Mitchell & Son In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light. Fercullen Now In USA!

Mitchell & Son 

In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light 

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Fercullen Now In USA!

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The famous Mitchell & Son bottles will be the subject of a masterclass during the Cork Whiskey Fest in March. Details below but first we sample the original Green Spot, the current fill in my Bradley's Hip Flask.

Mitchell & Son Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 40% ABV

Widely available at c. €65.00

Fresh and gentle aromatics, apple and elderflower plus honey notes. Light fruit notes on the mellow palate, exotic such as mango and pineapple, more closer to home like apple, and honey too.  Mellow yes but quite full bodied with a light spicy and lingering finish from this gorgeous pale-gold coloured whiskey, the original Green Spot.

This is now produced in Midleton. That was not always the case: The Green Spot name originated from the Mitchell family’s practice (started around 1900) of marking casks of different ages with a daub of coloured paint. Originally there was a ‘Blue Spot’, ‘Red Spot’ and even a ‘Yellow Spot’, but Green Spot emerged as their most popular whiskey and is one of the few “whiskey bonder brands” to survive to modern day.

Single Pot Still whiskey is unique to Ireland in general and to the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, in particular, and is regarded as the quintessential style of Irish whiskey. Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, Pot Still whiskeys are characterised by full, complex flavours and a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel.

Cork Whiskey Fest. I've reserved my ticket for the Spot Masterclass, details.....

You can learn more, much more, about the Spots and whiskey in general at Cork Whiskey Fest 2023. 

On the Saturday (Mar 25th), Midleton legend Ger Garland and Brand Ambassador Matthew Smith guide you through a selection of Spot whiskey along with their finishing wines, for this stellar masterclass. Mitchell and Sons Wine & Spirits Merchants are the sole remaining licenced bonder with Irish Distillers. Their wine finished single pot still Irish whiskeys are a pillar in Irish Whiskey. 

The festival will take place from 24th – 26th March across Cork City’s historic Victorian Quarter. Centred on MacCurtain St, CWF 2023 will concentrate whiskey fans on 1 street, for 3 days for plenty of craic and fantastic whiskey experiences. You will be hosted by many Festival Friends, in the many bars and rooms of The VQ, that will make Cork the epicentre of Irish Whiskey for one weekend. Come join the many masterclasses and events that CWF 2023 has to offer, on the tickets page.

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Fercullen Now In USA!

 

 Powerscourt Distillery is delighted to announce that the US arm of Zamora Company will import, sell, and market Fercullen in the market, effective immediately.

“We at the Powerscourt Distillery have waited until the right time and crucially finding the right partner before we launched Fercullen Irish Whiskey into the US market and we are in a great position to appoint Zamora Company USA as our national importers,” Ryan Stapleton, Powerscourt Distillery's global head of sales.

Fercullen Falls, Fercullen Single Malt, 15 Year Old Fercullen Whiskey, and limited edition Fercullen 21 Year Old, will be available in the States.

“As we continue to grow our world-class spirits and wines in the US, Irish whiskey has long been at the top of our list of categories to strengthen our portfolio, and Fercullen from the Powerscourt Distillery has always been our top choice,” said Andrew Stewart, global brand manager at Zamora Company USA.

We look forward to bringing our core Fercullen and limited release Irish whiskeys to the US in 2023 and to working closely with the excellent team at Zamora Company USA in the years to come.

CorkBillyBeers #6 .Craft Stout with Galway Bay, Heaney, Left Hand and Croatia's Garden

CorkBillyBeers #6

Craft with Galway Bay, Heaney, Left Hand and Croatia's Garden

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Galway Bay Ostara Irish Stout, 5.00% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys.

Brewers Galway Bay are enthusiastic about this: Here is Ostara Stout, our take on the concept of ‘Dublin Stout’. Brewed to be complex but quaffable. We took some of our Imperial stout tricks and adapted them to a lower abv base recipe. The result has layered malts with some lovely soft chocolate notes finished with a nice hop zing to help clean the palate.

From the city that drank and exported so much stout in the early days, it is difficult to take the Dublin bit but not at all difficult to swallow this Galway stout. It looks the part, with black body and soft tan head, and also smells the part, toast and coffee.

