When Julian Alubaidy (now @curiousjulian) left Bubble Brothers, I felt they had lost their soul, their online one at least. Julian wrote what I think was the first (and finest) wine blog in Ireland and after his departure, it fell silent.

I’m sure they were getting on fine offline, but there was certainly a void for wine drinking digital natives. So, I was delighted to see them take on Paul Kiernan, one of the most entertaining wine writers of the new generation. Where others assume tacit knowledge, Paul manages to inform while being entertaining. Thus, a terroirible beauty was born.

But what of the wines of Bubble Brothers?

Paul kindly sent me what they refer in “the trade” as samples. A Pinot Blanc from Alsace and a red from Ribera del Duero. I had these over the weekend with some friends and tried to match them with food.

1. Domaine Eugène Meyer Pinot Blanc 2009

The Pinot Blanc went with a lobster thermidor. Before you cry rich wine snob, lobsters are €5.99 in Lidl at the moment so the only rich thing was the sauce  (see the recipe here). I’d normally go for a rich buttery Chardonnay or perhaps a Viognier with this kind of dish, but the mustard and lemon juice give it that little bit of bite so I felt okay going with the Pinot Blanc.

It’s an organic wine. Sorry, a wine made from organic grapes. Tastewise, it was all about green crunchy apples. Not much florals going on as you’d get with many from Alsace. There was also a nice minerality and a very decent length – so not at all unlike many unoaked Chardonnays.

Currently down to €13 (from €16) and available online here.

2. Bodegas Pingón Carramimbre Roble, Ribera del Duero 2010

Next up was the wine with the “noughts and crosses”. Made from Tempranillo, known locally in Ribera del Duero as Tinta del País.

Roble is Spanish to oak, but not much – it spends only 4 months in barrels (Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva will spend incrementally more). And it’s all the better for it. Concentrated fruit, great freshness too and a nice long length.

This went with a cassoulet I made, or “meat n’ beans” as my two year old daughter called it (the meat n’ beans recipe is from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey).

Nice match too.

Yours for €15, available online here.

Food & wine matching: a sport not a science

Now, while I did make an effort to match the food and wine, it’s not a science, it’s more of a sport.

Ernie Whalley put it better, “Wine & food matching is like marriages, 5% made in heaven, 5% made in hell and the rest can be made work”.

TxB have one of the most geographically diverse portfolios and having recently added a wine from China, I was really keen to try it. It was the Cabernet d’Est from the Chang Yu winery.

The grape

A couple of interesting things about it. The grape is Cabernet Gernischt, touted as an indigenous Chinese variety, but it’s thought to be a cross between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The varietal became extinct in Europe around 200 years ago. Its roots are Franco-Austrian, having been brought to China from Bordeaux by Austrian, Freiherr von Babo.

The place

The place is Ningxia, China’s newest winegrowing region, located in Central Western China on the fringes of the Gobi desert, just south of Mongolia, watered from the Yellow River.

At an elevation of 1,100m (comparable to Mendoza in Argentina) the area is characterised by warm days and cool nights, perfect conditions for growing grapes.

The wine

What did it taste like? Actually, quite like a cross between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon! It has all the hallmarks of the elegance and structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated left bank Bordeaux and the lovely green “fraîcheur” of a Loire Cabernet Franc. The tannins are fine, still tight, and there’s a little bit of spice behind the austere fruit.

Very impressed with it and if you can get your hands on it, a great way to toast Chinese New Year on Monday, 23rd January, The Year of the Dragon.

Gan bei! 干杯

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.

Featured recently on national television, it’s no longer just a town you bypass on the way to Dundalk but somewhere worth stopping.

And if stop you do, then stop you must at Quintessential Wines on the Dublin Road.

There, you’ll find a modest but carefully selected range of wines on the shelves.

One that stands out is a Spanish wine, Honoro Vera.

She stands out initially because of her elaborate postpunk label, worthy of a place on thedieline.com

But beneath the label it gets even better. If the label manages to seduce you, the seduction continues.

She’s a Garnacha (Grenache) made from old gnarly bush vines rather than those obedient trained and trellised ones.

She’s big, round, with a sassy spiciness too.

While she’s about a tenner off the shelf, she tastes far classier too.

She is a brilliant wine and  one worth spending a night or two with.

I’ve been taking a wine gadget, Vin Aire, for a test drive over the last couple of months.

What is the Vin Aire?

A wine aerator through which you pour wine into your glass. The science bit is that it’s based on Bernoulli’s Principle which states, as you all know, that an increase in the speed of moving air or a flowing fluid is accompanied by a decrease in the air or fluid’s pressure.

