With literally thousands of indigenous varieties of grapes to make wine from, Italy has an embarrassment of riches in their vineyards. One of the areas re-establishing its name is Sicily. The island has a variety of not just grapes, but also soils and general terroir to choose from. Being so far south can have the…… Continue reading Phil’s Weekend Wine Tip: Alta Mora Etna Bianco 2015 (O’Brien’s €21.95)
This week’s wine recommendation is a lovely Pecorino I picked up in Blackrock Cellar, which was on special offer. I was passing through Blackrock High Street and though I would pop into Blackrock Cellar as I’d read a lot of great things about their selection and customer service. I asked for a recommendation from one…… Continue reading Phil’s Weekend Wine Tip: Ilauri Avalos Pecorino Colline Pescaresi 2015 (Blackrock Cellar Reduced to €16.95 from €18.95)
This week it was my lovely girlfriend’s birthday, so I decided to grab a bottle of Prosecco on the way home. O’Briens currently have a sale on their range of Itaian wines across their stores with discounts of 20%-35%. This Guerrieri Rizzardi Prosecco Frizzante was reduced down to €11.95 and fitted the bill perfectly. Prosecco is produced in…… Continue reading Phil’s Weekend Wine Tip: Guerrieri Rizzardi Prosecco Frizzante (O’Brien’s €11.95 reduced from €14.95)
The north west of Spain already has it’s champion grape in the form of the fashionable Albariño from the Rias Baixas region. There is a lot more to this area though and Godello is a grape that has been trying to make it’s breakthrough in Ireland for a few years now. I first heard of…… Continue reading Phil’s Weekend Wine Tip: Armas de Guerra Godello 2015 (SuperValu €12.99)
As a country with a long wine making history, France has a rich tapestry of regions and styles to choose from. I have to admit to being a Francophile myself when it comes to wine. This is, in part due to the deft touch the French have that shows in the elegance and finesse of their…… Continue reading 5 Great Wines From Lidl’s French Range
So, you’ve been out in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) for a couple of weeks and the only thing to drink is beer, and not even good beer at that. A glass of chilled wine would go down beautifully on a 29°C day, but it’s not something that is easily found in this part of the world.…… Continue reading A Brave New World
It’s that time of year again. Family arguments, unwanted gifts and it being somehow acceptable to have a glass of something sparkling and alcoholic at 11am in the morning. And at some point over the next few weeks we will all be sipping a glass of something fizzy. Even if you don’t like the stuff, you’ll…… Continue reading All That Sparkles
You fumble your way through the pages of the wine list. Château something, random Classico, and then you spot a word you recognise, something you and your dining partner like and within budget, perfect! You order it from the waiter and wait patiently. The bottle is brought to the table and shown to you. You…… Continue reading Would You Like To Try The Wine, Sir?
Matt Skinner, the head of wine at Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fifteen’ restaurants once said that wine is “fruit juice for adults” and I couldn’t agree more. In my time learning about and working with wine, I’ve noticed people can shy away from talking about wine in front of others, because they feel that they don’t know…… Continue reading Fruit Juice For Adults
Phil My Glass 