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A very expensive but thrilling wine

A very expensive but thrilling wine

Bodegas Tradición Palo Cortado Vors

19.5%

€84.99

bodegas-tradicion-vors-30-years-old-palo-cortado-sherry-andalucia-spain-10000702A tasting earlier this week with the Celtic Whiskey shop and Eduardo Davis, export manager of Bodegas Tradición was one of the highlights of the year so far. I had tasted the wines before, and visited the bodega, but now they are available in Ireland for the first time.

A very expensive wine, but this is worth smashing open the piggy bank for, or sharing the cost with a few other sherry-loving friends. It is a quite amazing wine. Palo Cortado is a mystery sherry; nobody is quite sure how it is made – or makes itself in fact. It is best described as a Fino/Oloroso hybrid, with the intense grilled nut flavours of Oloroso combined with the freshness of a Fino. Sounds weird but they taste great, this one in particular.

Utterly amazing elegant complex nose with toasted almonds, furniture polish and old wood; sounds terrible but it is fantastic. You could sniff it all day or dab it behind your ears. The palate has more toasted almonds, a funky, earthy note, and a saline touch. Finishes bone dry and lasts forever.

Available from Wines on the Green and the Black Pig, Donnybrook.

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A satisfying southern red

A satisfying southern red

Ch. les Auzines Hautes Terres Rouge 2011

Image 413.5%

 

€12.99 down from €14.99 until 4th May

 

Laurent Miquel makes some good, very well-priced wines in this organic estate high up in the hills of Corbières, in the Languedoc. This has crunchy ripe blackcurrant fruits with a lovely herby note and a good clean lightly tannic finish. With red meats or firm cheeses.

 

Available from O’Briens

 

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A superior Cotes du Rhone

A superior Cotes du Rhone

Côtes du Rhône Les Deux Cols, Cuvée d’Alizé 2013

13.5%

€16.95

DSCF3880A new vintage of a wine produced by Irishman Simon Tyrrell. No ordinary Côtes du Rhône, but a very nicely crafted wine with excellent purity of fruit and a lovely freshness. Delectable just-ripe dark fruits, with prefect balance and a smooth palate. I would drink this with all manner of white and red meats, game and firm cheeses.

Stockists: 64wine, Glasthule; Donnybrook fair; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; One Pery Square, Limerick; The Drink Store, D7.

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A great everyday Malbec

A great everyday Malbec

Pascual Toso Malbec 2013, Mendoza

14%

€13.95

toso malbecMedium to full-bodied with ripe dark loganberry fruits, good concentration and a nice dry finish. Great value for money and perfect with beef dishes.

I managed an hour at the Argentina tasting in Dublin last week, and this year concentrated on Malbec. This is what the world wants at the moment, although I reckon Argentina makes some pretty tasty Cabernet as well. I have been a fan of the Pascual Toso Malbec for many years. It is consistent and reasonably priced, despite the dollar-euro exchange rate.

Available from: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Nolan’s, Clontarf; O’Donovans, Cork; 64wine, Glasthule; McCabes, Blackrock & Foxrock; World Wide Wines, Waterford; Drink Store, Manor St.; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny; Egan’s, Portlaoise;

 

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Pazo de Señorans 2013, Riás Baixas

Pazo de Señorans 2013, Riás Baixas

12.5%

€22.99

 

pazojpegI used this wine in a talk on Riás Baixas and Albariño in Cathal Brugha DIT last week. It is drinking beautifully at the moment; fresh and zesty, with perfectly judged peach and pear fruits, lingering nicely on the finish. Great with all kinds of seafood, but I would brig out some richer shellfish – scallops, crab or go the whole hog with lobster.

 

Available from: O’Briens

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Ibérico Ham and Sherry – God’s gift to those who like good food and wine.

Ibérico Ham & Sherry

I blagged my way into a tutored tasting of Ibérico ham in the Spanish Embassy earlier this week. On arrival, I discovered it was aimed at food journalists rather than mere wine scribes. However, it was a great event, featuring two of the finest products known to man – Sherry and Ibérico. The tutor was carving expert and all-round good guy Mario Hiraldo Regalado, whose family run a jamóneria down in Andalusia. You can see him at work on a short video from the TV3 AM show, where, unbelievably, nobody actually tastes the wonderful ham!

