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Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
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Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
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Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Clothes maketh you madTrying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
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Wine with Blake Creedon
ONE of the many wine myths that can mislead the unwary concerns age.
Older doesn’t necessarily mean better: most wines are designed and destined to be consumed less than a year after they’re bought.
However, there certainly are classes of wines which tend to develop beautifully with a few years in bottle, and well-made riesling is one of them.
But even the finest wines reach a point when they’re no longer developing in a good way, and begin to fade — it could be after three years, or five or ten — it depends.
One of today’s highlighted bottles was never intended to last a whole decade, but I do like what I found when I tried it on spec.
* I’m also looking at two offers at Tesco, plus three ‘alternative’ whites from the recent tasting hosted by The Corkscrew of 4, Chatham Street, Dublin 2. They also deliver nationwide from their online shop (www.thecorkscrew.ie). Delivery is free for orders of 12 bottles or €150, and it’ll be delivered the next working day if ordered before 1pm.
* We’re used to the idea of winemaker dinners, but O’Connell’s restaurant in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, go one better with evenings featuring wines — but also top-class Irish food presented by the people behind them. On Tuesday from 6pm, Gianluca Garofoli presents his family’s award-winning wines from the Marche in Italy, with dinner prepared by chef Udo Wittman from artisan Irish ingredients, and antipasti presented by the people behind Toonsbridge Mozzarella and Gubbeen Smokehouse. The two-course meal costs from €21.75 with a €3.85 supplement for a third course, and the wine can be bought by the glass, carafe or bottle — or you can try a tasting flight of four wines (10cl each) at €14.50. Book now on 01 2696116.
* Italy is also on the menu on Thursday at a wine dinner with Giovanni Manetti of Tenuta Fontodi (Chianti Classico) at Ely Wine Bar on Ely Place, Dublin 2 from 6.45pm. Book now (at €65 per head) on 01 676 8986.
* blake.creedon@examiner.ie.
Framingham Dry Riesling 2002, O’Donovans, Cork, €9.99
I spotted this among the bin-end offers at O’Donovan’s on North Main Street in Cork. And although long past its intended drinking date (see above) I think it’s holding up pretty well, the spritz and mineral acidity of youth augmented nicely by the discreet layer of honey its earned with age. Well worth a punt at this discounted price.
Tesco Finest Tingleup Riesling 2010, Tesco, €7
By way of contrast, here’s a young and fresh riesling. Wine fans may know the excellent Madfish range, the second label of posh Howard Park distributed here by James Nicholson. Well Tingleup is also Howard Park, made especially for Tesco. Bursting with piquant citrus fruit, it’s irresistible at this price.
Tesco Finest Valpolicella Ripasso 2005, Tesco, €10
Ripasso is the uniquely Italian tradition of fermenting a wine on grape skins left over from the previous year’s harvest which had been used to make Amarone, imbuing a lovely Port-ey spicy richness. I’m sceptical about supermarket price cuts (this one is nominally half price) but either way at a tenner it’s a very good value rich red.
Duas Quintas Douro White 2009, The Corkscrew and www.thecorkscrew.ie, €13.95
Plump, peachy and perfumed, this is a terrific example of the ocean of excellent whites made in Portugal — in this case, by Port specialists Ramos Pinto who have turned to making table wines relatively recently, to great effect. Do also check out the white’s spicy tinto (red) counterpart at around the same price.
Graf Josef Gruner Veltliner Kremstal 2011, The Corkscrew and www.thecorkscrew.ie, €11.95
The fresh Austrian grüner veltliner grape, or GV, is rapidly becoming the fashionable alternative to chardonnay and sauv blanc. Its generous slightly smoky nose and bright palate make the likes of this one made by Winzer Krems — along with other GVs such as Laurenz V Friendly — a great well-balanced complement to all sorts of middleweight dishes.
Herencia Altès Benufet Garnatxa Blanca, The Corkscrew and www.thecorkscrew.ie, €11.95
Now this is a discovery and it’s my bargain bottle of the week. The grape (better known to us in French as grenache blanc) is relatively rarely seen on its own, but here it’s a peach. Unadorned by oak but plumped up by aging on its lees, the delightfully waxy-lanolin texture of this wine supports a lovely elegant, fresh starfruit and spice on the palate. Imported by Clada Wines, there is more stockist information on my blog.