Fun with fermented grape juice…

LIKE my column in Saturday’s Irish Examiner, this occasional blog is building into a guide to enjoying the best value wines on the Irish market. It’ll also become a resource, including tools to help debunk the nonsense that often garlands the wine world. Bear with me as I sporadically add content, including the links over there –> ♦

TD gets mediaeval on your ass

Clipping from the Cork Evening Echo of the Ned O'Keeffe story.

I will resume posting properly shortly – other fish to fry at the moment.  But I do feel obliged to break cover briefly to pass on this from the Public Enquiry website.

In brief, a TD dismisses the idea of representing the rather reasonable demands of a primary school because not enough people in that neighbourhood voted for him. The story by Padraig Hoare was carried in the Evening Echo on Thursday July 2 and is being given a bit of a further airing by Gavin Sheridan.

I don’t blame Ned so much as our very, very sick political system. It rewards the likes of Ned and promotes that princely  sense of entitlement he exhibits. And worst of all, we keep on voting these people in.

Please read the article here and/or Gavin’s commentary. And pass it on.

Fun(d)raising wine tasting

Most of the glasses were M&S Windsor Large Red Wine Glasses, €20 for four.

THURSDAY’S fundraiser at the Sexual Violence Centre (see below) was a social event rather than a straight tasting. The mood was even more convivial than I’d expected. So I merrily abandoned some of the planned stuff, including a few fun wine-tasting exercises and pretty much all of the editorialising. It’s best to go with the flow – but I did briefly interrupt the lovely chatty ambience by bellowing brief  telegrams on the identity and provenance of each wine.

The people gathered for the do were great fun, both newcomers to the gaff and the centre’s own people – Mary, Dola, Humaira and other staff, volunteers and friends. It’s always a good feeling to be one of many, all of us coming together to support and even celebrate the work of the Sexual Violence Centre. Some couldn’t be there that night unfortunately but we did raise a glass to them – photographer Clare Keogh (whose work I’m going to be returning to here again at a later date) and, for the gorgeous food they provided, Bridget Healy and Vourneen Fayer.  The Olive Stall in the English Market plus one other supplier also contributed. I’ll name the latter here when I can do so.

We were particularly well looked after by the seamless no-hassle work of the pouring crew – Jacinta O’Shea, Marie-Claire Kah, Linda Barrett, Erica Seffastsson, Andrew Lane and Ray Boland.

Oh yes, there were wines too I picked out what I think are good (and good value) examples of some important points along the wine spectrum, all available to buy in and around Cork city.

All of the wine was donated by its importer/distributor as detailed below.  I put together a wish-list and wrote to each of them asking for that specific wine. With humbling generosity, each of them immediately said “great cause, yes”. Here’s a roundup of the wines, their importers, and where to buy them. It’s traditional to say please support our sponsors. In this case, going by the responses of the gathering, you might be doing yourself a favour by doing so.

Michel Lynch

Michel Lynch Bordeaux Blanc 2007 (€15)

Imported by Barry & Fitzwilliam www.bandf.ie.
Widely available at off-licences, supermarkets and wine shops.

Bordeaux blanc of substantial weight but sizzling with lemony acidity.

B&F’s inspirational story started in the depths of the last recession when a few executives in Murphy’s Brewery – on the verge of collapse at the time – left to form a wine importing company.  I’m sure the 1980s was a scary time to start trading. The big industrial employers in Cork, Ford and Dunlop had shut down. A leap of faith then, but hindsight tells us B&F caught the wine wave early on. Between organic growth and acquisitions they’ve grown into the biggest indigenously-owned wine importer. Their portfolio includes dozens of commendable ranges, my particular favourites including Brown Brothers and Tyrrell’s from Australia; MontGras (Chile), and Boschendal (South Africa).

Bluff Hill

Bluff hill Sparkling Rosé NV (€10.99)

Marks & Spencer

Strawberries and cream in a glass in a champenoise chardonnay pinot noir bubbly from New Zealand.

