Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery

Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. 

With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery

The White Hag Comes Up

 With A Magic Mist.  Juicy stuff

The ‘Juicy’ style was only recently recognised by the Beer Judge Certification Program in the United States, as a result of the emergence of more and more New England IPAs (NEIPAs). Juicy pale ales (also known as hazy pale ales) fit into the NEIPA category at an official level.

Magic Mist is highly aromatic with a soft bitterness that explodes with tropical notes of mango, citrus, and passionfruit, followed by subtle hints of orange and strawberries.

More here

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Beara Distillery

We here at Beara Distillery have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to perfect this black cask blend whiskey

A unique blend that we hope our loyal customers enjoy just as much as we do

It is now on the shelves of SuperValu Castletownbere and Kenmare and will expand to your local SuperValu and off-licences 

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Australian Wine

Australian Wine Discovered is a free wine education program offering flexible courses, tools and resources spanning over topics including key Australian regions, varieties and themes. Learn more: wineaus.co/edu

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Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery Announce Joe O'Driscoll as Head Brewer.

Start of a new era today (1st Mar 2021) as Joe takes over as Head Brewer. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. Since Joe joined us, he's brought a huge amount of passion, energy and creativity in his role as innovation brewer, so it's brilliant to know that the future of the brewery is in great hands.

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Kinsale Mead OnLine Talk and Tasting

Want to learn more about the story behind Kinsale Mead and the fascinating history of mead and honey? Join our online mead talk and tasting on Saturday March 13th at 8pm live from the meadery oak bar with Kate and Denis.
How does it work?
Order your tasting kit before end Sunday March 7th at https://www.kinsalemeadco.ie/product/online-talk-tasting-m/ We will email your tasting link and ship your tasting kit to your door so you can sip along with the Mead Makers live online from the comfort of your sofa. Details here.

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One of your favourite beers is making a return 🍺

Thanks to Rascals!

Well it’s certainly looking like bag o’cans weather out there this week. Mind you, lads going round in shorts and flip-flops? Ah come on. You’ll catch your death.
Here are some new beers to fill your bag with: Betty's dry-hopped New Zealand 4.5% Helles lager and Bruce's hazy New Zealand 6.2% IPA. The former is a bright lager with a crisp, refreshing finish, offering gooseberry and lime flavours and aromas. The latter is a full-bodied IPA with ripe tropical fruit, citrus peel flavours and a perfectly balanced sweetness.

You can get a full case of 12, a mixed case of 12, or even mix either with one of your fave Rascals core beers in a box of 12 or 24. We’ve even put Bruce and Betty into 5L mini kegs. You’ve options galore! €1 from every order in March will be donated to My Lovely Horse Rescue. You can read more about the initiative here.

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Blackwater Distillery 

Irish Mammies are the salt of the earth so why not treat your mother to a bottle of Blackwater Gin. To celebrate this Mother's Day Sun 14th March we are treating your amazing mother to a FREE box of decadent Lily O'Brien's chocolates with every bottle of gin purchased*. Check out our E-Store to avail of this fantastic offer.

Australia 2020 Vintage. Not a great vintage for accountants but a beautiful one for winemakers.

Australia 2020 Vintage. Not a great vintage for accountants but a beautiful one for winemakers

Virginia

"Not a great vintage for accountants but a beautiful one for winemakers."

That’s how veteran winemaker Virginia Willcock described the 2020 vintage at Vasse Felix where she has been part of close to 30 vintages; Virginia is, since 2006, Chief Winemaker at Margaret River’s founding wine estate. 

Monday’s webinar, organised by Wine Australia and moderated by Sarah Ahmed (The Wine Detective), also featured Louisa Rose (Chief Winemaker at 170 year old winery Yalumba in South Australia’s Barossa Valley) and Sarah Crowe (Winemaker and General Manager at Yarra Yering, one of the oldest vineyards in Victoria’s Yarra Valley).

Virginia was talking about the low yield and that was much the same account from across the vast country (Vasse Felix is about 4,000km from Canberra). Low yields yes but beautiful wines to come!

