A Family Winery:
LINGENFELDER ESTATE A
s part of our ongoing series of articles about our family of wineries, Lynne Coyle MW speaks with Georg Lingenfelder, winemaker at the Lingenfelder Estate in the Pfalz region of Germany about their sustainable approach to viticulture and winemaking philisophy. LYNNE: How long has grape growing & winemaking been in your family? GEORG: We can date back the wine
making tradition in our family to around 1520, making it almost 500 years. I'm the 14th continuous Lingenfelder generation to practice viticulture, but I have to admit, we are still trying to figure it out.
The microcosm “vineyard” is not just a production platform for grapes; it is a small but very precious fraction of the livable part of our beautiful blue planet. This conviction guides us in our everyday work out in the fields.
LC: Can you explain your sustainable approach to viticulture?
LC: What is the winemaking philosophy? G: Wine for us has nature on one end,
culture in the middle and art/artificial on the other end. Wine is never all natural because it is a result of cultural activity – so called viticulture. Whilst a winemaker has to make a lot of decisions, we find ourselves more on natures side, where nature is more dominant, culture is less so and the artistic impact, perhaps, close to zero.
I THINK THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN "MAKING" OUR WINE IN THE PAST DECADES IS A VERY RESPONSIBLE & CONSCIOUS ONE.
G: When your family has basically been in
the same spot for 500 years,when you are the 14th generation growing grapes – and drinking wine, it is only natural, that you take a very long perspective. You want the next generations – ideally, at least the next 14 generations – to enjoy the same wonderful life you yourself are privileged to live. We make sure that both what is in the soil and what is above the soil remains healthy and fertile. The vine roots below and the vine trunks, canes, shoots and leaves above, share their universe with uncountable number of other organisms, from microscopic bacteria to fungi, worms, insects, spiders, little and not so little mammals and birds.
GEORG & RAINER LINGENFELDER
LC: You are making the wine now – was 2018 your first solo run? G: Yes in 2018 I was responsible for the
SPRINGTIME VINES AT LINGENFELDER
cellar management, however the main philosophy of our wines has not changed. I think the way we have been “making” our wine in the past decades is a very responsible and conscious one. I also think that people increasingly have an awareness of the products that they consume and that a very natural approach is valued more and more, so we are very much in trend right now with what we are doing.
G: The joy was definitely to see the
Lin g e nf e ld e r Win e S e le ction
perfect hand-picked grapes as they came into the winery… which were by far the healthiest grapes I have ever seen, considering the average of the entire harvest. Also the aroma was very intense despite the high yield we achieved. Also great to see was how the spontaneous fermentation worked out this year. We had very little problems with the start of the fermentation and to our surprise almost all wines fermented to dryness, which is mostly our goal even though we don’t really control it. So nature has been incredible generous with us this year. The main challenge was to decide on the picking date for the different vineyards as it was a very dry and warm year. So we had to be very attentive to not leave the grapes on the vines for too long to prevent them from draught stress.
The hallmark of Gewürztraminer and the Hare-Label in particular, is its attractive, perfumed lychee, rose petal and orange blossom character. A perfect match with Asian inspired dishes.
LINGENFELDER BIRD LABEL RIESLING
great wines because it relies on itself producing a broad spectrum of styles from dry to luxuriously sweet. It is one of the most identifiable grape varieties in the world with a distinct character that doesn't need any oak to stand out. Furthermore, it is the perfect food match for a very wide range of foods because of the versatile styles. A dry refreshing example with the higher acidity balances well with a lot of fatty foods as it can act as a perfect palate cleanser. On the other hand the sweeter styles that can match very well the richer or more spicy foods. On top, the ageing potential is unbelievable and every time I open a bottle of a 1991 Riesling Kabinett – my birth year by the way – I dream I would age that well myself.
€13.45 down from €15.45 from 10TH JUNE This off-dry Riesling is at first wonderfully floral on the nose before finishing with peachy fruit on the palate, making it an excellent wine choice to partner mildly spiced Asian dishes.
€15.95
LINGENFELDER FOX LABEL DORNFELDER
This light red shares many similarities with Pinot Noir; perfumed raspberry and cherry fruit with light tannins and fresh acidity.