M&S effectively make their own wine. Their wine-buying team led by Chris Murphy is enriched by winemakers such as Gerd Stepp who commission a range running the gamut from cheap and cheerful to fine specialities. Famous names making wine for them include (to pick just three heroes of mine) Alvaro Espinoza in Chile, Clairault in Western Australia and Dr Loosen in Germany. The result, apart from some fantastic value is a surprisingly comprehensive and up-to-date wine shop.

Tagus Creek

Tagus Creek Chardonnay Ferñao Pires (€10 to €11)

Imported by Classic Drinks. Available at Next Door off-licences; Brian Barry’s Midleton; Matsons, Bandon; Village Greengrocer, Castlemartyr; River Lane Cafe, Ballineen; Pinecroft off-licence, Grange.

EVEN leaving port aside, the reds and whites made from Portugal’s indigenous grapes consistently overdeliver on price / quality. But the country is having to innovate, if only to attract our attention  with more readily recognisable wines, styles, grapes and packaging. The new wave includes everything from fab douro rosé (from port grapes) to things like this smashing classic/native blend from the Ribatejo region.  Named and packaged in that Australian way, it’s a beautifully nuanced soft-structured and gently tropical white.

One of the relative newcomers in the wine trade, Classic’s line-up includes Seifried Estate  (New Zealand) O’Shea & Murphy (Australia) Torreon de Paredes (Chile) Ferngrove Estate (Western Australia) and Bodegas Muriel (Spain).

Bushland Estate

Bushland Reserve Chardonnay  (€6.49)

Aldi

Big, oaked chardonnay isn’t to everyone’s taste but I
think there is a place in the repertoire for the likes of
this one made by Michael Hope at, well,  Hope Estate in
Australia – an arpeggio up the keyboard from cool
citrus to rich tropical buttery notes.

Pikes

Pikes Red Mullet Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre Tempranillo €14.67

Imported by James Nicholson Wines www.jnwine.com.
Also available in a handful of stockists including (Cork) Abbot Ale House, Devonshire Street North; Parson’s Wines, Carrigaline; (Donegal) McGrory’s, Culdaff; (Dublin) Sweeny’s Wine Merchant; (Galway) Harvest off-licence; (Waterford) Fahy’s; Worldwide Wine.

I am a great fan of Pikes, who make top-class wines  including of course riesling, in the Clare Valley.
A handful of their reds play delightfully with Spanish and Italian styles that are as yet relatively unexploited  in the new world. Here, the addition of aromatic tempranillo to a soft gluggable rhone blend adds a gorgeous toffeish note. In general I like my reds served quite cool and this is one that would benefit from a slight touch of chill. Unlike Thursday when I thought it was a bit too warm.  But nevertheless it was gorgeous. Arguably the joker in the pack because of the mash-up of styles, it proved to be pretty much the popular hit of the evening.

Nicholsons, based in Co Down, is the only wine retailing site I know of that can seamlessly take orders from either the republic or UK and deliver to either jurisdiction, if you know what it mean. (I found it handy when picking out a gift case for a colleague in Britain last year). More importantly they have a superb list. I find myself at their portfolio tastings desperately trying to find the duds. If you are buying online, make sure you select the correct  location/currency on the website as of course different excise duty rates apply in the Republic and Northern Ireland.

De Martino

De Martino Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2007 €14

Imported by Febvre – www.febvre.ie.
Stockists include Bradley’s North Main Street, and a version of it is sold by the glass in The Pavilion bar on Cary’s Lane.

Maipo Valley Chile. Made with organically-grown grapes.
I adore this. While I love lots of ‘obvious’ wines – those fruity numbers that parade their charms up-front – there’s a special place in my heart for wines like this: a dignified and elegant cabernet blend that slowly and coolly unpacks a perfectly-packed box of leafy currants.

Febvre’s list is a fantastic blend of posh and approachable. They’re also innovators. They were the first to introduce quarter bottles and also spearheaded screwcaps. Plus they’re adding another interesting dimension which I’ll return to here soon.

