Wayward Irish Spirits Proudly Unveils the Coming of Age Release of the Lakeview Single Estate Whiskey

Wayward Irish Spirits Proudly Unveils the Coming of Age Release of the Lakeview Single Estate Whiskey

Wayward Irish Spirits are proud to release the Lakeview Single Estate Irish Whiskey. This first Single Pot Still Whiskey from the Lakeview Estate Barley showcases the special maturation conditions on their Estate and captures the spirit of the land, their family home of 900 years. The Coming of Age Release is limited to just 300 numbered bottles.

Made from barley harvested from the Estate’s Hilly Field in 2018, this was small-batch malted in Naas and distilled in March 2019 by Great Northern Distillery into Pot Still spirit (to their 50% malted / 50% unmalted barley mash bill and specification). It then returned to the Estate’s 300 year old stone bonded Storehouse, ‘The House of Contentment’.

Matured initially in ex-Bourbon casks for 3 months, then a further 40 months in ex-Premier Cru Bordeaux NEOC barrels with 10% finished in ex-peated casks for 3 months. The Lakeview Single Estate Whiskey was gently cut (borrowing from Cognac traditions) over 6 months to ensure integration and smoothness, with no colour added and minimally filtered (no chill filter).

Tasting notes: Expect cherries on the nose, a rich honeyed taste with a hint of smoke and a long finish.

Maurice O’Connell, Founder of Wayward Irish Spirits, says:
“Rapid maturation is a sort of Holy Grail for Whiskey makers. In Killarney we say we have 4 seasons in an hour – resulting in lots of daily variations in temperature, causing the Whiskey to move in and out of the wood, the basis of maturation. We’ve been measuring temperature and humidity in our Storehouse for the last 4 years and this has shown we have a longer ‘maturation season’ (>7C, where the Whiskey interacts with the cask) of 101⁄2 months a year, compared to the East coast where most Irish Whiskey is matured. Speyside, for comparison, has 6 months.”

“We have long believed that our microclimate should enhance maturation and we now have liquid proof of this with a Whiskey which many are saying tastes well beyond its 31⁄2 year age. We’re calling this effect ‘Maturation Terroir’ and we hope our Coming of Age Release will start a conversation on the importance of where a spirit is stored to its maturation. We think this is a specific regional effect and we look forward to seeing whether our local peers in Killarney get similar results.”

Maurice continues: “It’s been really important to us to use our own barley – as well as showcasing this land we love, this provenance gives us an undeniable authenticity. We’re one of very few Single Estate Whiskeys in Ireland, where the barley is grown and the Whiskey matured in the one place. Pot Still is Ireland’s heritage Whiskey style so it feels right to be producing it from our heritage estate here in Killarney.”

The design for the bottle draws inspiration from a family treasure, a large bottle of D’Orsay perfume that was a wedding gift to Maurice’s grandmother in 1921. The bottle became a much talked about family challenge and thwarted numerous attempts to be opened over the last 100 years.

Blended and bottled on the Estate at 46% ABV, just 300 numbered bottles of the Lakeview Single Estate Irish Whiskey Coming of Age Release are available from Celtic Whiskey Dublin, James Fox Dublin, Carry Out Killarney and Irish Malts. RRP is €195 with a 40ml miniature bottle included.

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Wayward Irish Spirits is a family-owned Irish Whiskey company based at the stunning Lakeview Estate, Killarney, County Kerry. It reconnects the founder, Maurice O’Connell, with his family’s roots of supplying spirits to the gentry of Kerry. As early as 1450 the O’Connells were based at Ballycarbery Castle near Caherciveen, importing wines and brandies from Spain. The imposition of excise duty in 1661 rendered this business taxable but didn’t stop them and they moved up the coast to Derrynane and grew the business there. By 1820, Maurice ‘Hunting Cap’ O’Connell had a fleet of 8 ships smuggling luxury items in and shipping out salt, hides and young men seeking to escape the oppression of Catholics in their homeland.

