Food and Wine Matching

(Courtesy of Winenews)

Food Pairing Principles

When pairing wine to food try to match similarities of richness, texture, intensity, and flavor of the food to the wine. Here are some tips:

Similarities: Match wine and food with similar richness and texture such as fish in a butter sauce with a buttery chardonnay.

Flavor: Pair wine and food with similar flavors, such as a pepper crusted steak with a strong peppery syrah. Earthy foods, such as mushrooms, go well with earthy old wines. The dominant flavor is the key, especially when the food has a sauce. Typically the sauce is the dominant flavor.

Balance: Always try to balance the acidity and sweetness of the food to the wine. For desserts the wine should always be as sweet or sweeter.

Regionality: Typically a regions food goes well with local wines. For example an Oregon or Washington pinot noir goes well with Northwest salmon.

Cooking Method: Light wines go well with steamed or poached foods. Medium and full bodied wines go better with grilled, roasted, or braised dishes that have intense flavors.

The Keys to Flavor Matching

One of the most important elements to harmonize between wine and food is flavor. For example, a tangy tomato-based pasta sauce requires a wine with comparable acidity. Without this balance between the acidity of the dish and the wine, the partner with lower acidity tastes flabby and dull, while the other, too tart.

To find an acidic wine, you can choose one that is made in the same area as the food. Years of matching the regional cuisine and wine as well as similar soil and climatic conditions make this a safe bet. For example, you could pair a tomato sauce fettuccine with a Tuscan chianti. Or you can select a wine from a cool climate where the grapes don’t ripen to great sweetness, and maintain their tart, tangy edge. Crisp New Zealand sauvignon blancs and French chablis serve these dishes well.

Acidic wines also work well with salty dishes. For example, oysters are both salty and briny with an oily mouth-coating texture that can smoother most wines. However, a sparkling wine from California , a Spanish cava or French champagne can both refresh and cleanse your palate when eating fish. Carbonated wines also work well with spicy foods. Hot spice in Asian, Thai, curry and chili pepper dishes can numb the palate. Many of these foods also have high acidity from citrus ingredients such as lime juice as well as sweetness. Therefore, you need a wine with an acidic backbone as well as a touch of sweetness such as an off-dry California sparkling wine with lots of fruit.

While off-dry, acidic wines go well with many dishes, the two most difficult wines to pair with food are also the two most popular: chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. New World chardonnays can taste of oak, and are buttery, flavorful wines that overwhelm many dishes. But you can still enjoy chardonnay with your meal. Pair it with butter and cream sauces to marry similar textures and flavors.

Conversely, cabernet sauvignons can have bitter dark fruit flavors with mouth drying tannins (the same sensation you get from drinking well-brewed tea). Therefore, they find their happiest match in foods with juicy proteins such as a rare steak. The protein softens the tannin making the wine taste smooth and fruity. Steaks done with crushed black peppercorns sensitize your taste-buds, making the wine taste even more fruity and robust. However, the way in which the dish is prepared also has an impact. A well-done steak, for example, may taste too dry with a tannic cabernet.

Proteins are also at work with the marriage of wine and cheese, the cocktail classic. Red wines tend to go better with hard cheeses such as blue cheese as they can accommodate more tannins. However, whites suit soft cheeses such as brie and camembert as the creamier textures require more acidity for balance.

Game birds such quail, pheasant, turkey, duck, squab and guinea hen have earthy flavors that are more robust than chicken. Wild game often goes better with racy red wines that have a gamy quality to them, the classic being Burgundian pinot noir. The flavors of pinot noir — plum, cherry, mushrooms, earth and even barnyard (that’s a positive adjective) – accentuate the same gamy flavors in the food. Other wine options for game birds include Spanish rioja, Oregon pinot noir and lighter-style Rhône Valley wines such as Côte-Rôtie.

One of the most challenging flavors to balance is sweetness. Dishes with a touch of sweetness such as glazed pork do well with off-dry wines such as riesling and chenin blanc. However, rich desserts such as chocolate and crème brulée demand a wine that is sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste thin, even bitter. Sweet wines such as sauternes, Canadian icewine, late harvest wines and port will work not only for their sweetness but also for their unctuous texture.

Wine Variety Guidelines

When the marriage of food and wine works well, each enhances the other, making the meal greater than if you had consumed them separately.

Following are some suggestions for help deciding the best food matches for several popular wine types:

Red Wines:

Cabernet Sauvignon: Roasts & spicy red meat, spicy poultry, duck, rabbit, pate, sausage, kidneys, and cheeses like cheddar & blue.