“Margaret River is a very different place”, she enthused. “Very interesting, dynamic, diverse. A unique piece of land formed millions of years ago and great surfing is one result!” The ocean, at three sides of the narrow strip of land, is a massive influence on the vines and the wines. “We have a Mediterranean  climate, cool wet winters, warm dry summers. The maritime influence is of huge significance, our ‘air conditioner’ cools the grapes and gives beautiful extra ripening time. It’s a beautiful cape, so many different areas, different characteristics. We do feel like an island here.”

Harvest 2020. Social distancing in a  Yalumba vineyard in Tasmania

And they certainly felt like it during the 2020 vintage when Covid19 arrived. “We were isolated and there was no vintage party. Our vintage casuals departed early, mainly to catch the last of the flights home. All our own hospitality had been closed down due to the virus and so the staff there helped out in the later stages of the vintage and it was great, some terrific bonding.”

Bush fires not too far away from Yalumba

Conditions over the seasons were pretty good in the area but Virginia points to the springs of 2018 and 2019  (very cool, with some hail) as having been major factors in the low yield for 2020. “Bunch numbers were down and those that survived had low weight. We didn’t get any dramatic vintage conditions. The vines were very healthy, a beautiful vintage.”

“Overall, very happy. Some beautiful whites and great reds with tannins and concentration, a phenomenal vintage for us. Chardonnay is magnificent. Sauvignon Blanc incredible. Cabernet brilliant and Shiraz great also.”

Louisa, who joined Yalumba (Barossa Valley) in 1992 and became Chief Winemaker in 2006, described her 2020 experience in the famed vineyard as “a rollercoaster of a vintage”. “Temperatures in October to December were all over the place. On November 18th, frost saw the overnight temperature drop to below zero. Two days later, as the vines were flowering, we had a 42 degree day!”

Louisa

“And then the bush fires were not too far away. We were lucky here with the wind direction, kept the flames and the smoke away. Still it was a pretty horrific time.”

Luckily, the vines got a break a few weeks before the harvest. The weather got cool and stayed cool and that “refreshed” the vines. After a good ripening period, the harvest started. As expected, the yield was low, as much as 50% down in some cases. Still, like Margaret River, the quality is promising with excellent acidity a factor.

Sarah Crowe told us that Yarra Yering, in the Yarra Valley, is about an hour’s drive from Melbourne. “We are warmer than Burgundy, cooler than Bordeaux. The mountains and the Southern Ocean are major influences.”

Sarah Crowe

And it was much the same conclusion that she reported: “It was a year like none before and, I hope, like none that comes after. Quantities are lower, down by 30%, but we have lovely beautiful wines to come from this harvest, even if it was hard work. Picking was at the end of March with rainfall well above average and temperatures below average. The gumboots got a lot of use!”

The fires didn’t get close here though Covid19 did have an impact. “But we were classed as an essential business on the production side and so we were able to harvest and are pleasantly surprised at the result.”

Now, it’s over to the salespeople.  And the accountants, of course.

Cheers. Latest Episode.

Cheers. Latest Episode #1
Keeping You Up To Date With Wine, Beers, and Spirits

Rioja and Haro's Old Railway Station. New Wines and Old 

Spanish winemakers have often been criticized for failing to join forces to promote their regions, but perhaps last week’s tasting at Haro’s Barrio de la Estación, an event abut which Yolanda Ortiz de Arri has reported extensively in SWL, may serve to change a few things. Beyond the uniqueness of this hundred-year-old distinguished neighbourhood founded around a railway station, we saw strength through unity in the tastings we attended. The diversity of styles ranged form unique, long-aged reds to modern and even exotic wines. Read more from this excellent article here.

