Sherry, of course. And probably Port too. Talking to some wine merchants, and this is the only time they sell any of the stuff. If I were to pick one, I’d go for a Sherry. The great thing about Sherry is that you can go from bone dry to sweet, it’s literally a world of discovery. I’d go with a dry Puerto Fino sherry, perfect as an aperatif and available just about everywhere from independent wine shop to supermarket. Look out for Lustau.

Bubbles must make an appearance. There’s plenty to choose from. Tattinger has been walking out the door at Tesco where they have it down to €25, sometimes back to €60, then back to €30. That’s a bit of a bargin. But even at €25, you can get two bottles, almost. of Jacob’s Creek Sparkling. Blanc de Blancs is the ultimate crowd pleaser and perfect for parties.

Hosting a party?

For a ridiculously drinkable red, La Mano from Mencia (the grape) grown in a place called Bierzo in northern Spain. Not massive on the wine scene here, so you’ll pick up some novelty points. It got the brambly fruit and the rustic spice which will appeal to Cotes du Rhone lovers too. At €7.50 it’s also the wine to replenish your cellar with after the seasonal depletion. 

If there’s still a deal on (and even if there isn’t), try the Shiraz or The Fergus (a blend) from Tim Adams from Tesco. He’s a top bloke and makes great wine. See the interview I did with him last year.

For the white, I’m a fan of Le Courlis Sauvignon Blanc from The Corkscrew. There’s an interesting story behind this one. The winemaker and owner, Aynard, sent me some samples about two years ago now while I writing for the Tribune. He was looking for an Irish importer so I brought the bottle over to the lads and we tried it together. It has been continuously selling out since then. If I’d just become that importer, I’d be doing quite alright now.

As for fizz, look no further than the above Jacob’s Creek. Available in most convenience stores and supermarkets.

What to drink with the big bird?

For starters, whatever it is, it must be paired with Gavin Quinney’s Chateau Bauduc Bordeaux Blanc Sec. Austerity used to be a good word before the recession hijacked it. The French were the best at it, keeping overly generous tropical flavours in check in favour of elegance and complexity. While the French were at that, along came an Englishman and began to show them what’s what. A really stunning Sauvignon Blanc, quite unlike any of the new world styles we’ve grown accustomed to. Favoured amongst Gordon Ramsey, Rick Stein and TV’s Oz Clarke. This is a million miles from Oyster Bay and it’s all the better for it too. Down to €11 at the moment.

Onto the main event. I find it a challenge matching the turkey, trimmings and a wine. Classic matches are Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, but they can get crowded out by the brussels sprouts, chestnuts, cranberry sauce and whatever you’re having yourself.

I like something a little more robust and my wine of the year has to be Mas de Daumas Gassac. At €38, it’s expensive, but Michael Broadbent has been placed it in his top ten wines of the world. That’s good enough for me. I met the affable winemaker, Samuel Guibert. He’s a regular visitor to Ireland too, so it’s definitely buying local!

From not too far away, two other reds I love are from the same stable. First, the little brother, Les Orbiers de La Peira. It was my wine of the year last year and the 2009 is arguably better. For €20, it’s hard to find better. That’s not all folks, it has a big brother, La Peira Las Flors 2008. Both hail from the little known Terrasses du Larzac appellation, uncovered for us by Gary Gubbins who has an uncanny knack of seeking out amazing wines from the Languedoc. He’s like a pig with truffles! They’re both listed here on rednosewine.com.

That’s the old world taken care of. What about the new world? I was bowled over recently by three from South Australia’s Langmeil. They have some of the oldest vines in the world.

Typically, it’s Shiraz and in particular their Valley Floor and Orphan Bank. The Valley Floor really sings and at €17 you’ve got serious quality going on. Very polished wine. A step up in price at €36 and history is the Orphan Bank.

The vines were planted in the mid 1800′s and were to be torn out to make way for property. That was until Langmeil stepped in and transplanted them to a safe place where they continue to make great wines.

Worth mentioning too, the grandfather of both is the Freedom Shiraz from Langmeil. I tried it back in May at the Wine Australia tasting. Barack Obama was in town that day and this is a wine fit for a president. At €63 (down from €70) it’s a wine only our recently retired politicians on big pensions can afford to be drinking. It would be wasted on them too, tut!

For the classic fans, I’d go straight for Mischief and Mayhem’s basic Chardonnay available from The Corkscrew. At €19.95 it’s a glimpse into Meursault, toasty, minerals, creamy. Beautiful.