Pinot Noir: Roasted beef or turkey, braised chicken, cold game birds (duck, rabbit, partridge), veal, truffles, and cheeses like Gruyeres.

Merlot: Roasted beef or turkey, braised chicken, cold duck, lamb, veal, venison, liver, stew, meat casseroles.

Shiraz : Heavily spiced or barbequed meats, braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, garlic casseroles, ratatouille.

White Wines:

Chardonnay: Seafood with butter sauce, pasta with cream sauce, veal, chicken, turkey, ham, and cheeses like Emmenthal & Gruyeres.

Riesling: Ham, pork, clams, muscles, Tandoori chicken, lobster Newberg, Coquilles St Jacques, Asian dishes, sashimi, and mild cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc: Ham, quiche, Irish stew, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salads, and strong cheeses like goat.

Gewurztraminer: Spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, pork & sauerkraut, smoked salmon, and spiced/pepper cheeses like Muenster.

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 28, 2010

THEY say its good for the soul, so I’ll start today with a public confession - I was a card-carrying member of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) club.
I became quite sniffy about it - even though the grape is behind the world’s greatest whites from Burgundy.
I was reminded of that embarrassing indiscretion at a wine club tasting this week when many attending were apprehensive when told that at their next tasting chardonnay would take centre stage.
Thankfully I got over my prejudice, resigned from the ABC club and have drank superb burgundies and chardonnays from all over the world recently.
The grape has regained its position as THE greatest white variety. Sauvignon blanc is still fashionable but it just doesn’t have the finesse or elegance of chardonnay - and the fad for Pinot Grigio will pass.
Oak - the over-use of it particularly in Australia and California - lies behind the massive fall-off in chardonnay sales during the late 90s.
So much of it was used - the Aussies nicknamed the over-alcoholic finished product ‘Dolly Parton‘ wines (too much upfront) - there was a real danger of getting splinters in your mouth!
Such wines are rare these days, winemakers across the world have toned down the oak and by sourcing grapes from cooler climes increased the freshness and acidity in their wines.
Wines from Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley are worth seeking out as are those from Chile’s Leyda Valley.
And back in Burgundy it is possible to drink well these days for around €15. Look to Chablis, Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais.
I will return for a detailed look at chardonnays for the summer in the coming weeks. Today’s two recommendations will go down well for Mother’s Day next Sunday.

Domaine du Closel La Jalousie 2007
Savennieres, France
€19.99 from Superquinn

Classic Savennieres Chenin Blanc with great honeyed waxy fruit and good mineral backbone. Lemon gold in colour, with minerals, herbs, peaches and nectarines on the nose. Medium bodied palate, with a creamy texture and lifted nectarine palate. Will age well, as it has great, juicy acidity. A real discovery.

Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rose
Various Regions, Australia
Widely available at €14.99 but shop around for promotions
This is a real favourite. A bottle fermented sparkling wine made with chardonnay and pinot noir grapes with a lemon citrus aroma from the former, and strawberry and red currant characters from the latter. The wine finishes soft and round, with wonderful lingering fresh berry flavours.

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 21, 2010

WE are generally a nation of red wine drinkers. We love our big cabernets, jammy merlots and alcoholic syrahs and shiraz.

We have even taken a liking to the hearty malbec grape, especially those from Argentina.

But there are so many more reds out there that seem to sit on the shelf because we remain unadventurous or just afraid to try them.

Take Grenache, a grape with Spanish origins, where it is capable of producing cherry and pepper flavoured wines that can be quite alocholic. It tends to be used in blends but is producing some  deep coloured, fruity wines in France’s southern Rhone region

Speaking of the Rhone, Mourvèdre, a velvety purple colour grape with a powerful flavour that hints of licqourice is beginning to emerge as a single varietal wine in its own right.

In Spain’s ultra-hot Jumilla region the same grape – called Monastrell - is feted for the wines it is capable of producing.

Italy’s Sangiovese and Nebbiolo grapes are well worth seeking out.

Sangiovese is grown in Tuscany - especially in the Brunello de Montalcino and Chianti regions. It produces medium to full bodied reds with high acidity and plenty of tannin to give a sour cherry, plum, and dried herbs flavours.

Nebbiolo is the grape variety used in Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. The wines are full bodied and powerful with a complex bouquet of berries, flowers, herbs and wood.
And we must not forget the Dolcetto grape from Piedmont. It makes wines that are easy to drink with flavours of cherries and red berry fruits.

