The Colonial Estate Old Vine Shiraz 2005

 This wine from iconic winemaker, Johnathan Malthus is from the Barossa Valley. Malthus who got himself quite a name after himself and his wife bought Chateau Teyssier back in 1994. Originally from England with an engineering background and little winemaking experience, Malthus was part of the whole "garage" movement in Bordeaux which originally was meant as a derogatory thing refering to the size of their set up and their low yields but now deemed as a more complimentary and boutique-style of winemaking. Seeing the success of his wines and the techniques he used in France he bought vineyards in Australia and imployed the same techniques there including using the same equipment, winemaker and methods as used in Bordeaux and if Parker is anything to go by with resounding results!



Johnathan Malthus

Myself and Ruth had a couple of glasses of the Shiraz last night after we eventually manouevered our way home from the shops. A deep, dark purple in colour with sweet plum and dried fruits on the nose. This is a huge wine with loads of fruit flavours on the palate yet some pepper and licquorice undertones. It spends 12 months in french casks ( identical to the ones he uses in his Saint Emilion operation) The wine is also unfiltered so there is sediment in the bottles which is not the norm in Australian wines and some find off putting but does nothing to effect the flavours to this rich, elegant and complex wine. The even better news is that this and the rest of his single varietal range which normally sell for about €24.99 are LESS THAN HALF PRICE WITH ALL THE WOW GIRLS THIS CHRISTMAS coming in between €11.99 and €12.99... Allowing you to drink fine wines at affordable prices. Finally a plus to the big "R"
Till Next Time
Clare
Cellars, the Big Wine Warehouse

Protos Joven, Ribera del Duero '07

Nerja is beautiful, great weather, quaint Spanish streets, very few tacky nightclubs or aprons displaying the female anatomy.
Despite all of the above, the holiday was a bit of a disaster. David had forgotten to pack some good humour, I had forgotten my patience and Declan had forgotten his immune system - maybe a holiday wasn't such a great idea!!!
There's always a silver lining - Coto de Imaz Reserva was €16 a bottle in a restaurant and Protos was a couple of Euro less.
Protos Roble '07, Ribera del Duero is a great value Northern Spanish red that offers almost everything - in my opinion.
A big but classy red. Black dark berry fruit - cherries and blackberry with a mild smokiness and a black liquorice twist. The finish is meaty and smooth with no harsh tannins.
This is an ideal roast meat red but try it with manchego cheese and chorizo sausage.
Available in Deveney's of Dundrum @ €15.00
Ruth.

Seifried Pinot Gris

New Zealand produces some of the most affordable, diverse and interesting whites the World over. As they are a relatively new wine producing country, they work hard at producing the best and know that the consumer is taking a risk when purchasing, so they’re keen to impress.

Tried this wine Seifried, Pinot Gris from the Nelson region on the South Island and became  a serious fan of this Kiwi white.

I took it in to sell in the shop about 5 years ago. It was when New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs were massively popular on the Irish market but we saw very little else that they produced. I totally fell in love with this wine

This pours a light apple juice/ pineapple juice colour with a slightly pink hue.

The nose displays ripe tropical fruit. Pineapple, dried mango, peach and pink grapefruit. If the wine remains in the glass for long enough, you can pick up aromas of aniseed and fresh basil.

The palate is quite different to the nose, Flavours of grapefruit, pineapple and some citrus along with candied fruit finishing in this lovely balanced acidity.

This is a wine for the warm weather. Ideal with meaty fish- monkfish or lemon sole, fresh garden salads or even just sausages on the barbeque with tomato relish.

O&O

Ruth

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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.

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!

Laurenz V Gruner Veltliner Tasting

When the call came through on our direct
WOW Line extending an invitation to a dinner hosted by the famous Austrian wine maker, Laurenz Moser V, only three quarters of us were able to accept due to previous arrangements. It had been a while since we had been to a structured wine dinner together and even though Jules was missing it, the idea of having dinner with a member of the legendary Moser family had us all excited. Laurenz is the grandson of Professor Dr. Lorenz Moser III, the man who introduced the high trellessing system, named after him which changed vine-growing across Europe and greatly improving the quality of GrÜner Veltliner. In a nutshell, his granfather is some what of a legend in the wine business....