Not too long ago, I doubt that many Irish drinkers deliberately smelled their stout before that first big swallow. 

The man in the bar had a small wine glass in his hand. But that wasn't wine in the glass. He covered the opening with his hand and shook the glass. Taking away his hand, he asked me to smell. As I do so, he said “Toffee Bar”. I agreed. Then he said: “Beamish”. 

And it was indeed the old Cork favourite (still going strong with many local devotees, including craft beer drinkers), the toffee bar aromas enhanced by the agitation and the shape of the glass. The man in the Kiln at Murphy’s Stout in Leitrim Street, was Marc Stroobants, a renowned beer expert from Belgium. I’ve been nosing my beers since that eye-opener ten years ago.

Thanks to M. Stroobants, I quite often stick my finger into the head in the glass and suck it. It often gives a clue to what I may taste later on. But sticking your finger into the head and sucking will sometimes get you some curious stares.

When Ostara hits the palate, the toasted notes of the malts (traces of coffee and chocolate) lead the way to a dry and lip smacking and palate cleansing finish. But I do feel there is something little bit lacking between the aromas and the finalé.

The name? Not too sure. Google tells me Ostara marked the Spring Equinox in German and Celtic tradition and there was a festival. But no mention of beer!

Highly Recommended.

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Heaney Irish Stout, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle can Bradleys

I’m somewhat prejudiced here, prejudiced through practice that is. I’ve been enjoying this stout from the Heaney Farmhouse Brewery in Co. Derry over a few years now. And I know satisfaction is guaranteed! 

It is black, with a tan coloured head that loses volume pretty quickly. Stick your finger in the head (there I go again!) and taste the roast coffee and dark chocolate which are more or less what you’ll get from the aromas. No oatmeal here but the palate is rich and smooth, caramel and chocolate and that roasted malt finish, a dry one also, and lip-licking finalé. Satisfaction!

Heaney’s are always handy with food pairings and here they suggest slow-cooked meat dishes or a rich chocolate dessert.

Highly Recommended.

They say: For generations, our family farm has been a place of harvest and inspiration. Our beers are for after the graft. Rural thirst quenchers. Brewed and bottled by Heaney Farmhouse Brewery at The Wood, Bellaghy, Co. Derry.

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Excellent head 
on the Left Hand.

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout Nitro, 6.0% ABV, 404 ml can Bradleys

“Experience America’s Stout. Milk Stout Nitro is a full sensory experience. Gaze at the mesmerizing cascade of all those tiny Nitro bubbles.”

Nitro is the key word here. They use nitro to get the bubbles going rather than “old” CO2. Then again Nitro has a 60 year old plus history to its credit, with most of the credit being claimed by Guinness and its widget.

And this Left Hand  does try hard to live up to its billing. “This portable draft beer experience is Good to Go straight from the can or served Like a Pro in a glass. From the bottle, Pour Hard to release the Nitro magic inside.” Pour Hard is also key! You do indeed stare at the rising bubbles and then see them fall back down the sides of the glass.

The body colour is black, the pillowy head, that really stays around, is tanned. There is coffee and cream in the moderately (if even that) intense aromas. The sensation on the palate is ultra smooth, creamy/milky, and that head coats your upper lip, a bit on the sweet side though. Initial roasty, mocha flavours rise up, with slight hop and roast bitterness in the finish. 

I like the theatre at the start and like the finish but the overall experience is all a bit moderate, a bit on the slight side, more butterfly than bee, a dance at arm’s length rather than a clinger. More shadow than substance. Give me Cotton Ball or Elbow Lane any day.

Still it is an interesting one, easy drinking,  and well worth a try and I fully understand why quite a few drinkers rave about it. Just not me. I have a Brewmaster nitro in the queue and I must also try and get the O’Hara’s one. Any other suggestions? 

Geek Bits

IBU 25

Malt: 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate, Munich, Rolled Oats, Flaked Barley, Roasted Barley

Lactose is also listed in ingredients.

