Wine with Leslie: getting the best out of the autumn sales - including this fun €8 red
The sun is shining, but getting lower in the sky - a perfect time for some more chilled additions to your wine rack
The budget is due on September 27 so it is time for your annual reminder of how much tax we pay on wine compared to other EU countries.
Ireland’s wine drinkers contributed €385m to the Exchequer in 2021 and more than €3.5bn over the last decade.
We have the highest taxes on wine of any country in the EU with €3.19 excise tax added to every bottle of wine you buy. Finland is second at €3.16 per bottle, with the UK third at €2.65, and Sweden fourth at €1.87.
The majority of EU countries such as Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, and Austria charge zero — perhaps because they remember that wine is an agricultural product and the EU’s farmers have enough trouble staying in business these days.
For sparkling wine our Government adds €6.37 excise tax purely because CO2 seems to be a luxury, the UK comes second at €3.39, but most countries add nothing extra.
Note that the excise is added to the wholesale price and then an extra 23% Vat is added on top — a tax on a tax.
Expect wine prices to go up this autumn as all wineries have had significant cost increases on everything from packaging to shipping. A reduction in excise duty should see little damage to Exchequer receipts but I don’t think they will do it, despite the fact that a vast majority would approve.
Thank goodness for the autumn wine sales and Electric Picnic (come see me in Theatre of Food and Drinks Theatre).
Dunnes Stores’ French wine sale runs from August 30 until mid-October and SuperValu’s French and German sale from September 1 to September 21, while O’Briens have a general sale across their range.
France has seen an uptick in sales in the last year, mainly due to the ease in importing from there compared to South America due to pandemic restrictions so I have a bunch of good-value French wines to recommend to you.
This is a new range in SuperValu with funky labels made by a producer based in the Southern Rhône. There is a peachy Viognier perfect for Asian food, a dark Syrah and this peppery Gamay from the Savoie. Fruit-driven and fun with peppery blueberries and light spice notes, bright juicy fruits and bone dry - try chilled with pizza. From Sept. 1st.
One of the guest wines in SuperValu’s French wine sale which would normally cost €15. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, this is ripe and juicy and would benefit from being served a little cooler to tone down the fruit. Ripe berry, cherry and plum fruits, supple and lively with a pleasing juicy intensity and lingering dried fruits on the finish.
This might look like a rosé but is actually made from Vermentino, Viognier and a small percentage of Muscat but given skin contact. This is a gentle and tasty introduction to the world of orange wines with peaches, almonds and bitter orange peel aromas, floral and fruity with a touch of residual sugar to balance out the tannins. From Aug. 30th.
This is reduced by 20% from €46.50 and even at the higher price I would be recommending it. This 100% Chardonnay Blancs de Blanc is properly complex fizz, aged for 5 years prior to release. Aromas of flinty citrus & apple with background brioche - elegant and pure with layers of lime and soft apple fruits. Delicious. From Aug. 30th.
Reduced from €35 this might be my favourite wine from the Autumn sales, do remember to serve it cool (e.g.16C.). Floral red fruit aromas (rose petals and strawberries), with a hint of forest floor - supple and complex with textured fruits and layers of flavour that build and build. Better than many Burgundies twice the price.
One of a few good Bordeaux wines in the Dunnes sale, watch also for Lacroix (€9), Bois Pertuis, Béchereau Bx Supérieur and Béchereau Lalande-de-Pomerol. This is the 2nd wine of Ch. Batailley, a solid historic Pauillac estate. Classic blackcurrant and cedar aromas, darkly fruity at first but ripe on the mid-palate with delightful concentrated cassis and layers of crunchy fruits.
Summer isn’t over yet and this is the perfect beer for any day that is not lashing. I’ve long been a fan of Rascals Brewing, they have the perfect attitude it seems to me, fun beers that taste great. This was developed with Club Rock Shandy last year and thankfully it has made a return.
Brewed with Mandarina Bavaria and Amarillo hops with a touch of lemon zest and orange concentrate this pours a frothy pale gold with citrus and light malt aromas, creamy zesty fruits and lingering hops and lime zest. Finally, a New England Pale Ale you could use in an Ice Cream Float!
