Santa Rita Carmenere Reserve 2007

                                             


Colour: Deep dark dense plum colour.
.
Nose:   Fragrant with hints of licquorice(Bertie Bassetts) morello cherry, dark chocolate and coconut.

Palate: The wine carries these flavours onto the palate  which is rich and smooth with very silky tannins and a  long rich finish.


The grape variety in this wine is Carmenere which originally came from Bordeaux  but it became virtually extinct in France when an insect,that came over on a vine cutting from America ,decided to munch its way through the vineyards of Europe.


However cuttings of Carmenere had already been brought to Chile and planted out but it was assumed to be  Merlot to which  it bears a close resemblance until it was genetically fingerprinted  in 1994. 


So for Chile this gave them a unique grape variety to work with and Carmenere  is now considered their flagship wine. So in terms of value you are looking at top of the range wine making at a value price because not too many people are familiar with the grape variety yet.

                                                                 

Santa Rita, the producer of this particular wine, is also steeped in history as the original house, owned at the time by  the champion of independence  Paula Jaraquemada, was used to hide Bernardo O` Higgins ,the first ruler of independent Chile, and 120 of his independence soldiers from the Spanish soldiers during the war of independence.




Paula Jaraquemada  1768-1851

           

                                                                                                                    

As the name would suggest O`Higgins did indeed have Irish blood. Bernardos dad Ambrose was from Ballynary Co. Sligo and Old Ambrose  himself actually ruled Peru and Chile under the Spanish .His pal Juan Mc Kenna , from just outside Monaghan town, was also made viceroy of Peru and  became Bernardos close ally. Juan eventually died in a duel fought against Bernardos independence   rival Jose Carrera ,who was actually the soldier who had failed to arrive with reinforcements thus causing Bernardo to have to hide in the Santa Rita house.Bernardo later allowed Carrera be to arrested and executed.
                                                                      Bernardo O Higgins 1778-1842

It is amazing to think of the achievements of these men, going  from Ireland to Spain to become soldiers ,then to travel to South America ,and that not being enough but  to actually become the virtual rulers of some these South America countries. Trotting from country to country, continent to continent, over and back across the Andes depending if they were winning or loosing… just ships ,horses and feet no other transport!
Juan Mackenna 1771-1814



It would appear however that these lads were no Saints! Bernardo himself  had several children by different mothers and is even  rumored to have had a child with an ex. of his fathers who had also had a child with the same lady .
So Bernardo`s half sister was a half sister to Bernardo`s daughter !headache... but not illegal.!
Indeed Bernardo  himself was the result of an affair between his Irish father and a Basque  lady.

                                                                  Ambrosia O`Higgins1720-1801
                                                     

Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo!

Evelyn 

CONSUME AND ENJOY IN MODERATION

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CELLARS,NAAS ROAD:DEVENEYS DUNDRUM:JUS DE VINE PORTMARNOCK:THE VINTRY RATHGAR

                                               CountryMix_2010-04-07_10-00-00

WoW GAZETTE 4

 Wine Prices Cut To The Bone By Emerging Markets!

 PICTURED ABOVE: MARCO REILLY , A TYPICAL CONSUMER IN THIS NEW MARKET

Concerns are growing within the wine industry regarding the emergence of new markets and the resultant inflationary impact on wine prices.

The WoW girls having observed this trend in their own shops decided to consult with their Chief Wine Economist Professor Deveney who stated."There was a time when this market segment did not have the discretionary income to allow them to buy wine however they have assumed much greater Socio-Economic importance and  many of them now have their own house, the latest in designer clothing and  regularly get their hair done not to mention manicures and pedicures. It is hard to comprehend the poverty gap in this market.You have the privileged classes mentioned above and yet many others still sleep rough or at best in a outbuilding or shelter.”

At the top end of the market these new consumers tend to favour very plump meaty reds preferably with gamey flavours and with good bite and power so it is these wines that fetch the highest prices.They like a well aged style and  frequently like to bury away a few bottles and go back to them when they are fully mature.

