Autumn is here and we are preparing for our annual drive to France. It's a time for visiting some of our Producer friends, catching the end of the grape harvest and checking out a few new wines. It's a sort of Vintners Vacation and involves a lot of driving but always a pleasure.
I had a lovely visit back to the Ennis Wine Club last week and was glad to see that they are still going strong. I visited the Wines From Spain at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on 13th September and was glad to have the opportunity to attend the Cava seminar presented by David Webb.
The new Price List is just about finished and will be ready by the end of the month.
It’s hard to believe that it’s actually Midsummer when the sky is so gloomy and it’s so chilly and damp! No sign of “That Summer Feeling” yet. Oh well, let’s see what cheering news we have to share.
We recently had a visit from Caro Feely from Chateau Haut Garrigue in Saussignac, France. Caro was launching and promoting her book “Grape Expectations” and the new range of wines under the name Terroir Feely. She gave an excellent wine tasting at the Grain Store at Ballymaloe house along with Tomas Clancy who entertained us with a brief history of the Irish Wine Geese. We also had a lovely evening of tasting and talking at Manning’s Emporium in Ballylickey.
In July Kenmare will host the Kenmare Food Carnival. This will be held throughout the town on 13th/14th/15th July when the town will showcase the very best of local produce and culinary expertise. I am really looking forward to presenting one of the Wine Tastings and Talks that will be held at the Lime Tree Restaurant. This will be on Sunday afternoon (15th)and will be an opportunity for people to learn a little about what is meant by “organic wines”, taste some wines and participate in a simple quiz. Prizes will be of a vinous nature!! While this is a FREE event, places are limited so booking is essential. All information on www.kenmarefoodcarnival.com
We are now importing two new ranges of wine from the Delhon Family at Domaine Bassac. Situated at Puissalicon, a small medieval village in the heart of the Languedoc region in the South of France, equidistant from the towns of Beziers, Pezenas and Bedarieux. The vineyards, which have been certified organic by Ecocert since 1990, cover 80 hectares and consist of a wide variety of soil types. The "Armonia" range of Red, White and Rose are all made from blends of local varieties and the "Cepage" range is of monovarietals. www.domaine-bassac.com
The Languedoc region is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination for Irish people and we highly recommend "Le Presbytere" the Chambre & Table d'Hote run by Martin & Sile Dwyer in Thezan les Beziers. www.lepresbytere.net
Well here we are in 2012, and we hope that you have all enjoyed the holidays. We wish you all the very best for 2012. Happily the weather didn't hold us hostage this year and everyone seems to have had a chance to get out and about. Now though, its time to get back to the routine and the annual visit to Millesime Bio in Montpellier, France, is coming up on the 23/24/25 January. This International Wine Fair has been held for the past 19 years and is a showcase for Organic & Biodynamic wines only. It is a great opporunity for us to meet most of our producers and to taste the new vintages and catch up with all the news. It is also a very useful one-stop shop for seeking out new wines and dicussing latest trends with other importers from all over the globe. Its not all hard work though and there is a good element of socialising too, so we look forward to the event each year. www.millesime-bio.com
We are preparing the new trade list and that should be ready to send out as soon as we have received all the price lists from our supplier.
Now that December is here, please don't forget to get your orders in to us in plenty of time for Christmas & New Year celebrations. We can arrange for cases of wine to be delivered to all counties and are happy to create a mixed case to suit your taste and your purse. Remember when reading through the wine list on our site, the prices shown are Recommended Retail Prices and are meant as a guideline only. Please contact us by phone or email for details of prices and delivery.