A real favourite of mine is Portugal’s Touriga National – normally an essential part of Port but increasingly available as a table wine that can be highly tannic yet very concentrated with a smooth velvet finish.

Other red grape varieties to look out for are South Africa’s Pinotage, and California’s Zinfandel.

Heartland Dolcetto and Lagrein 2007
Langhorne Creek, Australia
€14.75 from better independent off licences
The Aussie blend packs a powerful punch at 14.5 per cent alcohol with lovely aromatics and savoury tannins. Purple in colour, it has cherry and coffee aromas and intense earthy flavours of spice cherries with good acidity and nice length. Perfect with pasta.

Velenosi Brecciarolo, Rosso Piceno Superiore 2006
Marche, Italy
€13 from better independent off licences
This wine is made from Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes and is a deep ruby red. A wonderful woody spice and vanilla nose with lovely blackcurrant fruits on the palate and light tannins providing just enough grip. Will go well with full-flavoured Italian meat dishes.

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 14, 2010

THERE is an unquenchable thirst for wine knowledge out there. Wine courses sell out quickly - no matter what the price - and many have large waiting lists.
Yet despite all this unbridled enthusiasm to learn about all things vinous, we remain, for the most part, very unadventurous when it comes to trying something different.

We are creatures of habit so when looking for a bottle for the weekend we invariably end up choosing a shiraz, merlot, cabernet, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. These five grapes account for almost 80p per cent of all still wine sales.

Nothing wrong with that. There are truly some great wines out there made from these noble grapes. But there is so much more to be tasted - around 5,000 varieties!

In Spain alone there are over 600, among them is one of my favourite whites, the beautifully refreshing albarino from Galicia which works perfectly with shellfish.

Across the country in the Rioja region viura is the most important white grape, where it makes a lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol wine which is great to drink during in hot weather to quench the thirst.
In Portugal the citrusy and refreshing arinto is causing something of a stir these days and now the encruzado grape from the Dão region in the north of the country is getting the attention it deserves.
This is a beautifully fragrant white which can have aromas and flavours of apricots and nectarines and great acidity.
And we must not forget those beautifully scented white varieties from France’s Rhone region - marsanne, viognier and roussanne.
Further afield Argentina can boast torrontes with its enormous fragrance ranging from peaches to orange peel. The wines tend to have good, fresh acidity which makes them an ideal food wine.

These are just a few white varieties - along with my two recommendations below - which you may not have tried yet. So why not try something different this week? We will look at unusual reds next time.

Bethany Semillon 2005
Barossa Valley, Australia
€11.95 at O’Briens Wines

This outstanding example of an Aussie Semillon is a bright, gold colour with aromas of lemon and honey. The wine is soft on the palate with an oily character with complex nutty honeysuckle and lemon flavours. Barrel fermented, the wine also has a subtle hint of oak. A goof partner for prawns or with steamed mussels and crusty bread.

Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2007
Alsace, France
€13.95 Widely available

One of Alsace’s signature whites from one of the great producers, this Pinot Blanc is perfect as an aperitif. It is a light wine that has clean citrus and green apple fruit flavours, good structure and bright acidity. Good alongside fish and chicken dishes.

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 07, 2010

THE nights are still cold and its another seven weeks before the clocks go forward and the evenings take a stretch - but, hey, February 1 was the official start of Spring and next Sunday is Valentines Day. 

I always toast the coming of Spring with something pink, still or sparkling. A decent bottle can lift the spirits after the dark, cold days of Winter.

The same kind of wines that will be well received next weekend with the hand-written inscription, ‘from your Valentine’.

However, the words have sent a shiver down my spine ever since a friend ‘who knows these things’ told me their origin - attributed to St Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.

The story goes that one of the last things he done before he died, on February 14, 269 AD, was to leave a farewell note for his jailer's daughter, who had become his friend. He signed it ‘From your Valentine’.

In France the day is celebrated in the village of St Amour, situated in the north of the Beaujolais wine region. 

Again its a Roman who attracts French lovers to the picturesque village, reputedly named after a disaffected soldier, Amor.

St Amour is also the name of a Cru Beaujolais, one of 10 crus that represent beaujolais. These gamay grape wines can be tight and reserved when young, but after a year or so they become supple and fruity, with flavours of apricot and cherries.

