TEN YEAR OLD TAWNY WILL THAW YOU OUT!

Talk about appalling weather! It`s at times like this that the Irish population falls into two distinct camps.Those who have to get to work no matter what and those who don't.Before we workers succumb to jealousy, think of those people stuck at home in this weather in many cases with young kids, bored out of their minds and screaming the house down.
Both scenarios are enough to drive one to drink and for the workers who traipse home on slippy footpaths wearing all kinds of sturdy foot ware that doesn't really work may I suggest a little nip of Warres 10 year old tawny port on arriving home prior to peeling off the layers of clothing.This should be closely followed by a little glass of same when you have stacked the damp clothing in the hot press.Its colour alone is that of smouldering fire and its beautifully smooth comforting  flavours of raisins,sultanas,orange peel and good black chocolate are the essence of  winter flavours.
Central heating in a bottle!

Get the Slippers out,

Evelyn

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Woop Woop Shiraz 2008

We've taken to keeping the door open in the shop, even in the extremities of minus, minus degree Celsius.
Thursday felt like a 12 hour shift in the cold-room of a 1980's ''Super Crazy Prices''. I ventured home to my mums house for dinner.
I brought a bottle of Woop Woop Shiraz 2008. This is made my my new favourite Australian wine producer - Ben Riggs. This man is the wine genius behind The Black Chook, the Award winning ShooFly and the blockbuster Gold Star Red- Mr.Riggs and this is his entrant level wine.
The Woop Woop punches way above it's weight for the €10 price point.
It pours a rich deep red almost black colour.
The nose is a mix of ripe berry and plum fruit, black pepper and liquorice.
The palate has this lovely ripe fruit but not overly sweet, quite elegant for an Aussie Shiraz at this price point. Spice and liquorice are both evident on the finish. It has this rich long finish. I did question whether it was a smaller bottle size, it didn't seem to last as long as a standard 750ml.
In fact, it took approximately 25 minutes to drain it.
I have to say one of the best quality Australian reds at this price point that I have tasted of late.
Well worth traipsing out in the cold weather to purchase.
WoopWoop Shiraz 2008 @ €10... Buy it!!
Ruth.

Franz Haas Pinot Nero 2008

Pinot Nero on the Vine

In the foothill of the Alps you will find Franz Haas making one of the purest and well balanced Pinot Nero from the unique terroir of the Alto Adige.
The Pinot Nero 2008, is considered by  Franz as a white wine equivalent amongst  his reds as it is light and transparent in the glass, shows  strawberries blackberry and raspberries, plum and a touch of spice.It is  fresh and lively on the palate with a wonderful berry finish that lasts and lasts. This wine was served to us with roast duck and worked magnificently. The current vintage is served under stelvin and  is worth seeking out for those who enjoy a light elegant wine with great flavours.

The wine is available at Jus De Vine for 26.99 Euro

1865 Carmenere

Tried this wine a few months ago in our wine club and loved it's spicy flavours and the typical green pepper aromas of this variety. It had beautiful silky tannins and a vanilla smoky finish. It was the wine that stood out for me that night and a couple of days later we listed it on the Naas road. This is from the same producer as Gato Negro which Ev previously blogged about as a great value red but at €14.99 it is more of a treat!

 When one of my oldest pals,Shell, came out to visit me in our new store in Blanchardstown village and asked me to reccommend her a nice bottle of red for a romantic meal in that night I knew it would be right up her street.

 Always nice to get a bit of feed back on any recommendations so I asked her to scribble down a small tasting note on the wine. So after our ritual Monday morning phone call discussing all the important issues of the world including who wore what out on Saturday night, how Wagner as making a mockery of our sacred X factor, blah blah... You get the idea!  She finally got around to the 1865 Carmenere with a glowing report!

Appearance: dark purple

Nose: she thought the nose was quite sweet and woody aromas

Palate: much drier than she thought it would be which surprised her after the nose. She thought there was cherrry flavours to it.

Verdict: Really smooth and definitely a wine she will look out for again.

Satisfied customer!

Till Next Time

Clare

Cellars, the Big Wine Warehouse

Pearl Cartoon Girl Visits The Dail For Budget Discussions

Pearl Cartoon Girl

Meet Pearl our cartoon girl. Yes! a cartoon girl ...who spends her time out and about, posing and air kissing with the best of them. She is not a real person and sometimes the people she hangs out with are not either! Because the WOW girls are far too busy to be out and about all the time, we have appointed Pearl our cartoon girl, to fill us in on what`s happening around town!