LC: Why is Riesling such a special grape? G: It is not only special it simply makes
€15.45
LINGENFELDER HARE LABEL GEWÜRZTRAMINER
LINGENFELDER ESTATE RIESLING TROCKEN
€19.95 Trocken means this wine is dry, yet still bursting with citrus and apple fruit, however it remains elegant with stony minerality and a lemon-fresh finish.
LINGENFELDER SCHEUREBE KABINETT
€18.95 Affectionately called 'shoy' by growers in the Pfalz, Scheurebe is a noble crossing of Riesling and Sylvaner. In many ways this grape variety is like Germany's answer to Sauvignon Blanc, with a wonderfully citrusy character, particularly pink grapefruit.
Lingenfelder wines are available exclusively in O'Briens
SPRINGTIME VINES AT LINGENFELDER
LC: What were the challenges and joys of the 2018 winemaking at Lingenfelder?
The Days of
LY N N E C O Y L E , M A S T E R O F W I N E , W I N E D I R E C T O R , O ' B R I E N S W I N E
We love this time of year with the longer nights, brighter mornings and some warmth creeping into our days. Apart from the arrival of the swallows, another sure sign of summer is the high stacks of beautiful pink rosé wine in our shops. From the palest most elegant hues to the lightly tinged warmer pink jewels, these super versatile wines signify summer is here.
@LorcanO_Brien
There are few wines better suited to al fresco dining than a bottle of good quality rosé and these days the style of the wine is more often dry than sweet making them endlessly suitable for
pairing with your favourite summer dishes. Whether salads, seafood, Asian, Vegetarian, BBQ or Mediterranean sharing platters, you can rely on rosé not only to match your food choice but also to please your guests and of course they also look beautiful in the glass. The key to the beautiful colour of rosé is what we call in the wine trade “skin contact”. Rosé wines are made from black grapes and most of the well known red grapes have white juice. The colour of rosé wine therefore is determined by how long the white grape juice has been in contact with the black
The Foodie One
The Exotic One
The Fashionable One
EMILIANA ADOBE ORGANIC ROSÉ 2018
DELHIEM PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2018/19
L’OSTAL ROSÉ 2018
€14.95 Buy one get second half price*
€13.95 Buy one get second half price*
€15.45 Buy one get second half price*
This organic rosé comes from the Rapel Valley in Chile and offers gentle strawberry & red cherry aromas. The palate has a nice weight and texture that would lend it to matching with a wide range of foods.
This was the first rosé from Pinotage ever made and is still the benchmark. Just off-dry in style and exploding with ripe red fruits this is the perfect rosé to enjoy on its own in the summer sun.
This pale and delicate Languedoc is a firm customer favourite. The complex and floral aromas of rose petals and pomegranate follow on to the elegant palate: an ideal match for a light summer salad or tomato-based pasta.
@LYNNECOYLEMW
grape skins. In short, the longer the skin contact, the darker the pink wine colour. However, skin contact is important not only for the colour of the wine but also for the aroma profile and the flavours and fruitiness of the wine. Because much of the aroma potential in wine is stored in the skins, careful setting of harvesting dates and healthy grapes are key to achieving this desirable aroma and flavour quality. The balance of aroma profile and fruit flavour is somewhat delicate and is dependent on the experience and skills of the winemaker.
FROM THE PALEST MOST ELEGANT HUES TO THE LIGHTLY TINGED WARMER PINK JEWELS, THESE SUPER VERSATILE WINES SIGNIFY SUMMER IS HERE. Because rosé wine is such a versatile and fun wine style, it is proving highly fashionable worldwide and regardless of weather and season, sales are growing not only in Ireland but also the US,
UK, Australia and in mainland Europe. Indeed, if you wander along a pavement in Southern France, you will be hard pushed to see anything other than rosé wine being enjoyed with local food.
So to allow you to get in on the act summer 2019 will see the biggest range of rosé we have ever had available in store and online to help you discover the versatile and varied world of rosé we will be continuing with our popular summer offer - Buy One Get One Half Price - on a range of our best rosé wines.
