Friday, November 19, 2010

Bring out Your dead report

Thanks to Liam for being more together than me, you can read the list of wines with Liam's notes here .

From what I can remember, I was broadly in agreement with Liam's assessment of the wines.

Another great night, thanks again to John and Hugo, Sue etc...

New Wines from Spain - Castellroig

Spanish wines are on a good run at the moment. Really interesting wines are coming out of new, emerging wine regions such as Bierzo, Cigales, Yecla as well as the establishment of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Wines that are ripe, well-made yet have the character that people who like wine are looking for AND offer great value for money.
Carol went on holidays in northeastern Spain this year and went on a bit of a tasting binge. As well as tasting with the great and the good of Priorat, she also came across what we think might be a gem in a winery from Penedes called Castellroig.
Best known and widely acclaimed as a Cava producer, they also make a range of reds and whites, with really no weak wines in their whole range.
We have brought in their entry level white - a Xarello (a grape variety usually used for Cava). It is a delicious, bright, aromatic fruity wine which has a lovely clean mineral finish.
The red is Ull de Llebre, also known as Tempranillo. It gets 10 months in oak, is quite full bodied, really smooth, well-balanced and very tasty indeed.
We also brought in their Cava Brut - a world apart from "normal" Cava, this has concentration and complexity and finesse and is a really delicious sparkler.
The Cava is €20, the red and the white are both €15.
On tasting this weekend...

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Bring out Your Dead - the third rising

One week late for Halloween, we had our annual Bring out your Dead dinner last weekend, kindly hosted again by Hugo Arnold. It was the usual gathering of the great, the alright, the old and decrepit and the downright weird. But I want to talk about the wines ha ha!

Unfortunately, I left my notebook behind me, which reflects well on the amount of craic on the night but reflects rather badly on my professionalism as a wine commentator. When I get my notes back, I'll do a full report...

Beaufield Mews French Classics Dinner

I have been very slack on the blogging front for the last week or so, mainly because I have actually been busy, I am happy to report.
Quick roundup: Wine Fair went really well. It is always a good night and we haven't had a single one that I haven't enjoyed, but this was our best one ever. A big crowd, fantastic atmosphere and great support from our suppliers on the night - Searsons, Liberty, Comans and Wicklow Wine. Thanks again. The orders were really strong as well, so thanks to all who came, drank and ordered!

Next Friday night we have a French Classics Dinner in the Beaufield Mews. John Wilson (Irish Times) will be introducing the wines, Beaufield Mews will be putting together a French menu and the rest of us will be having a nice time.

I think this is nearly sold out, but if you want to try and come along, contact John at 01 2880375.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Wine Fair final reminder

Final call for our 12 Annual Wine Fair on this Thursday, November 4th from 6pm to 9pm in Fitzpatrick’s Killiney Castle Hotel. Come along and bring your friends for a great night out, with 6 tables laden down with delicious wines for you to sample. Tickets cost €10, you can pay on the door if you can’t make it in to the shop in time to collect tickets.


On tasting we will have many old favourites as well as classic wines – Meursault, Amarone, Barolo, Champagne, Chateauneuf du Pape etc etc.

Not only do we have great wines open for tasting, we have great deals on those great wines! Highlights include :

Zenato Ripassa reduced by 20% to only €16 per bottle
Twiggy reduced by 19% to €13 per btl
San Giorgio Pinot Grigio down 20% to €8 per btl
Ste Michelle Sparkling down by 25% to €15 per btl
Trapiche Medalla Cabernet down by 23% to €17 per btl
Quiot Chateauneuf du Pape down by 18% to €23 per btl

And many more….hope to see you there!