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Mario took us through the raising of Ibérico pigs (not all are Pata Negra apparently, some have brown or even pink hooves) in the oak forests of Spain, and the process of ageing. There is a narrow strip of land running from the south of Spain along the Spanish border with Portugal (Portugal makes its own very good equivalent Presunto) where the large cork oak forests are found. This is where much of the cork used as wine closures comes from. The highest grade of Iberico ham is Bellota, made from pigs that have spent the last 3-4 months of their lives grazing in these forests, with one hectare allowed per animal.

Mario spent much of his time explaining the different parts of a full Jamón Ibérico, and how an expert will make the most of this expensive piece of pork. There are no less than six different ‘cuts’ that should be carved in order, each with its own specific flavour. The marbling changes, as does the fat content. Remember all of those hams you see hanging in Spanish bars? The fat is slowly migrating southwards to the bottom end of the Jamón, finally collecting in those conical dishes you see under every ham.

We tasted our way down the ham; each did taste distinctly different. A wafer-thin piece should be a complete cross-section of the ham, and the size of a credit card – perfect for eating in one bite. At one stage we laid a strip of ham across the back of our hand to warm it up a little. At a slightly higher temperature, the flavours were even more heightened and complex.

The first cut, the Caña, is a hard meat and generally used in cooking; the Jarrete was nutty and sweet and full of fat, the Maza is the piece we are most familiar with, the juiciest yet leanest strip from the loin. The Babilla lies between the two bones, the Contramaza lies opposite the Maza, and is the narrowest and most cured part. The La Punta is the strip opposite the hoof, full of fat and therefore flavour – mushrooms and nuts. Lastly we tried a chunk of Taco de Jamón from the tougher side part is used in Spain as a cooking medium., ‘an Oxo cube’ Mario explained. I found it good enough to eat.

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Mario was talking to the converted. I have believed for many years that Jamón Ibérico is one of the great foods of the world. Add in a glass of good sherry and you have one of the most perfect ways to start any meal. Deep red in colur and heavily marbled with fat, it has the most complex flavour, salty one minute, nutty the next, mushroomy, sweet and so much more. The fat melts in your mouth giving the most wonderful creamy texture and lingering finish.

We then tried various pieces of ham with three different sherries. Mario explained that the alcohol in a sherry will ‘melt’ the fat, creating a taste sensation. Take a sip of the sherry first, either fino or Oloroso, and then the ham to experience an explosion of flavour.

Two things worth remembering; serve your Ibérico at room temperature. At fridge temperature you will lose all of that wonderful flavour. Serrano ham, available at cheap prices in our supermarkets is nice but it is not the same thing.

If you can afford the €300 or more for a full Ibérico or Bellota ham, it will keep for several months. Use the first strips of ham, largely fat, as a cover to prevent oxidation. One day, when the lotto comes in, I will purchase a full ham. A good carver can get 800 pieces of Iberico from one ham – makes it seem cheap really. Lastly, in case you are worried about all of that fat, Ibérico is a health food, containing a high level of healthy mono-unsaturated fats high in oleic acid, and therefore very good for you.

 

 

 

 

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Two Outsiders in Spain

Olivier Rivière and Germán Blanco are both outsiders, people who have neither family history in wine nor any historic link with the region where they work. Possibly because of this, both have a very different take on a well-known wine region of Spain. Olivier is a real outsider, from Cognac in France (he makes a wine called Gabacho, the slang Spanish term for a Frenchman, like our ‘frog’). He worked with two highly regarded biodynamic estates, Elian da Ros in Côtes du Marmandais and Domaine Leroy in Burgundy, before moving to Spain where he spent two years with Telmo Rodriguez, one of the most influential and respected winemakers in Spain over the last two decades. ‘I stayed on because I liked the place and it was an opportunity. It was not my original dream, but I really like it here. It is a great place to make wine’, says Rivière. Unable to afford vineyards, he began by purchasing small quantities of grapes from three growers in each of the three sub regions of Rioja. In 2009 he managed to buy some vineyards in Arlanza, a little-known region north west of Rioja, where he found very old vines – from the 1930’s, he says, followed by more in 2013. As an outsider and foreigner it was not easy to buy at first, but he says, ‘notoriety helps now’.

