Something old, something new...

With the Celtic tiger having legged it off to wherever he wandered out from, everyone is keeping a tighter hold on their money and what they are getting for it. Gone are the days of the words"Feck it! It's our big day and it will only happen once!" and  couples seem to more involved than ever in the finer details of their weddings leaving an awful lot of unemployed Francks!

Me and the girls at Jennie & Kevin's

This has been my year for weddings - like the year of the 18ths,21st and 30ths so I have been in the company of many brides-to-be and have heard them swopping money-saving ideas such as DIY invitations and amature flower arrangements. The best of all I heard this week was a bride who really wanted The Dublin Gospel Choir during the ceremony but instead asked her pals to pull out some of the oldies from school and even though they were a bit rusty, these are the things that I think make a wedding really special. Now granted a lot of my friends do enjoy their wine along with the fact that if I am invited to your wedding I have a strict "you better have bought that from me, my family or close friend" policy but putting that all that to the side they have managed to select a wine they love, save money and also return any bottles that they have not used - it's a no brainer.

In the last year hotel's have become more open to the idea of bringing in your own wines and corkage although still high is more manageable as a result myself and the other three W.O.W.s have become experts in what wine goes with beef and salmon!! Two great little wines that are flying out the door for weddings are from Boschendal which is one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa and from Italy . They are both packaged beautifully(which is very important when sitting on a dressed table) but they also offer great value for money.

THE NEW(world) !

The red which is called The Pavillion is a Shiraz Viognier blend from the Boschendal range. Dark fruits on the nose especially plums and blackberries. The palate is very fruit forward but has a lingering spicy finish. Nicely balanced tannins means it works well with meat but the fruitiness of the wine allows it to be a real crowd-pleaser which is exactly what you want.

€7.99 per bottle

The white is a chenin blanc and viognier blend also from the same range. A golden colour with tropical fruits on the nose; melons and pears. This again is a real fruit explosion on the palate which makes for easy-drinking yet well-balanced acidity pairs it well to chicken dishes.

€7.99 per bottle

THE OLD(world)!

This Veneto red is full-bodied with luscious dark cherries and a smokiness on the nose. There is a lovely velvety mouth-feel to this with smooth tannins and a dry complex finish. It is a blend of Corvina(traditional Valpolicella grape) and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a more serious red than the Pavillion but still well priced.

€10 per bottle

The white in this is a pinot grigio and pinot nero blend. Pinot grigio is I think always a safe option for a wedding as it is a very inoffensive grape which sometimes works against it. With this blend thouigh there is more body than you would expect and a lovely creaminess to it. On the nose we have pears and white flowers and in the mouth a gorgeous freshness.

€10 per bottle

 The average corkage seems to be anything between €7 - €10 and with some persuasion it should be possible to bargain them down to the lower bracket. House wines in hotels generally tend to be about €20 so whether you are trying to save money or just get better value for your buck it is definitely something to consider. On The Pavillion range if you got the hotel down to even €8 corkage you could make a saving of nearly €5 per bottle when case dicounts are taken into consideration and when you put that across 100 bottles of wine you might even save your bridesmaids from the  papercuts and tears of DIYing invitations, sorry Celene!! Or if you are after quality you could end up paying the same for something you and your guests thoroughly enjoyed over some anaemic New World house wine.
 In Mary H's words "Shop around"...

Till next Time

Clare
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Stop That Bus

LOVE BOX 2010

A hot English summer's day,Love Box,Victoria Park, London,Grace Jones and one essential drink... a glass of Pimm's.What more could we ask for?An English summer drink through and through.This drink is so popular  that it is often thought of as the number two English drink, tea of course being the first.

And I was in London after all so i decided to go native!


Recipe for Traditional Pimm's No 1
Easy - Take a jug or glass and fill it with ice, mix one part Pimm’s No. 1 with 3 parts chilled lemonade, add some mint, cucumber, orange and strawberry.

Bottoms Up

Julie

DEAR DOCTOR...let us solve your wine problems

Dr Hannah Our Resident Wine Therapist 

and Perfect Housewife

Dear  Dr Hannah,
I hope you can help me.

My husband Eamonn and I argue all the time about the best way to clean our wine glasses.He likes to use washing up liquid but I don`t and, every evening after dinner, we have terrible arguments about this and generally end up not talking to each other. We have been married for ten years and I am beginning to think our marriage is in crises.Things have got so bad that I cannot decide whether to give up wine, use disposable glasses or just leave him. Can you advise us as I want to save our marriage?  