GrÜner is an indigenous grape of Austria and the most widely planted variety in Austria with most of it's success occurring in the north-east of the country. Laurenz concentrates solely on this grape and is committed to creating a dry white in many different styles of which we saw clearly the other night.

Upon arriving we tried the Laurenz V "Sunny" 2009 so named after one of his twin daughters(both pictured below), Anna. He explained to us that the style reflected her personality hence the name. It was fresh and as he put it himself "fun" and not too serious a wine although the typical varietal flavours were present such as peppers and tropical fruits; perfect as our aperitif.

With the starter of salmon, crab and fennel salad we enjoyed the Singing 2009 which is called after his other daughter, Sophie who is involved in the business. Both the Singing and Sunny are treated identically with the grapes just coming from different areas. I found the Singing to be slightly less zippy than the Sunny with more floral notes to it and a little rounder. We also tried the Friendly 2008 so called after his wife, we presume!Thjis had quite a burgundy nose to it, tropical notes which were soft and elegant on the palate with a certain creaminess and a spiciness to the finish.

I chose the Roast Loin of Pork with apricot and sage stuffing which worked amazingly well with the Silver Bullet 2008 . This was somewhat of a privilege to try as not only is it relatively new to the range but also unfortunately not available to purchase in Ireland.
It comes in a 50cl bottle which as Lenz explained to us is the ideal size for ladies lunching! Average age of vines for this particular wine is 35 years old and 40% of the wine is left in contact with the skins during fermentation as with red wine, something he learnt from his time working with Mondavi. This produces a deeper coloured white which has a certain nutty character to it and a fuller palate which worked well with the pork. There were also 2 vintages of the Charming served with this course, the 2007 & 2008. This wine is selected only from the best vineyards and is left on the lees for 6 months. I prefered the 2007 of the two as I found it to have more body yet still holding on to it's freshness. A buttery nose, could be confused as oak even though stainless steel was used. Minerality and spice on the palate with more citrusy flavours possibly grapefruit.

We had a gorgeous selection of Irish cheeses to finish the meal off and even older vintages of the Charming which blew the theory of GrÜner being a youthful wine right out of the water! The 2005 was still very zippy and had plenty of youthful acidity. Round tropical fruits on the palate but with some lemon in the background somewhere. The 2004 was the star of the night as far as I am concerned. Golden in colour with a fresh nose of pineapples and subtle vanilla. On the palate there is honeyed fruit with that typical gruner spiciness and possibly a good alternative for the Burgundy-drinker. The 2005 came across way more youthful than the '04 which might have something to do with the fact that the latter was under cork whereas the former is stelvin so it is ageing at a slower rate. It was a really interesting and enjoyable night with great food, fantastic wines and superb company.

I had heard it being said that GrÜner is set for world domination, knocking Pinot Grigio off it's perch on the way to the top, Lenz is obviously firmly behind this and after seeing the diversity of this grape and the quality of these wines, Cellars will be too. GrÜner is like an "all in 1" grape; in it's youthful form it sits nicely as an altenative to Sauvignon blanc, with a bit of lees ageing will really do IT for the Burgundy drinker and all along has the drinkability to suit the Pinot Grigio gluggers.

All together now ...GRÜNER, GRÜNER, GRÜNER....!!!

