tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87866091848052251192024-03-12T23:49:36.914+00:00Willie's Wine BlogBack to being a wine only blogWilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-25171131797423860642014-12-07T23:57:00.000+00:002015-01-10T18:36:07.146+00:00Aldi Reds (and one white!) - The Exquisite Collection - Update**<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysHloNliawPIC21UdykZzL9PFKFcLQSyjyQORMghCFAuG78ucgef85zNsZpkQj0-mXJF8sKwbhnUYKnFsrZB8skkX70ytd3zHI5-RT5pgwR-j4tuHFI7MGQ1FYrG7w87FCbU66pApm-_n/s1600/Aldi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysHloNliawPIC21UdykZzL9PFKFcLQSyjyQORMghCFAuG78ucgef85zNsZpkQj0-mXJF8sKwbhnUYKnFsrZB8skkX70ytd3zHI5-RT5pgwR-j4tuHFI7MGQ1FYrG7w87FCbU66pApm-_n/s1600/Aldi2.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
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All from "The Exquisite Collection"<br />
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<b>Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore</b> 2011 €9.99<br />
Funny thing about this wine, is that I liked it less on the second day. Most inexpensive wines improve, IMHO, after being opened for a day. This wine did not. Initially it was tight, focused and tasty, but as it opened up, it exposed it's own lack of subtlety, especially in the fruit dept. Not bad but not a patch on the Malbec or the Ribera. <br />
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<b>Minarete Ribera del Duero</b> 2013 €7.99<br />
I blogged on this wine (the 2011) about 18 months ago and <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/06/dial-for-aldi-and-sort-of-liveblog.html">I liked it</a> then, Herself wasn't so keen, but I reckoned there was some serious skill to produce such a tasty Ribera for such little cash, especially in Ireland, given the punitive duty on wine. The 2013 is probably better than the 2011, with none of the former's astringency. Really good, well worth a punt at this price.<br />
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<b>Malbec Uco Valley</b> 2013 €8.79<br />
Opened this still slightly cool from the shop and straight from the bottle. I didn't decant it as Herself said that she only wanted a glass (as if). Anyhoo, I decided to join her and was presently surprised, it was quite yummy, a bit of fruit, a pinch of spice and a lingering finish. It got even better as it warmed up. The flavours amplified and the finish got more complex and even longer. I did a quick Google and it seems that lots of people including professional critics really like this wine, so kudos to me. <br />
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<b>Crozes Hermitage</b> 2012 €10.99<br />
This was disappointing. As the most expensive of the bunch I had high hopes for it. While there wasn't anything wrong with it, there was nothing special on show. Drinkable, but nothing more.<br />
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Aldi have upped their game, it seems.Of the four, two are very good, one is good and one is OK, which is not bad at all give the prices in question. I wouldn't advise you to buy them though, especially the Malbec; more for me, you see. If only they'd get their finger out on the craft beer front...<br />
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** Update - New Purchases **<b> </b><br />
<b>Chianti Classico Riserva</b> 2011 €9.99<br />
Drank this a few nights ago and didn't take notes but it was pretty decent. As almost always happens when we tried it first, straight out of the bottle, it was fine; but as it warmed up and oxidised a smidge in the decanter, it really improved. Good depth of flavour, some nice plummy fruit and a well long finish make this a bargain at less than a tenner - nice one.<br />
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<b>Gavi DOCG</b> 2014 €7.49<br />
This is a decent white. A little fruit , some nice acidity and well balanced. I'd buy this again, especially as it's very good value at this price.<br />
<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-55809866192587737992014-10-27T13:50:00.001+00:002014-12-08T00:00:30.655+00:00Superquinn Supervalu French wine sale 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some wines from the Supervalu French wine sale 2014 <a href="http://supervalu.ie/offers/french-wine-sale/">link</a> <br />
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<b>Etienne Barret Crozes-Hermitage</b> 2012 - €12<br />
I keep buying this wine and for the life of me I don't know why. I loved the <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2010/09/at-long-last-sale.html">2008</a>, but really didn't care for the <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2011/10/so-i-finally-made-it-down-to-superquinn.html">2009</a> & <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/03/superquinn-french-wine-sale-2013.html">2011</a>. Not sure why I thought the 2012 would be an improvement. Turns out, it wasn't. Last time out I described it as "pleasant but unremarkable" - plus ça change.<br />
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<b>Saint-Laurent Corbieres</b> 2012 - €10<br />
Started off a bit meh, but it has been pleasantly evolving over the last couple of hours in my decanter. It's not fantastic but it has a nice balance. Worth a look for a tenner, IMHO.<br />
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<b>Domaine de Cristia Grenache</b> 2013 - €10<br />
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<b>Remy Ferbras Vacqueyras</b> 2013 - €10<br />
Really liked this. Lots of plummy fruit with a long, tannic finish. Took a while to get there though, needs a good decanting. Very drinkable and great value as priced. Not sure what the rrp is but well worth a tenner. Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-86888287544435846662014-09-22T23:11:00.000+01:002014-10-27T13:50:06.436+00:00Lidl French Wine Sale 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apologies<b> </b>, it's been about two weeks since I bought the above wines in Lidl on the Grange road<b> </b>and I'm only putting this post up now. I've been drinking and blogging the wines I bought in the <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2014/09/dunnes-french-wine-sale-2014.html">Dunnes French Wine sale</a>. They were a mixed bag to be honest. These Lidl wines <i>look </i>good at least. As before, I have taken input from John Wilson in the Irish Times and Martin Moran in the Sunday Times.<br />
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<b>Chateau du Carillon Fronsac</b> 2010 - €12.99 (punt)<br />
Took a chance on this, I've had mixed luck with Supermarket Bordeaux. Yowsa! I'm well happy with this wine. It took a couple of hours in the decanter but by the end it had developed into a full bodied, complex beast, with some impressive plummy fruit with a wicked long finish. I'm gonna buy more of this and lay some down in my "cellar". Great value as priced.<br />
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<b>Domaine De la Combe Rasteau</b> 2013 - €11.99 (punt)<br />
Not bad. Very Grenachey.<br />
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<b>Bourgogne Aligoté</b> 2013 - €9.99 (recommended - JW)<br />
This is good, not quite what I expected. It has plenty of zingy acidity and not too much buttery chardonnay stuff but I like it. Would work well with food. <br />
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<b>Domaine Messire de Very Séguret</b> 2013 - €12.99 (recommended - JW)<br />
Thank you John. This is really nice. It started off as a pleasant wine; "gentle" herself opined and I concurred. After a while it developed some real depth, with a pinch of spice and a wicked, long, dry finish. JW described it as "powerful" - d'accord!<br />
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<b>Saint-Joseph AOP</b> 2011- €11.99 (recommended - MM)<br />
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Watch this space... Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-16727339132051400492014-09-09T22:32:00.002+01:002014-09-24T22:58:26.217+01:00Dunnes French Wine Sale 2014 - Final<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bless me readers, it's been six months since my last <strike>confession</strike> post. In that time I have been drinking wine as enthusiastically as always, I just haven't been blogging about it. Anyhoo, it seems to be the time for wine sales so I popped along to Dunnes in Cornelscourt after work today to see what I could find.<br />