If, in your misspent youth, you pierced a can of beer while downing in it, that’s Bernoulli’s Principle in action.

From boisterous beer practices back to civilised wine, this decrease in pressure rapidly sucks air into the funnel (the gurgling sound), and mixes it with the wine before hitting your glass.

My “scientific” evaluation process

Now, wine tasting isn’t all that scientific. For example, if you know a wine is expensive or you recognise the wine brand, your brain starts to taste the wine before it’s even in the glass. Read the subjectivity of wine.

Despite the subjectivity of wine, I wanted to evaluate the Vin Aire through a somewhat “scientific” or objective process.

So, for each of the wines below:

• I poured wine into two identical glasses, one through the Vin Aire and other straight from bottle to glass.
• I alternated the order of pouring
• I asked my lovely assistant to switch the glasses so that I was tasting “blind” (I didn’t know which glass was which).
• Decanted the rest for later (a wine scientist needs to relax after intensive hours in his lab, after all)

The wines tasted

1. Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
2. Tim Adams Shiraz 2007
3. Henri Bourgeois ‘La Bourgeoise’ 2007 Sancerre Red (Pinot Noir)
4. Honoro Vera 2010 Garnacha Catalyud, Spain
5. Meerlust Rubicon 2005, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Red Bordeaux blend)
6. Leoville Barton 2002, St. Julien, Bordeaux
7. Mas de Daumas Gassac 2006, Vin de Pays d’Hérault.

Vin Aire results

1. More expression on the nose, softer palate initially.
2. Far more expressive nose
3. No difference
4. Massive difference, particularly to taste, much softer
5. No difference
6. More expressive aromas, no difference to taste
7. Nice difference on the nose and slightly softer on the palate

The conclusion

While I did mention a scientific process, I was really having a bit fun with it. To be truly scientific the results would have to be repeatable with a bigger sample size of wines and tasters and tasting blind (not knowing what the wines were).

And if I worked for Vin Aire, that’s exactly how I’d market the device – a “The Vin Aire See For Yourself Roadshow”. Don’t knock it, that’s exactly how Max Riedel sells his wine glasses across the world.

So, from the “scientific wine experiments” I performed, there was definitely a difference for five of the seven wines.

The younger wines tasted seemed to benefit most from it.

How? With the Vin Aire, I suspect it’s a case of “blowing off” trapped gases like opening the window of a bedroom to let the air in.

Decanting, could be similar, but just take longer.

So, if you’ve bought a red wine for consumption an hour or two after purchase (most wines are bought this way), then I’m confident this will work for you.

All that remains is for you, with your new found love of physics, it to choose which shaped glass you’ll pour it into.

I had bought it about a year ago and as luck would have it, I interviewed the man who made the wine, Samuel Guibert, two weeks ago. Read the interview here.

Having chatted to Samuel Guibert about the winemaking philosophy at his property, I was keen to seek out the finesse, complexity and balance which he had told me about. It wasn’t hard to find.

After a good 6 hours in a decanter I served it up with a simple enough dish from the south of France, cassoulet.

Samuel had told me that it was quite “atypical” of wines from the Languedoc. And he was right, this had many of the hallmarks of a classed growth Bordeaux and to me, justifies the accolades, comparisons and hyperboles like “Lafite of the Languedoc”.

Why is it like a Bordeaux? It’s a red blend, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but it has a whole host of other red varietals in there too (Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and another 9 in smaller quantities).

Despite or because of this unusual blend, it truly does match the best of the Bordeaux. And seen in this light, it’s a bit of a bargain.

The 2006 (if available) and subsequent vintages sell for around €38 where many Bordeaux will sell of upwards of €80 (not counting the first growth craziness).

The 2008 is currently on sale from rednosewine.com and curiouswines.ie has the 2009, both good vintages according to the vintage reports on Mas de Daumas Gassac website.

With food?

Perfect with lamb, game or the big bird at Christmas. My cassoulet was a little too rich for it.

If there was ever an excuse to get into dessert wine, then Christmas is probably it.

If you’ve never tried them, tried them but remain to be convinced or tried and love them, then there are two events coming up worthy of your patronage.

Wine Australia are hosting them, the first on the 6th December in Cork, followed by Dublin on the 7th.

Downunder they have been producing these wines for over 140 years, they call them stickies.

Over here, they remain a tough sell, with the exception of Christmas.

