In vino veritas - what wine are you drinking?

dudara

FYI, SuperValu have another set of 6 spanish wines for €50, in a wooden presentation box. See page 20 of the specials leaflet for details. If they are running their "Buy 6, get €10 off" then it will be reduced to €40 (they don't seem to be running it at the moment)

At this price, I certainly don't expect magnificence, but it should represent decent value for money (~€8/bottle). All wines are from the Felix Solis Avantis group of wineries

2 x 2017 Centola Albarino
2 x 2011 Vina Albali Gran Reserva (Tempranillo)
2 x 2017 Conquero Roble Toro

dudara

We are at the Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar last night and it was fantastic. A mix of torched oysters, crab toast, whole grilled squid etc. We had this lovely Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli from the Basque Country, which showed ripe stone fruit, citrus and a lovely acidity. Slight effervescence too. A really good seafood wine.

anewme

Frim this months wine club...Bidoli Pinot Grigio 2016.

Tasting notes say "this is a Pinot Grigio with attitude and unlike so many of its contemporaries. It has an abundance of flavour and character. Pearcabd aookr aromas dominate."

Looking forward to a couple of glasses with some trashy tv for Friday chill time.

dudara

Tried this Domaine Rolet Naturé de Jura 2013 last night from Fallon & Byrne. White wines from the Jura can be oxidative in style but this one is made in the ouillé style which means the barrels are topped up to prevent too much oxidisation.

This is a rich, fairly full-bodied white, that still has a lot of citrus, minerality and a touch of savouriness. It was delicious last night, well-chilled, as an apperitif

beertons

Hedonism Rosé. It's amazing

runnerholic

beertons wrote: »

Hedonism Rosé. It's amazing

Second that. I've just polished off a bottle and really enjoyed it.

beertons

Sold out of Hedonism completely today. Went for a more expensive 11 minutes. Got 2 as you got the second for half price. By god it better taste better than the last, for the price of it!

beertons

Yirra, I knew they were selling me a pony. Hedonism is a far superior bottle. I like the glass topper on it too, very unique.

dudara

beertons wrote: »

Sold out of Hedonism completely today. Went for a more expensive 11 minutes. Got 2 as you got the second for half price. By god it better taste better than the last, for the price of it!

I remember tasting that Pasqua 11 minutes one at an O’Briens tasting. Thought it was very nice, but can’t offer any comparison to Hedo as I haven’t tasted it. BTW the white from Pasqua is really good.

anewme

I think the Hedonism is Bertrand.?

Love their reds.

BaZmO*

Can’t remember the the name, but has anyone tried the red wine aged in Bourbon Barrels from Aldi? Sounds weird but I thought it was lovely.

anewme

I'm a sucker for advertising...so I went and bought 2 hedonism roses.

Very easy drinking!!!!

odyssey06

M&S Palatia Pinor.

Bit disappointed with this German Pinot Noir. It's zings on the tongue at first sip, aggressive acidity drinkable with food but can't imagine drinking it on it's own. Not sure if I got a dodgy bottle (was screwcap though) because the reviews online were good...
http://thetaste.ie/wp/three-wines-ms-weekend-october-2017/

limnam

Putting in a new kitchen at the moment and i want to add a "wine cooler"


Anyone have any recommendations or brands they're happy with ?

Jane98

I've just come back from Portugal and loved the Green Wine or Vinho Verde that was so easily available over there. Anyone know if it can be got anywhere here?

BaZmO*

Jane98 wrote: »

I've just come back from Portugal and loved the Green Wine or Vinho Verde that was so easily available over there. Anyone know if it can be got anywhere here?

I love Vinho Verde. You can get in in O’Briens but it’s not cheap. Touching €20 a bottle. A far cry from how cheap it is in Portugal.

I have picked up much cheaper bottles in some of the supermarkets in Newry though.

dudara

I’ve also just picked up some bottles in Curious Wines, Cork for around €12/13. Vinho Verde is available around Ireland, but not overly common.

odyssey06

"Little Long Dog", red wine blend from the Languedoc.

Haven't seen this in many places, but it is my goto wine from local independent minimarket C&T in D3.



€10 a bottle, not a wine for a great occasion, but lovely with cheese, leftovers, pizza etc

dudara

That’s a great wine for the money. I’ve bought it before from Sweeney’s in Phibsboro.

anewme

Love the longue dog. They do a cat one as well tfats good too!

odyssey06

Nugan Estste La Brutta. Picked up in Supervalu as it has unusual grapes Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Actually from Australia I assumed would be California.