For the best experience, pour hard at 180 degrees into a 16oz glass. Different gas, different pour. Cheers! #PourHard

Firestone Nitro tip

To enjoy this beer (Firestone) to the fullest, you want to master the surge pour. Just invert the can three times, then pour hard into the glass. This way, you can experience the “theater of the pour” with a brilliant cascading effect and a creamy foam that makes drinking Nitro Merlin Milk Stout all the more delicious

Check video here.

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The Garden (Croatia) Stout, 5.7% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys

First time trying a beer from Croatia and it comes with a hefty enough 5.7% ABV. It pours dark with a soft tan head that slowly sinks in the glass. Aromas are modest enough, mostly roasted coffee. I note a streak of acidity as it hits the palate but it is the coffee and chocolate that go on to make the running with a little, barely noticeable, sweetness. 

Lactose is listed as an ingredient here, presumably to add the sweetness.  The lactose (milk sugar) is not eaten by yeast. But the result here is rather modest. Indeed, the stout itself , though pleasant, is a modest effort overall.

It is produced by the Garden Brewery in Zagreb. “We’re lucky to have a huge garden, with plenty of seating and tables sheltered under the shade of more than 40 mature trees. There’s also an outside bar, a large lawn, an area for DJs and Live Music and events. When the sun is shining, there’s not much that beats an ice-cold beer in The Garden!”

In those circumstances and with the right company, and the Croatian football team on the TV, then this stout may well shine!

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CorkBillyBeers #5 . Craft journey with Barrel Aged beers by 9 White Deer, Brehon and Wicklow Wolf.

CorkBillyBeers #5

Craft journey with Barrel Aged beers by 9 White Deer, Brehon and Wicklow Wolf.

+++ To Øl at Abbots Ale House Fri 13th+++

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9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout, 7.4% ABV, 500 ml bottle Blairs Inn

Bought this at Blairs Inn and got advised to keep it for a year, that it would be better then. Well that was 2022, this is 2023, so here goes! 

It comes with quite a build-up.  Producers 9 White Deer proclaim: An export version of Stag Stout, aged in Blackwater Distillery whisky barrels. Provides everything you’d imagine the combination of two classics should.

Michael Creedon of Bradley’s knowns a thing two about beer and, on December 1st, he is enthusiastic to say the least: Lads, I can confirm this @BlackDistillery whisky barrel aged export stout from @9whitedeer is only savage.

I’m having a laugh here and then I take a sip and the laughing stops. Something serious is going on. Something exceptionally smooth and luxurious has crossed my lips and taste buds are on full alert. This is about as good as a collaboration between a distillery and brewery can get. Properties of both stout and whiskey in perfect combination and I’m thinking it is pushing Brehon’s Oak and Mirrors off the number one spot it has held on this blog for quite a while.

More from the makers: For that demanding Stout lover, who insists they’ve seen and tasted it all…Take your time and enjoy, as we did making it…We call it Export Stout, but really it’s much too good to send away.”

Much too good now to keep for another year!

On the other hand, I will need at least one for next Christmas. Just found the last of the Barnabrow House Christmas pudding in the kitchen, gave it a quick turn in the microwave and, just as I suspected, it and this superb stout are the perfect match!

9 White Deer is an independent brewery, set in the heart of the Irish Gaeltacht: Determined to honour the local landscape and folklore, we craft beers from native, malted barley, and the purist of water, sourced from the Cork and Kerry Mountains. We create superior brews by being respectful to our ingredients and maturing process, which results in exceptional beers that are also gluten-free. Since our founding in 2014 we have pioneered the gluten-free beer market, making the first gluten-free beer in Ireland and the first full range of gluten-free beers in Europe. 

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Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter , 7.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Brehon are well known for their stouts and porters and this was our Beer of the Year here in 2021. The brewers tell us: ”It is a whiskey-aged porter from a collaboration with our good friends at Two Stacks Distillery using their freshly emptied single malt cask to mature our brew. Of course, getting it right took a few tastings with the lads. This is a superior whiskey cask-aged imperial porter that will please the most discerning of whiskey-loving palettes.”

On its own, it is indeed a rather beautiful barrel aged porter, full of aromas and flavours of Roasted Malt, Dark Chocolate, Liquorice, Dried Fruits, Tobacco, and Vanilla. And there seems to have been a decent bit of Two Stacks in the cask, not too much mind you, just enough to give a smooth and warming tasty little lift! It has been hopped with Williamette and Magnum.