M`dears,

Imagine my horror when the WOW girls asked me to hang around the Dail to see if I could nab the minister of Finance in order to slip him their budget submission.What would I even wear to the Dail? Did I own any cloths awful enough? How long would it take me to get my hair looking bad enough to fit in with the people that I have seen wandering through those gates? As it transpired, I just stayed out on the town for the entire weekend and headed straight for the Dail bar on Monday morning .I grabbed a particularly naff cardi and fake pearls in Marks & Sparks on the way,and to my credit I think I fitted in quite nicely!

My Sleeping Chamber

Obviously I had no idea what the minister looks like as I don`t do newspapers...far too depressing...however the dishy little barman Sean said he would point him out to me when he arrived in .Three hours later and a similar number of glasses of wine, still no sign, and fatigue from the long weekend started to kick in. I decided to have a little mooch for somewhere quiet to grab forty winks and found just the place on a balcony with benches that I could stretch out on.

I had no problem drifting off but  was awoken to a persistent  high pitched droning noise which turned out to be several badly dressed people shouting at each other across the room below.

Now here is the interesting part M`dears ,I distinctly heard  them shouting something like the  tax revenue on drink is down and that only wine volumes are up. While this meant absolutely  nothing to me this news sent the WOW girls into wine buying mode, as they reckon the minister will have to get duty from somewhere in the budget .Personally I found the whole discussion very distasteful as I don't  like to have to think about money let alone talk about it ,I just enjoy spending it.

Kiss,Kiss,

Pearl

Durbanville Hills AttractsThe Girls

Anne,Karen aka Kevin,Evelyn,Reggie,Martina aka Martin,Siobhain,Darina &Oonagh.

No one who knows him can accuse Kevin Behan from Edward Dillon & Co.of being sexist,as it was he who suggested to Oonagh Gildea, brand manager ,to get Durbanville Hills wine maker Martin Moore to host a tasting for the ladies in the wine trade.
Now anyone who has ever met Martin Moore is probably reeling with shock at the idea of putting him into such a scenario because he really is a mans man ,in a true South African rugby hooker kind of a way.However thus the smarts of Kevin and Oonagh ,as it really was a great success.

Maybe we got to see his softer side because it quickly became clear that Martin is truly committed to sustainable farming  using the principles of integrated production and has a genuine  interest in working with his growers on projects that promote the preservation of the land such as water recycling. He is also deeply involved in the promotion of  further education by way of scholarship out of the farm schools in his area.

Like all men, he is into machines and gadgets but in his case it extends beyond the car ,tractor and wine making gizmo's into ice cream and bread making equipment.A keen cook since the age of 13, his empathy with food clearly comes through on the styles of wine that he creates A.Sauvignon Blanc for quaffing. Pinotage for lighter and/or spicy food styles such as chicken,duck and pheasant.  Merlot for slow cooked red meats such as beef, lamb,and venison casseroles and Shiraz for the big roasts. He also recommends that his Pinotage be served chilled with berry pear and/or white chocolate desserts. We tried this combination and he was not wrong!

I must say it was a little strange to spend an evening talking wine without having to listen to the golf and soccer gossip that generally punctuates a wine evening but not in a bad way!

Thanks to All

Evelyn


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Super Sommielier Damien!

The WOW girls would like to thank Damien Corr for the very instructive comparative tasting he gave us on Domaine Chandon last night in the Merrion hotel.As you can see from this picture we were spellbound(!) by his level of knowledge.With all the hype about the recession the Merrion was a haven of true comfort and its suave professionalism is tempered by a lovely friendliness, which makes me understand why tourists fall in love with Ireland.
Anyway Domaine Chandon was established by French champagne house Moët & Chandon in 1986 and is dedicated to the production of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine and premium quality, cool-climate still wines in the  hills of Victoria’s beautiful Yarra Valley, near Melbourne .These are premium wines yet really good value for the quality, even in the Merrion, with the sparkler served up to you with as much care and style as a bottle of Cristal for around €40.
Go on treat yourself, you know you deserve it!
Thanks Damien.


