Mead. Timeless, ancient and exceptional. This is a fabulous drink made with Honey, Water and Fruit. Simplicity is often the hallmark of brilliance and this is certainly true of the Kinsale Mead from the Atlantic shoreline of Co Cork in southern Ireland. Mead is versatile and makes a wonderful gift. How about the Kinsale Red Mead - Smooth with Irish…

We all know where Moldova is? mmaybe not ... We all know that Moldova is historically a very important player in how the world trade in wine developed. Right? mmaybe not .... OK, how about the underground cellars that stretch for 200kms? They even hold an underground marathon through them!! Nope? So much to learn! This year The National Office for …

In this episode we visit and chat with David Dennison of Viking Irish Drinks in Co. Waterford. It was a beautiful summer day in his vineyard. Everything promises well for another fine vintage of the grapes that Dennis grows for his Viking Irish Wines. The vineyard is fascinating for the variety of grape types that David has in the ground. It is, in…

Kevin Glastonbury, affectionately known as KG, is Senior Red Winemaker at Yalumba in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. The Barossa is one the world's premier red wine making regions and Yalumba one of its most respected wineries. Back in 2019 we had the honour here on the podcast to chat with Yalumba owner (Barossa legend) Robert Hill-Smith. (…

Riedel has a special place in the world of wine. It is one of Respect for a family that has worked tirelessly to perfect how we can further our ability to taste many types of drink but especially that of wine. Riedel stemware is known the world over as being completely brilliant. It is also a family that firmly believes in designing and producing g…

Last year we were very fortunate to have had a zoom podcast chat with Dave Phinney and the remarkable wines he has created, most notably under the Orin Swift label. Dave is a very busy man! So how cool was it to meet him in person in London and spend a further 30 minutes chatting. Very cool indeed! Orin Swift is one of the great wines from the Napa…

I met Olly Nolan at the Gifted Fair in the RDS last Christmas. He was showing a range of honeys. I was captivated. Each honey had a captivating scent. Intoxicating even. Olly's Farm Dublin Honey had taken me prisoner! Wine, Tea, Honey, Whiskey, Stout, and on and on can only stand out as being exceptional if they attack our senses in a visceral way.…

In this podcast we talk with Zoltán Heimann whose family, HEIMANN & FIAI, has a long and distinguished history of quality winemaking in the southern Hungarian wine region of Szekszárd - on the border between the Large Hungarian Plain and the beginnings of the Transdanubian Hills. Zoltán likes to refer to himself as the 'Kadarka Man'. After this tas…

It's a sobering thought to many winemakers that they work at companies and enterprises that, in many cases, are younger than they are themselves! For those lucky enough to work in wineries where age and tradition has seen decades upon decades of continual success they might only contribute to a very limited number of vintages. It is very unusual th…

Recently I met with David Llewelyn at his farm in Lusk, north County Dublin. It's a small holding where he grows a fantastic collection of fruits that include, pear, apple, cherry and grape. It's also a business where David makes truly interesting products. Try his Perry (sparkling pear wine). It's really very good! David has a wine label called LU…

Bruce Tyrrell was in Dublin recently. His fame and expertise in the world of wine is well known. His wines are among the most awarded. His Semillon considered as among the best ever produced. He was in Dublin behind the Tyrrell Wine's stand at the Cassidy Wines Portfolio tasting serving the wines himself. There are many who would have passed this a…

April the 17th 1853. Who'd have thought back then that it would be a date celebrated the world over as World Malbec Day. After all, back in 1853 it was just an idea presented to the national legislature of Argentina that it might be a good plan to establish a 'Quinta Normal and Agricultural School'. Up to then the wine industry in Argentina didn't …

La Kav Wines is the brainchild of Arnaud Clopin. It sells a selection of well sourced wines from France at www.lakavwines.ie. Arnaud's wife is a Kavanagh and he is French - hence La Kav. All straight forward so far! La Kav Wines also has a vineyard on the East coast near Gorey in Co. Wexford. Visit the La Kav website and fly over it in a drone. It …