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I had cut out the weekend columns <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/wines-to-watch-out-for-in-the-super-sales-1.1915388">from John Wilson</a> in the Irish Times and Martin Moran (no link that I could find) in the Sunday Times and I tried to buy only their recommendations, but as with the last couple of years, each Dunnes store seems to only stock a random selection of the sale wines*. Three of the wines are recommended and two are pure punts.<br />
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(l-r)<br />
<b>Lorgeril 1620 Pinot Noir</b> <b>2013</b> €10.00 (punt)<br />
This was...OK. A bit thin and not enough oomph for a Burgundy fan but if you were new to Pinots and/or like your reds with a light and delicate(ish) touch, you might like this...<br />
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<b>Les Vignerons Carignan Syrah</b> <b>2013</b> €8.00 (recommended - JW)<br />
Hmmm - a bit cheap and cheerful. Drinkable, but only just. If you cultivate expensive tastes, and I aspire to, this probably isn't for you. Your mileage, of course, may vary.<br />
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<b>Laurent Miquel Albarino</b> <b>2013</b> €11.50 (recommended - MM)<br />
Just finishing this off and its really good. Crisp and zingy with a super finish.<br />
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<b>Cuvee St Vincent Cotes Du Rhone</b> <b>2013</b> €8.00 (punt)<br />
I'm not hopeful about this. For starters there is no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle#Punts">punt </a>in the bottom of the bottle, always a bad sign, and on the back it says "Dry, Fruity red wine". It's a bit thin and anemic in the glass; Nope - this one's going down the sink. It's all cheap sharp fruit with a lingering, slightly unpleasant and cloying finish. <br />
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<b>Chateau Bois Petrus</b> <b>Bordeaux 2012</b> €11.00 (recommended - MM)<br />
I had my doubts about this wine, in my (limited) experience it's impossible, in this country anyway, to get good Bordeaux at this price. But this was pretty damn good for eleven notes. Not top, classed growth quality, but full and solid and quite bold. I'm gonna buy more of this and maybe put a couple in the "cellar". May not improve much in a couple of years, but worth a try.<br />
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BONUS! (not Pictured)<br />
Both gents had recommended the <b>Baron de Baussac Carignan </b>but I couldn't find this so I plumped for an <b>Alain Grignon Carignan Pays d'Herault 2012</b> - €8-50. After the rotten St Vincent, I'm gonna try this now. Just better than "cheap and cheerful" this. It's got some big fruity stuff going on - not all of it successful or integrated, but not bad.<br />
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* After buying the wines above in the Off-Licence section of Cornelscourt yesterday, I had to go to the main bit tonight for some groceries. I discovered a new wine section (to the very right of the store if you are looking at the checkouts from within the shop), which appeared to be dedicated to said sale and to contain all the wines...Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-79441365759993447222014-03-28T22:18:00.001+00:002014-03-30T22:19:58.390+01:00Random reds on the Ballyogan Road<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MdTFuBp8dEig-ANmbUOb8i0Lq5hi3xgMd9OO5OEzznFSxJGVH3LT-RDKgSYsPaGwyTaZL4cNvRd8YZcTgOeE90yW8S5YWapZ6SCl37RHhIrXqsquFsmxtpGiMWCD1MnYIRYkzs7JaZlT/s1600/molloys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MdTFuBp8dEig-ANmbUOb8i0Lq5hi3xgMd9OO5OEzznFSxJGVH3LT-RDKgSYsPaGwyTaZL4cNvRd8YZcTgOeE90yW8S5YWapZ6SCl37RHhIrXqsquFsmxtpGiMWCD1MnYIRYkzs7JaZlT/s1600/molloys.jpg" height="320" width="175" /></a>Well it's been quite a while since I did a wine post (I've done a few beer posts) and given that I started my blogging career in wine it ill behooves me to ignore it now. I checked my "cellar" last night and all I had on the top shelf (day-to-day drinking shelf) and all that was there was bottle of Montrachet and various bottles of cheap/old non-vintage Champagne..<br />
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So I popped into Molloys on the way home from work and grabbed a couple of Reds on special offer. I was looking for a <a href="http://www.molloys.ie/Shop/?Page=Browse&s=Wine&c101=1665&kw101=Grenache%2FGarnacha&c100=1769&kw100=Chateau+Boucarut">Chateau Boucarut</a> but there was none to be had. So I got the bottles at left. They are:<br />
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<b>Jerome Quiot Cairanne</b> 2010 €11.99 <br />
I had this once before, a couple of years ago and I didn't like it, but I only found this out after I got home so, here's hoping it has got better since.<br />
<i>Update - </i>we<i> </i>drank this but we didn't love it. It was a bit sharp or something. The flavours didn't really hang together, so it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience. I hope I remember this before I buy it a third time..<br />
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<b>Sancho Garces Rioja Crianza</b> 2010 €11.49<br />
I'm always on the lookout for a nice Rioja so here's hoping...<i> </i><br />
<i>Update -</i> Liked this. There was plenty of fruit, plenty of oak and a nice finish. Good value as priced.<br />
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By the way, Molloy's have a couple of very good Irish beer offers at the moment, if that's your bag.<br />
<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-70215517968017880862014-02-07T20:54:00.002+00:002014-02-07T21:51:25.068+00:00BIG Changes to this blog!After careful consideration I've decided to separate my beer and wine blogging activities. All beer posts can now be found at <a href="http://williesbeerblog.blogspot.ie/">http://williesbeerblog.blogspot.ie/.</a><br />
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I've also changed the template for this blog - just to distinguish it from the beer blog...Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-76762232756506571232014-01-18T18:23:00.000+00:002014-09-24T23:00:06.760+01:00Some January specials from O'Briens - Update 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every so often I go into O'Briens (normally he Beacon store) and I just pick up four or five of the reds on special. Previous example are <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2011/10/specials-from-obriens.html">here</a>, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/08/obriens-bank-holiday-wines.html">here</a>, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/04/rizzardi-munus-badolino.html">here </a>, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/05/obriens-spanish-wine-sale.html">here</a> and infacta <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2010/08/more-random-wines-on-special-offer-from.html">here</a>. This Saturday being no different, I curtailed my exploration of my latest purchase, a Faith Venus Hi Gloss, and with the boy in tow, I sallied forth to Sandyford, to negotaite the purchase of some vinous comestibles. This is what I came home with (l-r)..<br />
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<b>Ars Nova Navarra 2007</b> €12.99 reduced from €17-49 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/ars-nova.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
Note: This wine is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Tempranillo and 20% Merlot.<br />
On first sip I wasn't overly enthused about this wine. It tasted fruity and new worldy with that Cab Sav blackcurrant undercurrent I don't really care for. However, by the end of evening this wine was really working for me, granted it was approx 6 hours since I decanted/Vin Aired it, so some improvement was to be expected. It was still pretty fruity but the various grapes and flavours were all nicely integrated and it developed some pretty decent depth and complexity, if you have the patience to wait for it you'll probably like it, especially at the discount price.<br />
