El Vino Outsprints Le Vin
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| Tour legend Seán Kelly on St Stephen’s Green with Adolfo Hurtado, Cono Sur’s Executive Director and Chief Winemaker |
This National Bike Week, Irish cycling legend Seán Kelly has teamed up with Cono Sur, one of Ireland’s favourite Chilean wine brands, to celebrate their official wine partnership with the Tour de France.
The elegant limited edition Cono Sur Bicicleta labels will feature artwork, exclusively commissioned, by esteemed British artist Eliza Southwood and celebrates the beauty and passion of cycling.
Bicicleta, Cono Sur’s most popular range, is named after the bicycles their workers use to get around the vineyards, helping to keep their carbon footprint low and their grapes at optimum quality.
The Cono Sur Bicicleta wines have an RSP of €11.99 and are widely available nationwide. The specially illustration used on the label can be found on seven varieties in the following countries: Colombia, Ireland, Lithuania,Poland, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. The Tour de France will take place from July 2-24.
This is the third year of the sponsorship, a daring move that caught the French flat-footed. But just recently, the winemakers down in the Aude, who have already this year emptied tankers of Spanish wine onto the motorways, have forced the Tour organisers to switch gears and make something of a concession in order to avoid a threatened blockade of the annual cycling race.
Read more here.
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| Sean getting away from Adolfo! |
Protest notwithstanding, I’ve already completed two stages of the Bicicleta and feel like a winner; might not be enough for the Maillot Jaune but the Geansaí Glas would be very acceptable.
Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc, Chile 2015, 12%, Bradley’s Off-Licence
Fresh aromas of peaches and lemons. A refreshing tingle on the palate, good balance of fruit and acidity and a crisp dry finish, just like Mark Cavendish. Pair with salads, light seafood and vegetarian dishes and fine too as an aperitif. Recommended.
Cono Sur Bicicleta Merlot, Valle Central Chile 2015, 14%, Bradley’s Off-Licence
The colour here is a dark red. Bottle notes sum up the aromas very well: blackberry, chocolate, and lightly toasted oak. Ripe fruit flavours, vanilla too, warm and rich, nice balance and decent finish. Cono Sur say pair it with steak or white meat. More stamina in this one, just like Chris Froome.
Started this on a Friday, then applied the Vacu-vin. Forgot about it until Sunday and found a definite improvement. No shortage of bottle then, just like Dan Martin. Recommended.
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| In the vineyards. A rest and then back on the bike |