Rizzardi Fior Di Rosa,

Bardolino, Italy

€14.95 at O’Briens Wines

Elegance throughout from stylish bottle to last sip. A blend of local corvina, rondinella, sangiovese, molinara and negrara grapes that is gushing with raspberry and strawberry aromas. Wonderfully balanced with a soft fruit palate and nice length. Chill down and treat yourself - and partner - to some grilled king prawns and a glass.

Chateau de Pennautier Rose 2008,

Cabardes, France

€7.95 until St Valentines day at Dunnes Stores

Transport yourself to the south of France with just a sip of this excellent merlot and syrah blend rose from near Carcassone. Beautifully smooth, dry and elegant with soft fruit flavours, great acidity and length.

Torres San Valentin 2008

Penedes, Spain

€8.99 on promotion and widely available

A 100 per cent garnacha grape wine. Cherry colour with wonderful blackberry jam aromas. Silky palate, soft tannins with blackberry and pomegranate flavours. Good length and finish. Perfect for the man in your life next Sunday. 

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Jan 31, 2010

FROM Bierzo in the northwest to Jumilla in the southeast, we are fast discovering the vast array of great grape varieties and wines emerging from Spain these days.

But ask most wine lovers to name one Spanish region off the top of their heads and Rioja would most likely spring to mind.

Wine has been made in Rioja - situated south of the Cantabrian mountains in the north of Spain - since Roman times but modern winemaking techniques only arrived in the region around 1850.

An exodus of winemakers from Bordeaux escaping the phylloxera pest which was devastating vines in France brought new growing techniques and oak-barrel aging to Rioja.

While the production of white Rioja has increased in recent years, it is red wines that are synonymous with the region and here the Tempranillo grape is king.

This thick-skinned grape brings a richness, vibrant colour, a fair amount of alcohol and aging potential to the table.

But what makes Rioja so approachable, and a great food wine, is its blending with up to three other grapes - Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha (Grenache).

Mazuelo can add depth and vibrancy to the blend, Graciano elevates the wine with gorgeous glints of vibrant purple and spicy, fresh aromas, while Garnacha brings concentration, big red berry flavours, spice and soft tannins.

White Rioja is made with Malvasia, Viura and Garnacha Blanca grapes.

Both red and whites are classified based on aging in oak barrels and bottles.

The Crianza category is used to describe a wine that has spent 12-18 months in oak barrels, and at least another year in bottle.

Reserva wines will have been aged in oak barrels for 18-24 months, and 12-24 months in bottle and are known for their deep and complex flavours. 

The Gran Reserva category sees the wines aged in oak barrels for 24-36 months, and 36 months in bottle. They will have intense depth, with hints of cedar and wild berries on the palate.

Luis Cañas Rioja Reserva 2004 

Rioja, Spain

€22, widely available

Brilliant ripe black cherry red colour with excellent depth. Fruity aromas with elegant nuances of fine oak. Velvety in the mouth with a long finish. A Reserva with plenty of class and style framed by  24 months in oak with nice, spicy tannins. Try with
stews and hard cheeses.

Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 2005

Rioja, Spain, 

€15 or less, widely available

Nicely rounded, with a soft finish. A wine made in a modern style that makes it very approachable. Ruby red in colour with sweet cherry aromas and silky oak flavours. It has a light, smooth velvety texture and is a great accompaniment to roast lamb. A balanced wine that is also well suited to pork, lamb chops, grilled steak, venison and cheeses.

Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Jan 24, 2010

FAVOURITE wine? Reds, whites, fortified and sweeties. Pick just one bottle? I need time to answer, come back in a year.

Ask me to choose a bottle that I have not tried yet and one name instantly comes to mind - La Tâche Romanée-Conti from Burgundy, France. 

The 2005 vintage sells for around €2,500 a bottle, if you can buy one of the 4,500 produced that year. 

So, unless someone uncorks a bottle and offers me a glass then the chances are I may never taste what wine critics regard as the greatest wine.

What makes the wine so sought after is the grape - Pinot Noir. A delinquent grape plagued by difficulties from when its buds appear in May through to bottle aging.

It can be affected by every known bug and disease found in vineyards. Should the grapes reach maturity and are not picked at the right time they shrivel and dry out.

It is the most temperamental grape, but for all its faults it is capable of producing the most alluring and sensual wines that age gracefully for decades.

It will have a bouquet of cherries, strawberries and raspberries, with hints of mushroom, earth, truffle and leather. Oak can impart further aromas of vanilla. On the palate it has a soft and velvety texture.