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<b>Il Padrino Nero D'Avola 2013</b> €8.99 reduced from €10-99 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/il-padrino-nero-d-avola.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
Well it's cheap and cheerful as expected, but it's not bad. It needs food though and because of the acidity I'd suggest, predictably, it'd work work well with any tomato based dish. <br />
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<b>Santa Tresa Nivuro 2009</b> €11.99 reduced from €18-49 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/santa-tresa-nivuro.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
This was fantastic, a lovely blend of the acidic Nero Davola and the smooth Cab Sav. A huge steal at this price. I went back to O'Briens in Carrickmines toight after dawdling for days but they told me it was all gone. I asked them was it coming back but they said they didn't know.<br />
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<b>Cave de Saint-Desirat Syrah 2012</b> €9.99 reduced from €14-49 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/cave-de-saint-desirat-syrah.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
Yeah, didn't really care for this. It was very <i>French</i>. Some fruit and lots of acidity but it's not coming together for me, sorry.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-21928382125947408132013-12-17T23:59:00.000+00:002013-12-23T12:51:03.109+00:00A Lidl bit of Xmas Cheer - UpdatedI can't believe I'm finally doing a wine post. Apologies to the fans of the grape, it's been a little while since I wrote about anything other than the grain. Anyway, I headed out into the cold Dublin mountain air earlier with the aim of buying some cheap booze for the Chrimbo to Lidl on the Grange Road .<br />
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I was hoping to find some of the Cepa Lebrel reserva, which I have been <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2012/07/well-im-back-from-lidl.html">enjoying</a> for the last year and a half and my luck was in and I bought a few for the very reasonable price of €8.49. I figger they'll be handy to have for last minute entertaining. The other two I got are pictured below:<br />
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<b>Medici Riccardi Morellino di Scansano</b> 2011 - €10.99<br />
This is almost the most expensive wine I've ever bought in Lidl<b>, </b>but I have to say<b> </b>that the 10-12 euro wines from Lidl are generally pretty solid so here's hoping this follows on trend.<br />
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<i>Herself isn't crazy about this but I quite like it. It's warm, rich and full with some nice cherry and plum notes</i>. <i>Would I buy it ahead of the €8 Lidl Rioja? Probably not, but if you are a Sangiovese fiend you'll find a lot to like here...</i><br />
<i><b> </b></i><br />
<b>Chianti Riserva Corte Alle Mura</b> 2010 - €6.99<br />
Total punt here. The standard (cheap) Chianti comes at about a fiver but that's not great. I'm hoping for the modest addition of two euro that magic will occur and transform this wine into a winner.<br />
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<i>So this is...not bad. There's a little plummy fruit, a touch of acidity; perfectly pleasant with a decent finish. If you are a Chianti freak this is probably not for you but otherwise this might be worth a try at 7 notes.</i>Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-23277116325408659572013-11-02T21:52:00.001+00:002013-11-03T22:11:51.565+00:00Four Cheap screw-tops from Tesco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL9JtjtkZVI2NicMPTg5OzxeaAXPdTOQfq1e-xTwWVRO5uAz-N6R28YCgNj8aEI06_HcZ4-5gohV8qiGd6BcUoGogcvcfVzqcF8VxbSQl9kVooNXiN1Y3blgXrLKxCkexfcOiE7xa0q8I/s1600/tesco+Halloween2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL9JtjtkZVI2NicMPTg5OzxeaAXPdTOQfq1e-xTwWVRO5uAz-N6R28YCgNj8aEI06_HcZ4-5gohV8qiGd6BcUoGogcvcfVzqcF8VxbSQl9kVooNXiN1Y3blgXrLKxCkexfcOiE7xa0q8I/s320/tesco+Halloween2.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
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I found myself in Dun Laoghaire yesterday morning, so I popped into Tesco for some of their delicious houmous and maybe some vino. I have to say the selection of reds was pretty good but rather than buy some old faves I grabbed four (relative) cheapies, The Negroamaro and the SGM (?) are new to me but the Malbec appears to be a new slant on a wine I had fallen <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2012/01/molloys-quartet.html">out of like</a> with. The Villa Maria should prove interesting, as it normally goes for north of €15, and their Sauvignon Blanc is pretty decent.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Rawnsley Estate Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2012</b> - €9.00<br />
Awful, cheap, and nasty. (Note: judicious use of Oxford comma) Gave it a couple of hours in the decanter and it didn't improve. Down the sink with it. Found someone else who didn't like it <a href="http://wihkal.blogspot.ie/2011/10/rawnsley-estate-grenache-shiraz.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Quindi Negroamaro 2012</b> - €9.00<br />
Another "drinkable" wine - apologies for using that somewhat meaningless term again. There was a little bit a pleasant, plummy fruit and a touch of spice. Not bad value for nine europes, but probably not a runner for much more.<br />
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<b>Trapiche Melodias Malbec 2011</b> - €9.00<br />
You know, there was a more expensive Trapiche Malbec in Tesco and I should have bought it, cos I really didn't care for this melody. There was plenty of fruit but I (and Herself) found it slightly cloying. I haven't found (m)any decent Malbecs below €15 so no surprises here. <br />
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<b>Villa Maria Malrborough Pinot Noir 2011</b> - €9.74<br />
I had expected this to be the best of the four and it was, by a long way. Light bodied, but delicious with lashings of zingy raspberry fruit. If you like your NZ Pinots them go and stock up on this. It's great value as priced.<br />
<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-14875219347728945492013-10-15T21:01:00.000+01:002013-10-15T21:01:13.090+01:00Dunnes French Wine Sale 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNUCYb5QGqNk0q4FOv6AG-sl4ItLt-UN6y_4XQcqNR9WPXR1mHmu7PyRxGVO1tgOaTOobP6fx22Q_eDX7kszondmTdwfdaxysBFisGuIZVpsFbgOoEYVhD0f2kux94Hm4ve2VQVhQDHZj/s1600/dunnes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNUCYb5QGqNk0q4FOv6AG-sl4ItLt-UN6y_4XQcqNR9WPXR1mHmu7PyRxGVO1tgOaTOobP6fx22Q_eDX7kszondmTdwfdaxysBFisGuIZVpsFbgOoEYVhD0f2kux94Hm4ve2VQVhQDHZj/s320/dunnes.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
Not to be outdone by Superquinn, Dunnes are also in the middle of their own French wine sale. I reviewed a number of last years offerings <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2012/09/dunnes-french-wine-sale-2012.html">here</a><b>. </b>I couldn't remember when I was in the shop, what I had bought last apart from the <b>Chateau de Clotte</b> <b>2010</b> which I <i>loved</i> a year ago but didn't really care for when I opened a bottle recently.<br />
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Anyhoo - I got the following: <br />
<b>Moulin de Meyran Cotes Du Rhone 2011</b> - €10.50<br />
I really liked this last time out (the 2010 vintage) and the 2011 is no exception. Warm brambly fruit and a nice balance. Good value as priced.<br />
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<b>Chateau Capitoul La Clape Languedoc 2011</b>- €10<br />
