Two Portuguese Reds. One Rhone Ranger

Two Portuguese Reds.

One Rhone Ranger.

If it’s a red weekend (and the weather forecast indicates that it is), Karwig Wines have got you covered with this trio: two serious contenders from Portugal (and there are more on the way) and a consistently good performer from the banks (both of them!) of the Rhone. Check them out in the store or online.

Quinta do Penedo Dao 2009 (DOC), 13%, €17.25, Karwig Wines

It seems that many wine-drinkers now realise that Portuguese wines are by no means short of personality and class. Quite often, in the reds, that class is supplied by the native grape Touriga Nacional. It makes up 70 per cent of this blend while another indigenous grape, Alfrocheiro, accounts for the balance.

They sure seem to work well together in this dark red with its beautiful intense and warm aromas of juicy dark fruit. That intensity is also evident on the palate, some spice too; it is complex and elegant, with soft tannins and an impressive finish. This friendly juicy wine is Very Highly Recommended.

Herdade do Esporao Monte Velho (Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal) 2013, 13.5%, €14.35, Karwig Wines.

Touriga Nacional pops up again in this blend along with Aragonez, Trincadeira, and Syrah and a pretty good blend it is too. Colour is a light ruby with aromas of ripe red fruit. On the palate, it is fresh, fruity, light and elegant, with a fairly serious structure, well balanced and boasting a decent finish as well. Highly Recommended. The estate was founded in 1267, so they should know what they are doing.

Domaine André Brunel Est-Ouest 2011, Cotes du Rhone (AOC), 13.5%, €13.95 Karwig Wines

More often than not, Cotes du Rhone, whether from a tanker at a crossroads in Provence or at a top class northern city restaurant, delivers. This one sure does and is highly recommended.

The family estate is located on both sides of the Rhone. In the east, there is the stony soil of the Vaucluse and, in the west, the sandy slopes of Gard. Garnache (75%) is the lead grape in the blend, supported by Cinsault (15) and Syrah (10).

The red colour is medium, tending to light, and it has aromas of fruit (blackcurrant prominent). It is fruity upfront, spicy too, well balanced for sure, and the fruit element is maintained through the pretty long finish as well.

Pearls of Portugal. Super Reds & A Port!

Pearls of Portugal. Super Reds & A Port!

Messias Grande Escolha red 2011 (Douro DOC), 14%. €16.30 Karwig Wines

Colour is an opaque purple and it has intense aromas, more or less the raisins and spices the winery itself mentions. In the mouth, the fruit is intense, some spice, silky smooth, tannins quite fine, with a dry and persistent finish. Very Highly Recommended.

This is a blend of traditional grape varieties: Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Nacional.

Quinta do Valdoeiro red Reserva 2009 (Bairrada DOC), 14%, €19.20 Karwig Wines

Another gem from Messias, this from a different area and the blend here is the local Baga with Cabernet Sauvignon. Again, Very Highly Recommended.

It has a deep violet colour with complex aromas featuring mainly dark fruits. There is a superb supple structure, tannins are fine and the balance overall is excellent with an imposing length at the finish. Worth taking your time with this one; you'll appreciate it all the more.

Messias Porto LBV 2007, 19.5%, €21.85 Karwig Wines

Picked this up when I bought some Portuguese wines in Karwig’s and it turns out to be an excellent Late Bottled Vintage at a very good price indeed. Not one of the big names in port in Ireland but Very Highly Recommended. It is made from much the same grape varieties that go into the Grande Escolha above.

It is tawny colored as you'd expect, with a warm, rich and complex aroma with notes of dried fruit. It is satisfyingly full in the mouth, very smooth and finishes long. Well worth a try.

Messias was founded in 1926 and nowadays produces high quality wines from several demarcated regions: Dão, Bairrada, Douro, Vinho Verde, Beiras, Terras do Sado and Vinho do Porto.

Late Bottled Vintage, as the name suggests, is bottled later, remaining in wood between four and six years. All the fruit used is from that one year. During this relatively long period of wood ageing, an LBV matures and settles down.