The name Wayward derives from the insult levelled at Daniel O’Connell by the British Prime Minister, Robert Peel, who called him ‘that wayward Irishman’ (Dan meanwhile referred to him as ‘orange Peel’ so maybe it was deserved). The family own the insult with pride. Maurice adds “My forebear Daniel O’Connell’s independent spirit and sometimes wayward approach inspires our determination to craft our Whiskey our way.”

For their Liberator range of Whiskeys, they commission young spirit from the best Irish distilleries to add to a growing library of flavours and styles. They mature the spirit further then finish, blend and bottle on the Estate in their 300-year-old stone Bonded Storehouse, ‘The House of Contentment’. 

The influence on maturation of the famously changeable Kerry lakeside micro-climate, their selection of the finest and freshest casks for finishing (each connecting with a part of their long family history) and skilled blending all contribute to the flavour, complexity and originality they bring to their Whiskey making. 

Maurice comments “With much of the Whiskey world historically fixated on Single Malts, we are determined to showcase through The Liberator range the benefits of blending from a range of exciting new Irish distilleries. It’s like comparing a single finely tuned instrument and an orchestra – different but both can be wonderful”.

The Liberator Irish Whiskey celebrates the legacy of Maurice’s forbear, Daniel O’Connell, born in Kerry in 1775. The original campaigner for civil rights, heedless of race, gender or creed and often hailed as the greatest ever Irishman. With powerful oratory and insistence on peaceful protest only he mobilised millions to ensure Irish voices were heard for the first time.

Alongside their Liberator range, since 2018 they’ve been growing barley for their Lakeview Single Estate Whiskey which returns to the Estate for maturation. It’s very rare in Irish Whiskey for growing and maturation to take place together but the company believes that this is the only way to showcase the effects of their special terroir – the spirit of their land.

See more about their story on www.waywardirish.com.

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Bella Napoli’s Pasta Delights. Spur Of Moment Visit.

Bella Napoli’s Pasta Delights. Spur Of Moment Visit. 

Sometimes it takes ages to make up your mind where you’ll eat on a Friday; we’ve been known to start talking about it early in the week and dragging it out until the night before. Sometimes it takes minutes and that happened last Friday. With an evening engagement coming up (that didn’t involve more than finger food) we realised while in the city centre that we’d need something substantial.

We knew we were in the right place, strolling down French Church Street from Patrick Street. And then I saw that bright blue and white circular sign on the high wall of the old Russell carpet business. It said Bella Napoli and that very restaurant had been recently recommended by a guy who know his Italian.

The place was busy, very busy, and we had to wait a while (not too long) before being seated. The menu is, like most Italian restaurants, long and varied. It includes six starters (including the classic Caprese Salad),plus a couple of more substantial salads, then onto the  pizzas and pastas, then items that we are more used to in local restaurants such as sandwiches, burgers and steak, before finishing with desserts, cocktails, Italian beers and wines.

We had a good look at the menu in the bright and attractive room on very comfortable chairs indeed and picked two dishes from the Pasta selection. 

Mine was the Rigatoni with Ragu Napoletano with six-hour braised beef in an onion and tomato sauce served with rigatoni pasta and bruschetta (17 euro). I hit the jackpot here. This was beautifully cooked, the quality of the beef was top class and plenty of it as was also the case with the ragu. Very happy with this one and one that would slot right into my recent list of best beef dishes in Cork.  

Lasagna Bolognese -  bolognese in bechamel sauce with parmesan, mozzarella, basil and a side salad (14.50) was our other choice. This had superb cheesy flavour with a terrific sauce. Both the sauce and the piece of lasagna were generous servings and excellent value.

Enjoyed the occasion and looking forward to going back sometime soon to try the pizzas (even if we have to share). But we’ll have a good starter first and perhaps a glass of wine or one of the Italian beers. Last Friday, I enjoyed the Italian Hazelnut Liqueur flavoured with cocoa and vanilla called Frangelico with my huge Pizza dessert!

Caution: Dessert Ahead!