(up next!) Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-76336380947427262642013-10-08T22:02:00.002+01:002013-10-16T22:17:41.749+01:00Superquinn Autumn Wine Sale 2013<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1rIRpRuEeVj-8xf-w4lfE2pfRinEW0RvPGFPYQA68crcyspGA4sO1KIVPL-9J4wGqOCnMFKjuDjEOz3lRAHC_4_VlSZFGj6uIlfQWYaL7s0mWcgX6Fk99EIvHDCR10pbQUcG6GQ1sChw/s1600/SQ13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1rIRpRuEeVj-8xf-w4lfE2pfRinEW0RvPGFPYQA68crcyspGA4sO1KIVPL-9J4wGqOCnMFKjuDjEOz3lRAHC_4_VlSZFGj6uIlfQWYaL7s0mWcgX6Fk99EIvHDCR10pbQUcG6GQ1sChw/s320/SQ13.jpg" width="211" /></a>So I went easy on the wine in Superquinn for this year's French Wine Sale. I decided not to buy anything I'd bought before, for reasons of economy and efficiency. There are lots of nice wines I've bought before in <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/03/just-retuned-from-superquinn-and-bought.html">2009</a>, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2010/09/superquinn-autumn-french-wine-sale.html">2010</a>, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2011/10/so-i-finally-made-it-down-to-superquinn.html">2011 </a>and <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2012/10/superquinn-autumn-french-wine-sale-2012.html">2012</a>.<br />
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I decided to be lazy and bought a couple of reds <a href="http://firstpress.blogspot.ie/2013/10/superquinn-french-wine-sale-now-on.html">as recommended by</a> Kevin Ecock and they are as follows...<b> </b><br />
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<b>Domaine Cristia Cotes Du Rhone</b> <b>2012</b> - €10<br />
I've had a couple of wines form Domaine Cristia and they've been pretty decent, so I'm giving this one a try.<b> </b><br />
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*Update - drinking this as we speak and it's not bad, fruity but drinkable with a decent finish. Not sure I'd but it again, though.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Puy de Dome Auvergne Pinot Noir</b> <b>2011</b> - €10<br />
It's hard to get good Pinot at a reasonable price so I'm hoping this is as nice as in the review.<br />
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*Update - this was delicious. Some nice soft red fruits, elegant and light and definitely drinkable with or without food. I think I'll get some more of this.<br />
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<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-31894507896812965392013-09-26T22:02:00.000+01:002013-10-10T21:27:17.252+01:00Lidl French Wine Sale 2013 - Updated<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNGKnrVscLmsV2dnSP_4xSc40oKf4dEVMjtjK_bAhMhfV8Ojyph1Cr-Dw1Lo5b4l0i18PgZm_O4bfbAJeury8a8Br6oUDvgGf_uWI-qd5MX5jvlhjGAlZq0S3P8hA8GWHTCDeoL3uBCSf/s1600/Lidl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNGKnrVscLmsV2dnSP_4xSc40oKf4dEVMjtjK_bAhMhfV8Ojyph1Cr-Dw1Lo5b4l0i18PgZm_O4bfbAJeury8a8Br6oUDvgGf_uWI-qd5MX5jvlhjGAlZq0S3P8hA8GWHTCDeoL3uBCSf/s320/Lidl.jpg" width="259" /></a>Yesterday I had to buy a variety of mundane items and as I was on my way home from my mechanic (the beast lives!), so I popped into Lidl to get said items and may be some wine from the Lidl French wine sale that I had heard about. Kevin Ecock wrote a post about it <a href="http://firstpress.blogspot.ie/2013/09/lidl-brings-fine-french-wines-to-ireland.html">here</a>. I was invited to the press tasting but alas, I work full time, so was unable to attend.<br />
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I picked up the wines at left (along with some of their Cepa Lebrel Rioja Crianza - a steal at €6.50). BTW R Bampfield is Lidl's own MW and he rates all their wines out of 100 (sort of).<b> </b> The Brochure is <a href="http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-E6CB924E-0C146D74/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/35332.htm">here</a>.<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Leo La Gaffeliere Bordeaux 2011</b> - €8.99 R Bampfield 88 - Very Good<br />
I had intended to buy the Cotes de Blaye Chateau Grand Mazerolles 2010 €9.99, as recommended by Kevin but when I arrived home I had the Bordeaux above. I don't know how. I never buy generic Bordeaux. Anyhoo, I'll try to approach it with an open mind.<br />
<i>**Update - This ain't great. It tastes like cheap Bordeaux, eh... because it is </i><i>cheap Bordeaux, it's all tannins with a smidgin of blackcurrant. If you like cheap cab sav, this Bud's for you.</i><b> </b><br />
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<b>Les Sarralieres Crozes-Hermitage 2012</b> - €11.99 R Bampfield 86 - Very Good<br />
There's nothing like a nice Crozes-Hermitage and this is probably nothing like a nice Crozes-Hermitage, but here's hoping.<br />
<i>**Update - I drank this but </i><i>I didn't really enjoy it. It was a nearly wine. There were suggestions of nice fruit and tannins but they were trumped by a slightly unpleasant ripe fruity aftertaste. So far no joy from Lidl.</i><br />
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<b>La Croix des Celestins Fleurie 2012</b> - €9.99 R Bampfield - No Rating<br />
I'm not normally a big Beaujolais fan, the expensive stuff I like but the rest often find a bit thin. I deliberately picked this because it's outside my comfort zone. Low expectations here. <br />
<i>**Update - It's not bad. It's light and fruity, natch, but with some decent acidity. We had it with a tomato and pasta dish and it worked well.</i><i></i><br />
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Oh and I grabbed a Chablis too, as evangelised by Kevin "Such a versatile wine style. Simple examples such as this always please
me as the relatively lean fruit, acidic structure and tingly finish are
just a perfect food accompaniment.". Sounds good...<br />
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I'll be drinking them over the next few days so watch this space... Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-75786767988448870402013-09-22T19:07:00.002+01:002013-09-22T22:57:38.971+01:00Liveblog - Orellan Bierzo Roble 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_syuQCgAMtW96OoJuZqzEFhERr2WdyEAGu_dm1016aSPWdZXX7zP2Las-5e76T811S1nOGOKQf6MyrJ1B8pU5EAkWovnzoeXWBLy1qsYqrkPly452fPdj0qWv7FjKYDIPiHvyYFq430d/s1600/orellan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_syuQCgAMtW96OoJuZqzEFhERr2WdyEAGu_dm1016aSPWdZXX7zP2Las-5e76T811S1nOGOKQf6MyrJ1B8pU5EAkWovnzoeXWBLy1qsYqrkPly452fPdj0qWv7FjKYDIPiHvyYFq430d/s320/orellan.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
Tonight I shall be liveblogging a red that I picked up in OBrien's in Carrickmines on special not one hour ago. I went there looking for some beers but the selection in this shop is much inferior to the wide range available at their Beacon Store, for some reason.<br />
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I should also mention our weekend wine experience. As we have recently celebrated 10 years (legally) together, we decided (and we had a voucher) to go to the Cliff House in Ardmore for some Michelin starred food, and for a quiet weekend away.<br />
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Long story short, the food was amazing and not bad value when you factor everything in. Three courses of Michelin starred food for €68, which included an amuse-bouche (four separate things) and a tasty sorbet before the main course; sounds like a lot of dough but when the grub is that good I don't think it's bad value. I suspect you'd pay a lot more than that in Paddy Giblets or one of the other starred places in Dublin.<br />
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We opted for the optional wine tasting accompaniment (specially chosen) for our three courses which was another €27 per head. My smoked salmon starter (done about 8 ways) came with a <b>Tahbilk Marsanne</b>, a white not for the faint hearted ( I <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2010/05/olesyas-unpronounceable-wine-bar.html">ordered it once</a> before, for a group and just about nobody liked it) but it suited the salmon well. My veal main came with a glass of <b>Chateau Ksara</b> from Lebanon, which I initially decided was much too tannic but actually worked really well with the meat, although it's a wine that resolutely needs food to accompany it. With my various apple deserts (spiced apple cake = best dessert ever), I was given a decently large glass of an Austrian sweet wine called <b><a href="http://www.kracher.net/en/geschichte.html">Kracher</a></b>, which was delicious.<br />