Ashford Castle in Cong Co. Mayo is a Fine Wine destination and a Five Star hotel. It sits in majestic surroundings. Under the ownership of Red Carnation Hotels Ashford Castle offers a unique visitor experience. Robert Bowe has been part of the fabric of the castle for many years and now with Red Carnation Hotels continues to develop Ashford as one …

Ashford Castle in Cong Co. Mayo is a Fine Wine destination and a Five Star hotel. It sits in majestic surroundings. Under the ownership of Red Carnation Hotels AShford Castle offers a unique visitor experience. None of this matters unless the staff involved are at the very top of their game. Their wine sommeliers are! Paul Fogarty is Head Sommelier…

This podcast with Morgan VanderKamer is the first in a series that chats with sommeliers working in Ireland. Their expertise is invaluable and enriches our dining experience in a very immediate way. Morgon is a Canadian, has been in the hospitality industry for twenty years, the last nine of which have been in Ireland. Today, with her partner Steph…

It was never our intention or plan to publish our podcast with DIABLO at Halloween! Perhaps the brand decided for us ....... When (the fabulous) Concha y Toro launched the DIABLO brand a few years ago it was hard to see where it might fit into the market. That's the way with leaders and those 'first to the table'. They often see hidden and emerging…

Trivento has been acknowledged by the very best wine writers as the Best Value High Quality label from Argentina. The name means Three Winds. In this podcast chief winemaker at Trivento, Maximiliano Ortiz, brings us to the heart of what makes Trivento so good. We have two of Maximiliano's labels in sale on Ireland - the Trivento Reserve Red Malbec …

Vinho Verde has been on our shelves as long as I have been in the wine trade - a long time! That said, I always thought of it as a wine and not a region. A few brushes in the past with poor quality Vinho Verde styles then led me away from both wine AND region. Poor choice. My loss! On a recent visit to Ireland the good folk from Aveleda transported…

Jonathan Mitchell is among the most likeable, knowledgable and enduring personalities in the drinks trade in Ireland. His family business, Mitchell and Son, is not just the longest running of its kind but is unique in its offering. In this podcast Jonathan guides us through the remarkable history of his family from an early 1800's bakery in Fairvie…

Orin Swift is an ultra premium wine brand with a fascinating back story. It's a story that begins and continues with Dave Phinney, one of the finest wine innovators around. His vision is extraordinary and his wines are equal to his vision. They are the epitome of what 'unique' and 'original' are - all wrapped into bottles whose labels would not be …

Ribera del Duero is on a high plateau in the north centre of Spain. It is, in fact, the D.O. with the highest altitude in Spain with vineyards grown at a thousand metres above sea level and above. In this podcast Nacho Andrés, Export Director from Bodegas Emilio Moro, guides us along the Emilio Moro journey. It's a fabulous story that results in wi…

Tea Tasting is very like Wine Tasting. Bouquet, Aroma, Palate Structure, Length, Fruit/Berry Intensity, Weight and so on. Try it some day. Focus into the sensations that Tea brings to the senses. Then add a Sparkle! This podcast with Jacob Kocemba explains all! Award winning Sommelier, Jacob Kocemba, brought his first Sparkling Tea to the market in…

Laura Catena is one of my all time favourites in the world of wine. Her bio is well told HERE and worth reading into. Her father Nicolas is the most decorated wine maker to ever make a living from wine in Argentina and South America. The wines from Catena Zapata are magnificent. While these have all held my esteem for Laura for quite a few years no…

SuperValu runs a tight ship when it comes to Wine Sales. They drop prices back in a very honest and transparent way. They also bring in Guest Wines at fabulous prices. These are in store for a limited time only. The mix is always fabulously interesting. The current Sale, featuring wines from Spain and from Portugal, offers us a fascinating insight …