The Buyer
Now New Yorkers are hardly renowned for their quiet and unassuming manner. You can normally hear one coming from a block or two away. But its winemakers, up until very recently, have been particularly shy compared to their counterparts on the West Coast. At least when it comes to exports and finding their way on to premium restaurant wine lists in key cities around the world.  That’s all about to change as New York State has become one of the most coveted regions in the US for aspiring winemakers who are in search of unique soils and a cool climate to make wine.The next step is telling buyers outside the US about the wines they are missing out on, which is what the latest The Buyer’s debate with key importers was all about. Here is the first part of a two part report on a tasting and debate held with leading distributors and merchants just prior to the lockdown.

Wines Direct Ireland have an organic case to make!

White wine from Priorat is not the norm but Mas d'en Gil vineyard Grenache and Viognier are grown at one of the highest points with a constant regulating breeze from the Mediterranean. The result is a beautiful mineral palate with a Mediterranean herb finish. See more here


Wine Australia

Vintage wrapping up in Australia

It has been a cool summer and autumn by Australian standards and that combined with the dry weather is leading to reports of an extraordinary season in terms of quality.

Although not yet complete, it is clear that vintage 2020 is delivering exceptional quality fruit although yields are down. Some regions have finished vintage, whilst others are still wrapping up. You can read more in these reports for Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.

We will be collating information from the regions and we hope to publish our 2020 vintage report online in July. 

Wine Searcher

Clean Power of Pisa Trumps Chianti

But where/what is Terre di Pisa?

"As you can tell from the name, it's near the town of Pisa, which is famous for its leaning tower, in Tuscany. It's just north of the Bolgheri appellation, which is known for its Bordeaux grape varieties, and in fact there is plenty of Cabernet and Merlot in Terre di Pisa, along with plenty of Sangiovese, because it's Tuscany. The Chianti Classico DOC is not far away, just on the other side of Florence."

Read more here.

Chateau Feely Virtual Wine Experience

Are you wondering how to celebrate a key event with family and friends? Let us organise a Virtual Wine Experience Celebration for you and your guests. We ship small wine packs to all members of your party and organise a celebratory virtual wine tasting event together. More details on this and other wine experiences here.

The Buyer

Why regionality is next step for New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc 

Last week, in the first in a series of webinars, New Zealand Winegrowers asked if consumers and the trade can ‘get past the gooseberry’ to talk about Sauvignon Blanc as a wine in its own right. Jane Skilton MW joined three master sommeliers John Szabo, David Keck and Ronan Sayburn, to debate the issue in a debate that was attended by 500 participants worldwide, including Peter Ranscombe...Read More

Waterford Whisky

The old proverb of “March, in like a lion, out like a lamb” is fitting to describe the weather conditions during the sowing window for spring malting barley in 2020. Wet and cold weather in the first fifteen days of March prevented any ploughing, cultivation or sowing from taking place in the fields. However, no rainfall events in Leinster after St. Patricks Day, combined with higher than average levels sunshine and cold winds, enabled sowing to commence from March 22nd. First out of the blocks to sow this spring for Waterford were growers Barry Ashmore and John Tynan. No rainfall for the remaining nine days in March enabled tremendous progress to be made and all the conventional barley fields for the distillery to be sown by April 1st. This is, by far, the most condensed sowing period relative to the five previous seasons. 

Read more here 

Irish Focus at Australian Day Tasting. Classics and New Wave Impress

Irish Focus at Australian Day Tasting
Classics and New Wave Impress

I was determined to concentrate on the Focus Table, this year featuring a selection of 31 wines by Irish wine personalities who have a keen interest in Australia, including Liam Campbell, Martin Moran, Harriet Tindal, Colm McCan (Ballymaloe) and Gavin Ryan (Black Pig, Kinsale). The figure was supposed to be 24 wines but it did get extended!

Laura Jewell MW, Wine Australia Head of Market EMEA, said:  We hope this new section adds an extra dimension to this year’s event. Having looked at the nominations, these wines really do highlight the diversity of Australian wine and reinforce the country’s reputation as a premium wine producer.” 

The promise, and it was kept, was that “great classic wines from the likes of Cullen, Clonakilla and Bindi will be on show, plus new-wave artisans like Jauma, Ochota Barrels and Gentle Folk”.  

