Bastille day Petanque Tournament for Charity hosted by Barton and Guestier

This year the Bastille day Petanque tournament was hosted by Barton and Guestier in association with Gleesons incorporating Gilbeys and was managed by Jean and Sally Anne so as you can imagine it was very well run.The venue ,as usual was the lovely garden of the Raddisson St. Helen's and despite the weather(very overcast) you couldn't help but enjoy yourself  This year we were missing Stephen and that was a big worry as he is our chief strategist. However we battled on irregardless with myself, Peter and Gerry coming up against, amongst others, the Hollands of Bray gang and the Residence boys.

Peter(iphone) Fitzpatrick,Evelyn and this years hero Gerry.

We had a rough start losing our first game 5- nil  but as it is first to 7 overall we managed somehow to claw our way back, when I got Peter to put away his  iphone thereby stopping the incessant checking of golf scores."Darren! Darren who...we have a boules tournament to win." Anyway after several top notch games we managed to win the final by one point  which  we were pleased with as we were 4- nil down at one stage.

In the interests of research I had a "little" taster of all the wines.
The B&G Rose sparkler is a lovely off dry style which was particularly  enjoyed by my 19 year old goddaughter who has only being drinking for a year now.The white sparkler is drier and has more weight but they both had excellent persistence.The Thomas Barton white Grave had nice weight and just the right amount of Semillon in the blend to give it complexity and as for the the Thomas Barton Bordeaux red all i can say is that several in our group commented on how nice it was and I agree.For those of you that have not tried this range in a while I suggest that you do .

Thanks to all involved.

Evelyn

Bardolino, a perfect summer wine...

Just a small selection of those available in the town itself.

Bardolino is a beautiful little town on the shores of Lake Garda that produces wonderful light summer wines. On a recent visit there I took upon myself the tough job of trying a variety of local producers! After extensive research I decided that Zenato Bardolino was one of my personal favourites.
Bardolino is one of the few styles of red wines that is best served lightly chilled,in particular while drinking it  in the sun overlooking the lake, in good company. Light poppy red in the glass, showing pure cherry fruits and at 12% alcohol just the perfect match for an alfresco lunch of salad, fish and pasta.
Zenato Bardolino is available at Jus De Vine at 10.99 Seek it out while the sun is shining!




Enjoy,
Julie
JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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IRISH OFF LICENCES AND WINE SHOPS TO BE TREATED LIKE SEX SHOPS?

The RRAI (mixed traders) are calling on Minister Shatter to enact the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill (Codes of Practice in regard to the sale of alcohol) in order to ensure that mixed traders comply with the RRAI voluntary Code, because if they do not  the Minister for Justice will sign in Section 8.  This means that mixed traders would have to structurally separate their off licences from their grocery etc.  

All of the above is understandable because they have a lot to lose as this structural changeover would be expensive.

However they  are now disingenuously seeking to use the acceptance of Codes of Practice as a means to draw specialist alcohol retailers into this melee, by advocating the removal of the display and merchandising of products in the windows of specialist shops, holding a licence to sell alcohol.

Do they not recognize that:

• Independent specialist outlets display alcohol because that is the only product they sell.
• They are trained specialist retailers who trade responsibly.
• They do not price promote alcohol merely to drive foot-fall into their shops to sell other dearer grocery products.

Will we have to black out our windows?  Will our customers be required to wear rain macs?!

See excerpt from the latest RRAI report written by Mr Padraic White "Independent" Chairperson.

7.3 Promotion and Merchandising of Alcohol Products

by Stand-Alone Off-Licences

As indicated in my First Compliance Report, the RRAI members regard the exclusion of stand-alone off-licences from compliance with an agreed Code as an increasingly apparent anomaly. They have pointed to the fact that, while the Code prohibits the display or merchandising of alcoholic products in the window of mixed trader’s premises, there is no such restriction on stand-alone off-licence stores.

The RRAI expects that relevant aspects of an approved Code of compliance under the proposed legislation would apply to these off-licences.

Sell Out food and Wine Night with Leslie Williams

A couple of weeks back Jus De Vine held one of our Food and Wine nights in the shop, Leslie Williams (who writes about food for the Evening Herald) cooked up a storm while we matched his dishes with some suitable wines.
We kicked off the evening with a Rose Spanish Cava by Peralada, which was the Cava chosen for the Spanish Royal wedding a few years ago, we served this with some Smoked Salmon Paté on crusty bread and it went down a treat.

Domaine St. Vincent 2009 Touraine from the Loire in France was next and we matched this with some Ste. Maure de Touraine Goats Cheese from the Loire Valley (served au naturel); and also some Slow Roasted Pork Chops cooked in a sauce made from Dijon Mustard, Crème Fraiche, Rosemary and topped with more Goats Cheese.

EQ Chardonnay 2006 from San Antonio in Chile we matched with a Thai Chicken Curry containing lemon grass, coconut milk and fresh coriander.

EQ Pinot Noir 2006 likewise  from San Antonio in Chile we matched with two types of duck with a tangy fresh plum sauce (containing some Chinese influences).  Leslie cooked both a standard farmed Barbary Duck and a Wild Mallard (which he had frozen during the shooting season in January).  Both were cooked quite rare and those brave enough to try the wild duck pronounced it the easy winner in terms of taste.