Last year Zoe Lengjak brought us, in her words, 'truly special, exclusive, natural and independent Grower Champagnes from the rarest terroir to Ireland's shores'. Read all about it here at www.champagne.ie As it happens she also brought herself as a fabulous addition to the palate that makes up the wine trade in Ireland. Zoe's experience within the…

Michael Eddy is Director of Winemaking at Louis M Martini in the Napa Valley of California. This is a winery that produces high quality year in and year out. It is one of the shining jewels in the E&J Gallo portfolio of Fine Wines. It has some of the finest Terroir available at its Monte Rosso vineyard. Add to this Micheal Eddy's talent. What a gre…

There's an old chestnut out there doing the rounds that asks, 'What makes a Great Coach?' The answer is, of course, 'A Great Athlete!' Great coaches agree. David Coventry agrees. He's a winemaker who answers the question, 'What Makes a Great Wine?' by telling us - 'Great Terroir'. Indeed, he only positions himself as an intermediary! Is it possible…

Edouard Baijot must be one the bravest Frenchman to ever pass the Master of Wine exam! Why? Because when he joined the wine trade in 2002 he began as a sales rep in the north of France selling Californian wines for E&J Gallo - to the French! This from someone born in Vertus in the Champagne district. Edouard has since passed the rigorous Master of …

It is simply not possible to make fine wine without fine grapes. Jim Collins goes further and tells us that, 'I'm a firm believer in the idea that better choices and better wine go hand in hand, today and for generations to come'. Well, as VP for Vineyard Managemnt at E&J Gallo, Jim is one of those who has to make the choices. How is it possible to…

Welcome to the first podcast in our 6 part mini series of premium and super permium wines in the E&J Gallo portfolio. These wines are brilliant. Beth Liston is Director of Winemaking for the E&J Gallo Dark Horse label situated in the central valley of California. These are wines that are widely available at affordable price points - they deliver fa…

The astute among you will recognise that I have already recorded a podcast interview wIth José María Fraile of Bodega Tandem. That was at an O'Brien's Wines Fair held at Dublin Castle back in Dec 2019. You can listen to it HERE. I just did. Not bad. Not bad at all! What was missing, however, was Jose's partner in business and winemaker at Tandem, t…

When WineOnline.ie was launched back in 1999 it was a groundbreaker. The first of its kind always is! There are loads of online wine stores out there now. These weren't there when Anne Mullin and Gerry Fitzsimons developed WineOnline.ie. Indeed it was unthought at the time that their creation would one day be in competition with not just these but …

In this podcast we chat with Fernando Rodríguez de Rivera, of the fabulous Bodegas PradoRey farm and vineyard in Ribero del Duero. PradoRey (Kings Meadow) is the largest estate in the north of Spain - 7km stretch of the Duero river; 520 hectares of vineyard; a hydroelectric dam that dates back to 1858; a dairy farm with 800 Friesian cows; a flock o…

LUXARDO is a name that I have always associated with beautifully crafted spirits of the highest quality. The family has just celebrated its 200th anniversary of being in business. We are honoured to have been joined in this podcast by the Luxardo cousins, Nicolò and Matteo. The family history is peppered with difficulty and war torn strife. There c…

Nugan Estates is a winery based in New South Wales in Australia. It is the 13th largest exporter of branded wines in Australia, a top 20 wine producer and whose wines are imported directly to Ireland by the Musgrave Group. As such the Nugan labels are widely available through SuperValu and Centra stores. In this podcast 3rd generation Matthew Nugan…

In this episode I chat with Chris Gifford who set up The Allotment Wine Company last year. Yes, right in the middle of our Covid lockdowns! Brave or Bonkers? Let Chris explain himself all the way from how to get into the wine trade, how to stay in it and how to set up an online wine store. Great story. Brave. Chris has been in our trade for quite a…