The very best pinot still comes from Burgundy. But even a moderate quality bottle can set you back €50.  Thankfully, New World producers like New Zealand, California and Chile

are producing excellent pinot at affordable prices.

As temperamental and difficult as it may be, the grape has caught the imagination of winemakers worldwide. 

It is a classic food wine,  perfect with grilled salmon and roast beef, or any dish that features mushrooms. Classic French cooking has creations based on pinot, such as Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourginon.

Try a bottle... soon.

Montana South Island Pinot Noir 2008

Marlborough, New Zealand

€12.60 and widely available

Winemaker Patrick Materman has managed to produce the best entry level pinot currently available. This elegant wine has wonderful berry flavours of strawberries and cherries with smoky hints of oak. It has, in small amounts, all that one would expect from a great pinot - fruit driven with fine tannin structure and good length.

Gold Label Pinot Noir 2008

Vin de Pays D’OC, France

€10.46 from Marks & Spencer

Grapes grown close to the Mediterranean in southern France make for a soft, smooth wine that is fruit driven with the ripe strawberry flavour typical of pinot shining through. Nice, soft tannins add to the pleasure of this wine with a decent length. Great with creamy cheeses.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Jan 17, 2010

OXYGEN is probably wine’s biggest enemy.

For hundreds of years the cork stopper was wine’s saviour - keeping it in the bottle and the harmful gas out.

The introduction of the cork is down to the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon who saw the great qualities of cork as a closure and replaced the then standard wooden stoppers wrapped in hemp and soaked in olive oil and bunged tightly into the barrel’s opening.

And so for centuries cork was the closure of choice. But then scientists discovered the problem of corked wine where what comes out of the bottle tastes musty.

The problem was caused by a  tainted cork contaminated by the chemical compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA to you and me.

A badly corked wine will have a characteristic damp, moldy cardboard box smell. Believe me, you will recognise it as soon as you smell it. It will be undrinkable but harmless if you do.

The realisation that their industry was in danger of sinking gave cork manufacturers a massive hygiene wake-up call and conditions, particularly in Portugal, have improved immeasurably.

While all this was going on the screwcap entered the market and the great cork versus screwcap debate began, and continues remorselessly.

Tainted corks are still around. At one stage as many as 10 per cent of bottles were affected. That figure has been cut to about 2-3 per cent in recent years. 

The number of screwcap bottles on the shelves has grown dramatically. But in recent times screwcaps have been found to have a problem - reduction. 

It happens when sulphur compounds build up in the neck of the bottle because of the lack of oxygen. In extreme cases the wine can smell and taste of sulphur.

So you choose your closure and take your chances - and the battle for the hearts and minds of the consumer is in full swing with the Portuguese Cork Association signing up no less a person than soccer coach José Mourinho to be their roving ambassador! 

Catena Malbec 2006

Mendoza, Argentina

€10.99 and widely available

The wine is a dark, violet colour with deep bluish black tones with dark fruit aromas with hints of vanilla and mocha. On the palate there is lush black cherry flavours, with spice, tobacco and leather. It has a soft finish with supple tannins.

Chilcas Piedra Felix Pinot Noir 2006

Maule Valley, Chile

Around €13.99 at good independents

Rich and smooth, this 100 per cent form the San Rafael in the Maule Valley is fermented and aged in first and second use French oak barrels for 13 months. Deep red with in colour with plum and cassis aromas. On the palate is all red cherry, spice and mint. Great, long finish.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Jan 10, 2010

THE holiday period allowed me open some exceptional bottles of wine to share with friends and relatives.

Some were old-ish (1994), others mere babies (2009). Several were rather expensive - one set me back €140 - and some were less than €15. But they all had one thing in common - a high enjoyment quotient. 

They are gone now but I still get a tingling sensation when I remember the enjoyment they brought to me and those who shared them.

But one question kept popping up at these impromptu tastings: How long will this wine keep? 

The answer, in the case of over 90 per cent of wines, is they won’t - and they should have been drunk yesterday! They were made to be drunk fresh and young, certainly within two years of vintage.

I won’t be drinking any cheap and cheerful whites older than 2007 this year. The reds will be no older than 2006. 

For those who have invested their hard-earned cash in a bottle or two to ‘lay down’ the quandary is: Am I pulling the cork too early, or have I left it too late? 

The answer is - open the bottle. It’s all part of the excitement and enjoyment of drinking wine. I’m reminded of a saying I heard some years ago. Opening a bottle is like going on a blind date, you won’t know what it’s like until you do.