So the signs were good as I arrived at the Royal Hibernian Academy and sought out the Focus Table. And I made a sparkling start with the House of Arras ‘EJ Carr Late Disgorged’ Tasmania Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2003. Fresh and vibrant, an amazing sparkling wine.

Then followed a string of young Rieslings, including the Josef Chromy ‘SGR’ Tasmania Riesling 2016 with an ABV of just 7.5% and a delicious Skillogalee Clare Valley 2015 by Dave Palmer, “mineral, dry and crisp” as noted by Gavin Ryan from Kinsale’s Black Pig who selected it.

The Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Valley Semillon 2011  was superb, “intense and complex, but elegant and refreshing” noted Martin Moran. It was all good around here and the standard was maintained by the Bird in Hand Adelaide Hills Grüner Veltliner, the grapes picked in the cold of the night to retain flavour and freshness.

Maximum drinkability and enjoyment is the aim of the producers of the Gentle Folk Forest Range Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2015, the first of the reds and the first of Ballymaloe's Colm McCan’s selections for the table. I reckon the producers got it right as did Colm.

There were quite a few Syrah and Shiraz at this point, all very good including the Payton and Jones ‘Major Kong - Planet of the Grapes’, Yarra Valley 2015. My favourite though was the blend: De Bortoli ‘La Boheme Act Four’ Yarra Valley Syrah Gamay, imported by Febvre and a Liam Campbell pick. 

The Colm McCann selection, Jauma ‘Audrey’ McLaren Vale Shiraz 2015, is produced biologically and intrigued with its “cider-y” notes.

Some excellent Grenache on the table too including Ochota Barrels ‘The Fugazi Vineyard’ McLaren Vale 2015, the Willunga 100 McLaren Vale 2015, and the Cirillo ‘1850 Ancestor Wine’ Barossa Valley 2011. The Cirillo was chosen by Ian Brosnan of Ely and he admitted that, until recently, he had never tasted Grenache of this quality.

And quality too, at a very good price, in Kevin O’Brien’s Kangarilla Road Terzetto, a McLaren Vale blend of Sangiovese, Primitivo and Nebbiolo. It is a favourite of mine, was chosen by Liam Campbell and is available at O’Brien Wines.

Perhaps the best blend of the lot came towards the end: the Cullen ‘Diana Madeline’ Margaret River Cabernet Blend 2014, imported by Liberty Wines and nominated by Gavin Ryan who has fond memories of enjoying it at a full moon harvest party in Margaret River.

Time then for a chat at the Liberty Wines stand with Garry Gunnigan and new recruit Marcus Gates and a tasting of their sweet wines before heading into the general wine area.

Here we soon met up with Jonny Callan of Cabroso Wines who import the Kelly’s Patch range to Ireland and we hope to link up in Cork soon and find out more about the company.

Having concentrated on the Focus Table we missed out on many stalls, including McGuigan where they were tasting the impressive Founder’s Series that I enjoyed in Kinsale a few months ago.

Hard to go wrong with the Deakin Estate and Katnook Wines that are imported by Findlater (and available in Cork in Bradley's and other outlets). 

Next time I'm up in North Main Street, I'll be looking at some of the Penfolds that Laura introduced me to at the Findlater’s stand. Both the Bin 2 South Australian Shiraz Mataro (that is what the Australians call Mourvedre) 2012 and the Bin 28 South Australian Shiraz 2011 impressed.

With Marcus (Liberty Wines)

Been writing this and wondering how the Australians get to name their wines. Heard a good story from Michael at the Lanchester Wines stand as we sampled the excellent ‘Don’t Tell Gary’, a McPherson Shiraz 2015 from the Strathbogie Ranges. 

This wine is a labour of love - one the accountants didn't know about.  In 2014, winemaker Jo Nash discovered an exceptional parcel of Shiraz from the Grampians which she gently crushed, then tucked away in some ridiculously expensive French oak barrels to age for 12 months.  

All the while, she was urging her fellow employees: “Don’t tell Gary”. No one did tell Gary, her boss. Now the wine speaks for itself - minimal intervention, purity of fruit, Shiraz at its best and Jo has been given free rein to investigate other possibilities in the vineyard!