Dunnes Stores recently held a fascinating online tasting of its WEINHAUS range of wines produced by the great Reh Kendermann in Germany. The tasting was hosted by Alison Flemming, Master of Wine. It was quite brilliant. We are thrilled that Alison agreed to give some of her time, and to share her expertise in relation to the wines of Germany, with …

When I visited Vasse Felix way back in 2010 I was bowled over by the quality of its wines. At the heart of this story was its chief winemaker Virginia Willcox. If anyone dares to say that there are no winemakers around who can instil their sheer fabulous enthusiasm, extreme dedication and insane ability into their wine year after year after year af…

Gerard Bertrand is a winemaker of tremendous ability. More importantly he is an extraordinary human being. He has the vision of a poet and when he speaks it is uplifting and positive. His eleven great wine estates across the South of France contain the greatest collection of organic and biodynamic vines in the world. Image from The Buyer In this po…

I have been a long time fan of the work that Wine Intelligence does for the wine trade. It provides us with context and data. Both are vital to our understanding of how the trade works and where it might be heading to next. In this podcast Richard Halstead, COO of Wine Intelligence, allows us to have a look inside his organisation. We hear how it g…

Peter Dauthieu is a Director at Ehrmann's, a leading distributor across the UK and Ireland. He is based in Jerez, is MD of Viniberia and responsible for Viniberia Almacenista which consolidates the sherry range sold by Ehrmann's in the UK. Peter has worked in the wien trade since 1997 - at Ehrmann's Wines aand also as Export Director at CVNE. In 20…

I took part in a Virtual Wine Tour of Lanzarote recently. It was brilliant. What an extraordinary landscape! This image is from Turismo Lanzarote. Watch the video HERE before you listen to this podcast with Ollie Horton of Wine Tours Lanzarote. It brings it all alive! Wine Tours Lanzarote was set up by Ollie Horton, an English man from the Channel …

Sinead and Liam Cabot run an excellent wine distribution business, Cabot and Co., in Westport, Co. Mayo They also run an excellent vineyard and wine production business, (Roka is the brand) in Slovenia. At one time they also operated an excellent wine store in the IFSC in Dublin. Clearly, while they are defined by excellence they can also be define…

Kanonkop Pinotage is reckoned to be one of the finest wines made. It's wine makers have been awarded Best Winemaker in the World on many occasions. It is that brilliant In this podcast we chat with Deidre Taylor of Kanonkop. We first met Deidre at a small tasting hosted in Dublin three years ago by their Ireland agents, Findlaters. It was a small o…

Our Podcast episode #6 was with Clive Weston of Nautilus Wines of New Zealand. That was recorded at their Ireland agents' office, Cassidy Wines, in Dublin. It was this week all the way back in 2019! How everything has changed since then. What has not changed is that Nautilus Wine Estate of Marlborough in New Zealand continues to make some of the fi…

Gaia Wines always means top notch and unforgettable Assyrtiko from the volcanic Greek island of Santorini. These are Greek wines that sit at the top table of quality wines. Of course, there's a lot more to Gaia Wines! In this podcast, owner and founding partner, Leon Karatsalos guides us through the wines that he produces at Santorini and also at N…

Pio Cesare makes a range of magnificent wines in Piedmont in the north of Italy. In this podcast 5th generation family member Federica Boffa talks to us about her family's 140 year history of making wine. 140 years - that's 1881! Federica with her father Pio Boffa Pio Cesare makes its wine in an extraordinary winery built in ancient and modern cell…

I am fascinated to hear from Janet Wang that wine making in China has a 9,000 year history. Incredible as that seems Janet still refers to wine in China as being both new and old. Janet Wang is a complete expert on everything to do with wine in China. Her book, The Chinese Wine Renaissance, is rich with both historical records and contemporary acco…

Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of the leading practitioners of biodynamic and organic viticulture in the world. They are also one of the leading high quality producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay based wines from both Europe (Burgundy) and North America (Oregon). The Drouhin family is a member of the twelve strong Primum Familiae Vini - First Famili…