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Rivière works in a small winery in Rioja Baja. The Rayas Uva is 50% Tempranillo, 40% Garnacha and 10% Graciano, all from Rioja Baja. This may sound like the typical Rioja blend but the wine is anything but. It is pale in colour, with lifted aromas, ethereal silky cherry fruits and a wonderful freshness; none of those vanilla flavours from American oak or weediness associated with so much bog standard Rioja. I found the Gabacho a little more difficult; made from 100% Garnacha from Rioja Baja and Alta, this was tight and compact, with good firm concentrated strawberry fruit and good length. Needs time but I found it hard to read. I had no such difficulty with the Covarrubias 2011 from DO Arlanda outside Rioja. This was a seriously good wine, very fine with superb red fruits and a wonderful long dry finish. I am sure it will evolve further for a few years. I was also persuaded to try his white Rioja, a style of wine that rarely impresses me. The Jequitiba 2013, made from Malvasia, was excellent, refreshing and full of delicious white fruits finishing dry. Not cheap, but a very good wine.

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When I met German Blanco, he was full of enthusiasm for rugby, having been to his first ever match (Ireland vs. England) the day before. Blanco had no family history in wine. His mother was an art teacher, his father a clothes manufacturer. He comes from the Asturias in the north of Spain, a region noted for cider rather than wine. He did spend some of his childhood in Bierzo living with his grandmother, and now makes a wine in her honour in the region. He says the interest in wine came from a love of art – ‘ grapes are an art material to be moulded’ he says. His wine experience started in the Madrid branch of luxury wine shop chain Lavinia, where he worked while studying enology in the university. After working with various wineries in La Mancha, Bierzo and Ribera del Duero, he formed an unusual alliance with a local family. They owned ten hectares of 36 year-old vines in one of the best parts of Ribera del Duero, seven kilometres north of Aranda. However, they were unable to make or sell their wine. ‘Now’ says Germán, ‘we are three people, José-Luis, his dad and me. Together we grow the grapes, make the wine and sell it. We make a great team.’ Blanco tend to harvest earlier than most. ‘It is vital to pick before sugar levels start to rise too rapidly’, he says. The wines are made in a mix of open-top fermenters, stainless steel and amphorae. They do not fine or filter and add a small dose of sulphur at bottling. ‘In the boom time, people planted vines everywhere’ argues Germán. ‘It is easy to make good basic Ribera del Duero, but great wine is far more difficult.’ The Quinta Milú wines are marked by a delicious freshness and minerality, with little obvious new oak. The basic Quinta Milú is one of my favourite wines, as is another Germán Blanco wine, the Perra Gorda, made in a region in the hills above Bierzo in northwest Spain. This is on honour of his grandmother. The top Quinta Milú wines are excellent, including the La Cometa mentioned below.

Quinta Milú 2014, Ribera del Duero

13.5% €16.75

Image 4The 2014 is a great follow-on from the 2013; fresh, brim-full of vibrant dark cherry fruits and virtually no tannins at all.

Stockists: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Ennis (SCR); Green Man Wines, Terenure; Listons, Camden Street; Red Island, Skerries; 64Wine, Glasthule; Drinkstore, Manor Street; Whelehans Wines, Loughlinstown; Blackrock Cellar; On the Grapevine, Dalkey; Clontarf Wines; The Black Pig, Donnybrook.

 

 

 

 

 

Quinta Milú La Cometa 2012

€23

Image 1Some new oak on the nose, but full of firm ripe dark fruits on the palate – damsons and sour cherries, with cleansing minerality and a dry tannic finish. Excellent wine.

Stockists: Blackrock Cellar; 64Wine, Glasthule; Green Man Wines, Terenure; The Black Pig, Donnybrook.