Reds from the Edges

Reds from the Edges

Thanks to the independents

Some unfamiliar grapes figure in these two excellent reds from the edges of old Europe, one from Austria, the other from Portugal. Not many of us, even if regular customers, will have heard of either the Blaufränkisch or the Alfrocheiro. The names of these grapes, excellent in their original areas, are not an advertiser’s dream (much easier to dream up a slogan for Merlot or Chardonnay).

But they survive, thanks primarily to the local winemakers and thanks to the independent wine merchants, of which we have a fair share in Ireland. They know, and more of their customers are coming to realise, that the bigger picture is made up of little gems whose names may not lend themselves to a catch-all slogan. Best of goods come in small parcels! (Not a bad slogan, come to think of it.)

Wohlmuth Aristos 2009 Burgenland (Austria), 13.5%, €20.59 Karwig Wines

You won’t find Wohlmuth in Hugh Johnson’s current handbook but, thankfully, you’ll find their wines in Karwig’s of Carrigaline. The Aristos, a blend of the local Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a product of the Neckenmarkt vineyard, one of a few owned by the Wohlmuth family, winemakers since 1803. The “most rigorous quality criteria” are applied while the terroir is regarded as ideal for the two varieties.

Austria is predominantly white wine country but it is a different story in the Mittelburgenland (close to the border with Hungary). Here the continental climate is ideal, especially for the juicy Blaufränkisch which also brings relatively high acidity to a blend.

Two thousand and nine was a good year in the area and it shows in this Very Highly Recommended wine. It is clean and bright with a medium red colour and aromas of dark berries. On the palate, you find the berries again, spice too, soft tannins and, yes, that balancing acidity, all the way to a long dry finish. Went well with steak the other night and the producers also recommended trying it with Lamb cutlets, also duck breast on lentils.

Flor de Viseu, Tinto Selection 2009, Dao (Portugal), 13%, €12.99-13.99, Wine Alliance stockists

Most people with a passing acquaintance of Portuguese wine will have heard of Touriga Nacional but Alfrocheiro, the main grape here, will no doubt raise a few eyebrows. Both are local grapes and popular in the Dao region.

The region, named after the local river, is the home of juicy friendly wines and this is one of them. You find red fruit aromas and a healthy looking ruby colour. The wine itself is warm, fruity and spicy. It is rather smooth with mild tannins, very engaging at all points of the palate and has a persistent dry finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Pamper Your Pinot Gris

Pamper Your Pinot Gris

Little Beauty Pinot Gris 2010 (Marlborough NZ), 14%, €21.99 to 22.99), Wine Alliance stockists

This Pinot Gris comes from less than two hectares of vines. “Pinot Gris loves the stones, the water, and the sun", said Little Beauty's Fleur McCree during one of last year’s Wine Geese events. 

It just takes off in these conditions and that can, in the wrong hands, lead to quantity over quality. So it has to be reined in. Bunches are removed. Must be done by hand as machines can’t decide which bunches to discard. “Concentration in Pinot Gris means quality” and it is “the most pampered variety in the vineyard”.

Worth the effort though.  Here you have lip smacking flavour, oily, yet drier than their Riesling. Don’t over-chill it and use with nuts, pork, crab and so on. Very Highly Recommended.

Chateau de Petit Thouars, Cuvee Amiral 2009 Touraine (France), 12.5%, €15.00 at the chateau.

“Many great men of our family served in the French Navy” and so the top wine at the Chateau, near where the Vienne and the Loire meet, is called Amiral. It is a press wine made from the Cabernet France grape. All the refreshing characteristics of this variety are present here, even if the wine has spent some two years in previously used oak.

As you’d expect, it is a medium dark red with red fruits prominent in the bouquet. On the palate, it is fresh and light and rather smooth, terrific concentration and with a slight spiciness plus a pronounced dry lengthy finish. This is tailored for a long keep but only if you have proper storage available.

Highly Recommended, possibly Very Highly Recommended in a few years!

Pegões Stella Rosso 2009 (Setubal, Portugal), 13.5%, €10.99,  Wine Alliance stockists

This was one of the first red wines that the then newly formed Wine Alliance brought in from Portugal. It was a winner then and is a winner now.

Made from the local Castelão (50%) and the international Syrah (50%) grapes, this rich easy drinking red is good on its own and even better with red meats. It is full, fruity and spicy, with a soft supple texture, carries flavours of black cherries and plums and is very well balanced.