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Anyway - on to tonight's live blog and pictured above -<br />
<b>Orellan Mencia Bierzo Roble 2009</b> €9.99 (reduced from €15-99)<br />
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<b>7pm</b>. I like it. Apparently it's made from the Mencia grape with which I am not familiar, but at this early stage it's elegant and well balanced with a hint of plummy fruit. I think this will improve as the night wears off.<br />
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<b>9pm</b>. I still like it. Smooth. The O'Brien's <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/orellan-beirzo-roble.html">website </a>reckons it's not dissimilar to a Pomerol and I'd go along with that, its not as big, but it echoes the right bank.<br />
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<b>11pm</b>.Surprisingly, this didn't improve markedly during the night, started well and finished well. Not sure I'd pay 16 quid for it but as priced it's great value and would probably be a good wine to entertain with.<br />
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<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-14531000675487448192013-09-17T19:49:00.001+01:002013-09-17T20:45:07.769+01:00Short reviews of three wines from Baggot St Wines<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFCycvEmW2zR60O2bHra7221HTl5HtKUwtpkriGctoYXPUgs9k6oWD_v89lYjVz5p_Q4rBlCpS_r9vYS_UUJ9fDhrQ9FHvdeoLTymbHHnCvMXmRq_ViuGqRnrWLKG62V8Ilwmsdwx2fNZ/s1600/grancerdo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFCycvEmW2zR60O2bHra7221HTl5HtKUwtpkriGctoYXPUgs9k6oWD_v89lYjVz5p_Q4rBlCpS_r9vYS_UUJ9fDhrQ9FHvdeoLTymbHHnCvMXmRq_ViuGqRnrWLKG62V8Ilwmsdwx2fNZ/s200/grancerdo.jpg" width="155" /></a><b>Portillo Malbec</b> €11.19<br />
Fantastic, big, chewy and a little bit fruity. Great value as priced.<br />
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<b>Gran Cerdo</b> €13.99<br />
A little thin, we reckoned, got a bit better after being open for a while but not ones the Willies cared for very much. And check out their <a href="http://www.thewinelove.com/en/index.html">website</a> - a testament to shocking web design. <br />
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<b>Matsu El Picaro</b> €13.99 reduced from €16.99<br />
Oh yes, this is how to do modern (relatively) inexpensive Spanish red. Wonderfully complex with a great finish. Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-69984504101348700092013-08-28T22:55:00.001+01:002013-08-28T22:56:15.356+01:00Why all the beer posts? Make with the wine, already...A lot of readers (Ed. - really?) have been wondering why I've been doing so many beer posts of late and so very few wine posts. There are a couple of reasons for this, the most obvious reason is that I am in the middle of the International Lager Challenge (tm). There are a total of 17 rounds and 20 lagers involved. The current status is below; we are now at the semi final stage of each country and I'm really enjoying the competition element.<br />
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The second reason is that I'm (mostly) bored with the wine that I'm drinking, I buy pretty much all of the wine that we drink at home and I don't accept samples, as I don't have it in me not be influenced such largesse, and secondly, one of my reasons for starting this blog was to attempt to identify value for money, harder to do if you get the goods for free. (Full disclosure: I haven't been offered that many freebies; for the last couple of years, what with working abroad and then redundancy, I haven't been putting myself about like I used to, at tastings and whatnot, so sample offers have been few and far between.)<br />
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Most of the wine that Herself and I drink is in the €8 - €13 range. 1 wine out of 10 is pants, 1 out of 10 is delicious and 8 out of 10 are "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meh">meh</a>", and these are the problem. I don't know why but I'm not really enjoying these wines. It's not that they're bad, they are totally "<a href="http://onthegrapevineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/04/drinkable-isnt-good-enough.html">drinkable</a>" (I know, that's a loaded term these days) but they are forgettable. There are a couple of things that might be happening here.<br />
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<b>One</b> is I'm just bored with wine (most wine) or <b>two</b>, my tastes are getting more expensive/rarefied, it has happened <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/07/wolfgang-and-i.html">before</a>. I'm not sure which, maybe a little from column A and a little from column B. On the beer front, I think it's the whole craft beer thing (which is <i>relatively</i> new, in this country) that has me genuinely excited every time I walk into an off-licence and even mildly excited in supermarkets, even they are getting into the act, albeit slowly and in a limited fashion.<br />
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By the same token I should be excited whenever I walk into an off-licence, as there are always many many bottles that I have never heard of waiting to be sampled. Not so much in Supermarkets (Tesco and Dunnes anyway) as I pretty much know every bottle on the shelves.<br />
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It may be a function of cost. In offies the wines I want to try generally cost between €15 and €20, it's a not inconsiderable sum to wager on a bottle. However, <i>most</i> craft beers are between €2-50 and €3-50, even if it's piss, you are only out a couple of quid. Experimenting with craft beer is cheaper and less risky. And I'm nothing if not cheap.<br />
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There is also a surprising variety of flavours, not so much with lagers, but in spades with ales. I'll probably get shot for saying it (in a wine blog) but there is at least as much (if not more) variety in ales than there is with red wine. There's also the fact that there is an ever increasing number of Irish craft beers, it's gratifying to support Irish brewers and to be able to talk to them on Twitter.<br />
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I'm rambling. Long story short, beer is exciting me at the moment, wine, not so much. I'm sure I'll get my wine mojo back at some point. Until then, Beer me!Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-17561596186843771282013-08-18T19:41:00.001+01:002013-08-18T23:33:37.628+01:00Chateau Millegrand Redux - Liveblog<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUMcQO5-Dv85uzfosZ4fGiKgLwOEY30w5m_8YlZYfMpn8P_3_8jpDC3NTtVZf3DEZzbKjfK5GswyEkU3vWSsPG95160gQ2Fnbt9TrG8vvNzH5gXb9gm9dgJ652ktmsQguMamyZff3BXvm/s1600/mille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUMcQO5-Dv85uzfosZ4fGiKgLwOEY30w5m_8YlZYfMpn8P_3_8jpDC3NTtVZf3DEZzbKjfK5GswyEkU3vWSsPG95160gQ2Fnbt9TrG8vvNzH5gXb9gm9dgJ652ktmsQguMamyZff3BXvm/s320/mille.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With "artful" dribble</td></tr>
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In April I reviewed a <b>Chateau Millegrand 2011</b> from Dunnes Stores and <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/04/dunnes-wine-sale.html">I really didn't like it</a>. I thought no more of it until a comment appeared on the blog from none other them <a href="http://www.mastersofwine.org/en/about/meet-the-masters/profile/index.cfm/id/D16C3CEB-B74C-4FCD-98F176BB274407A4">Martin Moran MW</a> himself, who loved it.<br />
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Occam's razor would suggest that I was the one mistaken here, and that there was a problem with the bottle I tried, so I bought another bottle, on special for €11 (reduced from €16, apparently). I opened and decanted it about an hour ago and am about to try it.<br />
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7-30pm Martin said the wine has "vibrant black fruit and pepper notes", and I suppose it does. It's perfectly fine (so I guess the last bottle was faulty) but that particular combination isn't winning me over right now. Hopefully it will improve as the evening progresses.<br />