 

 

 

 

 

Rayos Uva 2013, D.O.C. Rioja

€17

Fabulous fragrant fresh red fruits with a real elegance; streets ahead of most Rioja at this price.

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Stockists: Black Pig, Donnybrook; Blackrock Cellar; 64Wine, Galsthule; Sweeneys, Glasnevin; Green Man Wines, Terenure; Ennis (SCR); Clontarf Wines.

Viñas del Cadastro 2011, D.O. Arlanza

€33

Concentrated with very fine linear dark fruits, structured tannins and excellent length. Impeccably made wine that would benefit from an hour’s decanting.

Stockists: 64Wine, Glasthule; Black Pig, Donnybrook; Clontarf Wines.

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Choosing Easter wine? Consider Cabernet

The Irish Times 4th April, 2015

It is those unmistakable aromas of blackcurrant or cassis, the whiff of cigar box, the firm structured dark fruits overlaid with cedar wood, the satisfying tannic dry finish; they can mean one thing to the wine lover, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet may have slipped under the radar a little in recent years, as we became more excited about the huge number of local grape varieties being rediscovered in Spain, Italy, France and elsewhere. A greater choice is always welcome, but we should not forget that Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s great varieties, responsible for some of the very best wines in half a dozen countries.

It also produces a huge number of mid-priced red wines that make for perfect everyday drinking. Cabernet Sauvignon has always proved an easy traveller, thriving in a variety of soils and climates. It also has the happy knack of almost always tasting recognisably of Cabernet Sauvignon, while also taking on a little local character. From its original home in Bordeaux, where it forms the bedrock of the great wines of the Médoc and Péssac-Léognan, it has spread out throughout the wine world, both old and new.

If you intend serving a roast of either lamb or beef on Easter Sunday, there are few better matches than a good quality Cabernet. Those drying tannins work perfectly with red meat. Bordeaux would be the traditional choice, but take a look at top-notch Cabernet from more far-flung parts of the globe.

California, and the Napa Valley in particular, has long produced superb age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon. Sadly most are very expensive. If you do feel like splurging, James Nicholson (jnwine.com) may still have a few magnums of the superb Ridge Montebello Cabernet 2006, for £190. Terroirs in Donnybrook, Dublin has a very good selection of Napa Cabernets, including Ch Montelena.

You could also look to Australia, where the Margaret River in Western Australia is famed for its structured, ripe, scented Cabernets such as Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet 2011 (€89.99) and the Cape Mentelle Cabernet 2011 (€70, independents).

Argentina makes some very good Cabernet, but this seems to get lost amongst all the noise about Malbec. It tends to be fairly big and rich, but not short on flavour.

However, our most expensive wine this week comes from Chile, home to some seriously good Cabernet. Producers here delight in holding blind tastings that pitch their best wines against first-growth Bordeaux; the results often favour Chile. I recently tasted my way through 10 vintages of Santa Rita Casa Real, a single-vineyard Cabernet from the Maipo Valley, source of many of Chile’s greatest Cabernets. It can age very well for a decade or more, but is very approachable in its youth.

Marks & Spencer, whose range of wine becomes more encyclopedic by the day, have a Cabernet Sauvignon produced by two Canada’s leading lights, Ann Spurling and Brian Hamilton. The estate is in Four Mile Creek, one of the warmest parts of Niagara, and is devoted to sustainable biodynamic viticulture. The wine is quite different to most New World Cabernet, and will fox any wine buff you invite to lunch.

I pleaded guilty recently to ignoring South African wines, partly because they seem to have dropped out of sight in a lot of wine shops, but also because many of the reds were over-extracted, over-oaked monsters. However, I have tasted some very good wines recently including some succulent tasty restrained Cabernets at very fair prices.

If you don’t intend spending over €20 for your wine, you could always opt for the Cassillero del Diablo Cabernet, widely available at around €12, or from Bordeaux, Lidl has the tasty Ch Noton 2010 for €9.99.

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Looking for the best in the world? Try a cherry-scented Pinot Noir

Looking for the best in the world? Try a cherry-scented Pinot Noir

New Zealand built its reputation on Sauvignon Blanc. As outlined here a few weeks back, Marlborough Sauvignon has become a favourite the world over. However, the country offers much more, including some great Pinot Noir.