Six months in American oak barrels followed by four in bottle before release. An excellent Highly Recommended wine.

Portuguese Pearls, one red, one white.

Portuguese Pearls, one red, one white.

Quinta da Lagoalva, Vinho Tinta 2011, 14.5%, Curious Wines (€14.99) and other stockists.

Colour: A bright and beautiful ruby.

Nose: Ripe fruit aromas.

Palate: Fresh and fruity flavours, slight spice, rich and velvety, a terrific mouthfeel and the long finish is more of the same. This has been compared to high quality Shiraz from the Barossa / McLaren Vale, an opinion that may possibly be underselling this outstanding wine. Very Highly Recommended.

This Vinho Regional Tejo is a blend of Castelão and Touriga Nacional. Tejo is the DOC and VR based around the River Tagus and Quinta da Lagoalva is noted by Hugh Johnson (2014 handbook) as one of the “more ambitious” producers.

Tinta, by the way, means red. You’ll notice that both the red and white used the traditional cork closure which is of course produced in Portugal. Cork, by the way, may be making something of a comeback. Indeed, it is well underway, according to Languedoc winemaker Philip Grant of Chateau Bellevue la Foret.

Speaking at a Winegeese event in L’Atitude 51 last month, Grant said he had noted a major improvement in the traditional closure since 2001 when the Portuguese cork industry reacted to the enormous pressure they was coming under from the emergence of the screw cap as the favourite closure of Australia and other wine producing countries.

Young and Refreshing from Setubal

Fontanario de Pegoes Palmela D.O. 2012, 12.5%, €11.99 to 12.99, Stockists 

This white wine is based on the Fernão Pires grape variety with a touch of Arinto. It is young, fruity, ever so slightly spicy, and with a refreshing finish, making it ideal to accompany any fish or salad dish. This aromatic grape is also called Maria Gomes.

It is produced in the Península of Setúbal, a region just south of Lisbon. Palmela is set in the east of the peninsula and it is here that the cooperative San Isidro de Pegões operates and produces quite a variety of wines, including some of the famous sweet wines based on the Moscatel grape.

Cooperatives are often looked down on and indeed ignored by many wine writers and importers but luckily not by all. Otherwise we could miss out on some very good wines indeed. Writer Jamie Goode says this is “possibly Portugal’s best co-op” and, with winemaker Jaime Quendera at the helm, it has won scores of awards.

If you haven’t tried a Portuguese white before, take a chance on this one. It is a gem and Very Highly Recommended.

A smooth, savoury triumph from Portugal

A smooth, savoury triumph from Portugal

Marco de Pegões 2010, Setubal (Portugal), 13.5%, Stockists 

From land once owned by a beer magnate, a mixture of local and French grapes and the expertise of winemaker Jamie Quendera has produced a rich full bodied wine. Flavours of dark fruits abound, there is a hint of spiciness and a grippy acidity.

This has been a very consistent wine over the past few years and the impressive red comes at a terrific price. “A smooth, savoury triumph!”, according to Curious Wines, and I whole-heartedly agree. They sell it at €10.99.

The grapes are Castelão 40%, Syrah 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet 20% and it is aged for four months in French and American new oak barrels. The wine is imported by Wine Alliance. Very Highly Recommended.

The story of the Setubal coop Pegões, founded in the 50s and rocked by the revolution in the 70s, is very interesting .Below is a little taster that you may follow up here.

It all started when the big landlord and beer magnate, José Rovisco Pais, donated his Pegões properties to the Lisbon State Hospitals. On these properties, the Government implemented a large “colonization” project, donating land to thousands of agricultural workers and directing the plantation of 2900 acres of vineyards. These workers became known as “Colonos”. The Cooperative was established on March the 7th 1958 in order to give technical and logistic support to the “colonos”. Part of the support consisted in the reception and processing of their grapes. The first Pegões wines were then born.

Great Flavours from Traditional Portuguese Grapes

Great Flavours from Traditional Portuguese Grapes

Corgo da Regua, Douro Valley Portugal 2012, by Quinta do Judeu, 14%, RRP €12.99, Stockists 

Four traditional Portuguese grape varietals are used to make this excellent red in the Douro Valley by Quinta do Judeu: Tinta Roriz 35%, Tinta Barroca (35%), Touriga Franca (20%) and Touriga Nacional (10%). In another bow to tradition, they are foot trodden in granite lagares (usually with dimensions of about 4 x 4 m with a depth of about 1 m).

