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
THE VINTRY,RATHGAR

CONSUME AND ENJOY IN MODERATION

http://wowireland.blogspot.com

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

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