Site news and Links

Site news first -

I'm heading back out to parts foreign next week, last time I was did this I decided (after a while), to put the blog on hiatus, as I felt I couldn't deliver the quality of content I wanted, given the time, travel and work pressures. Until I get stuck into this next project I won't know the answer to the question of whether or not I can I feel I can usefully blog. In the interim, here are some links...

Kevin Ecock waxes lyrical on the En Primeur system here.

Spuds? from The Grapefruit here.

I bought lots of this lovely CDR, courtesy of SourGrapes here.

Also, I have been planning to try the new wine shop which replaced Oddbins on Upper Baggot St, cunningly called "Baggot Street Wines", as herself is based nearby and I believe some of the Oddbins staff are involved in the venture. Best wishes to them...

Links und Recht

Another link post cos I'm too tired, hungover and snowbound* to review anything...

Interesting piece on tasting notes here from WineRant.

Kevin Ecock's take on Organic, BioDynamic etc. here for all you budding eco-weenies.

I really wish I could make it to this, I was at John Wilson's version a year ago.

Thanksgiving Wine recommendations here, I guess you could use them for Xmas.

Last night I ended up drinking, along with a large quantity of Oban 14yo, a few wines I had blogged about from O'Briens. Our host had been to said shop and ended up selecting one of these, one of these, and a couple of these, quite without reference to YHB's opinions.

We didn't get to the Minervoios, but the Pic Saint Loup was very tasty and the Clos Du Val Merlot was fantastic, again. BigNose didn't like it, for some reason. More for me so...

*Not really - 4WD to the rescue.

Links

More links including a link to a link site with links to some of the sites I've linked to here.

Kevin Ecock on the Superquinn Autumn French Wine Sale.

Glass of Wine - a new wine blog to me.

My Grape Escape with a timely missive on Rosé.

The Grapefruit speaks of wines for the season of Autumn.

WineIreland - A fantastic Irish Wineblog aggregation site by Lar from SourGrapes. It's been up a while but I am only linking to it now.

Even More Links

Time once again for one my infrequent link posts where I link to articles on other wine blogs that have piqued my interest and they in turn link back to me (in a perfect world...)

All you ever wanted to know about wine glasses from Wine For Normal People

Cup-a-Wine from M&S is as good as you might expect from My Grape Escape

Stress is good for your wine (or something) from The Grapefruit

A new (to me) blog of video wine tastings from Kevin of Kevin's Tried and Tasted

We are entertaining this weekend (weather permitting); an old friend is visiting from La Belle France. I know he has a thing for Chateauneuf-Du-Pape but most of it is expensive and I'd probably end up with something unsuitable so I picked up some Chat-eu-Oeuf in Superquinn, which I loved last time and ticks most of the Chateauneuf-Du-Pape boxes for half the price...

Links, ftw.

As is customary I have trawled the highways and bye-ways of the Internets to find just four gems from the blogosphere for your enjoyment...

This needs no Explanation - How to open a wine bottle with a shoe, from SourGrapes

An exploration of that much maligned grape - Merlot, from My Grape Escape

A very comprehensive post on the whole Cork Vs Screwcap Vs whatever, from Wine for Normal People

An amusing post of the New Pope's House, from The Grapefruit

Links Ahoy

As has become my custom (well, I did it once before), I had a look around at some of the other non-commercial wineblogs looking for articles of interest to pass on to your good selves...

Kevin Ecock - a comprehensive review of the entire Superquinn Classic collection here as the number of wines grows to 42.

Sour Grapes - A new Bordeaux book by the always interesting Oz Clarke here, I'm going to have to buy it I think if only for the fact that I was practically breathing Bordeaux last night (post to follow)

Grapes of Sloth - A humorous post here on 2009 Bordeaux.

The Grapefruit - A few interesting facts about wine here.

Next up is a review of all the lovely wines from Papa's birthday bash.

Saturday morning, who's gonna play with me?

As is our Saturday routine, I'm in the kitchen drinking coffee and blogging, behind me Little Bill is watching his latest Movie (Alvin and the Chipmonks - Jason Lee must have some whopping gambling debts) and Herself is upstairs, catching up on her sleep. I wanted to write about something that has been exercising me of late, to whit, am I the only blogger in Ireland who reviews wines from the bargain/Supermarket/call it what you will section of the wine market here?

I'm not really sure what exactly I wanted to say beyond that, I don't know if the above is true and if so, does it bother and/or please me? Rather than bore you with some existential musings I thought I'd have a quick look around some of the non-commercial wine blogs and find some articles and bits of interest.

The image at the top of this post I took from this post on Sour Grapes, a comprehensive list of Irish wine blogs.

A humourous post on wines to be had in Leggs (we've all done it) from a blog I've only just discovered - My Grape Escape

A nice way to blow the wad in London , courtesy of Wine Perv.

A lot of Aussies reviewed on the Grapes of Sloth.

A guide to bluffing during Wine Tastings from The Grapefruit.

That's it for now - Ourselves and the Fabtastic Four are off to Olesya's Wine Bar tonight to sample some of their 400 wines (100 by the glass apparently), so I expect a hangover and some reviews tomorrow.

Use Your Illusion - Part 1

My friend Papi sent me a mail with some very interesting links on wine tasting;

In this fascinating article a retired professor of statistics applied some scientific rigour to the art of tasting and comes to some unsettling conclusions.

Here's an interesting profile of the most powerful man in wine - Robert Parker.

Another Parker article here - a blind tasting of some previously highly rated 2005 Bordeaux by the man himself - who claims to remember every one of 220,000 wines tasted.

On a personal note - we are drinking the first bottle of the case of Santa Ann Eco Malbec - so far so hmmmm.