and today makes some very good wines. The Navarra region made its name producing fruity, dry rosés, apparently a tradition that goes back to the 12th century, when it slated the thirst of pilgrims walking the Camino. These days, Navarra also makes some really good red and white wines, but is still best-known for rosados. The grape variety involved is usually Garnacha, or sometimes Tempranillo. Other parts of Spain, from Catalunya to Alicante have got in on the act and now offer some very stylish rosados. In the past, clarete, made either by fermenting red and white grapes together, as with the wine below, or by simply blending red and white wine, was very popular.

The best Spanish rosados have masses of ripe red fruits – cherries, strawberries and raspberries yet finish bone-dry. This means they go really well with savoury foods. Dry rosé in general is one of the most food-friendly wines of all, perfect with all kinds of summer salads as well as milder Asian dishes. Not surprisingly, Rosado goes very well with various Spanish foods, including mixed tapas, seafood and of course paella.

As well as the wines below, Tesco has the Revero Tempranillo Rosado for an incredible €3.99, and O’Briens the Finca Vadmoya for €9.95. Look out in independents for the excellent Lopez de Haro for about €16. Wines Direct (Mullingar, Arnotts and online), has the very tasty Olivares Rosado for €12.50.

If you do find yourself in Spain this summer desperately looking for a Spanish Rosado, the Torres Sangre de Toro, not available here in Ireland, is a good inexpensive bet.

Gran Fuedo Rosado 2017, Navarra

13.5%, €12.99-13.99

Very attractive, refreshing, light strawberry fruits with a bone-dry finish. Serve well-chilled with tapas and grilled white fish.

Stockists: Very widely available through independents including McHughs, Kilbarrack Road and Malahide Road, mchughs.ie; 1601 Off-licence, Kinsale; Matson’s Wine Store, Cork, matsonswinesandbeer.com; Burke Londis, Kinvara, Galway; Daly’s, Boyle, Co Roscommon; Ardkeen Stores, Waterford; Eldons, Clonmel; Higgins, Clonskeagh; Shiel’s Londis, Malahide; The Coach House, Ballinteer, thecoach.ie.

Montesierra Selección Rosado 2017, Somontano

13.5%, €13.50

Medium-bodied stewed red cherry and strawberry fruit. Rounded and smooth. Try it with grilled salmon, sea trout or mackerel.

Stockists: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, jusdevine.ie; Sweeney’s Wines, Glasnevin, swenenyswines.ie; Clontarf Wines, clontarfwines.ie.

La Maldición Clarete, 2017, Viños de Madrid

13.5%, €15.90

A captivating rosado (or clarete) with real interest. Relatively full-bodied with light tannins and concentrated savoury strawberry fruits. This went really well with a mozzarella and tomato salad on a warm summer’s evening.

Stockists: Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie; Lilac Wines, Dublin 3, lilacwines.ie; Redmonds, Ranelagh; redmonds.ie; 64 Wine, Glasthule, 64wine.ie.

Sonrojo Garnacha 2017, Navarra

13.5%, €16.50

Wonderful pure freshly crushed raspberry and strawberry fruits with a lively acidity and a snappy dry finish. I could drink this all summer long. Cold chicken with panzanella.

Stockists: Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, baggotstreetwines.com; Liston’s, Camden Street, listonsfoodstore.ie; Kelly’s, Clontarf, kellysofflicence.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure, greenmanwines.ie.