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9-30pm After two hours it's a bit smoother and fruitier but I (and Herself concurs) just plain don't care for it. Something about the fruitiness just doesn't work for me. I'm finding it slightly cloying, but I'll check again later...<br />
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11pm Intriguingly this developed some subtle perfume flavours towards the end, but it wasnt enough to save it. It reminded me of some Chilean Cab Savs, all blackcurrant fruit and oaky tannins on the edges and nothing in the middle.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-45267499422356860402013-07-11T22:40:00.000+01:002013-07-11T22:41:18.224+01:00Some "new" wines from Tesco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whenever I'm in Tesco I always peruse the reds for any new wines, bargains etc. Last weekend I found two new candidates amongst the usual suspects and they are pictured above.<br />
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<b><b>Prunus Dao Vinho Tinto</b> </b>2010 - €9.99<br />
Hmmmm. I decanted this for a couple of hours, but it still tasted a bit cheap and cheerful. It cost less then a tenner so maybe I had unrealistic expectations. Meh.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Trapiche Fincas Malbec</b> 2010 - €12.00<br />
I've had a mixed relationship with Trapiche Malbec over the years. In 2009 <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/09/trapiche-malbec-2007.html">I loved it</a>. In 2012, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2012/01/molloys-quartet.html">not so much.</a> I'm not even sure if the wine above is the same wine, I suspect it is, but I can't find it on the Trapiche <a href="http://www.trapiche.com.ar/english/index.html">website</a>. This time out, I liked it; it was still quite fruity but there was a little body and a decent finish. If Malbec is your bag then you probably won't go wrong here.<br />
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So in conclusion, eh....can't really recommend either.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-74802111058163405472013-07-01T00:21:00.000+01:002013-07-01T20:08:50.327+01:00The Fourth Protocolo - It's not you, it's me*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've fallen out of love. It happened a couple of years ago although it took me until last night to realise it. When Protocolo first came out, in, I think 2008, (the 2006 vintage), I loved it. I picked up a bottle in O'Briens as part of one of my regular trawls of their reds on special offer, and I loved it.<br />
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I loved it so much I recommended it to all my friends, some of whom also loved it and used it for parties. I believe it was John Wilson from the Irish Times (but I can't find the link) who raved about it, and suggested it had the potential to age and would be worth cellaring. Also, it was not your typical Spanish red, it was fruitier, and, I suspect, made to appeal to a younger, New World influenced wine drinker.<br />
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So I took a bottle of the 2006 and duly "cellared" it, for future consumption. Over the next four years, I bought the 2009 & 2010. I don't know what happened to the 2007 & 2008; I know I missed one of them and I suspect the other never made it to the shop floor but I couldn't be sure. Either way, I picked up the 2011 yesterday for tasting purposes.<br />
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I need to confess that I last time I bought the Protocolo was in summer of
2012 (the 2010 vintage), for old time's sake, and I didn't enjoy it. I
don't know if the wine has changed or I have, but one of us has moved
on.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, I have been looking for an opportunity to do a vertical tasting of the various vintages for some time and last night presented the perfect occasion. It was forecast to be a lovely sunny evening, we had our new chiminea to burn our old patio table in, a butterflied leg of lamb to bbq, and we had our neighbours Tricki'n'Baz from one side in, and MJ from the other, along with Aunty June, whom we hadn't seen for a while.<br />
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The ladies had been on the white wine for a while and me on the Grolsch, so I figured I'd start with the oldest first before we all got too squiffy to taste anything.<br />
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<b>2006</b> - First off, everyone else liked it, but I didn't really care for it. It had a big alcoholic wash and had lost pretty much all its fruit. Not unpleasant, but not what I was expecting. Which was? Dunno, not this. They say most wines are made to be drunk with a short number of years so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.<br />
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<b>2009</b> - Really didn't like this. There was a slight sharpness to this wine that I didn't care for. Our guests didn't comment as such but that could be just politeness. I pride myself on serving nice wine to anyone who comes to my house for dinner but I feel I let myself down here; at the very least <i>I</i> need to like what I'm serving. <br />
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<b>2010/2011</b> - Not much in the difference here, as I mentioned above, this wine just doesn't do it for me anymore, I'm sorry to say.<br />
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So there you have it, a failed love story for my part, but do try it yourself (it generally retails for about €8.99), even if you don't like it you won't be out of pocket by too much...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Probably</span> Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-32019119608855073372013-06-25T21:23:00.000+01:002013-06-25T21:23:32.463+01:00The High CouncilI wrote <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2009/07/alta-rio.html">a post</a> about wine from Consejo de la Alta almost exactly 4 years ago. It has been a family staple ever since, courtesy of Papa Willie and Papa Vincent (long story). Anyhoo, at a family "do" recently the Papas were having a lively discussion about the merits of the "Novo" from 2010.<br />
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Papa Willie opined that it couldn't possibly be any cop (I'm paraphrasing, obviously). I generously offered to arbitrate the dispute so long as I got some for free.<br />
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Papa Vincent duly obliged, with the not only the 2010 Novo but with various other Consejo de la Alta vintages and styles. See below...<br />
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Left to right, they are: <br />
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Reserva 2004, Reserva 2005, Crianza 2008, Novo 2010, Alta Rio Crianza 2010<br />
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I think Alta Rio is the second wine (now) of this winery, but I'm not sure, as they appear to have used Google translate to generate the English language version of the <a href="http://www.consejodelaalta.com/en/tusvinosconsejore.htm">website</a>...<br />
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<b>Reserva 2004</b><br />
Selfishly, I'm keeping this for a future vertical tasting. I already have a 2001 and a 2005 Reserva in my "cellar" against just such a possibility. <br />
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<b>Reserva 2005</b><br />
Big alcoholic wash at first. Some fruit, some tannins, very long finish. Very nice. <br />
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<b>Novo 2010</b><br />
Not bad - good nose. A little sharp at first but got better over the course of the evening. Not a patch on the Reserva but pretty decent. <br />
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<b>Crianza 2008</b><br />
Very very tasty, and, in the absence of tasting directly against the Reserva, this comes off very well. <br />
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<b>Alta Rio Crianza 2010</b><br />
Corked, desafortunadamente. <br />