John (left) and Michael at Lanchester Wines

See also earlier article on great selection of fortified sweet wines at the tasting here.

My Nicely Judged Australian Trio. Not Full-on At All.

My Nicely Judged Australian Trio

Not Full-on At All

Top wine writer, Hugh Johnson (he’ll be in Ballymaloe for the Lit-fest) has noted how Australian wine has changed from "full-on" to "nicely-judged". Reckon I’ve got a trio of the latter here. Enjoy!

Chris Pfeiffer in Cork

Pfeiffer Carlyle Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, 14.5%, €19.85 Karwig Wine

First, a geography lesson. The Pfeiffer winery is located in the parish of Carlyle in the Rutherford Glen area of Victoria in Australia. I met Chris Pfeiffer in Cork a few years ago and he is very proud of his area and of its wines and named this wine after his parish. You may read about Chris in Cork here.

This purple Cabernet Sauvignon is excellent. The nose is a strikingly rich mix of red fruits and violets. The palate too is rich, concentrated and smooth, hints of sweetness and then a long and slow finalé. Best in the parish? The wine-making neighbours, 40 miles or so away, may have something to say about that! But this is a lovely wine and Very Highly Recommended.

Pfeiffers are well known for their stickies (sweet wines). The Wine Atlas of Australia suggests that Christopher’s Vintage Port is the one of the best. Interestingly, the Pfeiffer website doesn't mention the word Port, diplomatically calling it Christophers VP.

With David Bryson (left) at a Cork tasting

Morambro Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Padthaway (Australia), 14.5%, €23.40 Karwig Wines

The Bryson family established Morambro Creek in 1994 and their signature wine, according to James Halliday, is the Bryson Barrel Select (Shiraz, Cabernet). They also own the Jip Jip Rocks and Mt Monster vineyards, both also in Padthaway.

I met David Bryson (5th generation) in Cork in 2013 and, as it happens, had a taste of this very wine. David said it is selected from a small number of outstanding barrels each vintage. Traditional wine-making and minimal processing feature strongly in the making of “this Cabernet derived from our estate vineyard”.

The nose, typical of the area, is fragrant and more expressive than the Carlyle. It also has a purple colour. On the palate, it is superb, lush and intense, some spice too. The tannins are fine and soft. The power and smoothness is a delicious delight and the finish is persistent. Overall, a great balance. It impressed two years ago and impressed again the other night. Very Highly Recommended, for sure! You'll probably notice that it comes in a rather heavy bottle!

Padthaway, on the Limestone Coast, is the area in which you’ll find the vineyards that David and his brothers, Paul and Andrew, look after. Their parents, Clive and Elizabeth, built the wine business up over the past half century before handing over to their three sons. Since 1851, five generations of the Bryson family have been involved in agriculture in the area.

Katnook Founder's Block Chardonnay 2012 €17.99 (down now to 15.95) Bradley’s, North Main Street, Cork

The recent Australia Day tasting in Dublin illustrated once again how the country’s Chardonnay has found redemption in recent years. Once big and brash and off-putting (remember the ABC!), now it is much more subtle and so much the better for it. And Katnook is a splendid example of what you can expect nowadays.

Katnook had quite a selection on the Findlater stand in Dublin but I had already bought my own Chardonnay in Bradley’s, thanks to the advice of their Michael Creedon. A small proportion has been barrel fermented, then matured on its lees for six months and the wine is made “in a fruit forward style for everyday drinking”.

With its subtle oak tones from the barrel fermentation, its good concentration and long finish, this is an elegant solution if you want a well-made well-priced Chardonnay. And even better value now with two euro off. Katnook is, like Deakin Estates, owned by Spanish Cava producer Freixenet.

It has an attractive straw colour with white fruit aromas (peach and nectarine) evident. There is a smooth flow of white fruit onto the palate, a rich mouthfeel, those oak hints too, good acidity, balanced all the way to the the end of the lingering finish. Highly Recommended.