This is quite a deep red wine with a pleasant nose of dark fruits and hints of spice. The fruits follow through on the palate in a supple flow of concentrated flavours but with an excellent balance, and a long dry finish.

Earlier inhabitants credited the River Corgo with powers of speech. This wine is not shy and will match your robust red meats and mature cheese. Might be a good idea to grab a bottle or two for the upcoming game season. Highly Recommended!

Iberia Flying High

Iberia Flying High

The winemakers of Portugal and Spain certainly seem to be coming up with the goods nowadays. From Portugal, I’ve tasted some really good wines from the DAO recently along with a popular port while Spain has more than pleased with a Tempranillo from La Rioja Alta region and, not for the first time, with the Arana Rioja Reserva from the winery in Haro that bears the same name as the region.

Lagrimas de Maria, La Rioja Alta Crianza 2010, 14.5%, €13.99, stockists

This is one hundred per cent Tempranillo and made in the heart of La Rioja Alta. It spent 12 months in oak and the winemaker is Maria Martinez Maria whose hand writing appears on the labels.

Colour is a dark cherry red with aromas of forest fruits. This is Tempranillo at quite a high level, fruit for sure and hints of the oak but really well balanced and an excellent dry finish. No need for the tears, Maria. Highly Recommended.

Flor de Viseu Selection (red), DAO 2009, 13%, €12.99, stockists.

Colour is ruby red and the aromas, of moderate intensity, are those of red fruit. Red fruit also on the palate and slight spice, freshness and sufficient acidity present, and it finishes dry.

Grapes used are Tourigo National and Alfrocheiro. Should go well with red meat and cheese.

The flower on the label symbolises the thistle flower found locally. But nothing spiky about this rather smooth red wine. Highly recommended.

Viña Arana Rioja Reserva, 2004 La Rioja Alta

This wine, by the winery that bears the same name as the region, is a favourite of mine. But I am not alone. The Los Angeles Times Food section recently made it their Wine of the Week and you may read their take on it here. 

Ferreira Late Bottled Vintage Port 2007

Bought this bottle in the Basque Country last summer and it took me until now to get around to it. Don’t think I’ve seen it on sale in Ireland but Ferreira is a huge port exporter. Indeed, according to Hugh Johnson’s 2012 pocket wine book, they are the leading Portuguese owned Port shipper and “the best selling brand in Portugal”.

This is quite a gem, with beautiful flavours, great balance and a tremendous finish. Picked it up out of curiosity and it didn’t kill me. Read more about Ferreira, which is over 250 years old, here. 

Intense Ehrhard Riesling and Fresh Verdelho

Intense Ehrhard Riesling

 and Fresh Verdelho

Lucky to have hit the jackpot with two recent whites, a superb Riesling from German master Carl Ehrhard and also a fresh and fruity Verdelho from Portugal.

Carl Ehrhard Riesling, Rheingau 2008, 12.5% abv, €16.47 Karwig Wines 

No shy nose here as an intense mix of floral and fruit aromas come to meet your proboscis. Colour is somewhere between lemon and gold and you’ll see micro bubbles clinging to the glass.

The palate experience is quite intense, the fruit fills the mouth and stays all the way to the lengthy and eventually dry finish. It is well balanced, delicious and digestible and Very Highly Recommended.

With great acidity and a strong streak of lime it should be a perfect match with Asian cuisine.

I recently purchased “The Finest Wines of Germany” by Stephan Reinhardt. Amazingly, the book, which profiles dozens of German producers, cannot find space for Carl Ehrhard himself but there is high praise for the area: “We might say that the Rudesheimer Berg is the crowning glory of the central Rheingau”.

Rudesheimer is the village of this wine and the vineyard, formidably steep, is Berg Rottland. The author says he has omitted many of the area’s producers, accusing them of “a rather blind pride”. Would really like to see a discussion between Herr Reinhardt and Herr Ehrhard.

But, just to cover myself, I’ll also be seeking out some of wines from the producers that did make the book, one of series that make excellent reading for anyone interested in good wine.

