Christmas Wines: at Lidl
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
The wine section at Lidl is different to the other multiples. For a start there may well be branded wine on sale as opposed to just own brand. Second they employ a Master of Wine to score their wines. Personally I don’t have much faith in scores out of 100 as they make distinctions that are, quite frankly, impossible to make! Take an 89 v a 90 score. One must be better? Not at all. I can remember one importer claiming his €8.99 wine from Romania was as good as Chateau Latour (First growth from Bordeaux) because they had both scored the same out of 100! That said Richard Bampfield MW is the gen ..read more
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Christmas Wines: at ALDI
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
For too long now both Aldi (and the other fella) have been referred to as ‘discounters‘. This is usually said in a disparaging tone as if we don’t need, or want, a discount!! With the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing this year (MUP) deep dive discounts on alcohol is now illegal. That means that Christmas 2023 is the first time that everyone plays off a level playing field. Good Value and Discounting are now one and the same! (Luckily I have always referred to Aldi (and the other fella) as Good Value stores). What to buy in Aldi this Christmas? First I go for the wines i have liked all year ..read more
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Christmas Wines: at O’Briens
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
What can we recommend from O’Briens Wine? – just about everything! Ireland’s leading chain of off-licence stores really does cover all bases, has a friendly, very well educated staff and goes out of its way to bring us real quality at honest prices. What would I look out for? First would be their own imports and always on my list are the wines of Tandem from Navarra. These are versatile and fruit driven beauties from what is probably Spain’s most flexible wine region – no wonder O’Briens’ buyer, Lynne Coyle MW, makes her Rose (RÓS) there! The Ars in Vitro unoaked Tempranillo Merlot blend is d ..read more
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Kinsale Mead: The Best There Is – Happy Christmas!
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
Mead. Timeless, ancient and exceptional. This is a fabulous drink made with Honey, Water and Fruit. Simplicity is often the hallmark of brilliance and this is certainly true of the Kinsale Meadfrom the Atlantic shoreline of Co Cork in southern Ireland. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE Mead is versatile and makes a wonderful gift. How about the Kinsale Red Mead– Smooth with Irish Blackcurrants and Cherries or the Kinsale Atlantic Mead – Citrus and Crisp. Versatile! The expertise at Kinsale Meadery is world class. In this podcast founder owner Kate Dempseybrings us on a journey from setting up t ..read more
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Christmas Wine: at Dunnes Stores!
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
It has been both extraordinary and refreshing to have witnessed, over the past twenty years, the extreme transformation across the Dunnes Stores’ wine offering. When I worked (with the brothers) in our Vintage stores we applauded Dunnes for its ineptitude! Our reasoning was simple. The longer Ireland’s leading supermarket continued to sell boring wines, based on price alone, the better it was for quality independent stores ie us! Today Dunnes Stores offers not just an amazing selection of wines but it goes out of its way to bring genuine value to its shelves. ‘Genuine’ in this sense equates ..read more
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Christmas Wine: at SuperValu!
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
3M ago
SuperValu has a couple of ‘Flash Sales‘ in right now. Best of the bunch has to be the 6 bottle cases of both Villa Maria and Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand at €50.00 the case. Don’t forget, you’ll need to scan your Loyalty card to grab the offer. But what to buy to enjoy and …. to impress with? Top of my list is the Chateau Lacombe Cadiot, Bordeaux Superieur €12.99 This is the real deal where value and quality bash head on! It’s an award winner at competitions that matter and a style that really does appeal to a wide audience. Read all about it HEREon its makers website. Be imp ..read more
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Moldova Wine: Exciting
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
4M ago
We all know where Moldova is? mmaybe not  …   We all know that Moldova is historically a very important player in how the world trade in wine developed. Right? mmaybe not …. OK, how about the underground cellars that stretch for 200kms? They even hold an underground marathon through them!! Nope? So much to learn! Listen to the PODcast HERE This year The National Office for the Vine and Wine (in Moldova) held a Fair in Dublin. I don’t usually talk about events that don’t have product in the market but make an exception here. Why? Because it is truly an interesting story and a ge ..read more
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Have you Heard of: The Association of Wine Educators?
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
5M ago
Maybe. Maybe not. Would you be impressed that Jancis Robinson MW has said that the Association of Wine Educatorsis a collection of, “…some of the most dedicated wine educators in the world …’‘. Probably! What makes AWE either useful or important? Qualifications and the ability to teach. Wine Education, folks, is a long, long way from Wine Tasting. You can have both together. You can have Education without Tasting. Tasting without Education is fun. It is, however, very limited without a qualified leader. AWE members are leaders. AWE members have been assessed as capable of being able to commun ..read more
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NOFFLA Gold Star Awards: Aromatic and Spanish Speaking!
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
5M ago
The Annual NOFFLA (National Off-Licence Association) Gold Star Awards were announced last week. It’s well worth heading into your local independent wine store and supporting the winning wines. It’s a good list. Very interesting to see the inclusion of an aged Semillon from Santa Rita in Chile. (see the Winners Stable below). Why (besides the fact that it’s a really excellent wine) is it ‘interesting’? We seldom find wines that have been aged before release and Semillon ages well! There are very few Semillons in the market at all and possibly no others from Chile. Semillon one of the great ov ..read more
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David Dennison: Viking Irish Wines in Wexford
Wine Ireland Blog
by Kevin Ecock
5M ago
In this episode we visit and chat with David Dennison of Viking Irish Drinksin Co. Wexford. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE It was a beautiful summer day in his vineyard. Everything promises well for another fine vintage of the grapes that Dennis grows for his Viking Irish Wines. The vineyard is fascinating for the variety of grape types that David has in the ground. It is, in effect, a magnificent experiment that will inform present and future Irish viticulturists. Remember, folks, you must have quality grapes to make quality wine. Ireland may not grow a lot of grapes but what is grown is of a ve ..read more
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