Weekend wine with Blake Creedon

AS the Christmas countdown enters its final week, let’s combine properly festive jollity with sensible shopping: you don’t have to spend crazy money.

And if you do have a late change of plan or extra guests at the table, in next week’s Christmas Eve edition I’m putting together a last-minute wine list including a store-by-store summary of what wines to look out for.

* SPEAKING of sense, the issue of organics can arouse extreme responses. Some folks make wild claims on behalf of organically-produced wine, up to the suggestion that it’ll leave you hangover-free. (Hardly, as excess alcohol is the cause of that sorry condition). On the other extreme, some people dismiss the notion of organics as expensive juju.

As ever, there’s a far more interesting and nuanced story in between those extremes. Three of my highlights below are imported by Mary Pawle, the doyen of organic wine in Ireland. There’s nothing wild about what she, and the producers she represents, have to say. As she points out on her site, organic wines are made with “grapes grown without synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilisers, and with the minimum use of sulphur dioxide.”

Neither Mary nor any producer I’ve talked to has suggested organic wines are necessarily better (not least as many winemakers take an almost-organic approach, minimising inputs but not seeking official certification). But the fringe benefit of the organic stamp of approval is a guarantee of close attention to the plants and the soil.

* Buy from Mary Pawle Wines, Kenmare, Co Kerry (064-6641443; www.marypawlewines.com) or from stockists including the following. Clare The Grainey, Scarriff. Cork O’Donovans; Quay Co-Op; Ballymaloe; Fields, Skibbereen; The Olive Branch, Clonakilty; Roaring Water, Schull; Organico, Bantry; Taste, Castletownbere; Mannings, Ballylickey. Dublin Lilac Wines, Fairview; Listons, Camden St. Galway Mortons; Connemara Hamper, Clifden. Limerick Nature’s Hand. Kerry Mannings, Killarney.

Castellani Grillo Chardonnay IGT Sicilia, Dunnes Stores, €6.99

Just as most ugni blanc ends up in Cognac, grillo normally ends its day in fortified Marsala. Here, though, it proves delightfully crisp and fresh of character, its body fleshed out just a little with chardonnay.

MontGras Soleus Organic Sauv Blanc, Independents, Superquinn and Dunnes, €9.99

Delivering far more than you may expect from Chile at this price, this sets plump ripe tropical fruit against delightful citrus notes.

Petit Can Albet Vendrell blanc 2010, Mary Pawle Wines (see details above), €9.99

As any cook will tell you, it’s the contrasts that really light up a recipe. In this lovely, lively Catalan white, the delightful interplay between chardonnay and firm xarello sets this fresh spicy wine alight.

Contrefort du Delta Côtes du Rhône 2009, Mary Pawle Wines, €11.99

It can be hard to choose. I was torn between the Jean Bousquet Malbec from Argentina at €12.99 and this Rhone classic, which is equally elegant but more gently fragrant and floral. You could think of it as akin to beef versus lamb.

Osoti Rioja 2010, Mary Pawle Wines, €11.99

Despite the costly reputation of organic wines, this basic Rioja is very modestly priced in my view. A beautifully-modulated subtle blend of tempranillo, garnacha and carinena — elegant, savoury, and with a sweet berry finish.

Domaine Eugène Meyer Pinot Blanc 2010, Bubble Brothers, Cork, €16

Apart from cider, a good pinot blanc can be your best bet to match with pork, ham and bacon. An entirely different prospect to the two highly alert whites above, this bottle (which is both organic and biodynamic) is soft, rounded and redolent of rosy red apples.