Clos Malverne

Clos Malverne Pinotage Reserve Stellenbosch 2007 (€13.95)

Dunnes Stores

You’ll rarely hear anyone suggest “it’s a special occasion – let’s trade up to something from South Africa”. But one destination for posh reds you might consider is Clos Malverne in Stellenbosch. And long before you reach the heady heights of their flagship Auret, their range includes some excellent affordable reds that behave like posh premium wines.
When the pinotage grape doesn’t work properly it can have an unpleasant green medicinal edge. But here, perhaps due to a combination of factors (primarily, I guess, old vines in relatively cool vineyards) there is something marvellously supple and seductive about a wine that is so layered and complex. Mature and open, this was the red in the tasting that least needed airing or decanting.  (One of my abandoned fancies was to hold back one of each red intending to open them just before pouring and thereby illustrate the benefit of breathing.)

As supermarkets and symbol groups go, Dunnes stand out from the crowd. Jacinta Delahaye and Richard Ecock head the wine buying team who source top-class  exclusives including  Laurent Miquel, Vignerons de Chusclan, Inycon, Nieto Senetiner  and a whole range of Bordeaux reds.

Glass action

Finally, quite a few people were asking about the pretty good wine glasses we were using. My, ahem, ‘collection’ of glasses is quite a mixture at this stage but most of them are the M&S Windsor Large Red Wine Glass, €20 for a pack of four. The even more impressive Bordeaux glasses in the same range are also only twenty bucks. I don’t know why anyone would pay any more than that. Glasses break, for pity’s sake. So why would you have anything in the house you’d be fretting over?

Wine tasting evening, June 25

It’s wine o’clock!

Blake Creedon and friends & staff of the Sexual Violence Centre - Mary Crilly, Erica Seffastsson, Dragan Tomas and Kieran Hoare - get some practice in ahead of the Camden Place wine event. Picture: Clare Keogh, ProVision

I’M running a fun wine-tasting evening with the Sexual Violence Centre, Cork on Thursday June 25.  We’ll be sipping from a long list of wines that I think will light yer candle – accompanied by some top-class tasty treats courtesy of Bridget Healy and Vourneen Fayer. Yay!

For years, Mary Crilly and myself have been promising ourselves we’d do a tasting in (and for) the Sexual Violence Centre, so I’m thrilled skinny that it’s finally happening. You may be interested yourself. And/or if you know anyone who might be, please pass on a link to this page.

It’s all taking place in the airy first-floor rooms of the Centre’s home – a beautiful 18th century townhouse on Camden Place, the terrace of red-brick houses on Camden Quay just off St Patrick’s Bridge in Cork. By the way, the satirist and mischief-making rascal Sylvester Mahony (aka Fr Prout) was born on the same terrace in 1804 but I’m not sure which house. Anyway, this is a rare opportunity to see this lovely building from the inside, which is another bonus.

Where the wines come from...

The words “wine tasting” have many, many meanings so I’ll outline roughly what this one is all about. Everyone will be seated around tables (or, for the lucky few who get there early, sprawled on the cosy couches) and I’ll introduce six or eight reds, whites and rosés as well as some cool bubbles  —  the ones that don’t have the word ‘property’ in front of them.

I will be talking a bit about each wine while trying to avoid telling people what to think. I’ll also be chatting around some themes that can help us choose wines that are both good and good value.  (Plus, if it doesn’t complicate things too much, I might be getting people to engage in a fun and practical exercise designed to help us reassert the pre-eminence of our senses over the say-so of critics and commentators like myself).

It’ll most closely resemble a sociable few drinks (albeit with one guy holding forth a bit. That’d be me).  At the same time, it may be a useful exercise in reasserting some key guidelines when you are out buying wine. There’ll be printouts available at the end of the night detailing all the wines and where to get them, so people don’t have to be fussed getting the details at the time. Plus I’ll do a follow-up here online with references to any information that people are interested in. Which means we can all relax and enjoy the night.

…and where we can buy them

I can’t stand the undue reverence that is often paid to wine, and do everything I can to demolish that. But we will be drinking good tack on the night. And the wines will be shown off at their best as we’ll be serving them in great big Bordeaux-style glasses rather than  those wretched ISO egg-cup-sized yokes. Life’s too short.