My image of the New Zealand male as quietly spoken, possibly monosyllabic and dressed in a standard uniform of chinos and polo shirt, was shattered on my arrival in Central Otago in New Zealand for a three-day Pinot Noir celebration. Every event was preceded by an ear-piercing whistle and a lengthy (but usually witty) speech. All of the Otagan men competed with each other to appear in the loudest, most colourful Hawaiian shirts. There was a real sense of camaraderie amongst producers, possibly because they are so far away from the other New Zealand wine regions.

Central Otago (or ‘Central’ as they refer to it there) has come a long way in a short time. Although some form of viticulture had been practised here since the 19th century, it was only in the 1990s that the region started to make a name for itself as a producer of world-class Pinot Noir. One of the very first to plant vines was an Irish journalist, Alan Brady. Since then, the expansion has been rapid. I worked my way around 37 wineries at a tasting; apparently there are now 82. This is the world’s most southerly vineyard, with some of the most stunning scenery. Nearby Queenstown is one of New Zealand’s most popular resorts, for skiing in winter and every conceivable outdoor sport in summer.

 

Light cherry fruits, subtle oak, and a savoury finish.

Available from: Clontarf Wines; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Donnybrook Fair; O’Briens; 64wine Glasthule; Gibneys, Malahide; Wineonline.ie; World Wide Wines, Waterford

 

Available from: Redmonds, Ranelagh; DSix, Harold’s Cross; Clontarf Wines; Donnybrook Fair; La Touche Greystones; Thomas Woodberry Galway

Available from: Redmonds, Ranelagh; Clontarf Wines; Donnybrook Fair; La Touche Greystones; Power, Lucan; Gibneys, Malahide; Thomas Woodberry, Galway

In New Zealand’s only continental climate, winters are bitterly cold and summers short but hot. Central Otago Pinot forged its reputation with a series of vibrant fruit-filled wines. As the vines mature, and producers become more confident, the wines are gaining in subtlety and complexity. There were some great wines here, and great people. In addition to the wines of the week, look out for Peregrine, Mount Difficulty, Two Paddocks (owned by local boy Sam Neil), Mud House and Wild Earth.

Moving northwards, Waipara and North Canterbury, two overlapping areas north of Christchurch are among the lesser-known regions of New Zealand. However, here you will find some delicious Chardonnays (something I can see New Zealand excelling at in the coming years) and some very good Pinot Noir.

Waipara can also compete in the beauty stakes with Central Otago. I spent a day foraging around some of the most wonderful scenery. If you have a relative helping rebuild Christchurch, Waipara is less than an hour’s drive away and worth a visit.

Pinot Noir here varies greatly in style, but the best are relatively full-bodied, sometimes spicy, with delicious soft ripe dark fruits and sufficient structure to age for a few years. Look out for Muddy Water, Pegasus Bay and Waipara Springs along with the wines featured below.

Martinborough, an hour’s drive from Wellington on the North Island, has long been seen as the best place to grow Pinot Noir in New Zealand. I am inclined to agree. The region has been expanded to include two other villages and renamed Wairarapa. A large blind tasting covering the entire region provided plenty of evidence that there are some really exciting wines being made here. Sadly few are available in this country. In addition to Ata Rangi mentioned below, look out for Escarpment, Martinborough Vineyards and Paddy Borthwick. Marlborough also produces Pinot Noir, but only a few can match those from Central Otago, Wairarapa or Waipara.

The standard of Pinot Noir in New Zealand is very high; I don’t think I tasted any duds and there were some exquisite wines. Most producers seem to be trying to tone down the exuberant ripe fruit of their Pinots to arrive at a more complex, balanced style. Sadly many of my favourites are not currently available in Ireland, largely due to a combination of cost and size. Central Otago, for example, produces a mere 2.5 per cent of New Zealand’s wine. Waipara is not much bigger and Wairarapa is responsible for a miniscule 2.8 per cent of national production.