Meditative reds for later

A red by the fire and a good book. The book is probably on the Kindle, but the wine is still in the glass. Not for long if it’s Zenato’s Ripassa. Normally around €20, you’ll find it in some places on offer at €15. Silky smooth. Available in Next Door off-licences and good wine shops nationwide.

The Mulley’d Wine

For Mulley’d wine, I’ve put up my lovely wife’s recipe a couple of times over the years. I may be sucking up for brownie points, but I’ve yet to taste better.

Most wines mentioned were samples. I paid for those from The Corkscrew. Disclosure: I work on the The Corkscrew’s website. Sorry, award winning website. Ahem.

When @winealliancemoz mentioned he had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc coming in, I wondered if there was any  room in the market for another one.

Turns out there is.

Little Beauty’s winemaker is Eveline Fraser, formerly head winemaker at the famed Cloudy Bay. That’s a good calling card for starters.

Nice front & rear aspect

The label, too, is a winner for me, with a glossy front and well formed behind, replete with QR code. Deserving of a Harper’s Wine & Spirits Design Award in 2010.

Whether QR codes will gain any traction is open to debate. They may languish down there with RSS, unless a new generation of smartphones has QR readers built into the camera. And the masses figure out what they are.

Nonetheless, the nerd in me loves it. The URL and QR code have the potential to take you beyond the label and learn a little bit more about the wine. Good old brand engagement.

What about the wine?

Back to the wine. All the hallmarks of what made Marlborough burst onto the scene about 15 years ago. Passionfruit, gooseberry, citrus, refreshing zestiness. Notably, this is a 2009 and the extra year in bottle has allowed all the flavours to mellow and integrate. In terms of texture, there’s a little bit of creaminess which is really nice. It softens out all the bright tropical and citrus flavours. It may be down to some lees stirring or partial malolactic fermentation.

A benchmark Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and along with Kevin Judd’s Greywacke (also ex-Cloudy Bay), one of the top to come out of New Zealand in the last year or two.

The grape throughout is generally Gamay and the method of production is “carbonic maceration”, where fermentation happens inside the grapes, rather than in the pressed juice with the skins on top.

Fleurie is one my favourite “crus” or villages within Beaujolais and 2009 is arguably one of the best vintages they’ve ever had.

What this means for you is that you’re in for a real treat, particularly with the featured wine of the week, Château de Fleurie 2009.

It’s abundantly fruity, medium bodied (not too heavy, not too light) and has amazing freshness you wouldn’t normally associate with red wine. I defy anyone not to fall in love with this wine instantly.

With regards to provenance an l’histoire, the Château de Fleurie is a family estate close to the centre to the centre of the village of Fleurie. The Château has 32 acres of vineyards and there’s a strong emphasis on traditional techniques. After fermentation, the wine is stored in large oak foudres. Just to give you a sense of scale, these foudres are the size of the average small Dublin apartment bedroom. That’s a lot of wine. What it means is that the oak has a small bit of influence, but by no means dominates the wine.

The  understated Château building dates back to the 18th century while the Loron wine family have been making wine since 1821.

Perfect illustration of just how good Beaujolais can be. Underrated, underpriced and available at around €16 from Nash wines in Limerick.

This one is from a producer called Leone de Castris, a pretty big producer down in the heel of Italy. “Primitivo di Manduria” is the DOC, Primitivo being the grape. Primitivo is, of course, as many wine folk like to point out the same as Zinfandel and another one from Croatia.

It gets a bit of a bad wrap, sometimes, Wikipedia obviously hasn’t enjoyed too many good ones, referring to it as a heavy, blunt red wine. Hey, but what would an encyclopaedia know?

Is it better than Wikipedia says?

The Leone de Castris “Villa Santera” Primitivo di Manduria is anything but blunt. It’s a bit of a savage alright, but in the best possible way. The savage becomes a lot tamer after generous hours of decanting (6-8, I’d recommend). It then starts to reveal its treasures.

Dark, almost impenetrable black colour with a lovely nose of  dark fruits, plum, cherry and sweet liquorice. Nice bit of vanilla in there too. Yes, it’s quite a big wine, big full bodied, but by no means a brute.

After being open for about 24 hours, it got better still with a lovely silky texture mellowing out the wine. If you can’t or won’t decant it for a 6-8 hours, then pair it with barbecued beef. Ideal.

Availability & price: available online from retrovino.com and from selected retailers.

After a good old natter, a very decent espresso, I picked up 4 Chardonnays, happy to go with Ian’s recommendations. I went for an ANZAC mix, one from the up and coming Waiheke Island in New Zealand, the others from just across the Tasman sea in Australia, but from very different areas.