Presented by Chris Pfeiffer

Chris Pfeiffer, owner and wine maker of Pfeiffer Wines in the Rutherglen will be presenting the tasting. He’s a regular visitor to Ireland with a huge passion for these wine styles, so he’s the ideal ambassador for stickie wines.

Where and when

• Tuesday 6th December, 7pm: Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork
• Wednesday 7th December, 7pm: Ely Bar and Brassiere, IFSC, Custom House Quay, D1

Cost

The cost is €20 per person, which includes the tasting and tasty nibbles afterwards. Only 30 places at each event so book early.

How to book

For the Cork tasting, book direct with Wine Australia on ireland@wineaustralia.com or 065 7077 264.

For the Dublin event, direct with ely Bar and Brasserie on wineclub@elywinebar.com and on 01 676 8986.

If you require any further information please contact John at Wine Australia on ireland@wineaustralia.com or 065 7077 264

Samuel Guibert was in Ireland last week for wine tastings in Tipperary and Cork. He’s the head winemaker of  legend of the Languedoc, or the “Grand Cru of the Midi”, Mas de Daumas Gassac. Started by his father and mother in 1971, he has since joined the business with two of his brothers, Roman and Gaël. When he’s not making wine or flying around the globe talking about making wine he’s a busy father of two sons and a daughter.

Just before he headed south of the Pale, I caught up with him for a chat about making his “Grand Cru of the Midi”.

Samuel opens up confidently in saying there are no bad questions, he’s open to anything. Not something you normally hear from winemakers who are usually closely guarded by their local importers and PR people.

Mas de Daumas Gassac has been called the Lafite of the Languedoc, tell me how it started?

Well, it started with luck! My parents purchased an old farm or “Mas” in 1971. They had fallen in love with the area and found an old farm, almost in ruins.

My father, Aimé, was in the leather business and my mother taught in Montpelier. Neither had any real interest in the wine business.

If you wanted to make money, particularly in the Languedoc, wine was not the way to do it. Back then, getting wine into a glass bottle was an achievement.

So, they had all this land and didn’t know what to do with it. They thought about planting asparagus, sage, maizse or something else until a good friend, Henri Enjalbert, paid them a visit. Enjalbert was the Dean of the School of Geography in the University of Bordeaux so he knew a thing or two about soils.  After walking around the property it reminded him of Cote d’Or in Burgundy.

Glacial deposits, very rich in minerals led him to believe that my parents could make a Grand Cru wine here, but he also added it could take them 200 years. But from a terroir perspective, he said there was something exceptional in this valley.

So, they decided to plant some Cabernet Sauvignon and seven years later, with the help of Emile Peynaud, made their first vintage.

Peynaud’s name is synonymous with some of the most revered chateaux in Bordeaux. Why the Languedoc?

While he consulted with some of the top Bordeaux houses, he said he wanted to be present at the birth of a Grand Cru.

And it didn’t take 100 years either, Daumas Gassac very quickly became known as the “Lafite Rothchild of the Languedoc-Roussillon” (French magazine Gault-Milau) and “the only Grand Cru of the Midi” (Hugh Johnson).

“We managed to make something truly unique, not just in Languedoc, but in the whole of France. It became more than just a wine but a powerful idea. It changed people’s mindsets. Languedoc was no longer about cheap, bulk wine.

While all the comparisons, Grand Cru of the south, the Lafite of the Languedoc are always a fantastic tribute and acknowledgement, I prefer “Grand Cru of the Midi” because it’s our own name. And all this stature also comes from being the first to break out but it’s still a nice recognition.

What it means, though, is that people have full belief in making amazing wine in the Languedoc, we’re no longer stuck with a name for bulk wine.

Now, what makes Languedoc exciting is not the negotiants, but the small producers making one or two thousand  cases. They’ve converted their garage into a cellar and they’re also focusing on non-chemical, organic farming. It’s quite a revolution.

So, is Daumas Gassac a good representation of wine from Languedoc?

Actually, Gassac is probably atypical of a Languedoc style because we have very much a Bordeaux influence with the Cabernet Sauvignon. But at the same time we’re definitely not making a Bordeaux wine. Putting us in with other wines from Languedoc would be like putting a New Zealand Pinot Noir in with Australian Shiraz.

When Emile Peynaud worked with us he imparted his philosophy which we have adopted. For us, wine should be about finesse, complexity and balance.

The Mas Daumas gassac Red wine is a blend of about 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 other grape varieties. In terms of the land, the Gassac estate (45 hectares total) is made of over 63 individual vineyard plots in the middle (like little clearings) of 4,000 hectares of Mediterranean forest (“Garrigue”).