Nutella Pizza: strawberry, nutella, banana, icing sugar €8.50

Tiramisu: homemade coffee flavoured Italian dessert €7.00

The Liberty Bar Is Back. "GREAT BEER, GREAT COCKTAILS, GREAT MUSIC AND GREAT TIMES."

 The Liberty Bar Is Back

"GREAT BEER, GREAT COCKTAILS, GREAT MUSIC AND GREAT TIMES."

The Liberty Bar Is Back And Ready For You. Pictured Is Upstairs At Resistance

With over 100 eventful years of history and many iterations The Liberty Bar on

South Main Street back open.

Closed since the beginning of the pandemic, the new team have created two

unique spaces in the bar.

Manager, Diarmuid Clayton, says “the Downstairs is a bright relaxed open

space with an industrial/eclectic feel. The bar features exposed brick,

galvanised sheeting and conduit, old crates and printer trays and custom made

shelving and wine racks made with materials from Cork Builders providers”

“We wanted to create a welcoming bar with a little bit of difference, and small

nod to the previous incarnation of the Liberty when it was a favourite haunt of

the punks and students of Cork”

The old Liberty was a place where you could buy flagon’s and cans of cider.

“As another nod to this ‘lively’ past, we have created tasty new signature

cocktails, The Flagon and 5 Go down To The Sea, in honour of Cork’s original

punk band”

You can click the link below to hear a piece from the Cork Folklore Memory

Map Project The Liberty, Punks and Rats

“Upstairs at Resistance is a more luxurious speakeasy feel. Dark and rich with

subdued lighting, antique leather sofas, rugs and mirrors”

The walls are adorned with antique gilt frames which contain a series of unique

pieces of artwork, commissioned by local artists. The only guidance they were

given was the theme of resistance.

Local Artists, Alan Hurley, Kevin O’ Brian, Lucia Moreno are just a few of the

local artists who have completed a piece for the new venue.

Diarmuid say “Resistance is the place you go to relax and leave your worries at

the door. Enjoy one of our ten signature cocktails, great classics, wine or just a

tasty beer. Come in, and forget everything”

“We are delighted to get the place open again, and become a new addition to

the great night life of Cork City.

We will be introducing lots of new signature cocktails and events in the near

future”

The Liberty is located at 92 South Main Street, Cork City, and is open daily

The Liberty is an over 18s venue. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelibertycork 

press release

The Irishman The Harvest Single Malt and Single Pot Irish Whiskey. Killowen/Blackwater Poitín Combination. Cork's Cask nets another cocktail award.

There's more than one Irishman! 

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+ below, Killowen/Blackwater Poitín Combination

Cork's Cask nets another national cocktail award.

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The Irishman The Harvest Single Malt and Single Pot Irish Whiskey 40% ABV

Widely available at about €40.00.

Here’s the introduction from producers Walsh Whiskey: The Irishman. Premium Irish Whiskey. Exceptional character. Championing Irish Single Malt. The recreation of age-old recipes to create unrivalled expressions. For a new generation of whiskey enthusiasts.

A Duo Of Excellent Whites From North-West Spain. Monterrei and Rias Baixas

 A Duo Of Excellent Whites From North-West Spain

Via Arxéntea Godello Y Treixadura Monterrei (DO) 2021, 13% ABV, €17.80 MacCurtain Wine Cellar

This is a Spanish white wine with a marked varietal character. Made with Godello and Treixadura, both native Galician varieties, to transmit those aromas and flavours that our land, climate and fruits are capable of producing. 

That’s part of the info on the label of this blend produced by Via Arxéntea in Monterrei in North West Spain.

It has a bright yellow colour and it is certainly aromatic, apple, peach (especially) and mango to the fore; notes of citrus also. The intensity is also evident on the palate where flavours are bold but balanced by an excellent acidity. There is a long and fruity aftertaste, with a faint sweet sensation never too far away. 

Serve at 8-11º degrees and pair with cooked fish, grill, seafood rice, squid a la plancha and vegetable dishes. Very Highly Recommended. 