A few German wine words:
Spätlese – late harvested.
Trocken – dry.
Bereich – a wine district. There are 13 German wine regions, divided into 41 bereiche.
Riesling – Germany’s number one variety for quality and quantity.

Adego de Pegoes, Verdelho 2011, Portugal.

Unusually, the winemaker, Jaimie Quendera, is mentioned on the back label. Adega de Pegoes has produced and bottled quality wines since its establishment in 1958.

The Verdelho grape is not very familiar to me but some of you may know as one of the grapes associated with Madeira. This mainland use by Quendera is quite a treat, quite a treat for me also as I was given it as a present.

It is light gold with green tints and the nose is mildly aromatic. The palate is full of fresh fruit flavours that, with some traces of sweetness, reverberate around the mouth before a lingering dry finish. They say this particular wine has been fermented at 150, the better “to preserve all the freshness”. Recommended with fish, seafood and salads.
Highly recommended.

Champions In the Red Corner

Champions in the Red Corner

Kangarilla Road, McLaren Vale, Australia, Shiraz 2010, 14%, €15.99 to 17.99, stockists  


A hand drawing of the Shiraz leaf distinguishes this bottle on the shelf. Its classy contents, full and fruity, distinguish it on the table. A must try for any Shiraz fan.

The nose of dark fruits, liquorice, and chocolate is spicy and warm while the complex fruits, superbly balanced, delight the palate. It is surprisingly smooth, with super length, and has second glass appeal for sure. Highly recommended.


Chateau Beaulieu, Comte de Tastes, Bordeaux Superieur 2009, 13.7%, €18.55 Karwig Wines 


This wine, made with 60% merlot, has dark fruits (cherry and blackberry, I detect) on the nose. It is medium bodied with an excellent texture, a good balance of fruit and acidity and good length on the finish.

It is well made and I found it an excellent match with steak. An excellent wine from a highly regarded producer and a very good example of the Superieur. Highly recommended.

Messias Grande Escolha 2010, Douro DOC, 13.5%, €13.45, Karwig Wines 

Going for the hat trick here and this, from Portugal, sure didn’t let us down.

It is fruity and dry, with slight spice; no extremes as it is well rounded, smooth for sure and with a long finish. This unfiltered wine is made from the following grapes: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca. Another for the Highly Recommended category.

Excellent Portuguese white and good value too.

Stella Blanco 2010, Setubal (Portugal), 12% abv, €8.99

at Curious Wines 

Looking for a versatile white wine for the summer? Then look no further than this excellent Portuguese white.

Colour is that of light straw and it has a lovely scent (not over-powering in any way). On the palate, rich fruit (mainly mango) flavours abound in an almost creamy mouthfeel, yet it is crisp and dry.

It is produced from the famous dry Muscats grown in the Pegoes region of the Setubal peninsula and is great value for money. Oh. Don’t forget to “serve this really cold”!

• Watch out also for its red counterpart, the Stella Rosso.

A GOOD YEAR ON THE DOURO

QUINTA DO JUDEU’S VINHO TINTO, DOURO 2007, 14.5% ABV, €21-23, STOCKISTS, 4.5 STARS

Two thousand and seven was of of the best years in the Portuguese wine region called the Douro, a region best known for making Port. Indeed, quite a few of the varietals used in the making of this 2007, the vineyard’s top red, are used in Port.

In all, some 15 native varieties, from old vineyards, are blended in this red and the fruit is foot trodden in stone fermenters. “The old vines….constitute an enormous asset that Quinta do Judeu  will maintain and share.”

The wine is unfiltered and should be decanted. From my experience, I’m not sure that this is entirely necessary but you could do it as a precaution. This 2007 is the vineyard’s top red and has spent 10 months maturing in French oak and one year in the bottle.

Colour is a very dark red with inviting dark fruits on the nose, nothing spiky! The concentrated fruity feel in the palate is rounded and well balanced, the tannins still at work; it is somewhat smoother and more sophisticated than the 2008 (which the winery calls the younger brother!).

With a bottle of this under your arm, you’d be welcome at any party. My advice though would be to bring the very presentable younger brother and keep this gem for a romantic evening chez toi.

More about the wine, including the technical details, here.