                                                                                                                                                                          Yours in desperation,

                                                                                                     Carmel

Dear Carmel,

My, My, you and your  poor husband Eamonn do seem to have a serious problem here. Try as we might to ignore it, the truth is that wine glasses do need just a little bit more care in the washing arena than your average glass. Keep in mind that the liquid in the wine glass is typically a bit pricier than your glass of milk or orange juice, so the extra measures to ensure a clean glass could be viewed as merely protecting a valuable investment.

 Every marriage can have its problems however I must admit that yours is particularly complex and as such has several solutions.  My advice Carmel, to both you and Eamonn, is that you can take one of  the several approaches below which should help restore happiness in your marriage:

The Rinser Method

As easy as it sounds, just rinse, rinse and triple rinse your wine glasses with hot water. Make sure that all of the residual wine is removed and allow glasses to air dry, turned upside down on a clean towel.

The Washer Method

Using a very mild detergent, sparingly add a drop to each glass and sponge the soap around to remove all wine stain. Then rinse the heck out of the glass. Soap residue left on your wine glass will interfere with the flavor and aroma of wine.

The Soda Method

Often reserved for delicate crystal glasses, washing soda (or baking soda if you are hard pressed) will gently clean the glass and absorb residual wine. Washing soda is available in most grocery stores in the detergent section. Remember that crystal is much more porous than typical glass and is more likely to absorb odors from its surroundings, including storage companions - like a cupboard full of coffee or cleaning detergents used in the process.

Dishwasher Method

Wine glasses that have shorter stems and that are not made from crystal are ideal candidates for the good old dishwasher. Just use a bit less detergent than you would for a normal, full load and don't set the wash cycle on "heat dry," so that you avoid baking on detergent that has not washed clean. Once the cycle is complete, immediately remove glasses and hand dry with a cotton (lint-free) dish towel.

Why not try to introduce a bit of excitement into your marriage by taking turns with the various methods above.  The method may vary, but the result should be the same - a clean glass of wine, every time.

 Carmel, I hope this advice helps you and Eamonn resolve your difficulties.

Doctor Hannah

Wine Therapist


Email or comment back with your wine problems and let Dr Hannah will solve them..

Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2006

Pierre, the export manager for Masi took time out last week to take Clare and I through some of the great wines of Masi.

Masi has been one of the historic interpreters of Amarone since 1772 when the Boscaini family (now the 6th generation) bought land in the heart of Valpolicella classico(near Lake Garda) and gained access to the most prestigious vineyards and best location for the appasimento.

Appasimento(drying of the grapes) is the traditional method used in the Veneto region to give the wines great aromas , concentration and flavour. The grapes, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara are laid out to rest for a long time on bamboo racks to dry out before vinification.This can take up to 3/4 months When the semi dried grapes are ready, they produce a wonderful rich unique wine we all know as Amarone.

Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2006
This deep dark ruby red wine wine has aromas of baked fruits, plums, cherries, with a touch of mocha. Soft tannins, good alcohol levels and a long velvety finish. Its a wine to be shared with good friends after dinner with some mature cheese or will stand up to any roasts.
This is one of the classic wines from the Masi range,and once you try it will understand why they are the leading premium Amarone producer accounting for 20% of the total production in the Veneto region. They have also ventured into making wines in Argentina which i will talk you through next week!
We managed to grab a few minutes with Pierre which you can see and he was able to explain the Amarone and Ripasso production method, as Masi was the first to make a Ripasso, no better man to ask! See our VBLOG in Clares post titled Masi Poderi del Bello Ovile 2007

Cheers, Julie
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Cuatro Pasos Bierzo 2008

 The name translates directly to Four Steps and is called after the four bear pawprints that were found in an ancient vineyard in the highest area of Bierzo, Spain where this wine is from.  Cuatro Pasos also relates to the four steps to making a beautiful wine according to producer Martin Codax which are; selection of the land, care for the vine, climate and vinification.

Bierzo Valley

El Bierzo region itself was only recognised as a D.O. in 1989 making it one of the newest in spain. It is situated 3 hours in-land from Rias Baixas in the Northwest just over Portugal. The main grape varity planted here is Mencia of which this wine is 100%. There has been much confusion to the origins of this grape which was once thought to be Cabernet Franc and later linked to the Portugese grape Jaen du Dao although lately Mencia has been recognised as an indigeneous grape of Spain. It is thought that this grape was brought to the area by pilgrims travelling on the nearby Camino de Santiago. El Bierzo sits in a valley and has it's own micro - climate which is a mix between humid Galicia and sunny Castille with the valley protecting it from harsh winter frosts. All grapes for this wine come from an  average of 80year old vines and is aged for 2 months in American and French oak. The result is a fresh cherry red with purplish hues and a nose of peppers, licquorice and red fruits. On the palate the wine is medium to full-bodied with smooth mouth-feel, plenty of red fruit flavours and subtle oak on the finish.