The DO Monterrei is in the province of Ourense, close to the Portuguese border. Most of its wine is white and most of that is based on Godello (which is also called Verdello); other varieties of white grapes here are the autochthonous Doña Blanca  and Treixadura.

Godello is quite possibly the most scented of the newly fashionable white varieties in Spain’s far north-west, according to Grapes and Wines. “Almost extinct in the 1970s, it is now flourishing in Valdeorras.” Valdeorras is also in Ourense.

Early ripening Treixadura is one of the grapes that blends well with Godello. In Portugal, where it is called Tradajura, it adds crisp, citrus characters to Vinho Verde.

The MacCurtain Wine Cellar, owned by Trudy Ahern and Sean Gargano, is essentially a wine shop where you may select your purchases from a huge wall of wine. Don't worry though, you'll have lots of excellent advice, given with knowledge and a rare enthusiasm, not to mention charm. 

If you wish to drink on the premises, that is no problem in the evenings. And while wine is their priority, they also provide some very tasty small plates and sharing boards as well. Such a poremises is known as a Cave à Manger in France.

There is a the fantastic range, all organic, biodynamic or natural. I picked the Godello and Treixadura blend from Monterrei while Sean suggested the Celler del Roure Cullerot Blanco (toi feature in a later post!). He was very enthusiastic about this winemaker and about the future of wines from the Valencia area.

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Almirante “Vanidade” Albariño Rias Baixas (DO) 2020, 

13% ABV,  €15.95 Bradleys.

Did you know that we Irish are the fourth largest importers of Albariño in the world? It comes from our Celtic cousins in Galicia, in Spain’s Rias Baixas region. It has all happened quickly and relatively recently.  

“It is a young industry,” said Lynne Coyle MW, one of our hosts at a Rias Baixas Tasting in L’Atitude during the summer. “In 1975 there were just 200 hectares of Albariño here, now there are over 4,000, lots of small holdings.

Val de Salnés is the main region. And it is from here and its granite soil that this wine by Vina Almirante comes. That ocean influence is evident in this dry crisp and elegant wine.

The Vanidade has a beautiful and inviting gold colour. Citrus and peach notes in the aromas. Those fruits also feature on the intensely flavoured palate, fresh and zesty, no shortage of acidity,  with a slightly salty tang, plus the starting fruit all the way through to a clean and refreshing finish.  

You don’t get many poor  examples of Albariño but this is outstanding and you are thinking straightaway of matching it with seafood and white fish. See for yourself why Albariño became so popular so quickly. Very Highly Recommended.

Vanidade translates as vanity. I’m very happy with this one and so too are the producers: “Very tasty, very good, wonderful. This is Vanidade, a wine of which we are particularly proud. Both because its organoleptic properties and tasting ratings, and because it’s a champion of cultural change in our time.”

Vain? Proud? Not you? Take a look at the producers site where they have a vanity test ready and waiting. Up for a bit of fun? Click here.”

Importers Findlaters tell us that Vina Almirante is one of the most important wineries in North West Spain. “Its properties are in the borough of Portas in the Caldas de Reis region situated in the northern part of Salnes Valley. These legendary vineyards, which extend over the 35 hectares, are treated with tender loving care and in keeping with state-of-the-art wine growing techniques. The wines.., are distinguished by the faithful reflection of a late autumn harvest, giving rise to a macerated wine endowed with brilliant notes of freshness, elegance and an intense flavour that’s sure to please even the most demanding of palates.”

Dash Burger win public vote for Best Irish Food & Drink Pairing

 Dash Burger win public vote for Best Irish Food & Drink Pairing

Great Irish Beverages, a leading promoter and producer of Irish made drinks just completed running its first nationwide festival in 3 years - Irish Food & Drink Month. It was a celebration of pairing Irish foods with Irish drinks for the hospitality sector. Any licensed bar, restaurant or hotel was able to register for free and in order to get involved, they had to create and sell a signature Irish food & drink pairing for the whole month of October. By working alongside a number of different Irish drinks brands across many sectors, they were able to bring on 140 different venues from 16 different counties. Each of which was listed on the Great Irish Beverages website for the public to see and each of whom created a signature Irish food & drink pairing! Among the venues taking part were Michelin star fine dining hot spots, gastro pubs, hotels and local restaurants.