MY NEW FAVOURITE FROM THE DOURO

BY QUINTA DO JUDEU’S VINHO TINTO, DOURO 2008, 14% ABV, €14 to €16, STOCKISTS, 4.5 STARS

This one is going straight into my list of favourites of 2011. It has quite a dark red colour and the tempting nose is full of red and black fruits and hints of spice. It is warm and fruity in the mouth, no shortage of spice and the tannins are still at work.

While you will no doubt get smoother, this is quite an accomplished wine, one you could bring anywhere though perhaps you may prefer to keep it at home for your red meat dishes. Excellent wine at a very good price.

It is a blend of five Portuguese grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Tinta Barroca. It has been aged for 8 months in French oak. It is not filtered and they advice you to decant. I did decant but it was hardly necessary though I would say it is important to have it in the room for a few hours before serving.

You may check out other technical details and more about the vineyard here.

Sturdy Douro white...parade ground not catwalk...

QUINTA DO JUDEU’S WHITE WINE, DOURO (PORTUGAL) 2010, 14.5% ABV, €18 TO 20, STOCKISTS 

I generally prefer wines made from old vines and this sturdy white from the Douro is no exception. It is a mix of native varieties: Malvasia Fino and Rabigato. Quinta do Judeu aim for high quality wines, using traditional methods including treading the grapes in granite tanks.

Colour of this full and complex wine is yellow with hints of green and it has aromas of white fruit, including peach. The initial impressions in the mouth are, for me: fresh, fruity, dry.

This is parade ground not catwalk, brawny not scrawny. It is a gripping engagement from the start and it remains strong to the end. No fade away here to a skinny citron pressé. It is also built to last, with a recommended drink-by date of 2015.

It has a pretty high ABV for a white but it is nonetheless a well balanced wine. More than a match for the turkey and ham!

The white is imported by Wine Alliance and you may check all the technical details, and more, here.

Very old vine at Quinta do Judeu

CORGO DA REGUA - YOUR EVERYDAY RED

QUINTA DO JUDEU’S CORGO DA REGUA, DOURO (PORTUGAL) 2008, 14% ABV, €10 TO 12, STOCKISTS, 4 STARS

The folks at Quinta do Judeu claim that this wine, named after a local river, is perfect to match everyday meals. I reckon they are right. Get a couple of these and you’d be ready for most red wine occasions.

Made my first acquaintance with this red over the weekend and must say I am impressed. Quite a lengthy introduction as the grapes used are not that familiar to me. They are: Tourigo National 10%, Tourigo Franca 20, Tinto Roriz 35 and Tinto Barroca 35.

The colour is dark red and there are red fruits, and spice, on the nose. On the palate, you again come across the fruits and the spice (a comfortable level) and a lovely warming medium weight mouthfeel. The tannins have smoothed the way here, all the way to an excellent finish. Good value too.

Must say I like this stuff, generous from start to the finish when the last drops tumble down from the commodious hollow stem of the standard Riedel receptacle. Not just a happy ending. More a happy story.

The Corgo da Regua is imported by Wine Alliance and you may check all the technical details, and more, here.

Portuguese Wine Dinner at Donnybrook Fair

Portuguese Wine dinner at Donnybrook Fair

The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair concludes its popular series of wine dinners for 2011 by welcoming Portuguese winemaker Nuno Mira do Ó from Companhia das Quintas to host a wine dinner on Wednesday 30^th November at 7.45pm.  Nuno will introduce wines from estates located in the Douro, Beira, Lisboa, Bucelas, Palmela and Alentejo regions.  The wines featured on the night will be paired with a delicious four course menu, specially designed for the occasion.  The evening is priced at €60 per person / €100 for two. 

Nuno´s wines are frequently awarded with medals in international competitions, and high scores in the international press.  Companhia das Quintas is one of Portugal´s largest wine and spirits companies with seven different wineries spread across the country.  The group has a passion for creating estate-grown top quality wines, based on the best Portuguese grape varieties and showcasing characteristics of each terroir.

Join us in The Restaurant @ DF on 30^th November for what promises to be a fantastic night of delicious food and fine wines!