<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-32016601476600618822013-06-16T21:08:00.001+01:002013-06-20T18:55:53.661+01:00Dial A for Aldi - and a sort of Liveblog. *UpdatedA "new" Aldi opened a couple of years ago in Sandyford and I have been meaning to check out their booze for ages, but have been continually diverted by Dunnes at the Beacon and the nearby O'Briens wines, just around the corner. So yesterday, I girded my loins, and with my conscience in the back seat (Lil Bill), sallied forth to the aforementioned Aldi.<br />
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Things didn't start well. Their trolleys only take 2 Euro coins, rather than the standard one Euro coins (or tokens if you prefer) and they don't "do" baskets. I was about to leave in disgust when I managed to collar a helpful employee who sold me a token for a mere 89c. Perhaps I am not the target audience but would putting out a few baskets kill them?<br />
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Matters didn't improve. Lil Bill refused to pick out a breakfast cereal as he didn't fancy any of their copycat brands. I was only there for the booze so that's pretty much all we got. The booze purchased is pictured below...<br />
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Not pictured is a bottle of <b>Aldi Old Hopking Gin</b>, €12-99 for 70cl, which is very cheap. I had heard good things about it , see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/22/aldi-own-label-gin-taste">this</a>. We tried it out in a G&T later and it was perfectly decent. I intend to test against an open bottle of standard Gordon's next weekend. (I try to only drink spirits on non"school" nights)<br />
*Update - I set up a blind test for Herself and she preferred the Gordons, just. I knew which was which and I also just favoured the Gordons; there was a little botanical extra present. Still, the Aldi gin is great value as priced, especially if you are not a gin snob, like me.<br />
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On the beer front I got some of the following:<br />
<b>Spaten</b> (not pictured) €1.79. A good price for this beer which I was co-incidentally drinking on Friday night at a Harvest (Neil young tribute band) gig at the Sugar Club. Great gig, although the Spaten was €6 a pop there, ouch.<br />
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<b>Marston's Pedigree Pale Ale</b> - €2.09 4.5% abv, Never seen this before but as I am an IPA junkie I got some. Report on this to follow. Per the Sindo today, liking craft IPAs, the more exclusive the better is a hipster trait. I think that's my only one, unless driving a Skoda and shopping in Penney's counts?<br />
*Update - meh, nothing to see here.<br />
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<b>Staroslav Czech Pilsner</b> - €1.19 Another punt here. Although at 4%, it's not off to a good start.<br />
*Update - This wasn't too bad. Not a huge amount of flavour but what was there was pleasant enough. One for those who like cheap weak lager, methinks.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Rheinbacher Premium Pils</b> - €6.99 for 6. More random German beer from the budget retailers. Most of the similar beer from Lidl is piss but the Grafenwalder & Finkbrau are OK, so long as you don't drink them after a "name" beer, at which point the cheapies tend to come off second best.<br />
*Update - Ugh. I've had two of these now just to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke. In a nutshell, it's not very nice, its watery at first and then there's an unpleasant aftertaste. I'm regretting buying six as I'm not sure I can force myself to drink the remaining four, loathe as I am to pour beer down the sink.<br />
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On the wine front I picked 2 reds. <br />
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<b>Domaine Roussellet Pinot Noir</b> "Vin De France" - No Vintage specified. - €6-99<br />
We drink this last night and it was just OK, just about drinkable. Even at this price I wouldn't recommend it, unless bargain, non-vintage, non-Burgundy, Pinot Noir is your thing.<br />
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LIVEBLOG!<b> </b><br />
<b>Minarete Ribera del Duero Roble 2011</b> - €7-99<br />
9pm: I opened and decanted this at 4pm before we headed out to our local gastropub The Wild Boar (where the service was a little random but the food was very, very good). Anyhoo, just tasted the wine and after the Pinot Noir yesterday, I wasn't hopeful. Surprise! This is quite nice. Some nice plummy fruit and a bit of depth to the flavour. Not bad for 8 notes.<br />
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10pm: It's still good. Not earth shattering, but solid. There's now the <i>tiniest </i>bit of astringency in the mix, along with some recently evolved tannins. All in all, its pretty decent and good value as priced.<br />
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I think I've gone on long enough, so I'll leave it at that. It's a mixed bag so far from Aldi. I'll probably blog or at least tweet on the various beers above at some stage over the next few days...<br />
<br />Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-6491850255440108752013-06-05T20:39:00.002+01:002013-06-05T23:33:29.667+01:00Liveblog - Ciclos Malbec Merlot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't liveblogged a wine in a while ( I haven't blogged <i>a wine at all</i> in a while, if truth be told), so here we go. The wine in question was a present to Herself, bought I believe in @BaggotStWines and it's Argentinian, per the bottle, from "our Valley in the North". I saw it reviewed somewhere recently but I'm buggered if I can find it online. Here's the <a href="http://www.elesteco.com.ar/comex_eng/index.htm">link</a> to the winery - I can't link to the individual wine page 'cos it's all Flash. When will they learn! </div>
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<b>Michel Torino Ciclos Malbe Merlot 2008</b> - €??</div>
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20:30 The wine has been open and decanting for approx two hours so let's see what we can taste. Hmmmm, lots of fruit as expected and some oak on the finish too, I think. It's definitely a Malbec but the Merlot is bringing something to the party too. I like it, but I don't love it. Let's see where we are in an hour...<br />
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21:30 I think I have ruined my tastebuds with a big chunk of yummy <a href="http://www.ardrahancheese.ie/">Ardrahan</a> cheese, but I'll take one for the team and press on. The tannins have softened a bit and the whole package is more integrated. I'm still not sure that the Merlot adds much, but this is a pretty decent New World wine, for those who like their New World, with a bit of Old World (like me). See you back in an hour for the conclusion...<br />
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23:00 I'll go back to where I started, I like this but I don't love it. I'd happily drink it but I'm not sure I'd spend my own loot on it. It's missing something that I find in the Malbecs that I like, and that is...love. Ha!<br />
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On that note, goodnight.</div>
Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-52764166809224767192013-05-21T23:09:00.001+01:002013-05-30T20:35:18.500+01:00O'Briens Spanish Wine Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I was down in O'Briens in Carrickmines on Saturday searching for an elusive bottle of <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2013/05/ipa-challenge-cup-final.html">Punk IPA</a>, when I noticed a few interesting wines on special. I made a mental note and returned on Sunday; the wines above are the result. You may have noticed that only one is actually Spanish and I don't know what to tell you about it. From left to right they are:<br />
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<b>Tandem Ars In Vitro 2010</b> €9-99 reduced from €14-99 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/ars-in-vitro.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
