Wine with Tomás Clancy

Tomás Clancy, wine correspondent with the Sunday Business Post.

Saturday 12th December 2009
suggested wines for Christmas...

Christmas is the one time of year when we really plan our meals and in order to get the best out of your wines, it pays you to give a little time to decanting (which helps bring out the full flavour) and chilling. In general the rules are:

Decanting
- 3 or 4 hours if dealing with a young Argentine Malbec
- an hour or so for a 2-3 year old Burgundy
- a quick pour for whites from Burgundy, Germany & California
- champagnes to help bring out complex notes

Chilling
- champagnes, prosecco, Cava & sparkling wines the night before
- sweet wines four to five hours beforehand
- white wines a couple of hours beforehand (uncork approx 10 mins before serving)
- red wines benefit from being kept outside or for 1 hour in fridge

CHRISTMAS BRUNCH
wines under €20:
Ormeus, Furmint, Late Harvest, Tokaji 2002 - €15
Chateau de la Chartreuse, Sauternes 2006 - €19.95
Ca Vie Prosecco NV - €12.99
Chateau Rives-Blanques Blanquette de Limoux Brut Sparkling NV - €18.99

wines €30 - €50:
Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2003 - €29.95
Chateau de Malle, AC Sauternes 2004 - €47
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV - €47.50

Connemara Peated Single Malt whiskey- €39

CHRISTMAS DINNER
with starters:
Domaine Meyer Fonne, Vignoble de Katzenthal, Riesling AC Alsace 2007 - €19.95
Bret Brothers, AC Macon Uchizy 'La Martine' 2006 - €17.95
Domane Wachau, Riesling Smaragd, Achleiten, Austria 2005 - €25
Domaine Chanson, AC St Aubin 2004 - €29.99

with main course (whites):
Y Caro Reserve Chardonnay, Chile 2008 - €10
Domaine Saumaize Michelin Les Creches AC St Veran 07 - €17.95

with main course (reds):
Herdade de Malhadinha, Nova Monte Da Peceguina, Portugal 2007 - €19.99
Villa Maria Pinot Noir, New Zealand 2007 - €20
Domaine de la Janasse, Tradition, AC Cotes du Rhone 07 - €14.95
Guerrieri Rizzardi Pojega Rippaso DOC Valpolicella Classico 2006 - €17.99

with dessert:
Domaine Kracher, Beerenauslese 2006 - €16
Gerard Bertrand Rivesaltes 1984 - €20
Niepoort Senior Tawney NV - €20

with cheese:
Niepoort, Vintage 2000 - €45 (with stilton, blue & hard cheeses)
Ladoucette Pouilly-Fume 2006 - €26 (with goat & soft cheeses)

Spirit of Kilbeggan, a variety of aged whiskies - from €20
Taylors 10-year old Tawny Port - €29.95

Saturday 7th March 2009

RED
Protocolo Tinto 2006 at €8.99 (O'Brien's Wines)
Viña Chocalán Carmènere 2007 at 9.99
Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2007 €9.49
De Castelmaure, AC Corbieres 2006 €8.95 (Terroirs, Donnybrook)

WHITE
Fournier Sauvignon Blanc 2007 at €9.99
Domaine Félines Jourdan Chardonnay, Roussanne Vin de Pays d'Oc 2007 at €9.95, (WinesDirect.ie )
Fetzer, Pacific Bay Chardonnay Pinot Grigio 2005 at €8.95
Rosemount Riesling 2005 €9.99 down now from €12.49

SPARKLING
Tesco Rose Cava NV at €8.99 down now from €9.99 (Tesco)
Pasqua Prosecco NV at €9.99 (O'Brien's Wines)

Saturday 4th October 2008

WINE CULTURE
Wine is part of Irish life now. We have wholeheartedly adopted wine as part of our diet and culture. In fact we have shifted away from beer to wine in great numbers over the last three years resulting in the beer culture dropping through the floor. Sales have slumped, not only here but incredibly in the USA as well, a country traditionally associated with beer in a big way.

WATCH OUT FOR DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS ON LABELS.
If a wine is 'oak aged' this will mean something different to be barrel aged.

In the new world 'oak aged' which is very broad and can mean that wood chippings/planks of wood are dipped into the wine to give a woody flavour (bit like a giant teabag method, Tomás said) whereas if its 'barrel aged' then the wine has actually been placed in possibly €1,000 worth of barrel for a certain length of time, - the real deal.

So if you're wondering why an oaky Chilean wine is so much cheaper than an oaky French wine - these are the reasons.