Till Next time

Clare
CELLARS,NAAS ROAD

Guigal, Cote Rotie, 1982

Tom came over for his dinner on Tuesday. Well actually he brought the dinner and I cooked it, he also brought the wine. Tom obviously drew the short straw... I made the baked potatoes, green salad and ratatouille. He brought frozen steaks, a bottle of gas and a Guigal Cote-Rotie 1982!!
Tom loves Northern Rhone and as a lucky result of this we've tried some amazing vintages. This was no worse than any of the other great vintages from Mouline, Landonne or Turque.
We sat around and watched the sediment settle. The cork was soft and seemed very porous which worried me at first. If this wine had been corked our only alternative was a Michel Lynch 2005 that I have been drinking around for the last 2 years. No offence to Michel Lynch but it would be like booking your holidays to the Seychelles and ending up in the Irish quarter of Santa Ponsa.
It poured almost like a Burgundy, strawberry red in colour with little black flecks of sediment. The nose is incredible - ripe strawberry and soft summer fruits with a hint of mushroom and some gravelly earthiness. The palate is smooth and full bodied. A little bit of acidity on the finish. The typical earthiness of a good Rhone working perfectly in line with the soft ripe berry fruit - strawberry and cherry.
Drink this by the neck or in a glass, with a steak or a slice of pizza. To be honest, a bottle of wine like this is the meal. Once you taste something this special everything else plays second fiddle. So, if you're out to impress and cooking isn't your forte, spend your wage on a good Northern Rhone. It definitely makes frozen steaks on a Tuesday the most memorable meal in ages!!!
Thanks Tom, as always.
Ruth.

Vega Real, Ribera del Duero

After a family barbecue on Saturday night, Sunday started a little sore. The weather from my bedroom window seemed overcast, which in view of my heavy head suited me to remain horizontal. I emerged at around 3pm, starving and to discover that my bedroom window may need to be cleaned. Blue skies and really warm. We decided on prawns and a big glass of Spanish red. I usually pick up some nice fat frozen king prawns in Superquinn but we had overlooked the fact that not only was every person in Dublin barbecuing but they had been to the supermarket at least 5 hours before us. After travelling to 3 shops we settled on a bag of uncomfortably small de-shelled frozen prawns.
The prawns were a disaster but the bottle of Vega Real made up for the rubbery- water injected- pretend shell fish.
This wine punches way above it's weight. A dark black cherry colour in the glass. The nose has the Spanish earthiness that always makes my mouth water, some dark red fruit and a slick of liquorice. The palate is smooth and full-bodied. The fruit ripe and big with a nice savoury finish.
Wines from Ribera del Duero are a serious favourite of mine. Try Crianzas and Resevas during the colder months and Jovens are ideal for barbecue season. All work exceptionally well with roasted or slow cooked meats but also mask cremated red meats very well. Forget scraping or binning just serve plenty of this and no barbecue guest will even notice. Best summer catering tip I've ever received and forget about frozen prawns - a definite no!
O&O

Ruth.

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Pere Ventura, Cava, Rosat.

The final sparkling of our last Country Mix slot is a fizz that should appeal to those that find Brut Cava, n.v Champagne or Crements a little too dry. This is a semi-sec Cava from the Cava region of Penedes in Northern Spain.
This also won the 2009 Gold Star Award for Sparkling wine under €25.
A raspberry cool-aid colour in the glass with good bubbles. The nose is like a summer fruit salad of soft red berries with a slight yeastiness. The palate is strawberries with a creaminess, sweet fruit and good fizz.
When holidaying in Northern Spain a couple of years ago we spent a good bit of time in this Cava bar.Not an English speaking person in sight nor a seat or table. The set-up was slightly alien to us Irish. On purchasing a bottle of the 4 Cavas on offer you were force fed - for free!!. If seen from the high counter, four man deep bar by one of the fast speaking Cava bar employees they would harass you until you were holding something resembling red meat in a bun wrapped in a white paper napkin. The food was delicious and the more you drank the better both the Cava and the food tasted. So, as served in your local Cava bar try red meat with this Rosat, if this doesn't float your food pairing boat try one of Darina Allen's Summer puddings or just chill and drink instead of a Cosmopolitan- Worked well in my house last Saturday.
O&O

Ruth.

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Aragosta, Vermentino di Sardegna 2008.