My primary interest this time was to see how well it matched with our Barnabrow House pudding. This is one of the lighter coloured puddings and full of fruit and booze (whiskey, stout). A good candidate for a match and so it proved, right to the end where the whiskeys got on very well together.

The Brehon Brewery, founded by farmer Seamus McMahon, welcomes visitors to the brewery and farm and they’ll feel immediately immersed in Irish culture and history. The name of this brewery is inspired by the old Brehon Laws that governed medieval Ireland, which stated that every clan was allowed to brew beer for their own family. “All of this wonderful heritage is incorporated into the Brehon Brewhouse brand.”

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Wicklow Wolf Locavore Autumn 2022 Barrel Aged Irish Barley Wine, 10.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

According to Mark Dredge in Beer: A Tasting Course, the name Barley Wine was used from the late 1800s. The American style is normally highly hopped while the British style is richer with malt flavour. Examples are Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot and Coniston’s No 9 Barley Wine.

Colour of our 10.5% ABV Wicklow Wolf is a red/orange. There are citrus, grapefruit and pine notes in the aromas and flavours too and no real alcoholic heft despite the high count. The Locavore series (using mostly local ingredients) really hit the high spots this year and this well balanced Barley Wine fits right in.

Dessert or cheese seems to be the usual tip for food pairing. I tried it with a generous slice of our regular Christmas pudding by Barnabrow House and the dry finish of the Wicklow Wolf sits nicely with the sweetness of the pudding..

Wolf, who a busy and successful year, introduce this as a Barrel Aged Irish Barleywine “aged in ex Wicklow Whiskey Sherry barrels for 12 months and brewed using our very own barley. A complex, full bodied, uncompromising barleywine that pours a viscous, burnt orange in appearance.”

Geek Bits

IBU: 50
Hops: Chinook; Centennial; Cascade
Malt: Wicklow Wolf Pale, Wicklow Wolf Vienna

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2023 My Very Highly Recommended Irish Beers

January 2023

IPA: Cotton Ball Fury

Session: Whiplash Rollover.

BA Beers: 9 White Deer Stag BA Export Stout; Brehon Oak & Mirrors BA Imperial Porter.

 

December 2022

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

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CorkBillyBeers #4. Craft journey with IPA, including Cotton Ball’s first can, a Whiplash session , the famous Thornbridge Jaipur and Duvel Tripel Hop.

CorkBillyBeers #4

Craft journey with IPA, including Cotton Ball’s first can, a go-to session from Whiplash, and the famous duo of Thornbridge Jaipur and Duvel Tripel Hop. 

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Cotton Ball Fury Tropical IPA, 5.4%, 440ml can sample.

This is a Hazy East Coast style IPA, brewed with Irish malt, hopped with Galaxy (Australia), Columbus (USA) and “our favourite” Amarillo (USA) to give a tropical flavour and aroma. That’s the intro from the Cotton Ball Brewery for their Fury, the first of their beers to be canned (Dec 12th 2022) at the brewery, which is attached to the late 19th century pub in the north-east Cork suburb of Mayfield.

Colour is a dense orange with a fine bubbly white head. Aromas feature citrus, herbal notes too, even a hint of dank. The palate is a pleasure, more of the citrus, plus grapefruit, peach and a hint of resin, all in super balance, all before a very satisfactory finish. Very drinkable indeed.

The Cotton Ball is quite close to me and I often pass it while out walking the dog of a morning. On one of those jaunts, I met Eoin Lynch and he told me, that after a few minor tweaks, they went ahead with the canning of this, just a tiny batch as the machine is no bigger than your average sized kitchen table. He was happy with the outcome and I was happy when he handed me a can to sample and even happier now having sampled it!

This hazy IPA style has, over the past ten years or so, become one of the more popular beer styles in the world, thanks to the juicy exotic aromas and its smooth almost creamy texture, not to mention its bold fruity flavours and low bitterness. The Fury sits comfortably in the range.

Quite a few Irish examples at this stage, including Black’s “Ace of Haze” and Rascals’ "Hazy In Love” and the Heaney New England IPA. An American worth considering would be the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing.