Evelyn 
THE VINTRY ,RATHGAR

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My Visit to Franz Haas

                                                                                                                                                            

High in the Dolomites in Montagna, about 3 hours by car from Verona and up to 800 meters above sea level you will find the wonderful Mr Franz Haas. The scenery is stunning  as the winery is surrounded  by lush green mountains which are not far away from the ski resorts. When I first met Mr Haas my first thoughts where that he resembled Groucho Marks in appearance. Charming and all as he was, this winery is serious business, his family have been making wine since 1880. When we visited ,although the vintage was in full swing, they pulled out all the stops for us and gave us a great feel for the vineyards and their philosophy on wine production.

Andrea his right had man is a guy who just loves what he does, from the moment we met him you just understood their passion and drive to make  the very best wines.  Andrea had worked with Cloudy Bay in New Zealand for a vintage and was exposed to the New World production experience.  At Franz Haas he has managed to produce the perfect combination.

Manna Cru 2008

This is a very individual wine made from all the cool climate grapes, a blend of four different grape varieties, Riesling, 20% barrel fermented Chardonny, Gewurtraiminer and Sauvignon. This versatile wine is a result of trying to create a wine tooptimize general food pairing by accentuating the different flavors instead of having to order a different wine for each dish. The wine is also dedicated to his wife Maria, who comes from a restaurant family herself.

The wine is a wonderful fusion of flavors, with great aromas of elder-flower and rose petals along with the weight on the palate of the Chardonnay and purity of the Riesling. It has a great finish and is a wine that will age well and evolve beautifully. For me this is a wine for Japanese food for sure.

Worth seeking out at 27 Euro, a little treat on a Friday!

Enjoy!

Julie


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Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV





The highlight of the drinks industry social calendar for me is always the first weekend in November when I throw on my glad rags and head for the Four Seasons and the Irish Champagne Academy Dinner. After a quick glass of chardonnay, we hit the hard stuff! As usual there was the pre-dinner tasting of the 16 Grand marque champagnes in magnums... you might have stopped wondering why this is the highlight of my year at this stage! The biggest conundrum of the night is generally deciding over a glass of Krug or Pol Roger! Champagne never fails to impress me and not in a pretentious Celtic Tigeress way but in a true appreciation for the houses and their different styles. There is always one that steals the night for me every year and hands down it was Ruinart last Friday. Made from 100% Chardonnay. Pale gold in colour with delicate fine bubbles. On the nose there is citrus fruits and apple aromas. Gorgeous lively palate. Smooth and elegant with subtle honey flavours and citrus fruits. There is a certain smokiness on the finish. Almost Ladylike in style!

Till Next Time

Clare

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Celeste by Miguel Torres

I had been neglecting my mother for the last couple of weeks so to make amends we went for a bottle of wine after work in The PortHouse, Dundrum - as posted on previously by Evelyn. It was heaving for a Wednesday night and a combination of bad eye sight and a dark corner seat led me to a hasty decision on the wine list but a very hasty beneficial one.
Celeste by Miguel Torres, Ribera del Duero, Crianza was a wine I stocked about 3 Decembers ago and had forgotten. Not for any other reason that the selection of wines from this region has become quite broad and prices more affordable.
We drank the 2006 Celeste. It pours this rick blackberry colour. The nose is an array of dark berry fruit, cherry, blackberry with tobacco, vanilla and liquorice.

Trish Deveney aka: Mum

The palate starts like a fruit bomb and falls off to elegant tannin, dark chocolate and some oak.
It went great with the complimentary Pinchos especially the tortilla on French stick???.. Not sure what the Spanish equivalent is but it tastes delicious.
Celeste Crianza 2006 will be available in Deveney's as a result of a Wednesday night in The PortHouse.
Definitely one for the Tempranillo club.
O&O
Ruth.

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Champagne Academy 2010

Gary ,Pommery &Evelyn

Sales of Champagne in Ireland are up 44% on 2009 so said Frederick Heidsieck of Louis Roderer at the Champagne Academy last night.Yes ponder that! Up 44%... off a base of what I ask myself?

Anyway,  flying the Off  Licence Association flag ,Gary O Donovan and myself took the opportunity to check out the Pommery at the pre dinner tasting.This particular Champagne was a Gold Star Award Winner at the Irish Wine Show recently .Elegant and lively,rich,nicely rounded with good persistence and very well balanced.The Champagne I  mean as opposed to Gary!

Cheers,

Evelyn

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