I managed to get out and back from Spain despite the Volcanic cloud and an edge-of-seat, close to expired passport. I flew to Malaga on a work ''associated'' trip last Friday and consumed a large quantity of shellfish teamed with Spanish Vermentino and Viura- Verdejo blends. Unfortunately- for the blog and radio the Vermentino consumed on my long weekend is not available in Ireland, fortunately enough for personal reasons the Spanish Vermentino is not available in Ireland - If this makes any sense. My palate/ stomach is not settled enough to relive or taste last Friday/Saturday/Sunday but I do sell a great little Sardinian Vermentino which is just as appealing minus the wine memories of a tough few days.
Cantina Santa Maria La Palma, Vermentino di Sardegna, Aragosta, 2008. A mouth full but it's generally remembered more commonly as the 'lobster wine' due to the orange crustacean on the label. I was always convinced that this shelled fish was a lobster up until last nights debate. It's either a very small lobster or a large prawn. I'll know what you mean if you come in search of it.
A pale lemon - almost clear wine in the glass. The nose, although subtle, has quite complex aromas. I get pear, cloudy apple juice and hints of lavender. Evelyn picks up candle wax and a smokiness, though I can't detect this at all. The palate is completely different, dry, flinty, crisp and clean with citrus fruit but little acidity - hence the easy drinking that comes with opening a bottle.
For those that enjoy a Gavi or Chablis and are looking to try a similar style but something new, this is it. It also warrants a far more financially pleasing price tag than most of the other two on the Irish market.
Try it with sole fish, mussels, sardines or prawns and if you're having difficulty making it to the fishmongers, a summer salad is just as good.
O&O

Ruth.

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Zarapito, Budget wines.

It's great to have a few options when choosing some under €8 wines. So, in view of current budgetary requirements, it's an area that we need to concentrate on to offer our customers the best in this category.

Zarapito comes in both white and red blends.

The Red is a Malbec - Bonarda blend. These are typically Argentinian grape varieties. Bonarda, I find to be too fruit filled with little structure as a varietal but teamed with Malbec which is quite a dark liquorice and black chocolate grape these really work well as a duo. Even better as a mid-week t.v wine retailing at €6.99.

The White is again typically Argentinian. The blend is Torrontes - Chenin blanc. Fresh and zesty with lots of balanced citrus and tropical fruit flavours. 

Same price as 2 cappuccinos from your local petrol station only far more palatable.

O&O

Ruth. 


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Canti red, Budget wines

We chose this as the red to review on our Country Mix slot this morning. The theme was Wines under €8 and at the moment this is a price range that everyone is interested in including ourselves.
Canti, Negroamaro- Zinfandel blend is a little red from Puglia- heel of Italy. This wine picked up the NoffLA Gold Star Award in 2009 for 'Best old World red under €8'. This is definitely worth 8 cheeseburgers from the Euro-saver.
Negroamaro is a grape variety that not a lot of people have heard of but most have tasted. It makes up the grape majority in Salice Salentino which hails from the same area of Italy. Zinfandel is generally referred to as Primitivo on Italian wine labels, these guys are the same grape.
Canti also makes a sister white to this which is pictured to your left and these two team up as the perfect inexpensive pair for Communions, Confirmations or large gatherings of the gluggers.
This pours a deep raspberry colour. The nose is sweetened summer fruits- Raspberry, strawberry and Rhubarb. On the palate the fruit is ripe but has this nice dry finish which balances the intensity of the berries.
Drink me with meat or vegetarian kebabs, stuffed peppers or tomatoes or buy some Hot Wing sauce and make your own Elephant and Castle signature wings. Big favourite of ours.
O&O
Ruth

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Gemtree, Tadpole Shiraz '06

Susie and Bren got engaged about 6 years ago. We all waited patiently for a good aul’ Deveney knees up.

They eloped to New York 6 months ago and tied the knot in City Hall. We all needed a new word for disappointed.

Clare and I had not only let the occasion go unmarked with a gift but also had promised a celebratory meal that we had not delivered on. It had become so embarrassing that whenever we met up with them we were avoiding the topic of food in any context.

Last weekend – half a year later, we had a full on spread and in my opinion it was worth the wait.

We drank some really good stuff. It’s best that I don’t disclose every bottle in view of the label we may acquire. Here’s a few worth trying if you’re passing Dundrum and looking for wine for entertaining.