Very Highly Recommended.

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Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8% ABV, 330 can Bradleys

Looking for a decent session beer? No shortage but my go-to is this Whiplash Rollover. Murky orange is the colour - no way you’re going to see through this haze - and it boasts a big foamy white head! Aromas are packed with ripe citrus-y fruits. It was our session beer of 2020 and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as gluggable able as ever.

The quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this juicy beer has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% ABV. Quite a concentration of hops then, but all soft and smooth before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

With its burst of aromas and flavours and low ABV, this is what a session beer is all about and is Very Highly Recommended.

Very Highly Recommended

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Duvel Tripel Hop Citra Belgian IPA, 9.5% ABV, 330ml bottle Bradleys

This Belgian beer pours a cloudy light gold, with an attractive white head. Looks like an IPA and smells like one too, citrus mostly with hops there also. Rich concentrated flavours, mostly tropical, flow across the palate, a subtle bitterness in the mix, and a hint of the high alcohol, yet all the elements combine in a very pleasant harmony indeed. An unanimous thumbs up for the folks at Duvel! They sure can make a devilish beer.

The Brewery says they noted the “trend towards more hoppy beers - thanks to our first brews in 2007 and 2010 - was set to continue. This Duvel Tripel Hop will please special beer lovers, while we will continue to ensure that the intrinsic characteristics of Duvel are preserved.”

It was in 2016 that Duvel went in search of the ultimate Duvel Tripel Hop. More than 5,000 fans tasted and voted, and Citra was clearly the favourite. And so they added Citra to the Saaz-Saaz and Styrian Golding already used in their regular strong ale.

Duvel is a natural beer with a subtle bitterness, a refined flavour and a distinctive hop character. The unique brewing process, which takes about 90 days, guarantees a pure character, delicate effervescence and a pleasant sweet taste of alcohol. The Beer Bible lists the Tripel Hop Citra as one of a handful of essential “beers to know” if you are trying to get a handle on IPAs.

The Duvel story though goes back well beyond 2007. It all began when Jan-Léonard Moortgat and his wife founded the Moortgat farm brewery in 1871. Around the turn of the century, Moortgat was one of the over 3,000 breweries operating in Belgium and is still going strong. The beer is still brewed with profound respect for the original recipe and the time it needs to mature. More details here .

Geek Bits

HOPS: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding & Citra

Dry Hopping: Citra (Yakima Valley, Washington, USA)

TASTING PROFILE: Grapefruit and tropical fruit

EBU: 40

ALC: 9.5%

SHELF LIFE: 18 months

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Thornbridge “Jaipur” IPA, 5.9% ABV, 330ml can Bradleys

This beauty from the UK brewery, with six hops aboard, wears its complexity lightly and you’ll have no problem sipping your way through. 

It has a fairly cloudy pale yellow colour and hoppy aromas (whiffs of citrus and pine). Smooth on the palate, hoppy, citrus notes too, and a beautiful balance all the way to the lip-smacking hoppy lingering finish. Not too much more to say except that this is more or less the perfect IPA.

Match with Thai Curry, they say. No problem, I say, I love my massaman!

Thornbridge, based in Derby, are regarded by many as Britain’s leading 21st century brewery. Not surprised that their award tally worldwide has soared to over the one hundred mark

The complexity of this multi award winning American style IPA is down to no less than the six hops used: Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade. Low Colour Maris Otter is the malt used.

They say: Jaipur is our flagship beer, and the one that really put us on the map back in 2005 when we were just starting out.… We are often told “this is the beer, that got me into beer” and we are always very proud to hear this. It’s usually recognised as the first UK craft IPA, and was brewed with a huge amount of US hops at a time where this was very unusual.

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December's Very Highly Recommended Irish Beers

IPA: Third Barrel Electric Eyes Idaho & El Dorado IPA

Witbier: Whiplash Alma Witbier 

Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout; Dungarvan Coffee & Oatmeal Stout; Lineman (with Craic Beer Community) Pulse Irish Extra Stout; Whiplash The Wake Export Stout; 

Ales with Wild Yeast: Black Donkey Underworld Rua Amber Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Allta Farmhouse Ale; Black Donkey Underworld Savage Farmhouse /Saison Ale.