Booking Details (Limited places available):

DATE: Wednesday 30^th November                      TIME: 19.45        

COST: €60 per person / €100 for 2 people   

LOCATION: The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair, 1^st Floor, 89 Morehampton Road, D4

T: 01 614 4849

E: restaurant@donnybrookfair.ie

W: http://www.donnybrookfair.ie/therestaurant/winedinners

THREE WINNING WINES

McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005, Hunter Valley Australia, 12%, €10.00 Tesco, 4.5 stars
Colour: light gold, bright, micro bubbles
Nose: Citrus rind.
Palate: Full fruity tropical smooth waxy mouthfeel yet well balanced. The Hunter is famous for Semillon and this is a fantastic example where the patient aging in the bottle has paid off in a big way. No wonder that it comes with a bunch of gold medals! You may read much more about this prize-winning wine here. 

OGIO Primitivo IGP Puglia Italy 2010, 13%, €6 Tesco, 4 stars
Colour: Ruby red
Nose: Intense, mainly cherry
Palate: Rich and fruity, warm, hints of spice. With the tannins doing their job, it is an engaging mouthfeel plus it has a long lingering finish. Quite a hefty drink from the heel of Italy and recommended on Twitter by Tom Doorley.

Tagus Creek Shiraz and Trincadeira, Alentejano 2009, 14%, €8.69 Tesco, 4 stars 
Colour: Medium dark-red
Nose: Aromatic, ripe red/black fruits
Palate: Fruity and juicy, spicy and warm, yet pleasantly dry. It is supple with a comforting mouthfeel and finish.
Decanter recently awarded this its international trophy for a Red Blend at less than 10 UK pounds "Deliciously good value. Fantastic." They said. And the judges were also impressed by its freshness.
Tongue in cheek, I'm glad to say the judges agreed with me. Now, I'll get the tongue out of the way to make room for another mouthful of delicious Tagus Creek.

Marco de Pegões 2009

Marco de Pegões 2009 Portugal, 13.5%, €8.99, stockists

Take a sip of this red blend from Portugal. I did and thought it good. Then I took a look at the price: €8.99. Incredible. Incredibly good value.

Colour is an attractive ruby with an attractive nose of berries. The acidity here is the first to shake hands with you as the tannins are not shy. But immediately there is a rich follow of fruit and the decent finish is along similar lines. Quite a wine for the price.

Castelao is a well known Portuguese grape and makes up 50 per cent of this wine. The other constituents are: Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon/ Alicante Bouchet.

The boys of Wine Alliance have a nose for wines of value and they have certainly hit the jackpot here. I’m not the only one thinking along these lines. The Sunday Times online have it listed as a Star Buy  this summer

Stockists by County

Cork

1601 Off Licence, Kinsale Cork

Bradleys Off Licence, North Main Street Cork

JJ O Driscolls, Ballinlough, Cork

Barrys Off Licence, Midleton, Cork

The Beer Garden, Turners Cross, Cork

Mulcahys Off Licence, Charleville, Cork

Matsons Wine Store, Bandon, Cork

Monkstown Golf Club, Monkstown, Cork

Murphys Foodstore, Dromcummer, Cork

Electric, South Mall, Cork

Liberty Grill, Washington Street, Cork

Cafe Gusto, Washington Street, Cork

TOP NOTCH RED FROM PORTUGAL

Fontanario de Pegoes Palmela DO Reserva 2007 (Portugal), 14%, €16.99 stockists. 

Three grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and local Tourigan Nacional, and mainly Castelao are used to produce this full bodied smooth red from the Palmela region of Portugal. It spends 12 months in French and American oak barrels, followed by 2 years in bottle before release.

I reckon it is well worth the wait. Colour is dark ruby with black berry fruits on the nose. On the palate, it is soft and velvety. Berries, plums and spice and more combining here to give a lovely mouthfeel and a very pleasant finish. Yet another well balanced wine -it has rich tannins- that underlines the quality and value now coming out of this Portuguese winery, under the direction of Jamie Quendarao.

Jamie Goode says that Pegoes is “possible Portugal’s best Co-op.”  And the reputation is underlined by some 140 international wine awards! Not bad or, perhaps, given my current location, I should say pas mal! Maurice O’Mahony of Wine Alliance confirmed it is selling well already: “Lovely wine, we feel.” No hardship  to agree. Worth a try. Let me know if you do!