There was a public vote for which of the 140 participating venues had the best pairing. This was done on Instagram using the #EatDrinkIrish hashtag as a means to cast a vote. The winning venue was from Dublin, Dash Burger. They have two outlets, one on Capel Street and another on Kevin Street. Their pairing was a delicious Double Smash Cheeseburger basted with Allta Restaurant's Shiitake Miso Butter matched with O'Hara's IPA.

The beef for Dash Burger is 100% Irish Beef supplied by Pat McLoughlin of McLoughlins Butchers and is all grass fed. They use an aged beef mix of secret cuts that keep their burgers crispy yet juicy. Coughlans Bakery supply their equally Irish potato buns and their cheese is from Kerrymaid.

O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale is a Contemporary style IPA with an Irish twist. Zesty and refreshingly bitter, the finish is long. With a copper toned body topped with a lightly carbonated head, the dry hopping brings an intense aroma and lasting array of fruit and floral notes - the perfect contrast to bring out the richness from the Double Smash Cheeseburger!

As part of the prize for winning Best Irish Food & Drink Pairing, Barry Wallace of Dash Burger nominated Dublin Simon Community to receive a €1,000 charity donation paid for by Great Irish Beverages.

press release

A Quart of Ale± #130. On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Bradleys, Sullivan's, Wicklow Wolf, O'Shea's, Aldi, Bullhouse, Whiplash, Crew, Kinnegar,

 

A Quart of Ale± #130

On the craft journey with Third Barrel, Bradleys, Sullivan's, Wicklow Wolf, O'Shea's, Aldi, O'Briens, Bullhouse

Third Barrel Day Drinkin 111 Revenge of the Hops Session IPA, 4% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Third Barrel are busy these days: “The UK are going through Prime Ministers like we go through beer specials..”

Like their previous two Day Drinkin beers, this Revenge of the Hops weighs in at just four per cent, and is aimed at the session drinker though I’m sure quite a few other beer drinkers would enjoy it.

It has a pale orange colour and it’s murky in there. The label “forecasts” aromas of grapefruit, raspberry and sweet candy. Grapefruit yes but I’ve found the others elusive! It is pretty big and bold in the mouth where the grapefruit also leads the refreshing charge along with peach and banana.

A duo of hops boot this on. One is HBC 630, an experimental hop from the Yakima Valley. It is recommended for Wheat Ale, Golden Ale, American style lagers, Pale Ales, India Pale Lager (IPL), India Pale Ale (IPA), Session IPA, New England IPA, Hazy IPA, Imperial IPA. The other hop listed is the well-known Mosaic, a contributor to the tropical notes. 

The carbon produced in the making of this beer has been offset by planting native Irish trees.

Our reviews on the other Day Drinkin beers

Part Deux Citra Strata Session IPA 

Third Barrel Day Drinkin Simcoe Session IPA  

Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout, 5.1%, 500ml bottle O’Brien Wines

Enjoy the true taste of traditional bottled Irish stout. Brewed with roast barley, chocolate and wheat malts, and choicest hops. A generous stout with extra depth of flavour.

That is the encouragement on the bottle’s label, so let's have a taste… Black as Kilkenny marble for sure and with a soft floppy tan head that sinks rather slowly. Light coffee aromas and fruity notes also rise from the glass. And they get to tango on the palate, a melange of dancing flavours and sharp acidity waking up the taste buds, and keeping the show going, generously throwing in an encore or two at the finale. If the O’Shea’s (below) is mid-table, this neighbouring stout is championship material.

The hops used are Admiral, Magnum, Goldings and Sullivan’s say it is delicious with roasts and cheese dishes.

Did you know that Sullivan’s were brewing in Kilkenny before Smithwick’s? And then the two got intertwined?