Two Excellent Wines from Chile's Aconcagua Coast DO, where "the vines grow happy and the grapes ripen slowly".

Two Excellent Wines from Chile's Aconcagua Coast DO where "the vines grow happy and the grapes ripen slowly"  

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Montes Alpha Pinot Noir Aconcagua Costa (DO) 2019, 14.5% 

RRP €23.99. The 1601; Martins Off Licence; Sweeney's D3; Higgins Off Licence; Blackrock Cellar; Wineonline.ie

“It is totally coastal influenced. In morning there’s mist and fog and then a shy sunshine from mid day. The vines grow happy. The grapes ripen slowly.” This was Aurelio Montes speaking of the Aconcagua Coast during a 2020 Zoomed masterclass as he sipped a Pinot Noir (Quite possibly this one).

Montes are serious players. According to the Wines of South America, Montes (founded in 1988) is credited for its pioneering work in the Colchagua’s Apalta district, the first to realise its potential as one of the best locations for red wines in Chile and “is among the most important wineries in Chile today”. As a further endorsement, their Alpha “M” (very limited production) is listed as one of the top 20 South American wines to drink before you die.

Bright ruby red is the colour of this 2019 Pinot Noir. It is quite aromatic, full of cherry, blueberry and raspberry, hints of vanilla too, sweet spice in there also. It is juicy and that bit spicy on the palette, hints of its time in oak (integrated), well rounded tannins, and a vibrant acidity helping the balance, keeping it smooth and elegant, as well as interesting, right through to the abiding and perfumed finish.  Very engaging,  totally likeable and Very Highly Recommended.

Montes Alpha wines are elegant and easy to drink, faithfully expressing the variety and terroir. “This has spent twelve months in French oak barrels, 20% new, for structure and complexity.” 

Their website tells us: Just 7 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean and located in the northern part of the Aconcagua Costa winemaking region, Viña Montes is the only winery with vines planted in this new D.O., characterized by cool, cloudy summer mornings, with sun at midday, and afternoons that see clouds reappearing with low temperatures. These conditions favor a slow ripening of the grapes that allow them to develop complexity and powerful aromas.

Importers Liberty Wines add: The proximity of the vineyards to the Pacific coast endows the wine with tremendous freshness, minerality, and cool climate typicity. The granitic soils of the Coastal Mountains have varying percentages of clay, which contributes elegance, creaminess and a unique sense of place.

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Best Value Wines 2022 Under €18.00. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Montes Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc Aconcagua Costa (DO)  2021, 13.5% ABV, €14.95 Bradleys Cork

Chilean Sauvignon blanc is usually pretty good and good value too, especially at entry level, as is the case here with this engaging Montes from the coastal vineyards of Aconcagua.

Colour is pale straw with green tones. Aromas are quite intense: herbaceous, pineapple, lime, and more. It is much the same on the palate, where a lively acidity comes into play, but you may also notice orange blossom and a light spice. 

No oak used by the way. An everyday wine they say. But a good one and Highly Recommended. Serve at 12 to 13 degrees and you’ll find it goes well with sushi, Caesar Salad, ceviche, garlic shrimp, grilled Mahi-Mahi, pasta primavera, seafood chowder and lemon chicken. 

Don’t think the Mahi-Mahi suggestion will be of much use to you. It is a fish of the Americas, also known as Red Snapper, and not usually available here, though I had it once at an early gastro pub in Passage  (I was told it had been flown in that morning!). You could try bream instead.

I was a regular visitor to that pub and the food was good. One of the best dishes I remember was a Scallop Pie. They must have been relatively inexpensive then for the dish was packed with them. They had a French chef I recall; my mobile phone (an early version) rang out loudly one night and the chef started singing along to the  “incoming call” music, which was the Marseillaise. 

The Montes Classic Series of wines represent the outstanding value Chile can offer for everyday drinking. “Grapes are hand-picked and transported to the winery with the utmost care, to keep bunch damage to an absolute minimum.” You don’t have to stop at this Sauvignon as the Series also include wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, and Chardonnay.

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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