 Had three of my pals over for dinner on Sunday evening and as funds were tight after an eventful weekend, I trotted off to Dunnes with 23 euro coins in my pockets. They had a special going on mince meat and a two for three on the dolmio range so it was decided upon, my old favourite lasagne. Something very comforting about a sloppy plate of lasagne, salad and hot bread. Needless to say the wine was not included in the €23 but one of the girls who was obviously equally as strapped as myself brought Cuatro Pasos along. I say this as I had actally given this bottle to her as a present when she arrived back from completing the Camino de Santiago the month previous. Two of the girls were driving so myself and herself enjoyed a couple of glasses each and she took the empty bottle home with her as we decided it would be rude for her not to - I had bought it AND drank it so fair is fair!!

 I have a serious soft spot for Spanish wines after living in Madrid for a year and can be quite biased towards everything Spanish, this section in the shop is taking over! It is nice to try something other than Tempranillo from Spain and this is delicious and worth a try for €13.99.

Till Next time


Clare
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Bastille Day Celebrations with Barton and Guestier

Kinara v Vintry

Peter, Evelyn and chief strategist Stephen

This year the Bastille day Petanque tournament was hosted by Barton and Guestier in the lovely gardens of the Raddisson St. Helans.We were the defending champions and missing the main man Gerry (I would say that!) due to Cork week so I was promoted  to the first team and was feeling the pressure. This was not helped by the fact that Stephen had had a party the night before and we were feeling a little bit "tired and emotional".

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud suggests pleasure to many but to Team Vintry it conjours up deadly fear as their teams are the standard bearers of this competition .We managed to beat them(just) in last years final so we were suitabley unimpressed when we drew the formidable opponents of Stephane Robin ,his son and a very brave employee in our group this year.In fact most of  the people in our group were excellent and it was a pleasure, after years of persisting at this tournament,to finally realise that we are not bad either. Speaking of bad ...Hollands of  Bray spring to mind.They reminded me of the lads on our team when we  first started out with this tournament..creating mayhem and comedy with every throw of the boule with the hope that the chaos would destabilise the opponents, and speaking from experience this worked for us for many years.So keep it up lads!

Peter tries in vain to save us from defeat to Dax

Anyway we won our group, so we still cannot dine in Guilbauds  for fear of death, and next thing we get Dax in the semi finals.Disaster(!).. because Dax is my favourite restaurant (sorry Stephane). So I quickly realize that  if we beat them I cannot go there again, except in disguise, and if we lose I will get indigestion every time I go there.
Need I say more ...I need to find a new  favourite or to invest in a large box of antacid tablets.

Speaking of antacid we had a lovely sparkling Chardonnay from the Loire, produced by Barton and Guestier which we tippled on throughout the day, for which no such tablet was required  despite the party the night before!
It was a real quaffer and I was seriously  impressed with it  as were my team mates .

Congrats to Barton and Guestier and all the team in Gilbeys as the total event raised €1000 euro for the Irish Wheelchair association.

Jusqu'à l'année prochaine!

Evelyn

The Vintry

La Chablisienne

Clare and I attended a tutored tasting presented by Herve Tucki of  La Chablisienne in the Conrad last Thursday.We tasted three basic Chablis, three single site 1er Cru and a mere five single site Grand Crus from various vintages from 2009 back to1994!

When I arrived, I told Christine Smyth of Mackenway, in a fit of the early morning blues(I am not a morning person) ,that the last thing I needed for The Vintry was more Chablis.

I was wrong as we tasted some really superb ones here!

What did I learn?

Firstly, that all Chablis needs some age to become really interesting .

Secondly, that Chardonnay grown on Kimmeridgian soil brings out the authentic minerality of true Chablis.It is a chalky limestone and clay consisting of an infinite number of oyster shell fossils left over from an ancient sea bed.

Thirdly, that very very few white wines offer up such beautiful concentration of fruit purity on the palate.

And finally ,the combination of the three elements above creates a wine of true tension yet balance and reminded me that  Chablis as a fine wine is truly mouthwatering stuff and highly highly underrated!