The Sassy One
The Sophisticated One
The Stylish One
RÓS ROSÉ 2018
GÉRARD BERTRAND CÔTE DES ROSES 2018
PASQUA 11 MINUTES 2018
€16.95 Buy one get second half price*
€18.95 Buy one get second half price*
€18.95 Buy one get second half price*
This delicious rosé is a collaboration between O’Briens Head Wine Buyer, Lynne Coyle MW, and Tandem wines. 100% Grenache and fermented with wild yeast it is fresh as a daisy with a mouth-watering red berry fruit profile.
New to our rosé promotion this year, this Languedoc rosé is crisp and persistent with wonderful balance and subtle fruit flavours. The intricate base of the bottle was designed by an art student in the shape of a flowering red rose.
Coming from our partners in Italy’s Veneto, this delicate rosé gets its name and distinctive pale salmon hue from the brief 11 Minutes that the grape skins remain in contact with the juice. Silky and floral this is ideal for dining al fresco.
B Y L O R C A N O ' B R I E N , W I N E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S & C O N T E N T M A N AG E R
With the arrival of summer and the long stretch in the evenings our palates tend to turn to lighter and brighter styles of wine. The big bruiser Left Bank Bordeaux can go into hibernation for a few months to be substituted for fresher choices. There are plenty of white wine styles to choose from in your local O’Briens, but this summer why not explore some of the more unusual, off-the-beaten-track grape varieties listed below. When the sun makes a rare but welcome appearance, I recommend opting for something fresh, unoaked and lighter in alcohol: the great outdoors is certainly not a place for your chunkiest red wines. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or something from Lynne’s rosé selection would be ideal, but don’t overlook other fragrant, fresh styles of whites such as Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño and Muscadet. These wine styles have evolved over centuries of winemaking craft to be the perfect warm-weather partner for lighter food dishes.
LATITUDE: Most of the great wine regions of the world fall between 30-50 degrees north and south of the equator. Within this band, the further the region is from the equator, the cooler the climate tends to be, and we tend to find more white wine production.
Although all grapes need sun and heat to ripen, most of the top dry, refreshing white wines of the world tend to come from the cooler vine-growing regions, with a climate moderated by some combination of the following:
PROXIMITY TO WATER: The movement of water & winds associated with lakes, rivers and oceans have a cooling effect on surrounding areas, moderating the heat of nearby vineyards.
ALTITUDE: In warmer regions of the world, white wine vineyards will often be cultivated on hillsides to take advantage of the cooler temperatures of these elevated areas, as average temperature falls by about 0.6°C for every 100 metres of altitude.
Tolo de Xisto Vineyards DO Ribeira Sacra @LorcanO_Brien
O'Briens staff explore the Tolo de Xisto Vineyards in DO Ribeira Sacra @LorcanO_Brien
Try something different... Planting vineyards in a cooler location helps to retain the natural acidity in the grapes as they ripen. It is this acidity that gives both white and red wine its freshness: we experience this acidity through increased salivation on the sides of the tongue. Even white wines that have seen some oaking will have this acidic freshness to balance the extra richness imparted by the wood - as with the beautifully balanced Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc below.
STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND EXPLORE THE EXCITING WORLD OF WHITE GRAPE VARIETIES. During the winemaking process the style of wine is heavily influenced by decisions made by the winemaker. As above, the use of wood will add body texture and richness to a wine, but seemingly simple decisions, such as fermentation temperature, will have a significant influence on the final wine style. At cooler fermentation temperatures a good winemaker can retain a greater degree of aromas and freshness in the resulting wine. To help you step out of your wine comfort zone and explore the exciting world of white grape varieties, the O’Briens Wine Team have selected a range of Summer Discovery whites that will be on promotion through the summer. This range is made up of exciting and delicious grape varieties that offer excellent value for money.