The best wines from my two favourite New Zealand Pinot producers – Ata Rangi from Martinborough and Felton Road from Central Otago – both cost around €50, prices that might bring some out in a cold sweat. (Incidentally, both make excellent Chardonnay). I would argue that compared to Burgundy, Germany and other Pinot-producing regions, they are very fairly priced.

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Chin chin, time for an Irish gin

Chin chin, time for an Irish gin

Chin chin, time for an Irish gin

Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 08:00

‘Gin is so much fun’, says David Boyd-Armstrong of Shortcross distillery. He and his wife Fiona are part of a new generation of craft producers that are redefining Irish gin.
Sales of gin are booming. Once the preserve of the older G&T brigade, the surge of interest in cocktails has seen gin become one of the most fashionable spirits of all.
The worldwide increase in interest is not just down to mixologists creating complex new cocktails. Gin and tonic is very trendy. Bombay Sapphire and Hendrick’s started the trend a decade or more ago, but since then a host of new craft gin producers have sprung up in the US, Britain and elsewhere. Now a number of bespoke Irish gins are being produced in small distilleries around the country. Some go foraging in the countryside for herbs and roots to flavour their gin while others use spices imported from across the globe.
“In Ireland, we are just starting to understand white spirits,” says Peter Mulryan of Blackwater Distillery in Waterford. “As a nation we were always very good with whiskey. If I had done this 10 years ago, I would have had to close my doors very quickly. Now the time is right.”
The Dingle Distillery was founded by Oliver Hughes, one of the men behind the Porterhouse bars. As with craft beers, he was ahead of the game, looking for somewhere to create his own whiskey, vodka and gin. I tasted trial batches with Hughes and his colleague in their brewery in west Dublin five years ago. With the Porterhouse bars to supply, Dingle gin was never going to be short of customers.
The Shortcross distillery is located in the historic Rademon estate near Crossgar in Co Down. Water is drawn from a deep well on the estate. Everything in the small distillery is done by hand, right down to painstakingly sealing each bottle with wax and signing each label before sticking it on.
In addition to importing juniper and other spices, they forage in the estate for botanicals, including apples from the orchard, wild clover, elderberries and elderflowers. This, Boyd-Armstrong believes, gives their gin a unique aromatic hint of meadows. “We wanted to create a floral uplift, something uniquely Irish,” he says.
“Every batch will have some slight variation, but we are obsessive and want to be consistent. The biggest skill is being able to taste. We taste and taste – not always easy with a spirit at 90 per cent alcohol.”
They have a beautiful 450 litre copper pot still produced to their specifications by a family of German makers. When I visited, the still was perfumed with juniper and spices from the last distillation. They launched last April in the restaurants Ox and James Street South, in Belfast.
Peter Mulryan wrote books and produced TV programmes about spirits, mainly whiskey, before starting his own enterprise in Cappoquin. He has been going for less than a month now, but is relishing the challenge. “Gin is a drink of empire. The Dutch and the British invented it, so we don’t go heavily on the Irish thing,” he says.
There is a strong spice connection with Waterford though; in the 19th century Whytes of Waterford was one of the most important shipping companies. “I tried out some of the spices they imported (he won’t specify which) and they make the most amazing gin.”
There are other Irish gins available. Glendalough releases seasonal spirits based on wild flowers and herbs foraged locally, and seaweed beauty specialist Voya is experimenting with seaweed-flavoured gin.
Fever Tree seems to be the preferred tonic water, although each producer assured me that his or her gin would go very nicely with market leader Schweppes. Your gin and tonic however, will taste very different.

Blackwater No. 5 London Dry Gin, 41.5%,€32

A complex gin with juniper, lemon and a lovely earthy warm spicy element coming through on the finish. Very different to the Shortcross below with much more musk and spice.

Stockists: Specialist Spirit retailers

 

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Shortcross Gin, 46%, €50/£35-£40

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Wonderful gin with lightly floral aromas and a subtle fruitiness alongside the juniper. Lingers beautifully.

Stockists: Specialist Spirit retailers

Dingle Original London Dry Gin, 42.5%, €33

Dingle-Gin

Very nicely textured with juniper on the front palate with lively citrus and orange peel.

Stockists: Specialist Spirit retailers

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