Meet Herve below..A little bit difficult to understand, at times ,but worth the effort as he is a true ambassador of these wines.

Evelyn

The Vintry ,Rathgar 

A couple of glasses a day keeps the doctor away...

  At long last there is something I actually like that will supposedly make me live longer! Studies in a London medical school shows that wines from around a Southeasterly village in France called Madiran have significant health benefits. This appellation uses a grape called Tannat which is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to produce full-bodied, fruity and tannic wines. The study showed that life expectancy was higher in this area due to high levels of Procyanidins - Wha??

  Procyanidins are antioxidants which can also be found in dark chocolate, blueberries, green tea etc and lets be honest red wine wins every time! They are present in all red wines (lower levels are also found in whites)but are particularily high in wines from this area. This is not only down to the Tannat grape but also the wine making techniques in Madiran. Winemakers from this region leave the Tannat grapes in contact with the seeds which increases the amount of these antioxidants in the resulting wine. As well as their antioxidant benefits, they also help to repair arteries in the heart apparently and if that's their story I am happy to stick with it! In fact there has also been a book written about it called The Wine Diet which talks extensively about the health benefits to these wines (as with everything in moderation). From the Madiran wines I have tasted, these are not gluggable wines so even if you wanted to use this as your excuse, moderation is necessary but they match beautifully with richly flavoured foods.

 The Madiran we stock is a blend of 70% tannat, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc and called Galets Rouges 2008. It is a deep crimson colour with spice and cherries on the nose. Mouth puckering  tannins but plenty of dark fruit flavours and vanilla balance it all out resulting in a gorgeous long finish. It definitely needs food and if like me you enjoy strongly flavoured meats with dark rich sauces this is the wine for it. Tried wood pigeon for the first time the other night and loved it so think this might be a match.
 Don't know if I believe all the hype or that I can justify my 20-a-day habit now that I have found these wines but apart from their apparent health benefits it makes for great drinking and for €13.99 well-priced.

Till Next time
Clare
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Cousino Macul Sauvignon Blanc and Un-Wooded Chardonnay

A Chilean white that I like? My preference is generally a red regardless of food pairings, I will always seek out an appropriate red wine to accompany a white wine dish, unless of course an Alsace great or a fat Burgundy, I will definitely do. I am always the girl in the corner with the garnet gums. My mother tells me it's due to porous teeth. Either way I have grown to accept the side effects of being a red wine lover and a travel toothbrush in a zip lock bag is very fashionable, in my opinion.
Clare introduced me to Cousino Macul, Antiguas Reservas, Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an elegant 14% Valle Del Maipo Cabernet. Aged in French oak for 12 months and bottle rested for a further 6 months prior to release. When you're looking for a red that packs a punch on a piece of ripe, slightly high Saint Agur this is your team mate. At €14.99 it slots in somewhere on my top 30 reds of 2010.
Yesterday I sampled their whites. I am not a massive New World Sauvignon fan. I think that's due to a combination of reasons. Tom's brainwash and too many girl's nights with inexpensively produced and acidified ''Sauvignon'' generally from the Marlborough region. This was a surprise though.... Cousino Macul Sauvignon Blanc 2009 had a really interesting multi faceted nose displaying typical New World Sauvignon characteristics, fresh, clean cool climate fruit teamed with cucumber, fresh cut grass, pineapple, sherbet and mango- makes your mouth water!. The palate was equally as grown up, granny smith apple and fresh green asparagus, quite savoury flavours and finishing relatively dry. Try it with some SuperQuinn frozen tiger prawns in butter, lemon juice and cracked pepper on the barbecue. They're half price at the moment and worth getting up in the middle of the night for. Cousino Macul, Sauvignon Blanc 2009 €11.90.
I was really impressed with their un- wooded Chardonnay. As an Old World Chardonnay fan I am always interested in the New World attempt at recreating the fat creamy palate and elegance of a Burgundy or a rested Gruner, as I recently discovered. Cousino Macul have done a really good job. The nose is tropical with honeyed fruit and orange peel. The palate is clean, soft, creamy with some waxy fruit  flavours and good acidity. I would want to drink this with Trish Deveney's chicken and parmesan signatory dish or a nice piece of Brie de Meaux. Cousino Macul Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2009 €11.90.
All available to purchase in Deveney's of Dundrum.
I'm a massive fan!
Ruth.

Jus de Vines First Wedding Reception

Congratulation Sinead and Graham

who married on Saturday July 3rd 2010.

Wishing you both lots of happiness in your life together.