Here’s the timeline, from the O’Sullivan website:

1702 Sullivan’s Brewing Company is established, and grows to be biggest in the area 

1827 The Smithwick name is launched as a beer brand in Kilkenny

1918 Smithwick’s acquires the Sullivan’s brewing brand after it is forced to close

1965 Guinness (now Diageo) takes control of Smithwick’s, buying the family interest 

2014 Diageo relocates Smithwick’s to Dublin, marking the first time in 800 years that Kilkenny is without a commercial brewery 

2016 Smithwick family relaunches the Sullivan’s brand in Kilkenny; brewery launches its North American market entry via Buffalo, NY.

See October review on Sullivan’s “Maltings” Irish Ale here.   

Wicklow Wolf Sirius Black IPA, 6.0%, 440 ml can Bradleys

Not too sure if the Sirius of the name refers to Sirius the brightest star in the night sky or to Sirius Black a character in Harry Potter. Probably not after the famous steamship Sirius, well-known in Cork in the 19th century and the first of its kind to cross the Atlantic.

In any case, the beer is black, black as night, with a tan head.  Aromas are quiet, just some faint floral and even fainter spice notes coming through. It is much more assertive in the mouth though,  with a backbone of milk chocolate, coffee and roast malt flavours. There’s a posse of malts in this one. 

No shortage of hops either with no less than four, all from the USA, employed combining to give flavours of passion fruit, subtle orange and an earthy resinous bitterness. One to make those taste buds sit up and take notice.

They say: “A magical Black IPA, Sirius was brewed with a robust malt bill to provide strong depth of flavour and colour to the beer. This robust malt bill gives the beer a dark opaque appearance… .Sirius is a West Coast style Black IPA that was double dry hopped with a massive amount of Amarillo, Simcoe and Strata hops.”

"The endangered species brews are a series of small batch, limited edition crafted beers. These beers are so rare that only a lucky few will get to experience them in the wild before they become extinct." This is #34

Geek Bits:

Hops - Bravo, Simcoe, Amarillo, Strata

Malts - Pale Malt, Carafa Special Type 1, Carafa Special Type 3, Caramalt, Dark Malt, T50

O’Shea’s Cold Dark Stout, 4.5%, 500ml bottle Aldi

Seldom easy to find detailed info on supermarket beers and this is no exception. But you’ll read this line on the neck: Traditional Dry Irish Stout bursting with flavours of coffee and chocolate.

Okay. Pours out into the glass as black as midnight with a tan head (short-lived). That coffee and chocolate seep out of the glass and there’s a toasty note as well.

While named O’Shea’s, it is made by Carlow Brewing who also make O’Hara's beers (including some really excellent stouts). It could be a bit more full-bodied, more robust, on the palate and it continues to a reasonably dry if shortish finish.  That coffee/chocolate duet persists to the end but it needs a bit more to shift it out of mid-table.

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Whiplash: Few Riddlers, be grand. After a brief hiatus on the webshop, Body Riddle is freshly canned and ready to go! Grab it in a Big Huge Slab or in a 6-pack Mixtape with other styles. Scroll on to see more  New to Body Riddle? It's our interpretation of an American Pale Ale, weighing in at 4.5% and in a 330ml can, it's perfect for suppin'. It has a really bright hop bill with loads of Lemondrop, Galaxy, Simcoe, and Ekuanot leaving us with notes of passionfruit, lemon rind, grapefruit juice and some piney goodness.

Shop Body Riddle

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Bullhouse Brew Co : Modest Beer & Cheese Night

Beer and Cheese at Bullhouse East. Join us on Tuesday 8th November for an intimate beer and cheese pairing with Chris Morris, owner and head brewer of Modest Beer. These intimate tastings are limited to 20 tickets per tasting and include a guided talk on 5 different beers paired with 5 excellent local cheeses. The event kicks off sharply at 7:30pm and we ask you to be there for 7pm.

BUY TICKET

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Crew's Irish Night...

Irish Night in Limerick
Every Thursday, 8PM

Irish Night happens every Thursday from 8PM. It’s a great chance to use your cúpla focail in a supportive environment. Any level of the Irish language is welcome, from total beginners to fluent speakers. It's been said that it's easier the more pints you've had!

