With the New Year upon us I time to look at what will be on trend wine wise in 2015.
I predict that Chardonnay will start to make more of a comeback than it has in 2015 and with this in mind am featuring a very good quality Australian Chardonnay today. The other wine “of the moment” is Argentinian Malbec. Seems like the Irish consumer just can’t get enough of it at the moment.
2012 d’Arenberg The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay €25.99
(on offer €21.99)
Stockists: Thomas's Foxrock, Martin’s Off Licence, Fairview; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, The Parting Glass, Enniskerry; Egans Off Licence; Donnybrook Fair.
D’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in the McLaren Valley, an Australian wine region with its proud sense of its own identity. No winemaker epitomises that sense better than Chester Osborn, fourth generation family who took over as Chief Winemaker in D’Arenberg in 1984. Chester’s wine making philosophy is to produce wines that have great fragrance and fruit character with palate texture and length balanced by fine natural acidity and tannins. D’Arenberg has been included in the Top 100 Wineries of the Year by Wine and Spirits Magazine USA for 2014 and 2013
There is an Irish connection to this winery too. In 1881, Joseph Rowe Osborn, joined the prospering Wine Company Thomas Hardy and Sons. Although a teetotaller he eventually became a partner and director and was very successful. While not a drinker, he did have another vice of sorts... horse racing. Amongst his stable he had a horse called Footbolt who was relatively successful and won Joseph enough prize money to be in the position to purchase some land of his own.
Joseph's son Francis (‘Frank’) Osborn was studying medicine at Melbourne University but was advised upon ill health to, “take up life on the land”. In 1912 Frank and his father purchased two sections of land in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue now just known as McLaren Vale. Joseph Osborn died on 25 May 1921 leaving full control of the business to Frank.
Frank married Helena d’Arenberg in 1920, built a house, and had three children, Antoinette, Rowen and d’Arry. Helena sadly died shortly after giving birth to d'Arry and the children who were raised by their father. In 1927, a year after Helena's death, Frank was encouraged by friends and family to consider building a winery and producing wine as a way of getting his life back on track.
Helena d’Arenberg’s family were of French origin. One of her direct ancestors ended up in Cork having won a duel against one of Napoleon’s generals. His son and Helena’s direct ancestor became provost of Trinity College and lived in Annamoe in Co Wicklow. The family eventually emigrated to Australia at the turn of the last century.
2012 Catena Malbec €15.85
Stockist: Dunnes Stores
Catena was founded in Mendoza in 1902 by an Italian immigrant. Today Laura Catena is the 4th generation of her family to make wine here. If ever there was a heaven for winemaking Mendoza has it. With low fertile soil, cool mountain nights, sunny days and low humidity, this Argentine region is ideal for making red wines.
Malbec is a French grape variety and was an important part of the blend of the Bordeaux Grand Cru wines in the 1700’s. It has been widely planted in Argentina for about 150 years. Malbec originated in the middle ages when Malbec from the French region of Cahors where it became known as the Black Wine. The Bordeaux producers used it in their blend to give the wine more colour. Today, Malbec has become known all over the world as Argentine’s signature grape and the source of its finest wines.
Mendoza has always been at the epicentre of Argentine wine production. Once the railroad to Buenos Aires was completed in 1882 Mendoza became the number one destination for Spanish and Italian immigrants to settle and apply their winemaking knowledge. The climate and soil were ideal for viticulture, much more so than raising cattle which requires heavy rain and fertile soil. In the 1960’s and 70’s Argentina became the 5th largest producer of wine in the world and the sixth largest consumer.
The first official records of plantings in Mendoza date back to 1936 and show 222,500 acres under vine and 60% of that being Malbec. Although Argentina has a continental climate there are two key factors that impact on the quality of their fruit and they are latitude and altitude. Altitude in Mendoza varies from 600 metres to 1,500 metres above sea level. The higher the altitude of the vineyard the cooler the region.
In 1990 the Catena’s first started to export their wine, initially on a smale scale. It wasn’t until 2002 when the Argentine peso was devalued that exporting became more profitable. Their 1996 Catena Alta Malbec was their first wine to receive 94 points on the 100 Point Robert Parker scale. In 2009 Nicolas Catena was the first South American to be awarded Decanter Magazine Man of the Year.
New Zealand Wine Fair – January 2015
Come and taste over 200 New Zealand wines in January 2015 and meet the people who make them. The New Zealand Wine Fair is a great way to start your new wine year. The event takes place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Golden Lane, Dublin 8 on Thursday 22nd January, 2014 from 18:30 – 20:30.
Tickets are priced at €15.00 each (over 18's only) or €13.50 each if you buy 10 tickets. To purchase your ticket please use the link below
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ultimate-new-zealand-wine-tasting-dublin-2015-tickets-12252494541
More information at the Wine Diary www.jeansmullen.com