The Happy couple popped into Jus De Vine just minutes after they made their vows as they wanted to celebrate in style, and what better way than with a lovely chilled bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvee.

They put a smile on all our customers faces, and yes it was our first wedding reception in our shop!

As they were then whisked off up to the County Club with the cans tied onto the back of their convertible mini cooper they certainly brought things in Portmarnock to a stand still and they really were the talk of the town!

Thanks for making my day!

To your health and happiness

Cheers

Julie

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MONEY CAN`T BUY YOU LOVE!

For many wine drinkers there is an assumption that the more you spend on a bottle of red the nicer it will be.This is often not the case as many wines, especially the more expensive ones ,will not be ready for drinking until several years after their release.

The reason for this is that, in many cases, the grapes for these wines come from top class vineyard sites which manage to ripen the grapes slowly and with great concentration and power. Wines made from such high quality grapes take time for their component parts to knit together to provide a balanced harmonious glass of wine. In addition to this, time spent in bottle allows wine to develop secondary characteristics, which lend complexity and individuality to the wine. This is known as bottle age and is considered as a desirable attribute by seasoned wine drinkers.

For most consumers choosing wine is a bit like choosing cheese. Some people like Cheddar others a very mature Cashel Blue. It is a matter of personal taste and identifying the style that you like. Spending big money on an old expensive Bordeaux is a waste of money if you do not like that evolved style.

For the modern wine drinker the challenge is to source wines that are drinking well. Wineries release wine for sale each year thus, freeing up space in the winery for the next vintage not to mention, releasing funds to pay bills. They are not guaranteeing the consumer that they are ready for drinking. Thus the challenge!

As a wine buyer I will generally relate the age of the wine with its price when considering what to stock. For inexpensive whites I am looking for youth and vibrancy because the grapes for such wines will only offer primary fruit character. For more expensive whites I would be looking for some age so that the more nuanced complex qualities of these superior grapes have time to shine through. For all reds I am looking for at least a couple of years age but not too much for basic inexpensive reds.Generally the more expensive the red the more age I would be looking for.

There is no point in spending €30 on a red that is only two years old as it has not had enough time to settle itself and develop.Better to spend €10 if you cannot find something with a bit of age. The chances are that the component parts have knitted together in the €10 wine because it is made from less concentrated grapes and will therefore mature more rapidly.

Hope this info is useful,!

Evelyn
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Trimbach Muscat 2007 Alsace,France

Jean Trimbach was in town this week so I collared him for a chat about his harmonious Muscat and his not so harmonious singing for which he is also quite famous!

He "very" frequently sings.. to the tune of My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean:

My bottle lies over the ocean,
My bottle lies over the sea,
My bottle lies over the ocean
Oh Trimbach my bottle to me.

Trim-bach,Oh Trimbach,
Trimbach my bottle to meeee.
Trim-bach,Oh Trimbach,
Oh Trimbach my bottle to me.

His Muscat however is finely tuned and is relatively dry by normal muscat standards. The highly-scented nose of this wine leads into a flavour so fruity that you almost think you are eating ripe grapes.Believe it or not Muscat is one of the few grapes whose taste remains unaltered when vinified into wine.

The food of Alsace certainly has both German and Swiss influences mixed in with the obvious French ones and while visiting there I found it hard to escape a meal that did not feature ham,gammon or pork ribs.However they do a thing called a tarte flambee which is the thinnest pizza that you can image baked in a wood fired oven topped with creme fraiche,white cheese ,white onions and surprise surprise small pieces of rasher(!)Served piping hot directly from the oven... it is sublime, in fact I could live on it.

Prost!

Evelyn

THE VINTRY ,RATHGAR.

Masi Poderi del Bello Ovile 2007

Serego alighieri is a collaboration between Masi and the Alighieri family who have worked together for the last 30 years. Masi brought with them not only their expertise in wine making but also in international distribution. The Alighieri family are direct descendants of the Divine Comedy's,Dante whose son bought the estate in 1353. They recently acquired vineyards south of Montalcino which mark the Alighieri's return to Tuscany after the exile of the poet. Together with Masi they have selected the best blend for this first release, Poderi del Ovile so named after the actual vineyards and in honour of an episode in the divine Comedy where Dante dreams of returning to the land where he was born.

The wine is 80% sangiovese and the balance made up of a blend of Canaiolo, Colorino and Shiraz. The aim was to add a super tuscan to their already prestigious veneto range. It is aged for 12 months in relatively small barrells in Italian terms, 600litres!