See blog post from the Australia Day Tasting in Dublin here

Kelly’s Patch Wines Victoria to Magherafelt

Kelly’s Patch Wines

Victoria to Magherafelt

Jonny Callan (left) and Matt Herde in Dublin

From way down in South-Eastern Australia comes the collection of very drinkable Kelly’s Patch wines. I came across them a year or so ago in Karwig’s and came across the team behind them at the recent Australia Day Tasting in the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin where Wine Australia showed over 200 wines to illustrate the diversity of wine in the vast country.

Cabroso Wines were showing the Kelly’s range and here we were delighted to meet up with Jonny Callan and Brian Shaw from the Irish end (they are based in Magherafelt, County Derry) and Matt Herde (see his short tasting videos via the links below) from the Australian end in Victoria. Brian himself was just back after no less than four years spent working and studying in the wine industry in Australia and New Zealand.

All their wines are single varietal. The whites are Kelly's Patch Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay while the reds are Merlot and Shiraz. They also have a pair specially developed for the on licence trade, namely Kelly's Gang Shiraz and Kelly's Gang Sauvignon Blanc which you can watch out for in restaurants.

Took the opportunity to taste most of these in Dublin and they are very pleasant wines indeed, all easy drinking and all well priced at €11.99 for the off licence bottles. The Pinot Grigio is beautiful and fresh. The Sauvignon Blanc is fresh and vibrant with good tropical fruits.

The Merlot surprised me with its plummy spicy fruit, very concentrated with a lovely soft mouthfeel, a very nice drop indeed. The Kelly’s Patch Shiraz is also very good, warm and hearty, fruit-forward and enjoyable as Matt says here in this short video.

We later had the chance to taste two of the wines, including their star, the Kelly’s Last Wish Shiraz, at our leisure and the notes follow.

Kelly’s Patch Chardonnay 2014 (South East Australia), 13.5%, €11.99, available at Karwig Wines and other stockists http://kellyspatch.com/wheretobuy/

The fruit for this comes from Goulburn Valley where Chardonnay is the leading white grape. The aromas are an inviting mix, mainly fruity but with some floral elements. Colour is a bright medium gold with green tints. Importantly, oak use has been careful and applied to only a portion of the wine. Extended lees contact has enhanced the structure. There is indeed a refreshing balance of fruit and lively acidity and a very good finish to boot. Well made, good value and Highly Recommended.

Matt’s video here.

Kelly’s Last Wish Shiraz 2014, Central Victoria, 14.5%, €19.99 Stockists

Central Victoria is Shiraz country and the Last Wish, with its abundant succulent flavour and character is an excellent example. The fragrance of plums and the lift of spice are found in the attractive aromas and a palate full of concentrated fruit follows, oak too but really well integrated. With its tremendous fruit and spice, this is a complete wine, one that the winery say will keep for seven years. Not full on but nicely judged, as Hugh Johnson might say. Highly Recommended.

Ned Kelly's "mark" on left hand pic.

Just in case you haven't guessed it, Kelly's Patch is named after Ned Kelly,  an Australian bushranger of Irish descent. He was born in the British colony of Victoria as the third of eight children to an Irish convict from County Tipperary and an Australian mother with Irish parentage.

Kelly is one of Australia's greatest folk heroes, according to a government website. “He has been memorialised by painters, writers, musicians and filmmakers alike. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang than any other group of Australian historical figures.” Read more here.

Briefly, he was born in 1855 and hanged in 1880. His last wish was to be buried in consecrated ground but that didn't take place until 2013 when he was reinterred in Greta Cemetery in Victoria.

South-Eastern Australia is a Geographical Indication (GI) covering the entire southeastern third of Australia. This area's western boundary stretches 1250 miles (2000 km) across the Australian continent, from the Pacific coast of Queensland to the Southern Ocean coast in South Australia. This vast viticultural "super zone" effectively encompasses every significant Australian wine region outside Western Australia.

(from http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-south+eastern+australia)

Australia Day Tasting in Dublin 27.01.16
Part One (whites)
Part Two (reds)