The event is taking place to raise funds for, and awareness of, the Sexual Violence Centre which for 26 years has been providing support for survivors of sexual violence. It also offers outreach such as its schools education programmes, and is an active participant in the anti-trafficking campaign. Apart from the funds raised by the evening, just by gathering in that building I think we’ll all be offering our unspoken support for the people who provide these vital services.

Wine Tasting Evening with Blake Creedon
Thursday June 25,  (start time 7.30pm or 8pm – TBC)
Sexual Violence Centre, Camden Quay, Cork.
Tickets (€25) from 021 4505577 or from www.sexualviolence.ie.

For years, Mary Crilly and myself have been promising ourselves we’d do one, so I’m thrilled skinny that it’s finally happening. You may be interested yourself. And/or if you know anyone who might, please pass on a link to this page.

Buying wine online

HERE’s a list of Ireland’s best wine websites and below are some  general guidelines to getting good wine delivered to your door in time for Christmas day. You should of course bear in mind all the usual caveats when shopping at an online wine retailer. But specifically, any wine website worth looking at should be…

VERSATILE: Most sites offer two ways to buy: You can choose one of their pre-picked selections, or you can put together your own mixed cases will-nilly.

INFORMATIVE: It’ll list every wine’s full name, vintage and regional designation. It ought to have a little bit of further information about the wine’s producer and the region.

UNAMBIGUOUS: One of the things you should check immediately – that the site has unambiguous information about
1 minimum order
2 delivery charge, if any.*
3 extra costs, if any.
*The first two points can be related, as often delivery is free if you order over a certain value or volume.
The third point is ultra-important. There should be no extra costs, end of story.*

AUTHORITATIVE: If there are notes about the wines, ask yourself if someone has actually tasted the wine and tried to communicate something of its character. Or is it just vaguely positive-sounding blurb.

UP TO DATE: It’s quite possible that a site promising “sizzling bargains for summer 2007” might be selling top class wines at good prices. But really you’d have more confidence in the ones that have accurate up-to-date information.

I’d be highly sceptical of any site that pops in a cost such as insurance on top of the list price. In particular, watch out for VAT. It is an offence for a retailer to advertise consumer goods without its VAT component.

Yet one site, www.throughthegrapevine.ie, (which should not be confused with the estimable www.onthegrapevine.ie) promotes itself as supplying individual customers, providing wedding wines etc. However, it does not include VAT in its list prices, that component being added in later in the purchase process. Some people (yes I mean me) get a bit fuzzy about numbers when they go into three figures and I can imagine a less-than-alert wine buyer innocently clicking ‘buy’ without realising his or her wines have gotten a whole lot dearer.
How can this site justify this? Well it also sells business-to-business and as such is entitled to show ex-VAT prices. But by rights they should emulate those flyers from Dell which clearly show both prices for business and private customers.

Through The Grapevine may not be doing anything illegal but really it is a bit cheesy to say the least and you don’t need people like that in your life. Puh.

El Coto Crianza

Oh and apart from all that, the corporate or private shopper may do better elsewhere anyway:
Through The Grapevine lists El Coto De Rioja Crianza 2004/05 as €120 for a 6-bottle case. Add in €25.80  in VAT and the total comes to €145.80, meaning you’re stumping up over €24 every time you brandish your corkscrew. A high-end premium wine then? Break it out for special occasions?

Well hang on, look up another site,  www.karwigwines.ie, and there it is, El Coto Crianza [not to be confused with the Gran Reserva] the same wine for €14.15 a bottle straight up, VAT included. Delivery is free if you buy two cases or more. And even if you’re buying less than that, the €9.50 delivery charge is swallowed up by the 5% case discount  or the 10% discount on orders worth more than €200.

The point it  -  I’m almost embarrased saying it because it’s so obvious  -  tame your credulity and shop around. Let’s go take a look at some of Ireland’s finest wine websites and if you’ve any comments or questions leave a note here or mail me at blake[dot]creedon[at]examiner.ie.

AUTHORITATIVE