1
ZULL LUST & LAUNE GRÜNER VELTLINER 2017
4
DE ALBERTO ORGANIC VERDEJO 2018
€12.95 down from €15.95
€12.95 down from €14.95
FROM 10TH JUNE
FROM 10TH JUNE
ABV: 12%
ABV: 13.5%
This dry light wine comes from the small family-owned Zull winery in Austria's cool climate Weinviertel region. With its superb aroma of fresh apples and citrus, crisp acidity & delightful fruitiness this would make the ideal apéritif wine or enjoy with a light summer salad.
The Verdejo grapes for this wine come from a certified organic single vineyard located on a hillside in northern Spain. Brilliant straw in colour with vibrant varietal aromas of aniseed, herb and stone fruit. The palate has good structure, crisp acidity and an intense, lingering finish.
2
GAIA ASSYRTIKO WILD FERMENT 2018
€22.95 down from €24.95
5
GAIA MONOGRAPH ASSYRTIKO 2017
€13.95 down from €15.95
FROM 22ND JULY - 1ST SEPT
FROM 10TH JUNE
ABV: 13%
ABV: 12.5%
Gaia is regarded as one of the most exciting producers in Greece and this wine comes from their premium vineyards on the windswept island of Santorini. Using wild yeasts and diligent use of oak barrels the textured palate and mineral depth would ideally pair with lighter meat dishes.
This wine comes from one of the most exciting wine teams in Greece. The Assyrtiko grapes are grown on steep hillsides to give a beautiful fresh acidity married to an intense citrus and tropical fruit character.
3
KEN FORRESTER CHENIN BLANC OLD VINE RESERVE 2018
€15.95 down from €17.95 FROM 10TH JUNE
ABV: 13.5% Ken Forrester is one of the top winemakers in South Africa, as can be seen in this new wine to the O’Briens range. Made with old Chenin Blanc vines it is partially barrel-fermented to give a full-bodied and complex palate, ideally paired with heavier chicken and seafood dishes.
6
FONTE DO OURO BRANCO 2018
€13.95 down from €16.95 FROM 10TH JUNE
ABV: 13% This Portuguese wine is new to our range. The local grape varieties come from a vineyard in the Dão region, cooled by the Atlantic Ocean. Cool fermentation retains the aromatic and fresh zesty fruit flavour character. This would match wonderfully with sardines or mackerel from the BBQ.
At the tail end of last summer, I treated myself to a shiny new BBQ with the ambitious intention of braving the Irish weather and cooking outside through the autumn and winter months. But Bear Grylls I am not, and my enthusiasm for standing in the rain poking some charred meat with a pair of tongs waned along with the evening sun and the barbie remained firmly shrouded under its tarpaulin cover. However, with the return of the longer evenings I recently evicted the colony of spiders who had taken up residence in the 3-burner and renewed my enthusiasm for making the neighbours jealous with the dizzying aromas of BBQ cooking. And the grill is much more versatile than simply cooking steaks and sausages- pretty much anything that can be done in the oven can be cooked on a decent BBQ. Although not an accomplished cook by any stretch, this year I have successfully turned my hand to using the BBQ to slow cook knuckles of lamb and even bake a cake.
BY LORCAN O'BRIEN, W I N E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S & C O N T E N T M A N AG E R
The wine pairing options for BBQ food can be equally varied and exciting. There are no firm and fast rules that I like to follow for wine pairings - it’s all about personal taste. So, don’t be afraid to eschew the usual trends of red wines with red meats and try something a bit different. The richness of an oaked white would pair very nicely with red meats, particularly if you like to use a
WILDFLOWER PINOT NOIR 2018
CHANSON FLEURIE 2015
PORTA NOVA RIPASSO 2017
€9 or 3 for €25 (down from €13.95 from June 10th-July 21st)
€14.95 (down from €18.95 from June 10th-July 21st)
€14.95 (down from €20.45 from June 10th-July 21st)
This wine ticks all the boxes for a summer garden BBQ with friends. Light in alcohol and body but high in juicy fruit flavours: delicious served slightly chilled. Popular with our customers and staff alike, this offers excellent value at 3 bottles for €25.
Chanson is owned by the Bollinger Champagne family, so quality is assured here in this delicate and floral Fleurie. Made with the Gamay grape, it is naturally lighter in tannins and alcohol. Fresh, juicy and an ideal choice for pretty much all BBQ food.