Bit too jammy for me, has some sweetness to it and I prefer dry. So rich it is halfways towards port!

odyssey06

Now this is more to my liking, Wyndham Estate Shiraz "Bin 555", €15 in Supervalu.


Full bodied and powerful but well balanced and not overwhelming.

CountingCrows

Any Bordeaux here worth trying?

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/294804/6/

dudara

^^ Sorry, I don’t tend to buy a lot of Bordeaux. The St Emillion options should be decent, but I haven’t tasted any.

Had this bottle of L’Hermine Muscadet Sèvre et Maine recently. Currently €12.80 from Curious Wines Cork. Light bodied, fresh, green apples with a touch of salinity. Lovely chilled or with seafood.

otnomart

Pineau des Charentes
I discovered it on holiday in France last year.
It is very nice chilled in Summer, but I actually prefer it in Autumn/Winter, as an alternative to Port and Sherry which sometimes I find too rich

the beer revolu

otnomart wrote: »

Pineau des Charentes
I discovered it on holiday in France last year.
It is very nice chilled in Summer, but I actually prefer it in Autumn/Winter, as an alternative to Port and Sherry which sometimes I find too rich

Just discovered discovered Portuguese Late Harvest Wine.
Reminds me of an eiswein. Beautiful balance of sweetness and acidity.

anthony4335

Faustino V reserva on offer in Tesco at the moment for €10.

otnomart

Muscat de Valence 15%
Another nice alternative to Port and Sherry.
I find it stickier than the Pineau des Charentes, but it is not bad at all.

dudara

We had the 2017 version of this Moment of Silence wine last night in Nightmarket Thai restaurant, Ranelagh. It’s a blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Chenin Blanc. Rich, good mouthfeel, flavours of Stone fruit and a creamy nuttiness. Excellent.

dudara

I signed up for the Sunday Times Wine Club out of curiosity. The first case arrived recently and we started with this 2017 Cabalié. From the Rousillion, it’s made with old-vine Grenache with some Syrah & Carignan, and it’s packed with berry, fruity flavours with a touch of spice. It doesn’t have huge complexity, but it is damn tasty. Would definitely enjoy again.



Our second bottle was a Moldovan Chardonnay called Chain of Stones. Unoaked, this was very light & fresh. Interesting to try, but not distinctive enough to want to drink again.

Dickerty

dudara wrote: »

I signed up for the Sunday Times Wine Club out of curiosity.

Do you find any of the Irish online sellers do good case deals?

limnam

Dickerty wrote: »

Do you find any of the Irish online sellers do good case deals?

curious wines do some good deals.

dudara

Dickerty wrote: »

Do you find any of the Irish online sellers do good case deals?

Most of them will do good deals or bin end boxes. Curious Wines and Winesonline come to mind, but I’m sure there are others.

odyssey06

Keep an eye on Event Brite, a lot of wine tastings taking place in November ahead of Christmas.
I can see events for Lilac Wines D3, and Wines Direct in Arnotts.

And of course, the OBriens Winter Wine Fair will be on in November also.

odyssey06

Byron Santa Barbera Pinot Noir from O'Briens €25.

* The blurb says A super silky Pinot Noir ... This sumptuous Pinot is all about superb, intense fruit and boy does it deliver - and that's a better description than I could come up with. I can confirm it's accurate!
* Had a belated Thanksgiving dinner, so American wine paired with Silver Hill duck.
* ps for some reason it is now labelled as Nielson by Byron, but tastes just as good.

dudara

I was recently given a bottle of Canto 5 blue wine as a gift. It’s made by Bodega Diez Siglos de Verdejo and is 80% Verdejo and 20% Sauvignon. The bright blue colour is said to come from the natural anthocyanins in grape skin, with the additional natural food colouring.

It’s supposed to taste like an off-dry rosé, but to be honest, I found it too sugary for my liking. And it’s just bloody weird drinking something the same colour as a Mr Freeze.

odyssey06

Madiran is a region in the south west of France that produces some seriously dense, high tannin, chewy red wine. Tesco stock Les Tugeots Madiran, on offer at €9. It kinda needs something to soften it up, perfect cheese wine, but somehow both cheese and wine work together.

'Tannat' seems to be the name of Madiran in South America. The style there is lighter than in Madiran, more fruit, less chewy.

At a recent tasting I sampled the Uruguayan Garzon Tannat Reserva, priced at €20, and it's a quality wine. Long finish, a wine with 'heft'.