The Gemtree, Tadploe Shiraz, McLaren Vale 2006. This is one of those Australian reds that I keep reverting back to. It retails at €12.90 but warrants a price tag far higher than that. This is a really elegant style of New World Shiraz. The McLaren Vale produces some of my favourite Australian wines and they always have their own unique style due to the micro-climate of this area. The nose is blackcurrant, some ripe cherry, liquorice with a slight greenness – damp grass maybe. The palate doesn’t disappoint, ripe berry, black pepper, dark chocolate and finishes with some elegant tannins. This is not your average Aussie Shiraz. It’s quite dry in comparison to other commercial brands most people would be familiar with and is a really good example of a well made Shiraz. I would consider this a Friday night Favourite in 66.

During the steak dinner we got stuck in to some Rhone Reds. I always like a Rhone with a rare to medium steak, Bordeaux is advised but not by me. I’m 100% a Rhone and steak girl.

We had a bottle of Domaine de la Janasse, Cotes du Rhone 2007 €16.90. I spent a week down in this part of the valley a couple of years ago and it was the best wine trip I have ever been on. Apart from the wine being, in my opinion, second to none, the people are so unpretentious and genuinely passionate about their wines. Lots of Wellington boot wearing and rarely a Chateau in sight. This has a really earthy typical Rhone nose. Blackcurrant dark berry fruit with a slight smokiness. The kinda wine that makes your mouth water. The palate is silky smooth ripe berry fruit, creamy mouth feel with vanilla and some earthiness on the finish.

We also had some Chapoutier and a Guigal and that’s all I’m disclosing.

A relatively early night due to the formation of an abscess and a morning airport pick-up.

O&O

Ruth

Ebano 6

So, when choosing the only red wine for the Spanish tasting this week I had to be careful not to pick something that would scare Lyndsay off and undo the work we've been putting into trying to convert her into a red wine drinker.
I decided to stay away from traditional Spanish areas like Rioja and do a wine region that has given Spanish reds a face-lift and totally modernised the sometimes staid style.
Ebano 6 is from a Northerly wine region called Ribera del Duero and is regarded as the of the top 5 wineries of this area.
In 2006, it picked up the award for ''Old World red wine of the year'' in the NOffLA Gold Star Awards.- A highly coveted Irish Wine Award. Apart from all of these high profiled awards, I give it my own personal favourite flag... Most importantly!!
Clare and I spent a week last July with friends in Barcelona. We used to eat in this Tapas bar just off the beach everyday for lunch.
They would serve us this dish of fillet steak, goats cheese and balsamic vinegar with a side of deep fried battered asparagus and horseradish and a couple of bottles of Ebano 6. More often than not we never made it back to the beach and more often than not it wasn't just a couple of bottles of Ebano 6. Probably closer to the number associated with the wine but there was always a minimum of 4 of us... Just for the record!!!
Every other Tuesday night I have this re-accuring food dream of that lunch where I wake up chewing my pillow and absolutely starving!! I am 100% with Evelyn on the eating my weight in Spanish food during breakfast lunch and dinner and managing to ''grow-out'' of my summer clothes within the 7 day holiday.
So I hope I've picked the right red to showcase what Spanish wines have to offer to a potentially new red wine drinker....
Ebano 6.
The colour is a black cherry almost liquorice dark.
The nose displays aromas of violet, blackcurrant, eucalyptus and ripe cherry.
The palate is really smooth and full bodied with ripe fruit, some black liquorice and a slight smokiness on the finish.
Drink me with almost everything. Chocolate desserts, steak, tapas foods like cured meats and good parmesan or the Spanish alternative manchego...  Love it!!
O&O
Ruth.

Seifried Pinot Gris '07

Wines that don’t resemble Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was our topic for week 5 on 106.8fm.

Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is a little like Rioja from Spain. People rely on these wines and are sometimes reluctant to be adventurous with anything else from these countries.

New Zealand produces some of the most affordable, diverse and interesting whites the World over. As they are a relatively new wine producing country, they work hard at producing the best and know that the consumer is taking a risk when purchasing, so they’re keen to impress.

