Wine with Leslie: wines you can still pick up for Christmas - including a smoky Spanish red for €10
There are still excellent value wines on the shelf for Christmas.
We are almost there but don’t fret, you still have time to pick up a few last-minute bottles from your local off-licence or supermarket and I’ve picked out a few below.
If you are sorted for wine but just remembered you forgot to buy someone a present I recommend buying them a wine subscription or an online voucher. Ely Wine Shop and Wine Bars have just introduced a Wine Subscription Service. Each month club members receive three bottles on a specific seasonal theme or focused on a particular region, or on new wines in the shop. Ely are not committing themselves to any rules but do promise that the wines will most likely be organic or biodynamic and you can sign up for one, three or six months or for a full year at a cost of €120 per month - Shop.Elywinebar.ie
Boxofwine.ie offers a similar service and can tailor the subscription to the tastes of the recipient. Boxofwine is aimed more at novices but the indecisive will also find it useful. Another site I recommend is www.stationtostationwine.ie who offer curated boxes and add in a bit of pop culture wit and fun - e.g. “Wiseguys: The Hidden Underbelly of Italian Wine” or “Alt-White” for a mix of unusual white wines. The site is possibly my favourite wine site to browse and Rory has a brilliant selection from some of Ireland’s best importers - I doubt there is a wine on his site that has not appeared on this page.
The other site I cannot recommend highly enough is SIYPS.com - Sommelier in Your Pocket which focuses almost exclusively on organic and biodynamic wines, again from some of our best importers such as Grape Circus, Nomad Wines and WineMason. The old reliable and longer established online sites such as WinesDirect.ie and the granddaddy of them all Wineonline.ie are also worth exploring and don’t forget that many independents have their own online shop and delivery service - try WorldwideWines.ie, LeCaveau.ie, TheCorkscrew.ie and for beer look to CraftCentral.ie and Craftbeersdelivered.com - the latter is owned by CelticWhiskeyShop.ie which has the largest range of whiskey and gins in the country.
One wine I was afraid to feature in case it is already gone is the fruity-spicy Barão de Vilar Douro from SuperValu which is on offer at 6 bottles for €40 - such offers won’t be possible next year due to minimum pricing. Happy Christmas!
Stockist: Spar, Eurospar, Londis and Mace nationwide
If you are loathe to brave the crowds in town today don’t forget that your local Spar-Londis-Mace imports some excellent wines - and thankfully they don’t play the fake half-price game. This family-run estate wine is made from 90% Merlot plus Cab. Sauvignon with chocolate and plums on the nose, solid berry fruits on the palate and crunchy darker fruits on the finish.
Stockist: Dunnes Stores Nationwide
I’m not sure there is another Ribera del Duero worth buying at €15, never mind at a mere €10.40 (usually €13). This spends four months in oak and has lots of ripe smoky black fruit scents with bramble, pomegranate and cranberry flavours on the palate and nice heft and weight for such a low price. This will work with everything from lamb to beef to turkey to cheese plates and certainly leftovers.
Stockists: Matson’s Grange, Youghal and Douglas, La Touche, O’Briens, Red Island , Deveneys, Corkscrew, Whelehans Wines.
Just a little over €15 but well worth an extra Euro as this low cropping grape is difficult to grow cheaply. From Northern Portugal, just across the river Minho from ño country - Rias Baixas. Aromas of peaches and ripe pears, textured and layered with creamy cooked fruits and citrus with bright zingy apple acidity on the finish. Perfect match for seafood.
Stockists: L’Atitude 51, Bradleys, Green Man Wines, Le Caveau www.lecaveau.ie
This delightful wine oozes character and is so much more interesting than standard Prosecco. This is organic and biodynamic, unfiltered and zero sulphur and is packed with yeasty over-ripe pear and apple pie flavours rather than the usual peaches and cream. Also watch for the Rosso Colfondo version which has a pleasing cranberry flavour - what could be more Christmassy? On pour in L’Attitude today.
Stockist: O’Donovans, Independents
Fonseca dates from 1815 and are often a little under the radar - these days they are part of the Taylors Port family along with Croft. Quinta do Panascal is Fonseca’s Singe Estate Port which they release in non-Vintage declared years. This has ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit aromas with a lovely concentrated sweetness balanced by freshness and textured dark fruits. O’Donovan’s also stock Taylors White, Tawny and Ruby.
Stockists: Matson’s Grange, Youghal and Douglas, La Touche, O’Briens, Red Island , Deveneys, Corkscrew, Whelehans Wines
The Douro is Port country but also to many of Portugal’s most complex red wines which often combine rich fruit flavours while remaining elegant and supremely drinkable. This is a blend of typical Port grapes Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca and Tinta Franca with bright plum and dark cherry aromas which morph into weighty smoky darker fruits followed by a floral elegant finish.
Stockists: McCambridges, Celtic Whiskey Shop, www.irishmalts.com. Micil.ie
Micil in has had a busy year. As well as sourcing mature Irish whiskey and giving it their own twist through blending and cask selection, Micil has also launched a new spiced orange gin (€42), and this cream liqueur. The two whiskies - Inverin small batch blend and Earls Island Single Pot Still - have complex and intriguing peaty notes; a pleasing throwback to ’s distilling past.
Micil Irish Cream meanwhile is a blend of Irish whiskey, Irish cream and Poitín from the Micil Distillery and I adored it - aromas of homemade fudge and chocolate milk, creamy, spicy butter caramel and whiskey flavours, and a lively clean finish.