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Kinnegar New Beers Alert

There are no fewer than five new beers jostling for position in the release queue. First to burst out of the holding pen was our 2022 Barleywine which will appear in just a few weeks wearing its smart BAP28 uniform. Not yet packaged but next in line for canning and first in line for release is BAP27, a Black Lager that Rick was curious to try as part of our Brewers at Play series. This is the first of our lagers to go over to the dark side so we’re pretty excited about tasting it in its finished form. And there's more to follow...

Recommended Red Wines. Just what the doctors ordered in Faugères and fireworks from Italy’s Alba

Recommended Red Wines 

Just what the doctors ordered in Faugères

and fireworks from Italy’s Alba 

Leonides Météore Faugéres (AOP) 2018, 14%, 

€18.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Just what the doctors ordered.

From the steep-sloped schist outcrops of the Cévennes, where the vineyards of Faugères are planted, comes this excellent blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault.

Colour is a mid to dark ruby. Aromas are quite assertive with strong notes of blackcurrant and hints of the garrigue (thyme, balsamic). No shortage of spice on the velvety palate but also fresh and fruity and well balanced and definitely digestible, a word I’ve heard Le Caveau’s Pascal use quite often, and accurately I think, in regard to organic wines. 

An excellent wine, with a long and fruity finish, it is Very Highly Recommended. And you won’t need a prescription! Try in the weeks and months ahead with an Irish stew or a French style cassoulet or with some of O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages (especially the spicier ones).

The domaine, certified organic, has been recently purchased by Paul Jenkins and Paul Jarman, two London-based doctors and wine enthusiasts, who have known the area well for many years. Passionate about the possibilities presented by the Faugères schist terroir to create truly compelling wines, they spent a long time searching for a vineyard with the right potential, history and a truly unique setting. When they found Domaine du Météore, they knew they had found the right land and vines to create the wines they wanted.

And the vineyards name? Well many thousands of years ago, a meteor struck the land here and left its mark by way of a crater, a depression where their vines grow very well indeed. Oh yes, you may well notice a streak of minerality!

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Ciabot Berton Fisetta Barbara D’Alba (DOC) 2017, 14% ABV

€20.65 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Barbera is full-bodied, has high acidity and higher-level alcohol, is dry with low tannin, and is the go-to red-wine grape of Piedmont in northern Italy. It is also grown in neighbouring Lombardy and in Emilia Romagna . These three Italian regions account for most of the world’s Barbera crop.

Our Fisetta has a dark colour; you see it immediately on the bottom of the cork where it looks like blackberry. The nose is rather dense and fruity (blackberry jam). May not be as full-bodied as some but no shortage of flavour (cherry, blueberry). And there’s quite a kick of spice as well through the medium long finish. Highly Recommended.

The ‘Fisetta’ cuvée is produced from a small plot of young vines and the vineyard claim the result is freshness, good acidity and distinct hints of fresh fruit. Serve it at 18 degrees and you’ll find “it perfectly accompanies cured meats, light pasta dishes courses and fresh cheeses”. Wine Folly suggests trying it with roasted and vegetable-driven dishes. I reckon our bottle would be just perfect with a Pepperoni Pizza!

The name Fisetta (which means fireworks in Piedmontese) stems from the small building (ciabot, in Piedmontese) found on the site, which belonged to a certain Berton, who, in an attempt to make his own fireworks, caused a fire. Even today, from the cellar you can see the ruins of the building after which the winery is named.

The aim at Cabot Berton is to produce wines that express their vineyard terroir, unique in each vintage and with the stamp of the family’s way of working. “These methods are primarily the use of organic techniques in order to attain and maintain equilibrium and healthy vines in the vineyards and an emphasis on slow ripening and allowing the grapes to hang as long as possible in order to achieve phenolic ripeness, especially for Nebbiolo.”

We enjoyed the Ciabot Berton Rutuin Dolcetto D’Alba (DOC) 2013 a few months back. Review here

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

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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