Wine with Leslie: Bargain wines all less than €12 and suited to drinking in the garden with friends

Quality wines in Dingle — and it's possible to support local at the same time

Dick Mack's Historic Pub & Brewery in Dingle, Co Kerry. for Leslie Williams

While the pandemic has been incredibly tough on drinks companies especially pubs and restaurants, a small bit of good news is the general uptick of interest in fine wines experienced by most independent off-licenses. So the great news for the citizens of Dingle and anyone holidaying on the Dingle peninsula this summer is that there is a new quality-focused independent off-license operating out of Dick Macks, which is easily one of the world’s best pubs and whiskey bars.

Dick Macks owner, Finn MacDonnell, has joined forces with long-time Dingle resident, Trevis Gleason, to create the Bottle Library which is housed in the pub on Green Street in the centre of town. Gleason is a chef-turned-writer who published the Dingle Dinners cookbook in 2017 featuring recipes from the wealth of talent in the town.