Northern Italian wines offer a great summer red choice. Their natural high acidity and crunchy red berry flavours pair wonderfully well with a wide variety of foods. This is a vegan friendly wine so why not pair it with grilled root vegetables from the BBQ.
Jean Luc Columbo, Rhône Valley, France , July 2017 Paul Turner - O’Briens Wines
wood chip smoker during the cooking. The smoked meat will accentuate and complement the toasted oak flavours in the wine. Equally, the slight sweetness of an off-dry Mosel Riesling would be delicious with chicken wings or ribs cooked with a bit of chilli spice. For the seafood lovers amongst us, opt for an oily fish to BBQ, as delicate white fish run the risk of drying out. Mackerel and sardines are delicious rubbed with a little oil, lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt and then cooked on a baking tray for 4-5 minutes each side. A simple personal favourite that
Domaine de Cigalus, Languedoc, France, July 2017 @corajanewynne - O’Briens
pairs wonderfully with a good traditional method sparkling wine, such as the Croser NV below. But the BBQ isn’t exclusively for the meat-eaters and there are plenty of wonderful vegetarian and vegan recipes that can be easily adapted for the barbie. Try charred baby aubergine and leek served on a bed of quinoa and hazelnuts for a delicious, healthy summer salad. For a delicious match opt for a lighter style of red, such as Gamay. This food-friendly and versatile variety is the red grape of
Beaujolais and is naturally lower in alcohol and tannins. Fleurie is the most elegant and floral of the ten Beaujolais Crus & the Chanson below is delicious served slightly cooled on a warm summer day. So, brush down your grill and get creative this summer- both with the food and wine to pair. The expert staff in your local O’Briens Wine will gladly help you choose an exciting bottle to pair with your summer barbecue fare. All wines listed are available to buy online at www.obrienswine.ie or stores nationwide.
BETHANY G6 SHIRAZ 2014
SACRED HILL RESERVE SYRAH 2017
CROSER NV SPARKLING
€14.95 (down from €19.45 from June 10th-July 21st)
€15.95 (down from €19.95 from June 10th-July 21st)
€22.95 (down from €24.95 from June 10th-July 21st)
The Aussies know something about BBQs and this delicious old vine Shiraz is the ideal pairing for red meat straight off the grill. Brimming with ripe black fruits and well-judged oak It is richly layered with silky smooth tannins.
This wine comes from the Hawke’s Bay area of New Zealand’s North Island and is lighter than the Aussie Shiraz above. With an appealing fruit and spice flavour profile and moderate alcohol, this lends itself well to al fresco summer sipping. Pair with spare ribs straight off the BBQ.
Coming from the cooler Adelaide Hills area of South Australia this sparkling wine is made in the same method as Champagne and with the same grape varieties. Crisp and citrus fresh with undertones of honey and brioche. Delicious with seafood.
ROOT & BRANCH
Our teams are full of enthusiastic wine lovers lead by great managers. In this section you will get to know them abit better.
LIMERICK LIMERICK
48 winemakers & 200 wines to try on the night. Later this year we will be announcing the date for our market style fair in the Parkway Shopping centre, where last year we had 16 suppliers and artisan producers showcase everything from craft beers, craft ciders, whiskies, gins, vodkas, cocktail classes, wines, brands and lots more.
Born in Limerick I have worked in retail all my life, a visit to a vineyard in Bordeaux many years ago led to my love of wine, and my career in O’Briens. Since then I’ve been to Languedoc in South of France & to Galicia in Spain exploring the Albariño grape variety! In my role I get to see first-hand all the new artisan distilleries products and of course get to see and visit some of the more established distilleries and breweries. As O'Briens Wine is a family run company there is always a friendly environment, you feel like one large family. I’ve got to know a lot of the other team members from other stores and of course from HQ. I try to cultivate this friendly environment in my store so that customer feel welcome and part of the family! I love meeting new people and trying to bring
FAVOURITE WINE TRIP
MANAGER: JOE GALVIN
new experiences to customers thorough tastings & events. Myself, Jon and the team here in Limerick were very proud to hold our third O'Briens Wine Festival in aid of the live 95fm charities in May in the Strand Hotel, we had over 400 people in attendance with
I LOVE MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND TRYING TO BRING NEW EXPERIENCES TO CUSTOMERS THROUGH TASTINGS AND EVENTS.