Campos De Viento 2009, an old vine Tempranillo  from Spain matched with a classic Tortilla Espagnole (Spanish Omelette - just eggs, potatoes and onions) and some crispy Chorizo to pick out the spice in the Tempranillo.

Terrazas Reserva Malbec 2008  Mendoza from Argentina was matched with some spicy beef.

Finally to finish we had some East India Lustau Sherry from Spain with Stewed Rhubarb and Blackberry topped with an Amaretto and Chocolate Biscuit Crumble and grated 100% Cacao Chocolate!

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and went home fed and watered just before midnight,  will keep you posted for our next wine night coming soon!

Julie

JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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2007 Vintage Guigal Rhone Wines on tasting with Pat Smith

Pat Smith kindly gave up his weekend to show the 2007 Guigal wines which have just landed into Jus De Vine. There is no one in Ireland  that knows Guigals wines better. Pat is a Rhone specialist who lived and worked there for 6 years. He was also decorated by the French Government for all his work in the business. He is now semi retired but when he tastes anything exceptional he will let us know and loves to come into our shop and talk about the wines and winemaker. He has promised another weekend in October when Pierre Amadieus Eagle's Pass 2007 Gigondas and Vacqueyras become available









   2007 Vintage from Maison E. GUIGAL
In the Rhone Valley and in particular the Southern Rhone, the 2007 vintage is the vintage of the decade. Robert Parker has backed this up by stating that the Cotes-du-Rhone red 2007 and Gigondas 2007 are the best ever made by Marcel Guigal for these appellations.



MAISON E. GUIGAL
The premier wine producer in the Rhone Valley. For decades now they are producing wine of the highest quality, with consistency the by-word to success. You will never be disappointed with a bottle of Guigal--the Guigal label is a stamp of quality whether a top Cote-Rotie or a basic Cotes-du-Rhone.

COTES-du-RHONE (Blanc) 2009
With 52% Viognier this wine is not unlike Condrieu. It is medium-dry with tropical fruit flavours and floral hints in the bouquet. It is fresh and crisp, ideal with any fish dish or just perfect on its own.
Available at Jus De Vine for 12.99

COTES-du-RHONE (Rouge) 2007
Parker says that this is the best Cotes-du-Rhone that Guigal has ever made. Judging by the reaction during the tasting, he's probably right. 50% Syrah (body & tannin), 40% Grenache (fruitiness), 10% Mourvedre (spicy/peppery). The wine is medium to full-bodied, silky smooth with a round fruity flavour--simply delicious.
Available at Jus De Vine for 12.99

GIGONDAS 2007
Big and full-bodied, a step and a half up on the Cotes-du-Rhone. The wine tastes of black cherries and ripe plums with still enough tannin to hold it together for at least 10 years. It has a nice smooth peppery finish--great food wine.
Available at Jus De Vine for 24.99

CROZES-HERMITAGE 2007
Made from 100% Syrah.This tannic grape variety makes this wine earthy with a mix of brambly fruit flavours. Big and full-bodied with tannin that is not too harsh--the result of oak ageing. Fantastic wine to have with goats Cheese, salami, lamb etc.

Available at Jus De Vine for 19.99

Julie


 JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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Random Bloomers Enjoy Cotes de Beaune Villages and Gorgonzola Sandwiches

RANDOM BLOOMERS JOIN LESLIE FOR A READING.


We had a great bit of fun in the Vintry yesterday celebrating Bloomsday. This was a first for us but seeing as Joyce was born just down the road in Brighton Sq. we decided join in the fun that is Bloomsday . We did no pre-publicity yet Joyce fans appeared like magic from nowhere and we all  had a great laugh. People often regard Ulysses as high brow  even posh but based on the number of raucous readings that took place outside the shop I can assure you it is anything but. Like the  Burgundy that we  chose to serve, a Louis Latour  Beaune 2007....it is simple,light and above all fun but with several layers which you can choose to merely enjoy or  to over analyse.

 Leslie(Leopold) Williams does a reading.

Someone forgot the  baby!

Blooms Burgundy not logwood

Ulysses, James Joyce's novel is set in Dublin on June 16^th, 1904

 

 

In chapter eight, Leopold Bloom’s lunch, was a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of red burgundy at Davy Byrne’s pub in Duke Street

‘Mr Bloom ate his strips of sandwich, fresh clean bread, with relish of disgust, pungent mustard, the feety savour of green cheese. Sips of his wine soothed his palate. Not logwood that. Tastes fuller this weather with the chill off.’

The reference to logwood refers to the colour of the  Burgundy wine and is the equivalent to the modern use of the word plonk.The hard, brownish-red wood of this tropical tree yields a dye  used in dyeing fabrics. In 1904  the alleged use of this dye to colour spurious or adulterated wine was frequent, and so the usage of the term  logwood  to describe dodgy wine came into the vocabulary of that time.

So toast James Joyce tomorrow with something tasty not logwood.
 Evelyn
The Vintry

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