Arthur Carroll shares his choice of wines
I REMEMBER MY first introduction to wine. I was in my late 20s, and a virtual non-drinker. Our neighbours, a feisty Italian lady and her British husband, gave a small dinner party. The main course was lamb cooked in herbs, and the wine was red and came in a large bottle - Pedrotti! The wine was available in quantity, but the quality left something to be desired. So began my interest in wine.
Thankfully, my pocket and my palate have improved with the years. I am definitely a lover of wines from the old world - France, Spain, Italy, and to a lesser extent Germany. I have tasted wines in most European countries; France being a special favourite. Last September, my wife and I took off to the Rhône Valley. We based ourselves in Gigondas for six nights and tasted on alternate days. My wife much prefers white wines, so the Rhône held little attraction for her palate. We skipped the bigger houses such as Jaboulet and concentrated on smaller vineyards, Domaine La Bouissiers, Domaine Raspail-ay and Domaine Didier Charavin from Rasteau village.
I joined the Cork and Bottle Wine Club about 15 years ago. We hold monthly tastings and this has been an excellent way of broadening my knowledge of wine. The club organises a tasting trip most years. This year we stayed in Carcassonne and tasted in Corbières and Minervois. We had eight tastings in six days. The highlights for me were two small vineyards run by husband and wife teams. Château Sainte Eulalie is run by Isabella and Laurent Constal, who grow Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault. The premier wine is called La Cantilene. It's well worth trying, and is available through Karwig Wines and Mahon Lee, both based in Cork.
Domaine Aonghusa is located in Fourtjoncourse in Corbières. Pat Neville and Catherine McGuinness, from Co Wexford, took over this vineyard in 2001. Pat produces about 20,000 bottles per year. His 2007 Syrah is superb, but not yet bottled. Joe Karwig has his Domaine Aonghusa-Cuvée Laval 2003 at about €15 and this is drinking very well. It's a wine to enjoy with food.
I have coined the phrase: 'In good or bad times, sparkling wine is a must.' I am particularly fond of Prosecco, and Dunnes Stores does an excellent one called Venetio, which is extra-dry, and not too expensive at €11.99. Mahon Lee also has a good sparkler from Rueda called Palacio de Bornos at €13.
I like to surprise my friends with different wines not always readily available in Ireland. At a recent dinner party, we drank a 1999 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Avignonesi, (Reserve Grandi Annate) and a Vin de Pays de la Vienne Ampelidae PN 1328, both of which I brought back from Italy and France. At €35 and €25 per bottle, they are not too expensive but excellent drinking.
THREE TO TRY
2006 Weisser Burgunder, Spätlese trocken Rheinhessen, Erbeldinger, which sells for €14.30 in Karwig Wines, or a Verdejo from Palacio de Bornos (Rueda), at €9 from Mahon Lee (021 45802400), or Ripassa Zenato from O'Donovan's Off-Licence, €20.99.
Arthur Carroll is administrator of the Cork & Bottle Wine Club