A Sterling Trio From Europe. Red Wines to Enjoy.

Chateau Mayne-Vieil Fronsac (AOC) 2015, 14%, 
€19.35 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Fronsac doesn’t immediately spring to mind when you think of Bordeaux but this is a Grand Vin de Bordeaux.

Colour is a dark ruby. Rich aromas, mainly ripe plums, touch of spice, vanilla. Palate is supple and deep, packed with rich flavours, spice and oak again, a juicy acidity and smooth tannins bring it all to a long finish. Quite a bit of character to this one, drinking well now and Very Highly Recommended. Pair it with red meat, game, and cheeses.

Tried the chateau’s website but backed off when I got a warning about bad bugs. From what I can gather, the blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, though some years it may be all Merlot.

Fronsac red wines are based on Merlot, produced in an area in the east of the Bordeaux wine region. It is located close to the northern bank of the Dordogne river, just a few miles to the west of Libourne – the town that gives its name to the Libournais region. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol lie to the east of the town. And Fronsac (this bottle included) offers an affordable alternative to its better known neighbours.

Antica Enotria Puglia (IGT) 2017, 12.5%,  

€14.45 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny 

Suddenly, you realize that you can't keep exploiting, poisoning and pushing because whatever you do to the land, you do to yourself. The same fate. And you then you begin to respect. Respect for yourself and your land, for time and for life.

These are the words of winemaker Raffaele di Tuccio, echoing the experience of Spanish winemaker Miguel Torres: The more we care about the earth, the better our wine. Raffaele’s family winery Antica Enotria is in Puglia and is part of the Italian Organic Wine Route.

This red (rosso) blend is mainly Nero di Troia with the better known Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Colour is a mid ruby. Reasonably intense aromas show red fruit and floral notes. Very refreshing for a red from this hot region, no shortage of acidity, good fruit (dark berries) too and a little spice, almost smooth tannins. Lively and light with a soft texture, yet with a strong character, this Highly Recommended wine also finishes well.

Alfredo Maestro Viña Almate Vino de la Terra de Castilla y Leon 2018, 14.5%
€15.45 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Importers Le Caveau trumpet this as: ““A stellar addition to our portfolio.” 

It is 100% Tempranillo from 2018 and, in Spain, young wines such as this are generally called joven.  It has spent four months in neutral French oak, is unfined, unfiltered, and with very low S02. A great one to pair with grilled and roasted meats. No big amount of sediment here but decanting often helps a young wine express itself better.

This Very Highly Recommended dark red wine has rather intense aromas of dark plums and cherries. On the generous palate it has an engaging liveliness not to mention strong fresh flavours and a touch of spice enhances the engaging experience right through to the lengthy finish where you’ll notice the tannins drying your lips.  Another well-made wine from the man "known as the 'magician of the Duero’, a prominent exponent of the natural wine movement in Spain.

The Tempranillo grapes for this wine are grown in Peñafiel in Ribera del Duero but, according to Spanish Wine Lover, it has always been sold as VT Castilla y León. This is Alfredo’s flagship wine and Spanish Wine Lover rates it “as outstanding within its type and style”.

High Quality Reds from High Altitudes

Alfredo Maestro “El Marciano”, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon, 2017, 15%, €19.65

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

Dark ruby colour. Aromas of dark fruit, cherry prominent. Spicy dark fruit on the palate, fresh powerful acidity, medium to full bodied, deep and generous, a harmonious example of the grape right through to the long dry finish. Very Highly Recommended.

I've seen it referred to as a glowing Garnacha. And why not? Le Caveau tells us winegrower Alfred Maestro’s mantra is:  “Wine made with only grapes, well-kept vineyards, and healthy land.” 

From the  beginning (he started making his own wine in 1998), he farmed organically.  But, in the cellar, he followed the book, followed the herd, until he began to question himself. No additives in the field so why not follow the same guidelines in the winery? And so he began. On his own path, a path that has led to this beautiful expertly crafted wine and others (he makes no less than 11 cuvées).

By the way, the fruit for this one (a great wine with roast pork) comes from 70 year-old Garnacha vines grown on decomposed granite soils at a staggering 1,150 m. elevation in the upcoming region of Gredos mountain range.  

Domaine Bousquet Grande Reserve Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 2014, 13.5%, €24.35 Mary Pawle

A violet robe for this organic wine. Strong aromas of ripe red and darker fruits. Fruity and spicy on the palate with rounded tannins. Excellent concentration of pure fruit. Its time in oak (it has been aged in French oak for 12 months) has helped leave it velvety smooth and the finish is long and satisfying. Quite exquisite overall and Very Highly Recommended. 

Now what to match with it? The barbecue would be a good place to start. The label suggests grilled red meats, cheeses as well as chocolate based desserts. Some of you may well notice chocolate notes in the wine itself.

A 1990 vacation in Argentina was all it took. For third-generation winemaker Jean Bousquet, it was love at first sight. The object of the Frenchman’s desire: the Gualtallary Valley, a scenic, remote, arid terrain high in the Tupungato district of the Uco Valley in Argentina’s Mendoza region, close to the border with Chile. 

Here, where the condors fly and not a vine in sight, Bousquet discovered his dream terroir, an ideal location in which to nurture organically-grown wines. From that virgin territory, nothing planted, no water above ground, no electricity, the French wine-making family’s venture is now recognised as the source of some of Mendoza’s finest wines. The vineyard is located in the foothills of the Andes and is an incredible 1200 metres above sea level. Here the thermal amplitude contributes to fully ripened grapes with excellent acidity.

