Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists!

Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists

You never know who may drop into Cork's L'Atitude.
Perhaps natural wine "royalty" as is the case in this pic.

Star Wine List Awards are held in New York, London and Cape Town and this year they are coming to Ireland for the very first time as part of SommiT 2023.  

The International Sommelier jury for the 2023 Star Wine List of the Year in Ireland 2023 were Pascaline Lepeltier, Veronique Rivest, Julie Dupouy-Young, and Heidi Mäkinen M.W.

The Irish Finalists for the 2023 Star Wine List have just been announced.  The award ceremony will take place on Monday 9^th October 2023, at Waterford’s Medieval Museum and Wine Vaults as part of SommiT 2023. (Invitation Only)

Finalists Grand Prix:  The best list overall, the winner in this category will qualify for the International Final which takes place in June 2024.  The Irish winner will compete against the category winners from other countries in the global final of the Star Wine List.  The Star Wine List winner representing Ireland will be announced at the 2023 Star Wine List ceremony.

Star Wine List is the award-winning guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants around the world. It is available as an app and on www.starwinelist.com

Here are the finalists:

Best Long Wine List (more than 600 listings)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

● The Restaurant at Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin

Best Medium-Sized List (200-600 Listings) (Sponsored by Chateau Tour des Termes)

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Piglet Wine Bar, Dublin

● The Barton Restaurant at the K Club, Straffan

● Uno Mas, Dublin

Best Short List (less than 200 listings)

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Etto, Dublin

● Fish Shop, Dublin

● Frank’s, Dublin

● Note, Dublin

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best By the Glass List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best Sparkling Wine List (Sponsored by Nyetimber)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Frank’s, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best Austrian Wine List (Sponsored by Austrian Wine)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best California Wine List (Sponsored by DAOU)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Casper & Giumbini's, Dun Laoghaire

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Sustainable Wine List (Sponsored by Familia Torres)

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● The Pear Tree Café & Wine Bar, Galway

Best Newcomer List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, Dublin

● Hawksmoor, Dublin

media release via Jean Smullen

Check out this Rhone Double!

Check out this Rhone Double!

When you enjoy a glass of Côtes Du Rhône, either in a sunny back-garden or a warm sitting room, you'll hardly be thinking of a frosty night. But frost has had a major influence on the wine story in the area. In 1956, the famous Mistral Wind (still an influence here), battered the region for three weeks, reaching a velocity of over one hundred kilometres per hour and dropping to a temperature of minus 15 degrees centigrade.

The majority of the region's olive trees suffered serious frost damage but the vines resisted so well that the majority of the local farmers decided to turn over primarily to vine cultivation.

Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Vinsobres (AC) 2016, 14.5%

€24.80  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Dark ruby is the colour of this Vinsobres. But it is the aromas that make the first big impression. “Rich and profound” according to importers Le Caveau. Rich for sure. “Takes your breath away” is the verdict of a taster here. But nothing alien in the mix, just lots of dark fruit (plum, cherry).

And the palate is also a winner. No shortage of that fruit, hints too of liquorice plus a good wash of spice as well. Full-bodied and juicy while the finish is fresh and elegant with supple tannins. This very drinkable and vivid biodynamic wine is Very Highly Recommended.

The blend is 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault. Until 1956, olive trees outnumbered vines in the towns of Vinsobres and St Maurice, but one night in February of that year, all the olive trees perished by frost. After that, vines came to dominate and the area’s previous diversification began to wane. Chaume-Arnaud though are working their way back to the old model and so you’ll see olive trees, cereals and tomatoes keeping the vines company on the estate, run now by Valérie Chaume-Arnaud and her husband Phillipe and their son Thibault

The altitude, between 200 to 450m, and the cool wind from the nearby Alps (the Pontias) keeps the temperature lower than the neighbouring villages and contributes to the natural freshness and complexity of the wines. 

Vinsobres wines owe their richness to the assembly of the qualities of richly varied, complementary terroirs. The appellation's soil here is very stony, red to brown in colour, and their warmth allows the vines to flourish early with a high concentration of grapes. Made mainly of Grenache and Syrah, they produce dark red wines with a complex, harmonious nose with spiced flavours that are suitable for ageing. 