There are tickets still available for the New Zealand consumer tasting at the SAS Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8 on January 19).

Consumer tickets, at €15 each, are on sale at www.newzealandwineevents.co.uk (credit card payment accepted), To pay by cheque or postal order contact: Jean Smullen at jean@jeansmullen.com or by phone at 086 816 8468 for an application form.

With over 40 wineries showing their wines the event is thoroughly recommended.

Castelinho Lagar Dos Saraivas 2001

Douro, Portugal

€19.99 at good independent off-licences 

A must-try blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa grapes. Intense ruby red colour with notes of black cherries and blackcurrants on the nose. Then hints of coffee, vanilla and licorice hit you! A big and persistent palate with those cherries and soft black fruits shining through. Perfect winter warmer with braised, stewed or roasted meats.

Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2008, 

South Australia

€10.99 and widely available

A wonderful perfume of lemon, honeysuckle, melons, and herbs permeates from the glass. On the palate the tart acidity makes way for a full-bodied white with flavours of ripe apricots, citrus, and spices. Can match the heat and flavours of Mexican food and many curries.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Jan 03, 2010

AS a new year begins to unfold, it’s time to make some predictions for 2010, and pray they don’t come back haunt me in the months to come! 

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS: There is a buzz about Portugal’s arinto, which manages to retain great freshness even in sweltering temperatures.  Zippy on the palate with a little edgy character and bundles green apple and citrus fruit flavours.

Across the border, in Spain’s Galicia region, the godello grape is causing a stir. The minerals in the hills that surround Bierzo is what makes for a great godello. The wines are delicate with lemon and wildflowers in the bouquet and a long, bracing finish. The best combine the minerality of Chablis with the acidity of sauvignon blanc.

On the red front this could well be the year that smoky, full-bodied malbec wines from Argentina move from being a good second division wine to a top first division title contender.

Chile has finally got it right with carménère, a grape that is currently a real favourite of mine. From entry level to super premium bottles it delivers with an enticing nose, great ripe red fruit flavours and wonderfully soft tannins.

COUNTRIES TO WATCH: This could be the year that the Old World kicks back against the New World - but Chile will continue to dominate the market in the good value category. 

That’s a pity, because the country has much, much more to offer. Wines in their premium (around €11) and super-premium (up to €20) categories knock spots off wines from the the rest of the world that are priced appreciably more.

Argentina could also make inroads in the market here but one feels that unless they get behind a major marketing campaign they will remain very much in the shadow of near neighbours Chile. They have the wines but we just don’t hear enough about them.

I see the market share for Portugal and Spain continuing to grow. A national programme of modernisation in Portuguese wineries is finally paying off while Spain has become the home of good value wines in Europe as well as making some of the continent’s iconic wines.

Torres Viña Sol 2007

Catalonia, Spain

(Widely on promotion at around €10)

Elegant, fresh, fruity aromas with fine spicy hints from this perfect aperitif made with the parellada grape. Smooth, rich and crisp on the palate, with plenty of fruity apple and pineapple flavours with a touch of spice.

Montes Classic Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Colchagua Valley, Chile

(Around €17 and widely available)

An intense ruby red colour,  the nose has caramel, cinnamon, candy and hints of mint, with plenty of fruit and some oak. A spicy, full-flavored wine, with good body, fruit and firm tannins with a lengthy finish.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Dec 20, 2009

AS 2009 draws to a close, my wine tasting notes show I have ‘tasted’ - as opposed to ‘drunk’ - close to 2,500 wines this year.

A mixed bag of white, red, rosé, still, sparkling and fortified. From all over the world, including some unusual locations, like Jordan, Brazil, India, Luxembourg, Peru - and Ireland!

Surprisingly, compiling a top twenty list didn’t prove too ardous. Reducing that list to just three - the best of the year for this fledgling column proved a little harder.

But after much deliberation, here are my three Wines Of The Year for 2009. 

Prova Regia Arinto 2008 

Bucelas, Portugal

(€11.99 and now widely available)

Irish born Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley - later Duke of Wellington - helped to popularise this white wine after discovering it when staying in Bucelas, 35km north of Lisbon, during the Peninsular Wars of  1807-1814.