BEACON BEACON
If you’re popping into O’Briens in Beacon South Quarter you’ll see a new face, we are delighted to welcome Darren Hogan as our new store manager. Darren has over 15 years’ experience in the wine industry and was the Assistant Manager in our Carrickmines branch for the past three years. “This is a great opportunity for me. O’Briens Beacon South Quarter is Ireland's largest drinks store, stocking over 670 wines, 280 beers and 300 spirits – the biggest range in the O’Briens group. I have a terrific support team working with me, including Assistant Managers Warren and Ramon, who between them have over 20 years’ experience working in the wine industry.”
My favourite trip to date has to be to the iconic vineyard of Gérard Bertrand in the heart of the Languedoc, this was my first trip away with O'Briens, we were there for harvest and spent several hours picking the bunches by hand, removing stalks bringing them to the press and fermentation tanks. To be part of the harvest was a great experience and to see the inner workings of the vineyard was a memory I won’t forget.
BEST WINE TRIP / TASTING EXPERIENCE: I just got back from a team trip to Champagne. We visited the city of Reims walked around some of their 250km of underground tunnels which was fascinating. We visited four Champagne houses - Granzamy, Bollinger, Charles Heidsieck and Beaumont des Crayères. MANAGER: DARREN HOGAN SOME OF THESE COLLEAGUES I MIGHT NOT GET TO SEE DAY TO DAY BUT WE ALL SHARE THE SAME PASSION FOR LEARNING – NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU ARE WORKING IN THE WINE TRADE THERE IS ALWAYS MORE TO LEARN, ITS ONE OF THE THING I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE WINE BUSINESS.
FAVOURITE ASPECT OF THE JOB I love to meet the people behind the wines we sell, I recently worked at the O’Briens Spring Wine Festival, an amazing opportunity to meet many of our winemakers and to meet new customers. It is the connections we have with our winemakers and their products & learning and understanding more about the process of winemaking that makes this job so interesting and I love to share this with our customers.
They were all amazing and very different in certain respects, we were shown incredible hospitality and insight into the Champagne process everywhere we went. At Granzamy we experienced a family run business, visiting the owners home and enjoyed a beautiful homemade lunch, paired with stunning champagnes of course. We even got to taste – Ratafia de Champagne a liquor only found in this region, the experience of the tastings, meeting the people behind the wines and traveling with fellow colleagues was incredible.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY... O'Briens Australian Wine Tasting
O' Briens Winter Wine Festival - Cork
The O'Briens Wine School, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 Wed, 17th July 2019 For tickets visit our website www.obrienswine.ie
The Clayton Hotel, Lapps Quay Thurs, 7th November 2019
Mastercard Taste Dining Experiences Wild Foods Masterclass & Big Table Experience BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, Co. Wicklow Fri, 26th of July 2019 - 3pm For tickets visit www.priceless.com
O' Briens Winter Wine Festival - Dublin The Printworks, Dublin Castle Fri, 8th & Sat 9th of November 2019
O'BRIENS WINE GLASNEVIN
WE ARE MOVING! NEW STORE OPENING OPENING MID-JULY New Address: 6 Finglas Rd. (FORMERLY SWEENEYS WINE MERCHANTS)
Thanks to all the Irish writers who took the time to review and write about our wines. Below are some of our recent press reviews. IRISH DAILY MAIL 30.03.2019
KANONKOP PINOTAGE
WWW.FRANKSTERO.COM 02.04.2019
CHÂTEAU CLOS DU ROY 2014 The nose is tremendous, with dark fruit, chocolate & spices. The fruit is very ripe on the palate – this is a powerful wine. Fine grained tannins give a satisfying dry edge to the finish. Although still quite young this is drinking magnificently now.