1. Cable Bay Chardonnay 2004, Waiheke Island, New Zealand (€20)
2. Pirie Estate Chardonnay 2005, Tasmania (€20)
3. Four O’Clock Chardonnay 2008, McLaren Vale (€15)
4. Hope Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2007 (€14)

The spoiler: all four were fantastic. Chardonnay is back – you’d butter believe it and look no further than Australia and New Zealand for its resurgence.

Cable Bay 2004, Waiheke Island

Cable Bay is made from grapes grown on Waiheke Island, close enough to Auckland. Tony O’Reilly has a stake in the company. When I was last in Auckland, some irate journalists wanted to lynch him – some sort of union issue at his New Zealand Herald. Anyhoo, great to see an old favourite, back in favour, a bit like Chardonnay.

Great balance between the crunchy apples, tropical fruit and zestiness and the creamy nuttiness you get from ageing on lees and judicious use of oak barrels.

Ridiculously good and chugs along nicely with chicken.

Pirie Estate 2005 Chardonnay

Piercing citrus, bone dry with lovely minerality and a lean structure throughout. Not as creamy or textured as the other three in the line-up, the oak is a lot more subtle but clearly very well made.

Tasmania has been up and coming over the last couple of years with Pirie out in front. These guys also produce one of the best sparkling wines I’ve had in a long time, also available from Simply Wines.

Sang well with salmon.

Spring Seed Wine Company, Four O’Clock Chardonnay 2008

Wow! I had great expectations of this one. Good breeding, you see with the Bosworth family behind it. They do some very decent drops under their own label. The labels for this series of wines are based on vintage flower seed packets and there are three variations. I like the classic look and it ties in somewhat with the organically grown grapes.

In the bottle, you’ll find a damn fine Chardonnay. Peaches and pink grapefruit to begin followed by a smooth layer of silk. I could of sworn there was some malolactic fermentation, which softens the harsh malic acids or oak treatment, but alas no.

The creaminess can be explained by time left on lees and perhaps that one of the batches was handled “oxidatively”. Interesting winemaking techniques.

Hope Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2007

Probably the richest of all four Chardonnays. I’m thinking Burgundian elegance too. Textbook tropical fruits with peach stones, followed by the buttery brioche and hazelnut, all in a nice little bit of creamy sauce. Lots of fruit, nuttiness and texture.

I really love this style of Chardonnay, it shows great fruit growing and winemaking skill.

The notion of the terroir doing the talking is one thing, but just like the finest ingredients in food, you need a good chef to bring them all together and this is a perfect example of that.

Availability

You’ll find all four wines at Simply Wines. The Four O’Clock Chardonnay is also available from Curious Wines in Cork and Red Nose Wine in Clonmel.

I picked it up when on a recent business trip to Boulder, Colorado for about US$18 from Liquor Mart there.

What’s Liquor Mart? It’s the size of a supermarket, stocked with an infinitude of great wines, beers and spirits. Even with a shop of its size, the staff are knowledgeable, many having worked a stint or two for wineries.

On getting back to sunny Ireland I let it lie for the last 6 weeks to settle, not wholly intentionally. All the vibrations when flying can unsettle a wine, causing something called “bottle shock”, where the aroma and taste of the wine can be dulled.

Without further ado, how was the Three Rivers Chardonnay?

Lovely fresh aromatics, hints of hazelnut, crunchy green apple and some tropical notes. Gorgeous creamy texture along with flavours of pears and pineapple. A dab of spice and buttered toast from oak finishes it off nicely. Went really well with roast chicken. A really well made Chardonnay and as good as the great Chardonnays coming out of Australia, and some place called Burgundy.

So, don’t fear the oaken Chardonnay people! When done well and with a light hand it’s majestic and the king of white wines.

An an aside, I’ve seen a couple of people decry the lack of US wines on Irish shelves. The US, California in particular, has a reputation for expensive wines, but I think that’s lazy journalism.

However, I do agree that we have a pitiful selection from across the pond. Looking at the selection in Liquor Mart and some of their keen prices, there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy more wines from the US at a decent price.

All it takes is an adventurous importer to get a selection in and then convince us to buy it (okay, that last part could be a bit tricky). But it’s already being done.

O’Brien’s is a good example of this in action with their Clos du Val range. Their Chardonnay was on what seemed like “permanent offer” for €17 (a steal), but has recently crept back up to €23. I saw it in Liqourmart for about US$18.