A Delicious Double from Le Caveau

Arianna Occhipinti SP 68 Rosso Terre Siciliane (IGT) 2016, 12.5%, €26.35 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Get your kicks on route sixty-eight. Doesn't rhyme! This super wine, liquid poetry, is named after the road that passes by the Sicilian vineyard where Arianna Occhipinti happily produces the clean wines that have given her quite a reputation.

“Arianna Occhipinti is a real star of ‘natural wine’. …Good agriculture and minimal intervention in the cellar bring light to every label in production. No accident today that her Frappato is on the wine lists at the worldliest tables of Parisian neo-bistros.”

So says the authoritative Modern History of Italian Wine speaking of Arianna whom they include in a very short list of the most influential Italian winemakers of the current decade.

And that Frappato grape is included in the blend here, its partner being the much better known Nero D’Avola. Gorgeous aromatics here, a melange of fruit (red) and floral, herb notes too, even a wee bit of pepper. On the palate, it is light and bright with berry (raspberry from the Frappato) and red cherry fruit, energy and grace in every sip, excellent acidity too, very refreshing, an exquisite balance of power and finesse and those lips drying at the finalé. Very Highly Recommended.

And if the Irish weather is warm when you get your hands on a bottle, don't hesitate to chill it a little, about forty minutes in the fridge did it for me. There was a little sediment, so maybe decant. If you forget, don’t worry!

Viña Albergada Tempranillo Rioja (DOC) 2016,  13%, €12.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

The colour of this young wine, a joven, is a dark ruby. There are expressive aromas of ripe red fruit (cherry, plum). On the palate it is juicy and fruity, with a touch of spice, very good acidity, quite refreshing. Perhaps not the longest of finishes but a good one. Highly Recommended.

The unoaked joven is a lighter, easy-drinking style of Rioja that offers great value-for-money. Great too, they hint, as an aperitif with Banderillas tapas (green olives, gherkins, onions and pimenta). And it is one of those reds that may be tried chilled.

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Foot-treading has its merits! Douro Delight.

Foot-treading has its merits! 

Quinta do Judeu

A Cracking Douro Red.

Quinta do Judeu Corgo da Régua 2012 (Douro), 14%, €13.99 at Curious Wines, other stockists

If you thought foot-treading in wineries was a thing of the past, think again. It is alive and kicking, at least in the Douro region of Portugal. Chris Forbes of Taylor’s Port sang its praises - it maximises the juice and the flavors - at a tasting in Ballymaloe the other evening and, at the weekend, I had its merits beautifully confirmed by this bottle.

Colour is a dark red and the aromas are of red fruit. On the palate it is fresh and fruity and with a gentle mouthfeel. Tannins have their say but they are mild. Perfect with red meat, this is your everyday wine. And not just weekdays! Weekends as well. Very Highly Recommended.

While you might not expect the foot-treading, you won't be too surprised by the cork closure as after all it is a Portuguese wine. Grape varieties are local: Tinta Roriz 35%, Tinta Barroca 35%, Touriga Franca 20% and Touriga Nacional 10%. Decanting advised.

Domaine de Rochelin, Macon-Lugny 2012, 12.5%, €14.60 Karwig Wines

Must say I rather like the Chardonnays from this region and this is no exception. You've got a pale straw colour with tints of green and a nose of white fruits, peach and melon. It is fruity and fresh, with an almost plump feel and with a floral finish..

It is the result of sustainable cultivation, the aim being to create a style of freshness and exuding fruit aromas. I reckon they succeeded. Highly Recommended.

Bodegas Exopto, Dominio del Viento, Crianza 2010 Rioja, 13.5%, €15.99 Curious Wines.

Colour here is a light red and a bright one. The red fruit flavours are pleasantly obvious in the mouth while a mild acidity is enough to balance. Some spice too. All the delicious elements at play too in a decent finish. A well made rounded example of the type and Highly Recommended. It is made from 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha and has spent 12 months in oak barrels.

Domaine des Geslets, Les Geslets Bourgueil 2010, 13%

Domaine du Raifault Clos du Villy, Chinon 2009, 12.5%

Not sure you'll find either of these two in Ireland (you will find similar) but if you are in France during the summer, do watch out for them. I have been praising the reds of Chinon and its neighbour Bourgueil recently and these are two really excellent examples.

Marco de Pegões 2009

Marco de Pegões 2009 Portugal, 13.5%, €8.99, stockists

Take a sip of this red blend from Portugal. I did and thought it good. Then I took a look at the price: €8.99. Incredible. Incredibly good value.

Colour is an attractive ruby with an attractive nose of berries. The acidity here is the first to shake hands with you as the tannins are not shy. But immediately there is a rich follow of fruit and the decent finish is along similar lines. Quite a wine for the price.

Castelao is a well known Portuguese grape and makes up 50 per cent of this wine. The other constituents are: Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon/ Alicante Bouchet.

The boys of Wine Alliance have a nose for wines of value and they have certainly hit the jackpot here. I’m not the only one thinking along these lines. The Sunday Times online have it listed as a Star Buy  this summer

Stockists by County

Cork

1601 Off Licence, Kinsale Cork

Bradleys Off Licence, North Main Street Cork

JJ O Driscolls, Ballinlough, Cork

Barrys Off Licence, Midleton, Cork

The Beer Garden, Turners Cross, Cork

Mulcahys Off Licence, Charleville, Cork

Matsons Wine Store, Bandon, Cork

Monkstown Golf Club, Monkstown, Cork

Murphys Foodstore, Dromcummer, Cork

Electric, South Mall, Cork

Liberty Grill, Washington Street, Cork

Cafe Gusto, Washington Street, Cork