Following a recommendation in Indo Saturday Weekender magazine I picked up a bottle of the the Brazilian 'Soul' Tannat, €10 in Redmonds Ranelagh. Also stocked in The Grape Vine and Jus de Vin and other independent off licences.
This is lighter and more fruit forward. Good with food or on its own.

I think the Uruguayan wine is the best of the three, but depending on what I'm eating etc I can eimagine picking up bottles of the other two.

mikep

We enjoyed the generic Barolo from Lidl last night..not bad value at €14.99

mikep

I had the Saxa Loquntuur Uno 2015 from Lidl last night..very nice and good value at €10.99.
Had the same makers "tres" on saturday which is more expensive (€16.99) but also nicer!

I also came across an article from 2009 where the tres was listed as retailing at €15.99, nice to see the price staying steady..

odyssey06

I was at a Wine of Australia tasting in the Mansion House complex during the week.
Was great opportunity to try out some Tasmanian wines for the first time.
Some of the wines on offer are still seeking outlets in Ireland, so it's a little frustrating if you find one you really like.
Also, there's a risk of Shiraz overload at an Aussie tasting!
I'm not an expert taster and possibly some of the Tasmanian pinots such as Dalrymple were overshadowed by more powerful reds and would be better appreciated with food.

This was my pick of the night, a powerful Australian red, Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz 2015, retails at €49 in the Celtic Whiskey Shop.



Honourable Mentions:
- Two Hands "Gnarly Dudes" Shiraz €28
- Peter Lehmann, "The Barossan" Shiraz 2016 €20
- Peter Lehmann, "Clancys Red" blend €11
- D'Arenberg "The Stump Jump", GSM red 2015 €14
- McGuigan "Delight" Moscato, 0.4% alcohol, €5
- McGuigan "Black Label" red blend, €12
- McGuigan "Shortlist" Eden Valley Riesling, €18
- Croser Adelaide Hills sparkling NV €20
- Knappstein Watervale Clare Valley Riesling €17
- Thorn Clarke "Terra Barossa" Cab Sav 2016 €16.99
- Thorn Clarke "Terra Barossa" Red blend with Petit Verdot €16.99
- Kirrihill "Regional Selection" Clare Valley Cab Sav 2017 €18
- Three Lions Great Southern Pinot Noir €23
- Janscz Premium Cuvee Tasmania Sparkling White NV €35
- Ian Botham "Parcel Collection" Barossa Shiraz €40

I like dry \ mineral Rieslings rather than sweet.
The non alcoholic Moscato would be great for a lunchtime meal out. Think M&S stock it.
The Thorn-Clarke range is in Donnybrook Fair & Gibneys.
The Kirrihill range is in The Winehouse, Howth.

snowblind

favourite wine in a while or ever, Borgogno No Name Nebbiolo 2014 - a protest label when borgogno got their barolo sample back from the DOCG inspectors as "too bright". After 2 hours open it really bloomed and was the star of the chrimbo dinner.

Have one bottle left, will keep hold of it for a while in my stash which actually consists of two more barolos

odyssey06

Can you get the Borgogno in Ireland or did you bring bottles from Italy?

snowblind

odyssey06 wrote: »

Can you get the Borgogno in Ireland or did you bring bottles from Italy?

First time I had it in Turin, I ordered 2 with some other italian bottles from xtraWine

limnam

Picked this up in curious wines. It's 16.99 normally but 20% of Argentina at the moment. If I had came across this before xmas I'd have made it my xmas dinner wine as I think it would have lended itself well to both the turkey and the ham. Reading tasting notes there was no mention of spices but to me there was a really nice hint of mulled spice on it and some really nice winter fruits.

odyssey06

Cune (or CVNE) Rioja Reserva 2014, a lovely silky Rioja.
It was a present but I think you can get it in Supervalu and OBriens.

mikep

The CVNE Reserva and Gran Reserva are often discounted in Tesco, excellent value when the 25% off promotion is running..

The Nal

Gnarly Head Zin.

dudara

The CVNE white Rioja is also quite nice.

Had this wine in Tenerife - Malvasia based, aromatic &!slightly floral with a touch of volcanic. Very nice

odyssey06

OH is a big fan of this Malbec on offer in Tesco & Centra at the moment for under a tenner.

limnam

odyssey06 wrote: »

OH is a big fan of this Malbec on offer in Tesco & Centra at the moment for under a tenner.

An excuse to drink more Malbec.


Sure.