This sounds a little funny to stay, put the recession has been a bit of a blessing for Prosecco. The bubble experience without the expense.

Back in September, I had the privilege of heading out to a town in the Veneto called Valdobbiadene, the heartland of Prosecco sparkling wine. The winery is Bisol, makers of some of the best Prosecco in Italy.

Compared to Champagne?

Comparisons are a bit unfair. Compare at price point, then Prosecco wins every time in my view. All other comparisons are a little unfair, different place, different grapes, different winemaking technique. Champagne has that celebratory stigma and allure, so unless you have deep pockets, it’s quite difficult to get to know intimately.

Prosecco is more accessible and if you watch the short video featured above, you’ll see that Roberto Cremonese describes Prosecco as “uncomplicated”. For me, it’s uncomplicated in a sense that it lacks the fuss, the pomp, the circumstance and the price reserved for a drink like Champagne and I think that’s a good thing.

The “Valdo”

A most serene beautiful place, a lot of the landscape is steep hills, making hand pruning and harvesting the only way to tackle it. So it’s well made here in the Valdo, particularly where Bisol are concerned. I got to see the grapes coming in and the processing. It doesn’t look like a massive industrial operation, but Bisol can be found in some of the best bars and restaurants around the world (I recently discovered it in The Med restaurant in Boulder, Colorado).

So what makes for a good Prosecco?

Finally, it’s now a protected name. It’s origins are a grape from a town called Prosecco near Trieste, but in recent years the name, perhaps, became somewhat devalued. Prosecco in a can, with Paris Hilton on the label was not something the better producers and core region ever aspired to. It seemed that outside forces were dictating the future of their native drink. This protection is now DOCG, the highest step in the Italian wine categorisation.

The second is identifying and labelling the grape. It’s called Glera, not Prosecco.

So, there’s a move within the DOCG area combined with the named grape  variety to get away from the generic fizz to a protectable entity of geographical origin.

While there are still some generic bubbles out there, there’s also the equivalent of the “crus”, or better vineyards. The Cartizze is a good example. 106 hectares split between over 150 owners, of which three belong to Bisol. This area is one of the most sought after. For a hectare, you’re looking at $1 million, but no one’s selling.

Sheer chance brought a bottle of Yarden Merlot 2007 to chez nous, thanks to an Israeli client of SWMBO.

It’s made in Galilee, an area any good Christian will be familiar with.

But back to the wine, gorgeous ripe fruit, great “varietal typicity” (read plums, cherries and chocolate), nice soft texture, freshness and minerality. Nice soft integrated oak adding a little vanilla into the mi with a lovely long finish.

Merlot grapes are mostly from the Golan Heights, an area of the Galilee appellation and arguably the best area for wine in Israel. It’s also quite cold at times, due to the northerly aspect as well as the altitude.

The vineyards on the volcanic plateau go  from 400 metres to about 1,200 metres. Altitude in normally hot areas can help keep them honest, giving the wines a freshness and good acidity thanks to the difference in day and night temperatures.

So, that’s just one wine from seems to be a very good wine producing country. If only we got to hear and taste more from Israeli wines.

L’Chayim!

As I’m writing, Joe Ryan and his team are busy tending to their vineyards, mowing and trimming, before they cover their vines with nets. If they don’t net the entire vineyard, starlings will devour their entire crop before harvest. Such is the ebb and flow between man and nature.

Joe Ryan’s family are fourth generation New Zealanders now. His great great grandfather arrived in New Zealand in 1874. The boat ticket says he left from London, but that’s as far as Joe can trace it. He believes the family arrived in London after escaping the famine, possibly from either Tipperary, or Limerick, before seeking their fortune in New Zealand.

Gladstone, Wairarapa

Gladstone is one of 3 grape growing areas in the Wairarapa, the others being Masterton, and the more established Martinborough. Joe originally began exporting to Ireland under the Wairarapa banner, but the name is a bit of a mouthful for us (pronounced “Why ra rap a”) so they used the more local Gladstone.

Joe figured if he was going to sell wine in Ireland from an area named after a British priminister, at least it was one in favour of home rule.

Gladstone is a rural area 10 minutes east of Carterton, that only has a school and a pub, like many Irish towns, except for the shortage of pubs. It sits on the valley floor along side the Ruamahunga river. It was this river, moving eastwards over thousands of years that created the free draining stony terraces that the dozen or so vineyards here grow in.

Unlike Marlborough across on the South Island, they can’t achieve high yields, mainly due to climate, so the cost of grape production is higher per ton.