The micro-climate in this beautiful valley helps the grapes maintain a cool, dry crisp nature and produces a fresh and zippy wine with great acidity.  With shades of a light lemon colour in the glass, there are notes of pineapple, passion fruit, limes and lemons on the palate. Chilled, it is perfect with grilled, flat fish. Wonderful alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Emiliana Coyam 2006

Colchagua Valley, Chile

(Currently €16.39 and exclusive to O’Briens Wines)

A powerhouse blend of six grapes - syrah, merlot, carmenere, cabernet sauvignon, mourvedre and malbec - this is a certified organic wine, from a biodynamic vineyard, made by one of the Chile’s great winemakers, Alvaro Espinoza.   

With minimal interference the wonderful terroir is allowed express itself through the hand-harvested and hand-selected grapes.

With due care during vinification, Espinoza has produced a ripe and muscular wine of exceptional quality with lush fruit - and subtle oak. It is supple in texture and persistent on the finish, tasting of blackcurrants, toast, cedar, cherry and spices. 

Perrier Jouet Millesime 1998

Epernay, France

(Good independent off licences at around €51)

My splash-out wine. Dominated by Chardonnay, this classy champagne also has large dollops of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. 

It has  a pale yellow colour and a  steady stream of bubbles. It has a nose of orange blossom, honey and brioche with hints of vanilla. The palate is rounded with yeasty and ripe citrus flavours. Lemon zest adds to a long, memorable finish.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Dec 13, 2009

PROSECCO, once Italy’s cheap and cheerful bubbly, has had a makeover in recent years - and is proving a real hit with Irish wine lovers this Christmas.

Made with the grape of the same name, Prosecco comes from the Veneto region in Italy’s northeast, traditionally around the villages of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso.

Back in the swinging 1960s the drink was generally sweet - very sweet - and little was drunk outside the region where it has been made for hundreds of years.

However, with new production methods and a reduction of sugar levels, wine sales have dramatically increased annually as the export market grew.

We have taken to the wine because of its adaptability - and price. An exceptional bottle will cost you less than €29.

The wine has obvious charms. Light and fizzy, delicate and fruity are descriptions that I associate 

with the modern style. It adapts well to all sorts of foods. Indeed, it goes particularly well with spicy Asian dishes.

But its as an aperitif that Prosecco has truly made its name in recent years. Record numbers of  bottles will have their corks popped in Irish homes this Christmas day.

Search out bottles with either Valdobbiadene or Conegliano on the label. The wines from these two towns will be richer and more concentrated.

Wines from around Conegliano are generally softer and creamier. Those from Valdobbiadene drier and crisper.

And do remember to drink Prosecco young and never more than two years old. Salut!

La Pieve Prosecco

Veneto, Italy

On promotion at €13.99 in good wine shops 

Excellent value wine from a major distributor. A very easy going wine with creamy, peach and pear fruit flavours on the palate. With just 11 per cent alcohol, it has an easy going refreshing style. 

Ca’ Vive di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco

Veneto, Italy

Widely available at €14.99

Deliciously light and frothy on the palate with citrus and pear flavours. The nose has a characteristic green apple bouquet. With a crisp backbone, this Prosecco has good length in the mouth and a nice aftertaste.

Yellowtail Bubbles 

Southeast Australia

(On promotion at branches of Dunnes Stores at €14.49)

Excellent, persistent bubbles with a nice tropical fruit nose with hints of lemon and biscuit. Well rounded in the mouth with an engaging freshness and palate of citrus fruits and pineapple. Good length and soft finish. 

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Dec 06, 2009

WE have all heard the story. It’s the last night of a wonderful summer holiday and the happy couple head off to a little restaurant they discovered earlier for one last meal.

Everything is perfect. The table has been booked for 9pm and the weather is such that dining al fresco under the stars, with the gentle, hypnotic sound of the tide breaking on the beach, is a must.

The food is fresh and simple - vegetables, fish and breads. Then there is the wine. Local wine that proves to be a match made in heaven.

This perfect Kodak moment that will be remembered for a long time - especially after picking up a couple of bottles of those wines at a  supermarket (for little or nothing) on the way to the airport.

Then, on a wet late Autumn Sunday, one of those  bottles picked up in warmer times comes out of the cupboard to accompany lunch in an attempt to re-create that evening on a holiday island in the Med.

Disaster - and the wine gets most of the blame. But the bottle was there to accompany the meal and to enhance the enjoyment of the occasion.

The chemistry that made that Kodak moment so wonderful included location, the company, the weather, food and then the wine. It is hard to re-create on a wet and cold weekend in Ireland!