"A sensational South African red from one of that country's outstanding producers. Rich, deep oaky and very long, this is a wine that cries out for good Irish beef." TOM DOORLEY
€29.95
THEGLOSS.IE - 26.04.2019
ASTROLABE PINOT NOIR 2015 "From a family winery... Astrolabe Pinot Noir is a pure delight. Aromas of cherries & blackberries with the merest hint of spice pave the way for a smooth, lively palate with no hard edges." MARY DOWEY
FRANKIE COOK
€25.45
€29.95 THE IRISH SUN - 16.03.2019
THE IRISH TIMES 19.01.2016
TEAC MOR PINOT NOIR
MAS BLANCHE I JOVÉ PETIT SAÓ
"The Moore family, originally from Leitra, Co Galway, have built a reputation for the wines crafted at their cool climate Russian River Valley estate in California. This savoury, well-balanced Pinot Noir has lots of crushed red fruit flavours, refreshing acidity and fine tannins. Enjoy with Braised lamb shanks".
Inviting and fragrant with blackcurrant fruits, a seam of refreshing acidity and a good dry tannic finish. Swarthy, fullbodied and warming. Great with lasagne. JOHN WILSON
€15.95
MATTHEW NUGENT
€34.95 DOWN FROM €39.95 JULY 22ND - 1ST SEPTEMBER SUNDAY WORLD - 27.01.2019
THE IRISH INDEPENDENT 13.04.2019
URLAR SAUVIGNON BLANC
GAIA ASSYRTIKO WILD FERMENT
"This organic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has a mineral texture, with tomato leaf notes and lime fruit. Ideal with seafood!"
"An indigenous grape from Greece, this Assyrtiko has an exuberant bouquet of lime, tropical fruit, honeysuckle and a touch of clove, balanced with crisp freshness."
JEAN SMULLEN
€17.95
CORINNA HARDGRAVE
€22.95 DOWN FROM €24.95 JULY 22ND - 1ST SEPTEMBER
Our most recently reviewed wines
THE DAILY STAR - 26.01.2019
VOUVRAY LES DIMES
THE SUNDAY TIMES 30.12.2018
"Vouvray Les Dimes is deliciously off-dry: perfect for lightly spicy dishes, with flavours of ripe pear, apple, candied lemon and an assertive crispness."
TORO ALBALÁ AMONTILLADO VIEJISIMO SOLERA 1922 "Interest in high-quality sherry has increased. Let's hope it extends to this complex nutty, tangy beauty. 95/100"
MAUREEN O'HARA
€15.95
MARTIN MORAN MW
€43.95
WILSON ON WINE 2019
SUNDAY BUSINESS POST 24.02.2019
CROSER SPARKLING ROSÉ NV
ROBERT WEIL RHEINGAU RIESLING KABINETT "The Robert Weil Estate is located on tenderloin vineyards of Germany's most prestigious wine-growing region. The wine is heroic, wiry and bursting with glimpses of tangerine, petals and mysterious juicy red apple skin touches." TOMÁS CLANCY
€28.95
THE IRISH EXAMINER 02.03.2019
CHÂTEAU MONT-REDON CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
"A very smart crisp, dry rosé with elegant refined ripe strawberry and red cherry fruits, and subtle notes of brioche. This has real concentration and depth." JOHN WILSON
€27.95
"This is one of my favourites at the affordable end of the spectrum. Aromas of rich red berry fruits mixed with herbs, spices and plums, full-flavoured and rich with warm dark fruits & lovely density and a supple richness." LESLIE WILLIAMS
€37.95
Athlone - Ashbourne - Ballybrack - Beacon South Quarter, Sandyford - Quinsboro Road, Bray - Vevay Road, Bray - Blanchardstown Carrickmines - Citywest - Clontarf - Carlow - Dalkey - Donnybrook - Douglas Court S.C., Cork - Drogheda Dun Laoghaire - Galway - Glasnevin - Greystones - Limerick - Lucan - Malahide - Naas - Navan - Navan Road Newbridge - Newtownpark Ave. - Nutgrove - Rathgar - Rathmines - Sandymount - Stillorgan - Templeogue - Waterford All prices correct at time of going to print and are subject to change. Please enjoy alcohol sensibly.