TOP 10 Wines recommended by Tomas

RED
Protocolo, Vino De La Tierra De Castilla 2006
~€7.99, O'Briens Wine Shops - almost nationwide

Tim Adams Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
~€8.99, Tesco, Ireland

Castelmaure, Les Enfants Du Rock 2007
~€13.95, Terroirs, Donnybrook

M&S Zamora Zinfandel, Lodi 2006
€11.50, M&S Stores Nationwide

Peter Lehman, Grenach Barossa Valley Australia 2005, €9.99

WHITE
Fortin, Ac St. Veran 2006, €11.99, Superquinn

L'Or de L'Orangerie, AC Cadillac 2004
€11.24-€14.99, Dunnes Stores

Domaine Nicolas Maillet, AC Macon Villages 2007
€13.95, Wines Direct, Mullingar

Ravenswood Chardonnay Vintners Blend 2004
€11.99, Cellars, The Big Wine Warehouse, Longmile Road Dublin and in selected better wine shops nationwide

Chocalan Chardonnay, Chile 2007
€9.99, O'Briens Wines almost nationwide

Saturday 29th September 2007
Contessa Maria Rizzardi of the Guerrieri-Rizzardi vineyards in Italy introduced 4 of their wines that are new to Ireland. They are all available from O'Brien's wine shops nationwide -

Rosa Rosae (2006) @ €11.49
Pinot Grigio Veneto (2006) @ €11.49
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene @ €14.99
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico @ €39.95

Saturday 1st September 2007
Food & wine critic Tom Doorley with some suggestions for sherries & sweet wines which are making a comeback. His recommendations were:

Sherry (best drunk from tulip-shaped glasses called copitas)
Laustau 'Jarano Fino' (a dry sherry from Spain), Amontillado or Oloroso / for value for money - Tio Pepe or Manzanilla
Sweet Wine (great teamed with blue or strong cheeses)
Muscat de Beaumes de Venise
Mountain Wine from Spanish producer Telmo Rodriguez
Brumaire Pacherenc du Vic Bilh

Saturday 14th April 2007
Martina Delaney, sommelier at l'Ecrivain restaurant gave her tips for current trends in wine

Whites
AlBarino from Galicia in Spain
Gruner Veltiner from Austria
German Rieslings
There are also great products coming from vineyards in Rueda in Spain, the Loire valley and Alsace

Reds
Portugese wines are the next big thing, from the Duoro valley & Alentejano
Chilled wines from Spain
Burgundy & Pinot Noir from south of France - €10-€15

Rosés
For light, summer drinking - L'Hortus Rosé, Petit Caus & Penedes

Saturday 25th November 2006
Tom Doorley, food & wine critic offered his tips when buying wine in restaurants

Mark-Up
We all know that the mark-up is steep - between 100% and 200% and in some instances even more. Restaurateurs depend on wine to boost the bill and cover overheads. Derry Clarke of L'Ecrivain says that the actual profit on a restaurant bill is about 3%.

It's hard to generalise, but most restaurants seem to apply a standard %age mark-up for all wines and maybe a bigger one on so-called house wines. This means that you're penalised for drinking cheap (house) wine but you're also discouraged from trading up.

Wines by the glass are more hassle for the restaurant but almost inavriably you pay a serious premium for being abstemious.

Value for money
Generally, the smart money is not on the house wine. And our national favourites, Sancerre and Fleurie often offer the poorest value on the list. Pouilly-Fume is from the next village to Sancerre and is made from the same grape variety; they often offer better value. And there are very few Fleuries worth crossing the road for.

Smart choices are the New Spain (i.e. not Rioja and Ribera del Duero) - places like Toro, Jumilla, Castilla y Leon and in whites the brilliant Valdeorras wines made from the Godello grape (much better value than the ultra-cool Albarinho grape). And Riesling in general; it's getting fashionable but not too fashionable. And Rhone wines with the exception of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is too often just a commodity). Stuff like Gigondas, Vacqueyras. And sherry, the most undervalued wine in the world. A crisp dry fino weighs in at 15% which is a lot but there are plenty of new world reds at roughly the same strength. (Alcohol content, alas, is going up; ten years ago it was typically 12.5% abv, now 13.5% is nearer the mark. And upwards)

What to avoid
Anything that doesn't have a producer's name on the wine list.

The New World, possibly excepting South Africa. This is a generalisation but prices are getting a bit cheeky (with the exception of Rieslings, oddly enough). France and Spain are better value if you avoid the classics; and Italy offers some good value, especially in the south.

Pinot Grigio is the new Chardonnay and thus usually overpriced. Have the Soave by Pieropan (the best producer) if it's on the list, or just drink Riesling!

What's the procedure when you're offered a taste?
I reckon it's not fair to order a wine that you don't know and then decide that you don't like the taste. If the wine tastes and/or smells musty, mouldy and generally "off", send it back and try a fresh bottle. If it is still "corked" (i.e. musty) you are entitled to change to a new wine.

Where to find me
My shop is called Hand Made Wines and is to be found in the Main Street, Lismore, Co Wexford. There's a range of 300 wines, almost all from small producers. Plus a selection of mainly local farmhouse cheeses, deli stuff and the wonderful breads.