This is a Tempranillo/Merlot blend from the Navarra region of Spain and all done in a very vegan friendly organic crusty manner. After an hour or so in the decanter this tasted...OK. Nothing special but "drinkable". Some acidity from the Tempranillo and some soft fruit from the Merlot I guess. It accompanied a roast chicken and was perfectly fine. By the end of the night it had developed some nice complexity but it took a long while to get there. Fine as priced but not a runner for me at full whack.<br />
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<b>Aruma Malbec 2010</b> €12-99 reduced from €17-99 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/aruma.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
Classic malbec. From the off, this had lots of fruit, but not in a shirazzy, in your face, fruitbomb way. Lots of fruit but plenty of other stuff, some little complexity and after it had been open a while, a delicious long finish. If you like yessir Malbec, then you won't go wrong here, especially at the sale price. This winemaker also makes the amazing <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/amancaya.html">Amancaya</a>, twenty bills but worth every cent..<b> </b><br />
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<b>Volpetto Chianti Riserva 2009</b> €10-99 reduced from €17-99 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/volpetto-chianti-riserva.html?___SID=U">link</a><br />
Yummy. A very tasty Chianti. Smooth, fruity and delicious. Not sure I'd pay full price but great value at €10-99. I'd suspect it needs food to really shine but it's pretty good on its own.<br />
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<a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/aruma.html?___SID=U"></a>
<b>Piuma Montepulciano D'Abruzzo </b>2009 €8-99 reduced from €10-99 <a href="http://www.obrienswine.ie/piuma-montepulciano-d-abruzzo.html">link</a><br />
I have to say I opened this last, because I suspected it might be "cheap and cheerful"; and initially I thought I was vindicated, with the wine coming off initially as a bit tart and acidic. But after a while the acidity receded into the mix and some lovely plummy fruit appeared. By the end of the evening, this was really rocking. Well worth a look at either price.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-86797825715044856292013-04-30T22:21:00.000+01:002013-05-07T21:05:14.533+01:00Superquinn Italian Wine Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little bird, my friend June in fact, let me know on Friday that Superquinn was having an Italian Wine Sale, and they never told me! Anyhoo, after a lovely weekend in Kelly's in Rosslare, en famille, we all ventured down in search in bangers, spuds and Vino.<br />
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I bought four reds, seemingly at random, as detailed below and pictured above. I know they were all reduced but I don't have the brochure to hand and the receipt only showed two of the four reductions, for some reason.<br />
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<b><b>Emotivo Montepulciano 2011</b> €8-00 </b>(reduced from €11-49)<br />
<b>Superquinn Classic Collection Chianti</b> <b>2012</b> - €7-00 (reduced from ???)<br />
<b>Santa Christina Toscana 2011</b> €10-00 (reduced from 12-49)<b> </b><br />
<b>Sammicheli Chianti Riserva 2009</b> €11-00 <br />
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I'll be drinking them over the next few days but tonight we start with the<b> </b><br />
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<b>Santa Christina Toscana 2011. </b>I'm not trying to damn this wine with faint praise but it was very...easy drinking.Some nice acidity and fruit, well balanced and no food required to enjoy it. Decent value for a tenner.<br />
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<b><b>Emotivo Montepulciano 2011. </b></b>We're not loving this. It's a bit vegetal both on the nose and to taste, in a not entirely pleasant way. But, given our shockingly precarious financial situation, there'll be no more pouring wine down the sink. I even went to Lidl tonight and bought 6 bottles of cheap red (of which more anon).<br />
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Part 2 is here<br />
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<b>Superquinn Classic Collection Chianti</b> <b>2012</b> <br />
As with the Santa Christina, this was a tasty "easy drinking" little vino with some subtle cherry fruit and a little acidity. Its not going to knock your socks off if you are an Italian wine buff, but is very good value as priced and should be liked by most folks.<br />
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<b>Sammicheli Chianti Riserva 2009</b> <br />
This was definitely the pick of the litter, a classic Chianti with lovely plummy fruits, and some nice complexity at the finish. Definitely a buy at 11 europes.<br />
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Next Up - I continue my voyage down the plughole with the first two IPA semi-finals.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-51720858722653875262013-04-21T21:20:00.000+01:002013-04-21T21:20:01.392+01:00Rossa Piceno - Something new from Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it's been a long time since I bought a wine in Donnybrook Fair, <a href="http://willieswineblog.blogspot.ie/2010/09/pascual-toro-malbec-2009.html">a long time</a>. The problem being that I don't shop in Donnybrook, since I moved away (sob) and the Baggot St branch is right beside Baggot Street Wines. However, being dinnerless, wineless and in Stillorgan this afternoon I ended up purchasing the wine above in DF #3, Stillorgan.<br />
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It's <b>Brecciarolo Rossa Piceno Superiore</b> €14-99 from <a href="http://www.velenosivini.com/eng/profilo.asp?id=25">Velenosi</a>.I had never heard of the Rossa Piceno DOC and indeed there is no English Wikipedia page on it (there is an <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosso_Piceno">Italian one</a>, if that floats your gondola). The wines are made predominantly from Montepulciano and Sangiovese with a little of local varietals added.<br />
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It was a little tart in the beginning but it's a bit smoother now with some nice acidity and a little fruit. It's perfectly fine but I'm not sure I'd spend 15 notes on it again.<br />
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BTW I have been posting a lot of beer-related posts of late, if you're fine with this, give me no sign whatsoever. Seriously, I have been contemplating starting a separate beer blog - negotiations are ongoing.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786609184805225119.post-72444310424135621822013-04-15T23:33:00.001+01:002013-04-19T21:30:37.711+01:00Dunnes Wine SaleI have to take Dunnes to task. I have been in three separate Dunnes over the last couple of weeks, looking for some of the wines that are part of their "Wine Sale". In each store they had maybe 5 or 6 wines (that I could find) and virtually no promotional material. Just some small placards attached to the shelves. Maybe I caught the end of the sale and stocks were low... They should take a lesson from Richard Moriarty in Superquinn. That's how to do a wine sale.<br />
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Anyway, I bought a few reds, some are from the sale, not sure which; it's late and I'm tired with a dicky tummy and a dodgy back so reviews are limited to six words apiece.<br />
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<b>Marques de Almonacid Carinena 2009</b> - €9.00 (reduced from €12-50)<br />
Fruity, light and pleasant. Not bad.<br />
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<b>Poco a Poco Tempranillo 2012</b> - €7-50 (reduced from €11)<br />
Cheap cheerful, but not for me.<br />
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<b>Chateau Millegrand Minervois 2011</b> - €11-50 (reduced from €16)<br />
Awful, down the sink with it. <br />
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<b>Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Syrah</b> - €10-50<br />
Cheap cheerful, needs lots of air. <br />
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Next Up - More Beer, probably.Williehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337227718424519439noreply@blogger.com2