Wine with Leslie: Six organic wines including a white I can't get enough of

The autumnal nip in the air also calls for a bright juicy Rosso

Wine with Leslie: One of thise week's picks has lime essence and ripe kiwi aromas, juicy, fruity and zingy with a touch of spritz and a tangy lemony finish.

With mostly distressing stories in our newspapers these days I have been wearing the badge I was given at the last Polish Wine Fest which says “Make Wine Not War”. The Polish wine festival returns next year but there are a series of pop-up wine tastings on Fridays in the coming weeks in the Fumbally Stables on Clanbrassil Street (Polishwinefest.com).

The world’s independent wine community is relatively small and peace loving with a huge focus on togetherness and co- operation. I would love to feature some of the fascinating Ukrainian wines I tried last year but none have made it here yet and winemakers there have other things on their minds beyond the export market these days.

Meanwhile, new on my radar this month is the Gallery Café Restaurant, Art Gallery and Wine Shop in Gort, Co Galway.

The Gallery Café is in a nicely restored building dating to 1820 and was created by artist and designer Sarah Harty in 2005. They have recently taken on Hannah O’Donnell who spent seven years working with Jess Murphy in Kai in Galway, one of my favourite restaurants in the country.

Looking after the wine is Argentinian sommelier Gabriel Perez Levitzky and his focus is on European organic, cleanly made natural wines, including many that have appeared here. Gabriel works with the likes of Mary Pawle, Nicholsons and Grape circus, importers I rate highly. Gabriel, admirably, is seeking to take the Gallery Café’s customers out of their comfort zone to experience modern winemaking. I hope he succeeds as too often wine lists stick to the old favourites. Hannah’s cooking has a comfort focus with pizzas for brunch and slow cooked beef cheeks and the like for dinner. Lucky Gort.

I feature organic wines this week including two from the Gallery Café. If in Gort, seek out Meinklang Austrian Pet-Nat, Salwey Pinot Noir from Baden and low intervention ‘Ingenium’ Rioja Garnacha from Ruiz Jimenez. My other selections are available in similar independent shops that would love your support.

Wines Under €17

Giol Organic Verduzzo, Marca Trevigiana IGP, Italy - €14.95

Stockists: Harringtons Ardgroom; Quay Co-Op; Wunderkaffee Farran; Taste Castletownbere; Grainey Scarriff; Sonas Newcastle West; Vintry; marypawlewines.com

From a small family run organic winery in the Treviso hills in NW Italy from a rare native Italian grape that is only really found in this region. I can’t get enough of this — lime essence and ripe kiwi aromas, juicy, fruity and zingy with a touch of spritz and a tangy lemony finish.

Ciello Rosso, Cantine Rallo Nero d’Avola, Sicily IGP - €14.95

Stockists: Bradleys; L’Atitude 51; Green Man Wines; World Wide Wines; Baggot St. Wines; Redmonds; LeCaveau.ie

Ciello Bianco featured here in April and I love its peach and lemon zestiness, but the Autumnal nip in the air calls for this bright juicy Rosso. From night-picked organic Nero d’Avola this is perfumed and fruity with dark red fruits and liquorice and chocolate notes. Serve cool.

Fattoria San Lorenzo Marche Rosso “Il Casolare” - €17-18.00

Stockists: Gallery Café Lettercollum Kitchen Project; Sheridans Cheesemongers Galway and Dublin; Mitchells; siyps.ie

A little over the usual €15 for this slot but worth it — one of the excellent organic selections on offer in the Gallery Café in Gort. Made with 50-50 Sangiovese and Montepulciano, organic and biodynamic, generous, fruity and ripe with some earthy touches, black raspberry and cherry fruits, ripe and supremely drinkable.

Wines Over €15

Albet i Noya “El Fanio” Xarel-lo, Penedés, Spain - €20.99

Stockists: Gallery Café Gort; Mannings Ballylickey; Little Green Grocer; Connemara Hamper Co; Marypawlewines.com

One of a couple of Albet i Noya in the Gallery Café Gort and an old favourite, made from 65-year-old biodynamic Xarel-lo vines fermented in concrete eggs on wild yeasts with lots of lees ageing. Floral and citrus, a creamy textured palate with a sappy roundness and lingering lime zest. Try with mussels, clams or maybe lobster.

Ampeleia Unlitro, Toscana Rosso, Italy, 1000ml - €24.95

Stockists: MacCurtain Wine Cellar; 64 Wines; Sheridans Galway & Dublin; Green Man Wines; Pinto; Loose Cannon; Independents.

From Maremma on the Tuscan coast this is proudly & accurately described as ‘a joyous infinitely drinkable peasant wine’. Grenache, Carignan and others, this is unfiltered, unfined with no added sulphur and the current batch is drinking beautifully; packed with bright cherry fruits. On pour in Café Paradiso and good wine bars.

Amastuola Organic Aglianico, IGP Puglia, Italy - €20-21.00

Stockists: Mannings Ballylickey; Little Green Grocer Kilkenny; Olive Branch Clonakilty; marypawlewines.com

Aglianico is an ancient grape that was particularly popular in Roman times. These days the best examples are found in Taurasi (Campania), Aglianico del Vulture (Basilicata) and in Puglia. This is aromatic and fruit-driven with pepper and spice aromas mingling with black cherries and balsamic notes. This producers’ Primitivo and Negroamaro are also worth seeking out.

Spirit of the Week

Teeling Distillery Rising Reserve Series 2, 46% ABV, 70cl - €225

Stockists: Bradleys; Wine Centre; Fine Wines Limerick; The Corkscrew; Celtic Whiskey Shop; Teelingwhiskey.com

This is the 2nd edition of The Rising showcasing some of Teeling’s oldest stocks of fine Irish Whiskey — not originally from the Dublin distillery of course but from old Cooley or Bushmills stock (they aren’t telling!) — bought after Cooley’s sale to Beam-Suntory.

This 21 Year Old Single Malt was aged for 18 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in ex-Marsala casks. Distinctly honeyed aromas mixed with vanilla and dried fruits and spices, creamy and sweet on the palate with more honey and vanilla coming through, cooked apple, spice and pepper notes on the finish, lingering dark muscovado sugar with some chocolate touches. Delicious.