It is a beautiful ruby red colour with a nose of dark cherries and spice. Full-bodied , complex and elegant with some licquorice and dark fruits evident. Pretty pricey at €22.99 but a more affordable Super Tuscan than most and absolutely delicious. It was one of the many stunning wines we tried at a Masi trade tasting lunch in Pichet Restaurant last Wednesday. Myself and Jules had the privilege of sampling some of their rare and fine vintages including Amarone "Costasera" '97 and '88 as well as their single vineyard Mazzano Amarone '03(we sell the '01 for €75). We managed to grab a few minutes with Pierre which you can see below and he was able to explain the Amarone and Ripasso production method, as Masi was the first to make a Ripasso, no better man to ask!

Till Next Time



Clare
CELLARS,NAAS ROAD

Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2007

Guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-nur... and I had to look up that phoenetic pronunciation but thankfully this wine is way easier to drink than it is to pronounce. Myself and Ruth are very familiar with this wine as it is by far T's favourite grape and her producer of choice so whenever we need to get into her good books, a chilled bottle of this usually works!


=



The name itself comes from the german word "Gewurz" meaning spicy which is a characteristic of this wine and traminer meaning "from Tramin" which is a village in Italy where this clone originates from. This is Alsace's second most widely planted variety with Riesling obviously coming in first. Trimbach has a drier style than most as Gewurztraminer due to it's high natural sugar can result in a mostly off-dry white. Trimbach however pride themselves on their more subtle style.
Pale gold in colour. On the nose, there are the characteistics expected; floral notes especially roses, turkish delight and some spice. A full- bodied oily white. On the palate it is much drier than what I was expecting from the nose. An ideal match with Asian foods so try it with some spice instead of your usual cold beer. Tried, tested and passed with flying colours when we had it with Evelyn's slow-cooked baby back ribs a few week ago. Jean Trimbach recommends it with more traditional Alsatian dishes such as baked hams and strong cheeses. Retailing at €17.99 and if you can wangle the recipe from Evelyn for those ribs - a definite bargain!

Till Next time

Clare
CELLARS,NAAS ROAD

Italo Pietrantoni video blog.

Our very first attempt at video blogging. Myself and Evelyn with a bottle of Italo Pietrantoni Montepulciano D'abruzzo. Spitting was obligatory as work prevailed!!

Nice way to start a Wednesday though,

Hope you enjoy,

Ruth and Evelyn.

The collaboration of an Italian feast - Rathgar style!

Domaine de la Charbonnière-Girl Power!

omaine de la Charbonnière was purchased by Eugène Maret in 1912 as a gift for his wife. She was a native of Châteauneuf du Pape and a winemaker’s daughter from the appellation.

Nice hubby eh!

Fernand Maret, their son, inherited a part of the estate and enlarged it upon the birth of his son, Michel. This son Michel ultimately took over the family estate. As a passionate winemaker, he brings to Domaine de la Charbonniere, its rebirth.

Since 2004, the domaine has taken the name of Michel Maret et Filles(& Daughters) to make the revival of Domaine de la Charbonniere by Caroline and Véronique (his 2 daughters) easier.These two hardworking young ladies dropped by The Vintry with a Scottish man with no camera savvy! and gave me a very interesting tasting of their wines which you can take a look at in this video.





AOC Red Vacqueyras 2008
AOC Red Châteauneuf du Pape 2007
Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix2007
Cuvée Hautes Brusquière 2007

À votre santé,
Evelyn
THE VINTRY RATHGAR

Paco & Lola Albarino-Girl Power!

This winery was born from the vision of a young female team to create one of Spain’s most modern and dynamic wineries. As one of the leading wineries of the region they represent hundreds of experienced wine growers who contribute their knowledge, craft and family winemaking traditions.

This wine is grown and created in the Rias Baixas wine region in the northwest of Spain and is one of Spain’s leading ‘Denominations of Origin’ and a region that has experienced a period of revolutionary change and growth in recent years, evolving our ancient traditions into an exciting presen

Paco & Lola comes from 500 sun-kissed acres of vineyards in Meaño, an area considered to be the cradle of Albariño grape growing. In the heart of the Salnés Valley, this special area of northwest Spain is making some of the country’s most interesting white wines.




Let yourself be seduced by the aromas of spring and the fresh structured and enveloping flavours. It has beautiful weight and viscosity and is a pleasure to drink

The video below is of Rosalia de Castro from Bodega Vitivinícola Arousana with myself and half! of AllyMc Alpine during a recent visit to The Vintry.

Hasta Luego!
Evelyn