Joe shares the concerns of many of his fellow New Zealanders, with production increasing faster than their markets.

The problem of over production in New Zealand

A few years ago vineyards in Marlborough (over 60% of NZ’s production) were selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars per hectare. This attracted a lot of developers without any other interest in the industry to start vineyards with the idea of making a quick buck.

According to Joe, the over supply that has resulted coinciding with the onset of the global recession has really knocked the whole New Zealand wine industry.

The high cost of production

While New Zealand can still achieve reasonable prices for their wine on the international stage, New Zealand remains one of the most expensive places in the world to grow grapes. Why? Nature is a cruel mistress, and they have to deal with frost, fruit loving birds, higher labour costs before they transport wine half way across the world to get to most markets.

So, even if they wanted to be they probably could never compete on price.

In terms of the future, Joe is optimistic. Luckily, New Zealand has always been about quality despite many producers here being forced to currently selling below cost.

New plantings which led to the rapid increase in production have significantly decreased since 2008 when the over supply issues began. Joe sees the balance between supply and demand will return and is hopeful, like many of his peers that new wine markets in Asia will help this happen.

I’ve tried two of Ryan’s wines, both adorned with the celtic bands.

The Sauvignon Blanc 2008 was, almost as you’d expect, full of gorgeous tropical fruit, but with a nice streak of minerality, almost “Sancerresque”. Unmistakably New Zealand Sauvie but with perhaps more restraint than many Marlborough styles.

The Pinot Noir 2006 Single Vineyard is very classy. Lovely succulent cherry fruit, backed up with great acidity and a lovely silky texture. Very Elegant.

Despite the decline in popularity in recent years, Chardonnay remains one of the world’s great white grapes, capable of producing wines of varying styles, depending on where it is grown and who is making it. I think it’s brilliant and I’m currently loving new world styles.

Below, two classic French styles alongside two from the antipodes and one from the US of A.

1. Clos du Val Chardonnay, California, 2006 (€16)

This is nice rich example of Chardonnay which many producers have shied away from in recent years. Opulent, sensuous but with a perfect balance between gorgeous juicy fruit and oak, a crisp, long rewarding finish. Could easily be confused with a pricey premier cru from Burgundy. Rediscover your inner love of well made Chardonnay with this stunner.

With food? Roast chicken, stuffing or fish/chicken with rich creamy sauce

Available from: O’Brien’s

2. Domaine Maurice Lecestre Chablis 2008 (€18 approx.)

Chablis is famous for light and clean wines, a world away from the Chardonnay further south in the heart of Burgundy. Wines from the best plots In Chablis, Premier Cru and even Grand Cru are often more concentrated but are still light and crisp. This one is crisp and refreshing with a lovely minerality with notes of crunchy granny smith apples. In style, very different from the other Chardonnays this week.

With food? Lighter salads, or oysters

Available from: good wine shops nationwide (find using wine-searcher.com)

3. Innocent Bystander, Yarra Valley, South Australia Victoria 2009 (€13-€14)

Australian chardonnay is definitely back. Yarra Valley has a cool climate which means a refined, elegant style of chardonnay here with zesty citrus and a rich texture and toasty nutty flavours and a nice minerality. Not the sappy, sugary style of old, with any richness offset with a refreshing clean, crisp precision. Class in a glass.

With food? Roast chicken or fish in cream sauces

Available from: Mitchell & Son, Drinkstore (Stoneybatter) and good wine shops nationwide (find using wine-searcher.com)

4. Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 2005 (€40)

The Aussies aren’t the only ones making classy Chardonnay. New Zealand elegantly demonstrates, again, that it’s more than a one trick pony. “It’s a field full of ponies ™” and thoroughbred producer, Ata Rangi are behind this one.

A major step up in quality and price, but it’s staggeringly good.  Peach, orange peel, toasty honied notes and all the good stuff you get with Meursault.

With food? Crab or salmon in a rich creamy sauce

Available from: good wine shops nationwide (use wine-searcher.com to find it online)

5. Chanson Meursault 2007 (€40, bought in sale for €25)

This is more restrained, more elegant than many of the overly buttery Meursaults. Lots of lovely minerality, a flavour seen throughout this week’s picks.

Pink grapefruit, brioche and honey all melding to form what is one of the best Chardonnays I’ve had in quite a while. Keep for a special dinner, and keep your eye on O’Brien’s when this can be reduced by as much as €15.

With food? Rich fish dishes or lobster

Available from: O’Brien’s wines

Over to you

What do you reckon, is chardonnay back?