The synergy of local food and wines is a powerful one that has worked - locally - for generations. 

Cheap wines don’t travel well. They are normally made from indigenous grapes that produce a light, fragrant, refreshing glass that loses elegance and flavour quickly. Best enjoyed where they came from.

But wines that come from the hotter parts of the continent can help lift lunch on a wet and gloomy winter Sunday with their depth of flavours.

My two recommendations today will, I believe bring a little sunshine to your weekend table
.

Casa De La Ermita Crianza 2004

Jumilla, Spain

€14.99 at good independents

Did I say sunshine? I still remember standing among the vines that carry the Monastrel grapes that make up the best part of this super blend on a July mid-day back in 2006 as the thermometer touched 45 degrees Celsius!

A dark purple red colour in the glass with a nose of ripe red cherries and some cinnamon. Nice, soft tannins with hints of oak over ripe cherries and some spice on the palate. Enjoyed best  with roasted red meats. 

TerreRare Carignano Riserva 2003

Sulcis, Sardinia 

€18.99 at specialist wine shops 

From vineyards just outside Alghero in the northern part of the Mediterranean island come this warming 100 per cent Carignano (Carignan grape in France) wine that has had 12 months in oak and  the same in bottle before being released.

An intense ruby red colour with ripe raspberries accompanied by spicy notes on the nose. Rich and concentrated with strawberry flavours with a touch of vanilla. Great with a simple roasted chicken - and perfect with strong Irish red cheddar.

MIDWEEK BARGAIN BUY: 

Protocolo Tinto 2007

Castilla La Mancha, Spain

Reduced to €8.99 at O’Briens Wines 

Excellent 100 per cent Tempranillo making for juicy, fruity red that has a strawberry nose and palate.

Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Nov 29, 2009

ONE of the things that I love about the wine business is the honesty of the winemakers.


Take the wonderfully named Antonio Bravo von Bischoffshausen, who makes wines for Vinedos Emiliana in Chile.


I mention Antonio - a great character and so passionate about what he does - because the Emiliana labels are probably the closest you will get to a truly organic or biodynamic bottle of wine.


But while visiting him at the winery’s flagship vineyard in Chile’s Colchagua Valley recently he said frankly that there is NO truly organic wine on the market.


And that won’t change, he said, until something else besides sulphur dioxide (SO2) is found that can do the job in the winemaking process and is approved for use by international organic organisations.


SO2 has been has been used as a preservative for 200 years. Freshly pressed grape juice has a tendency to oxidise and spoil due to contamination from bacteria wild yeasts present on grape skins.


Sulphur dioxide helps inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria, stops oxidation and preserves the wine’s natural flavour. Wines without it are very unstable.


So what passes for ‘organic wine’ is actually ‘wine made from organically grown grapes’. The sulfites are still there. A natural by-product of the fermentation process.


Most winemakers believe that to make, good, and stable, wines sulfites must be added.

Under present EU regulations, the words ‘contains sulfites’ must appear on a wine bottle label if there are more than 10 parts
per million of sulfites in the wine.


The World Health Organisation reckon about 0.4 per cent of the world population is considered ‘highly allergic’ to sulfites. The highest risk group are asthmatics - but only 5 per cent of that group are actually allergic.


For moderate wine drinkers, the average level of sulfites found wines can, at the most, cause a little heartburn.








Casa De La Ermita Crianza 2004
Jumilla, Spain
€14.99 at good independents


From the hilltop village of the same name comes this Sancerre made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. A light straw hue in the glass with hints of pear on the nose. The palate has citrus and melon flavours. Very dry with well balanced acidity. Left field choice to match toasted marshmallows.




TerreRare Carignano Del Sulcis Riserva 2003
Sardinia
€17.99 at specialist wine shops


This Grigio (75 per cent) and Verduzzo blend has a light golden colour and a nose with hints of lime. Some minerality on the palate with lime, flint, peaches and a touch of bread yeast which adds to the wine’s depth and body. Screaming out for fish - but also a good accompaniment for cheese fondue.


MIDWEEK BARGAIN BUY:


Protocolo Tinto 2007
Marcos Eguren, is ranked in Spain's top 5 premium winemakers making some of the world's most famous wines. With Protocolo, Marcos turns his hand to making a really delightful juicy, fruity red with aromas and flavours of strawberries. Surprisingly round and enticing.
Price €8.99
Add to Basket
Country: Spain


Style: Juicy Fruity Reds


ABV: 13.0%


Vintage: 2007