Weekend wine with Blake Creedon

THE recent public tasting in Cork organised by the Spanish Embassy was, as expected, both a great way to survey what’s on the market in Ireland today, and a thrilling immersion in total sensory pleasure.

I walked out of Cork’s Imperial Hotel, nostrils aflare with that mix of polished wood, brambly baked fruit and spice which sums up good modern Spanish reds.

For instance Cune Crianza 2008 (Imported by Febvre and stockists include O’Brien’s, O’Donovans, and Superquinn at around €14) is a smashing example of a crisp, elegant Spanish mid-priced red, all crisp bright fruit with an undertow of polished wood and mint.