The wine choice for my 2 minute slot was Seifried, Pinot Gris from the Nelson region on the South Island. I am a serious fan of this Kiwi white.

I took it in to sell in the shop about 5 years ago. It was when New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs were massively popular on the Irish market but we saw very little else that they produced. I totally fell in love with this wine and the successful Pipe dream story that went with it.

The man behind the wine is Herman Seifried, an Austrian man who moved to New Zealand in response to an apple winemaking job. He met and fell in love with Agnes- a local school teacher, whose family originated from Donegal, The Mc McCarthy’s.

They married in 1971 with a dream to be the 1^st people to plant on the South Island.

Funding proved to be very difficult as all the Banks thought their idea was crazy, eventually the local church lent them enough money to buy some land and plant vines. Herman and Agnes became the pioneers of the South Island and their wines exude their passion and innovation.

This pours a light apple juice/ pineapple juice colour with a slightly pink hue.

The nose displays ripe tropical fruit. Pineapple, dried mango, peach and pink grapefruit. If the wine remains in the glass for long enough, you can pick up aromas of aniseed and fresh basil.

The palate is quite different to the nose, Flavours of grapefruit, pineapple and some citrus along with candied fruit finishing in this lovely balanced acidity.

This is a wine for the warm weather. Ideal with meaty fish- monkfish or lemon sole, fresh garden salads or even just sausages on the barbeque with tomato relish.

If the weather forgets to improve, crank the heating up, dig out those summer shorts, pull the blinds and get playing Ella Fitzgerald. I’ve applied this technique for the last 3 years and although our ESB bill has been surprisingly high for July it’s managed to keep me relatively sane for the wet summer months. Try it... Not a bad alternative!.

O&O

Ruth

            

Perez Cruz Cabernet '08

The wow girls consists of 4 all- weather members but we do have quite a few honorary ladies that engage in light tasting and experimental work from time to time.

Agreed terms of a Pavilion membership – candidate must give 100% commitment to the tasting tasks in operation and be very discreet in disclosing results or aftermath of experiments to non members.

Louise Carpenter is our 5th member. Louise is my oldest school friend and she lives with Clare and I in 66. Working as a successful Project manager by day and moonlighting as a patron of wine after hours. She heads our communications department and often holds council during heated wine debates.

I drafted Louise in to do an exercise on Chilli Doritos and Perez Cruz, Friday night style.

Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008 is an estate bottled wine from the Maipo Valley – Chile. Personally, Chilean wines are not a first choice of mine. I find it difficult to sell them and sometimes drink them, despite them being massively popular with the Irish consumer. This is one Chilean that I never have difficulty vending and one that I take home myself quite often. I needed a second opinion.

Got out our Schott glasses and pulled the cork. It pours this blackcurrant almost liquorice colour. The nose is blackcurrant fruit – cassis, mint, vanilla, some earthy notes and some liquorice – all-sorts.

The palate is silky and full bodied. Ripe dark berry fruit but not too sweet in comparison to other well known Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon’s. The liquorice aromas are there amongst the fruit with a little bit of earthiness – slightly unusual for Chilean Cabernet’s.

This Red is really well structured. Good firm tannins that stand up against the ripe fruit and a little acidity on the finish but all really balanced.

The results of the Chilli Dorito combination were all in all very favourable. The 400g bag was finished within the last glass and the spice and salt of the chips worked well with the fruit and slight residual sugars of the wine.

Great value meal consisting in total €13.00 for two.

Perez Cruz 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon €10.00

Chilli Doritos 400g €3.00

A reasonable Friday.

O&O

Ruth

Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva 2008

I love Pinot Noir. I think its one of the most interesting grape varieties. I love that it changes considerably depending on country, soil, micro climate and producer. I also always think of it as a female grape variety due to its temperament. This is a grape variety that strives for perfect surroundings and when it finds them, it results in an incredible style of wine that’s so versatile and complex.