Vinsobres is one of nine cru villages in the Southern Rhone of which Chateauneuf du Pape is the most famous; others include Gigondas and Vacqueyras, Tavel (for rosé) and Beaume de Venise (for Vin Doux Naturel).

Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Côtes Du Rhône (AOC) 2018, 14.5%

€19.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This Côtes Du Rhône has a dark ruby colour. Aromas are rather intense, dark fruit prominent. On the palate it is fruity and juicy, excellent acidity too. A very friendly wine, one you really want to carry on with. A very good example of the AOC and Highly Recommended.

The fruit for Côtes Du Rhône (CDR) comes from a much wider area, spreading over 170 communes. By contrast the CDR Villages area covers about 100 communes. The exclusive Crus, including the Vinsorbes above, number 19, Cairanne the most recent to be elevated.

The grapes for this Chaume-Arnaud are Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Cinsault (20%), and are harvested by hand having been grown on stony ground. Grenache offers fruitiness, warmth and body. Syrah donates a hint of spice as well as depth of colour. Cinsault brings finesse to the party and is ideal for making young fruity wines.

The family have eschewed the use of all chemical and synthetic products, respecting instead the rhythms of nature to intensify the life of the soil and maintain a harmonious equilibrium. And it shows in this very drinkable, very digestible wine.

Serving temp recommended is about 14 degrees. Try with venison and wild boar. You won’t find these everywhere but do check out Ballinwillin Farm in North Cork - they also have an online shop.

Two Superb Reds. A Morgon by a Maestro. A Malbec from the High Desert.

Two Superb Reds. 

A Morgon by a Maestro. A Malbec from the High Desert.

Jean Foillard Côte du Py Morgon (AOC) 2016, 13%, €35.60 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Every month in the vineyard, there are decisions to be made, practical crossroads to be negotiated. They concern, for instance, cultivating and fertilising soil, planting, training and pruning vines, and when to begin picking the grapes. But before all that, the vineyard is shaped at a philosophy crossroads. Quantity before quality. Chemical or organic. Fortunately for us, Jean and Agnes Foillard gave the thumbs down to the industrial and choose the natural organic route. Their healthy and beautiful wines are their reward and our pleasure.

In Morgon, Foillard wines express the terroir like a maestro musician. “The aromatics soar and the texture is silky and fine”. Try it in three movements: Le Classique, Cotes de Py, and Corcelette. Long may the maestro of Morgon play on.

The fruit for our Côte du Py, also known as Le Classique, is grown on a hill that is actually an extinct volcano and is masterfully transformed into a soft delicious vibrant-red wine with superb depth of vivacious flavours and a refreshing acidity. There are cherry and raspberry notes, floral too, in the aromas. On the palate, it is elegant with no shortage of minerality, tannins are a very fine influence here and the finish just goes on and on.

Foillard, a leading natural winemaker, has been described as the master of this hill (Côte de Py) and this stunning 2016 will serve to reinforce that claim. Very Highly Recommended. Give this a few more years and it will be even more rewarding.

There are ten crus in the Beaujolais region and Morgon, as you probably know, is one of them. With the typical acidity, these wines can match a range of foods. One suggestion that I fancy is Moroccan Lamb Tagine with apricot.

Amalaya Gran Corte Barrel Selection, Valle Calchaqui (Argentina) 2015, 14.5%, €24.99 JJ O’Driscoll, Wine Online

In Salta’s high desert, for centuries farmers made offerings in hope of a miracle for a bountiful harvest. Esperanza por un milagro is on the front label and the miracle has come to pass inside.

This Gran Corte is an amalgam of Malbec (85%), Tannat and Cabernet Franc. Twelve months in oak has added complexity and roundness.

Amalaya is acknowledged as a leading producer in this region. Owned by the Hess family, they are best known for their Malbec and Torrontés and this Gran Corte is their signature wine.

Colour is purple and there are aromas of red and black fruit. A superbly concentrated wine with a wash of spice, complex of flavour with rounded tannins and a long spice-driven finish. The winery, by the way, makes only blends and this man-made Malbec miracle is Very Highly Recommended.