In terms of service requirements  they can be a bit clumsy,quite demanding,  are used to getting their own way but appear to be extremely loyal almost to the point of habit in their buying patterns.

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

G`DAY MATE…DON’T BE A DRONGO THINK AUSSIE!

http://wowireland.blogspot.com                                                CountryMix_2010-03-24_10-00-00 

For our wine slot on Wednesday 24th March on Country FM. we thought we would taste a few Australian wines.  Australia is the success story of the modern wine era, coming from nowhere to become a major player on the world stage by producing a wealth of original wine styles.

In a nutshell Australian wines are about intense fruitiness, abundance of flavour and softness of texture. Aussie wines are very popular here in Ireland with one in four wines consumed being Australian and with over 200 wineries present in the Irish market.  Even more importantly our Julie has just returned from an exhausting(! ) four week fact finding mission down under so she is very up to date on the latest trends.

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Cullen, Sauvignon/ Semillon...Aussie Wonder

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Cullen, Sauvignon/ Semillon...Aussie Wonder

Founded in 1965 by Di and Kevin Cullen, one of the pioneers of the Margaret River. There vineyards are bio-dynamic certified and one of the first to be carbon neutral (which requires the calculation of all the carbon used and carbon dioxide emitted in the winery,and the carbon is then offset by the planting of new trees, The winemaking is now managed by their infamous daughter Vanya Cullen.

Once known as surfing nirvana and for its picturesque settings, Margaret River is now a heaven for wine makers. This is an area I have been thinking about visiting for some time...

At last, here I am  in Cullen's vineyard in Margaret River Western Australia, hoping that maybe there is some family connection. We share the same surname!

Cellar doors are open to the public daily. The Vineyards  of Australia do wine tourism very well and have amazing in house restaurants  showcasing their wines. It's a very laid back place and relatively inexpensive. We had been traveling for 3 weeks now all over Australia and everyone we meet really does have the no worries attitude. The winemakers are farmers enjoying their craft.  They seem to keep things simple and it really works. After visiting a number of Australian vineyards It is clear to see that these guys treat wine tourism as a priority.

1 in 4 wines bought in Ireland last year come from Australia. This is a growing market in the Irish industry and one I would highly recommend people to visit when in Western Australia. 

Colour; Pale straw with a touch of green.

On the nose it is fresh with hits of citrus fruit.

Palate, Lovely mineral character,with a zippy tangy finish. 

Food: Oyster,Scallops, Fish.

Cheers!

Julie

http://wowireland.blogspot.com                                                CountryMix_2010-03-24_10-00-00

WOW WINE GAZETTE 2

ALTITUDE AND ITS IMPACT ON SPARKLING WINES
Extensive research conducted by two of the four Wow girls has proved that altitude is a contributing factor to the enjoyment of sparkling wines .Evelyn Jones & ;Julie Cullen  travelled all the way to Austria and conducted a week’s exhausting  research into the subject and concluded definitively, using the latest oenological research, that fizz is even more fun when consumed at altitudes of 1300 metres or more.Further field tests confirmed that fizz  is best consumed in a  relatively stationary position and that consumption of fizz is not advisable whilst wearing skies,dancing on bar counters in ski boots or riding in chair lifts. Conclusions drawn by Cullen and Jones are the result of years of travel to various altitudes and insurance is kindly provided by Lloyds of London.

WOW WINE GAZETTE 1

Stop press!

The First World Class Mobile Tasting Unit Is Formed.


Four pals sit in a dark corner of the Italian quarter sipping Prosecco and
talking quietly.
To the public at large they just look like 4 ordinary girls having a
chat …little does the world know that they are observing a top
secret meeting.
Who would believe that they were actually witnessing the formation of
the first World Class mobile tasting unit cleverly disguised as 4 smart ladies.

Their weapons are the palate and the glass .
Their mission is to fight to save the world from bad wine everywhere.They dedicate themselves to protect good wines ,to champion great wines and to relentlessly expose mediocre wine.




Pictured right: The Original Smart Lady (1920-1933)