Each vineyard/clearing is planted with a different cépage (vine) and since we harvest everything by hand, they are all picked over a three to four week period.

All the non Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are picked in the first week and blended together in the tank, before fermentation. The Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested and fermented separately.

It is only after the fermentation that we will blend the Cabernet wine with the non Cabernet wine and will let it macerate for another few weeks.

We then we use old oak rather than new. It helps with oxygenation, without imparting strong oak flavours.

So, your father started this with a little help from his friends what about you, the next generation?

Well, the challenge was to go from one generation to the next unnoticed and I think we’ve done that successfully. I’ve been at the helm of the winemaking for the last 12 years, though my father is still involved.

Our role is the same but we constantly face new challenges and keep innovating with new methods, new techniques but only as long as it respects our philosophy, nature.

So, you mentioned nature. In making a wine, how much is nature and how much is the winemaker?

Well, that depends on who you ask. Many people would say they make the blend, so they are making the wine. But we’re vignerons, we don’t make wine, nature makes wine. We have 15 different grape varieties in the red and we use all of them every year because it represents the vintage. Perhaps we have less “personal impact” on the wine. We’re not going for a “style”, but that’s okay too, that’s our philosophy. Both ways are right.

Speaking of style, the whole “Parkerization” debate still rages on, what’s your take on it?

A lot of this came to a point with the film, Mondovino, where people realised that behind the romance of wine, there is quite a big business.

Parker did a tremendous amount in opening wine to American society who would have never touched wine if he wasn’t there.

But being too powerful or influential meant that winemakers saw that if they got their wine mentioned, they could sell 20% more wine at 20% higher price. And so, you’ve got people looking for this formula or recipe to make Parker like their wine. But not everyone is at this.

Our wine was crafted on a clear philosophy, starting with Emile Peynaud’s motto of finesse, complexity and balance. I mean in 2009 you had Chateau Pavie at 14.5% who many would consider not real Bordeaux.

Remember Bordeaux 1961, the average was 11.5%, not 14 or 14.5% and people are still raving about the 1961 vintage.

For us 12.5% a magic number because at that alcohol level, you’ve got good fruit, good acidity (a key component for a long ageing wine 20-30 years) and dryness – a red should be dry.Up at 14-15% you get something closer to a spirit.

Speaking of magic numbers 12.5% is also an auspicious one  for the Irish. It’s our corporate tax rate. Apart from that you have strong links to Ireland, tell me about them.

My mother is an ethnologist and one of the world leading experts on the Celts and Irish history and traditions and speaks Gaelic. She studied in Trinity College, Dublin.

My parents bought a house in Bantry in county Cork so we came every year since I was a child and we still come back from holidays, so I know the place very well.

Where can you buy your wines in Ireland?

The Mas de Daumas Gassac are available from Red nose wine inTipperary and Curious wines in Cork. And some exciting news, both Red Nose and Curious are offering the 2010 vintage ‘en primeur’ (where you buy the wine before it arrives). By buying this way you stand to save around €10 per bottle.

The classic range are available from both Red nose, Curious wines and Simply Wines and Cases.

WOW! David Whelehan has launched a new blog with some aplomb. I’ve already been drawn in to the fantastic winemaker interviews where you really get a feel for what wine, and their wine in particular, is all about.

I travelled with David in Chile last year and I learnt so much from him. He’s truly an inspiration and we’re lucky to have him in the world of Irish wine.

Without further ado, visit whelehanswines.ie

Bierzo has also has at least one tenuous link with Ireland, it shares the same annual rainfall as the eastcoast. This is definitely “Green Spain”

Wines are typically fresh, fragrant, with good fresh vibrant fruit and a savoury bite. Brambly is a good word to the describe them.

In terms of availability. There aren’t too many on the Irish market . From memory the following are good buys from independents (though Superquinn and M&S are bound to have decent ones too):

• Tilenus
• Petalos
• Cuatro Pasos
• Manium
• Uttaris
• Xestal

La Mano Mencia

So, it was with great surprise and delight that a sub-€10 Mencia has made it to the independent trade.

Available from Curious, Simply, Red Nose and Cases (and potentially a few other spots) for €8.95.

What is it like?

First off, that lovely lavender and “garrigue” smell you get from the Languedoc. Lots of lovely brambly fruit and a greeny freshness that Cabernet Franc fans go mad for.

Delicious stuff and a real bargain to boot. Get your mits on this and discover what Mencia is all about.