FIRST SWEET STEPS

Never know what you'll see in an Austrian field!

FIRST SWEET STEPS    

Unless you can get yourself to a tasting, you’ll have to fund your first steps into sweet or dessert wine. And quite a few of these can be

THREE REDS and a DASH OF KIRSCH

Who drank all the Kirsch?

FOUR COUNTRIES

         THREE REDS and a DASH OF KIRSCH

Won a case of wines recently during a Sicilian tasting in Fenns Quay.

Tried the Baglio Curatolo Syrah 2007 recently and enjoyed it.  It is deep red with berries on the nose. On the palate, I got berries again and mild spice. It is fruity and supple and long on the finish. Excellent European style Syrah and worth looking out for.

The range is distributed here by Liberty Wines.

Had some of Dunnes Stores French Duck last night (with plum sauce, and fresh spinach from the garden) and picked a French wine from Bordeaux to go with it. It was Chateau Arnauton Fronsac 2001 which had a few silver medals hanging from it.

Again, its colour was quite rich, the nose fruity and slightly spicy. On the palate, it was sharply dry, balanced with fruity and hints of vanilla. Overall, it was quite a well balanced mouthful but with no great length on the finish. Bought that at a Leclerc in the Dordogne for €4.90. While it was okay, it won't feature on future lists.

The other wine on the night came from Chile’s Aconcagua Valley and was much more impressive. It was the In Situ Reserva Merlot 2005. The colour was dark red and the nose was unfamiliar; I had to look at the back label to see that it was cedar. In the mouth, it had a good feel, the acidity balanced with the fruit (mainly cherry, I thought) and, of course, the usual merlot spice. On the whole, this velvety medium bodied wine went down well, much better than the Bordeaux and, besides, it had good length on the finish.

Bought this from Curious Wines and the cost, a few months back, was €11.99.

Just to go back to the meal, the international influence continued into the dessert which came from Italy via Aldi: Amarena Cherries in syrup. The syrup was a bit sweet so that had to be balanced. Just happened to have an artisan made Swiss Kirsch (1998) at hand and that, or at least a spoon or two of it, did the job to perfection.

CURIOUS WINES OPENING NIGHT

CURIOUS WINES

Curious Wines officially opened their doors at Kinsale Road last evening and no expense was spared as dozens of guests were entertained, wined and dined. Thanks a million, Mike and Matt.

Just inside the door, plates of very tasty nibbles were the centre of attraction before we slowly moved upstairs where a classical trio entertained and where bottle laden tables awaited.

Sparklers first and I sampled some Prosecco, one fizzy, the other sparkling; preferred the first but the second was also gorgeous. We would come back to that table as herself liked the Italian (not so much the wines but the tanned guy dishing them out). Popped over to France and some Chablis la Colombe.

CURIOUS WINES

Big selection

Wide Aisles

Wines from all over

 Brothers Mike (left) and Matt of Curious Wines.

CURIOUS WINES

When I first saw the new Kinsale Road warehouse of Curious Wines (Green), it reminded me of the 1967 film title I am Curious (Yellow). The same director, Vilgot Sjöman, also made a film called I am Curious (Blue), his colours from the Swedish flag.

The green of Curious Wines is bright and unmissable and Number 36 brightens up that corner of the Kinsale Road Commercial Centre. It is also big which means you have loads of room in the aisles and they have plenty of room to display their impressive range of wines.

It is the new base of brothers Mike and Matt Kane who have moved form Bandon after 18 months or so there. Space and location were the main attractions in making the move for Curious Wines, whose website has won Best in Ireland (2009) and who feature in the Bridgestone Best in Ireland 2010.

“We are now settled in and happy with the location,” Mike told me on a  recent visit. “We’ve used the web to let people know of the move and word of mouth, perhaps the best recommendation, is now having its effect.”

“It is so convenient for so many people, just one minute off the Kinsale Road roundabout. Quite a few made the trip out to Bandon but it wasn't  a regular trip and that seems to be happening here.”

“The proximity of Smyths Toys also means a huge footfall in the centre and indeed quite a few tired parents drop in to buy a consolatory bottle after hours spent on toys. I know the feeling, as I’m a parent myself.”

I told Mike that I was still going through one of their mixed case specials. “Yeah, that works well for us. Customers are creatures of habit and the mixed case gives them the opportunity to break out a bit. We include recognisable labels but also less well known ones. It is a nice easy way to try different wines and works out at less than eight euro per bottle.”

“We don't want to force anyone into anything they don't like but these cases make it easy to explore. Our twenty per cent off offers are also a help in that direction. Currently we have that reduction on both Italian and New Zealand wines.”

We asked Mike if he had spotted any trends this summer? Anything doing in Rosé?

“Rosés started well with the good weather in May but, like the sunshine, tailed off after that. Funnily enough, people seem to prefer the more expensive rosé. We have a lovely McLaren at €15.00 and quite a few people have tried that. Tastings are a great way to get people into Rosé.”

Did the World Cup spark any interest in South African wines? I see you have some Chenin Blanc in your selection from there?

“No, the area is a hard sell at the moment, people seem to prefer Chile. But we do have a Paarl Heights Chenin Blanc here and that won a Gold Medal at the 2010 Sommelier Awards.”

Curious Wines are looking forward to making the best use of their warehouse.

“The warehouse situation, there are less than ten in Ireland, has lower overheads and allows the retailer extra space. That means larger quantities and the opportunity to have an expansive interesting range.”

“It is bright and spacious here and the five foot aisles and trolleys make it easy for the customer to browse. There is no minimum purchase. You can buy just the one bottle if you like but with parking outside the door we find that people usually buy more than that. People that haven't called to us before are understandably a bit cautious but we’re confident they’ll be back. We are looking forward to the months ahead and particularly to the Christmas market.”

The future is green!

 If you can't visit the warehouse, you can see and buy the wines at http://www.curiouswines.ie/

Here you may also check out their blog and sign up for the newsletter.

Phones: In Ireland: 021 432 0233
Outside Ireland: +353 21 432 0233

The Green Warehouse

The Entrance Hall