It hails from the Casablanca Valley just North of Santiago. This area has its own micro-climate and has close to perfect Chilean conditions for Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Huneeus family are Chilean wine superstars. The father, Agustin Huneeus, was the man behind numerous Chilean wine brands including Concha y Toro and Errazuriz both of which put Chile on the wine map. This winery is their own independent wine venture for father and son – Agustin 1 & 2 and its testament to a combination of their experience and knowledge.

Colour: Crushed strawberry or Grenadine syrup

Nose: A very authentic Pinot nose which is often described as nail varnish, loads of summer berries – Cherries, strawberries and vanilla pod.

Palate: All soft summer berries – Cherries, strawberries and cranberries with savoury flavours and lovely balanced acidity.

Food combinations with this red are endless – Pork and apple sauce, lamb stew, mushroom risotto, soft Irish cheese like Carrickbyrne. Apart from all of these, my ideal Friday combo is a piece of Brie de Meaux, fresh French stick some vine ripened tomatoes and an hour with Jonathan Ross.

Friday night with… Veramonte Pinot Noir. (€12.90), try it!!

O&O

Ruth.

Knappstein H.Picked Riesling 06

Our Chinese take-away in Dundrum was sacrificed about 7 years ago for the Town Centre. Although I am not at liberty to disclose names, rumour has it that there was a missing cat epidemic for the 12 months prior to the closure of the establishment. Despite being without, there is never a shortage of requests for a wine to go with ‘’sweet chilli beef’’ / ‘’duck and orange sauce’’.

It’s important to take the sugary base of the sauce into consideration when choosing the right bottle to go with dish no:122. This is the ideal match.

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling 2006 is a Clare Valley wine. The Clare Valley lies approximately 120km North of Adelaide. This region is the Australian home to the traditionally German grape variety. These guys make delicious affordable wines and this was my choice of white for week 2 of our radio slot on Aussie wines.

This pours a nectar straw colour with flecks of orange. It has a waxy, oily texture in the glass.

The nose has very traditional Riesling aromas – petroleum with loads of tropical fruit- Pineapple, ripe green apple, honey and lychee.

The palate is equally as complex and so delicious. Flavours of honey and sweet tropical fruit with pineapple and delicious citrus finish. The acidity level cuts through the sweetness making it balanced and easy to consume!.

This goes great with fruit desserts or as an aperitif. An ideal combination with spicy and sweet foods. Thai green curry, sweet and sour chicken or a Deveney favourite – Lemon meringue pie.

Love it

O&O

Ruth

Cantina Zaccagnini

Wines for Mother's day. Week one of our radio wine slot, 10 minutes, 3 wines and one girl down. We were entering the unknown but pretty confident in our choice of crowd pleasing, Oedipus Wines. I am assuming that you have read previous posts but I will reiterate our thinking behind the Italian Wine theme. Apart from the Irish mother and son duo, what other nationality mirrors this syndrome?.. Whilst researching this theme I stumbled upon a couple of frightening statistics. According to Google and the BBC - 80% of single Italian men live at home with their parents until well into their 30's. Also, the Italian Government have offered a reward scheme of €1000 to pregnant young couples as a means of encouragement/bribery. Bottom line is they produce good gear and the wine I chose to review for week 1 was Cantina Zaccagnini. Funnily enough this is produced by Mamma Zaccagnini and her 2 sons - do these boys live at home?... I can't answer that but whatever the Zaccagnini's are doing in D'Abruzzo, they're doing a good job of it.

This is a cherry purple wine in colour. On the nose it displays meaty, savoury aromas with loads of summer fruits - strawberries, raspberries, a hint of new oak packaged as vanilla and some violet in the backdrop. The palate is creamy, full bodied soft fruit, ripe cherries and blackberries. Very little tannin and soft acidity. The really great thing about this wine is that it's one of the few that I could recommend to go with everything. Not just the regular fish, chicken, steak but anti-pasta, good parmesan, scallops, sole, beef wellington or even a quarter pounder.

Montepulciano has been subjected to some bad press, I believe these guys are paving the way to grape greatness. €15.00 Bottle

Love it!!

O&O

Ruth.