Wine: Cepa Lebrel Rioja Reserva 2005
Donnybrook Fair does the format particularly well, presenting wines paired with dishes put together from seasonal Irish produce.
The Taste of Burgundy Wine Dinner on Wed October 31 will showcase a four-course menu celebrating some of the ingredients typical of the autumn alongside a selection of four quality Burgundy producers provided by the highlyregarded Tyrrell & Company.
You can book now at a more-than-reasonable €60, or €100 for two. Phone 01-6144849 and see www.donnybrookfair.ie.
¦ Wine and food go hand in hand of course, but there’s an even tighter focus during a touring event in Cork and Dublin — namely, wine and meat. Prime Cuts And Premium Wine is a night that promises to teach participants what to look for at the butchers’, how to assess quality and then how to cut and cook meat.
Do you know your flank from your rump? Where do the prime cuts come from? The innovative and educational evening will reveal lots of interesting information about the art of choosing, buying and cooking meat so get on board for a voyage of discovery.
It’s promoted by South Africa Uncorked so there is an emphasis on ranges of wine from that country.
Dublin: On Wed October 31 at Ely Wine Bar & Brasserie, executive chef Ryan Stringer will share his expertise and knowledge about meat and the art butchery.
Cork: on Wed November 14 at Barry’s of Douglas, chef Alan Murphy will draw on his many years’ experience as a specialist meat chef to discuss meat and indeed game.
To book the South African event in either city, contact Jean Smullen on 086-816 8468 or see www.southafricauncorked.ie.
¦ Finally, the theme of the bottles below is summed up in just one word, namely ‘value’. Sláinte!
Spain is home to some absolutely exquisite (and expensive) high-end, hand-made reds. But it’s also got a well-deserved reputation for good value wines. And sometimes those two worlds seem to meet — in the shape of inexpensive wines that could grace the finest dinner table. Example? This soft-structured, elegant barrel-aged Rioja.
The Vega Real range imported by Greenlea provides really excellent value. The price for what you’re getting here is remarkably low — especially when you consider it’s coming from the fashionable and costly Ribera Del Duero. Stockists include Dunnes Stores nationwide; Cork: O’Donovans; Dublin: Deveneys, D14; Savages, Swords; Hole in the Wall D7 and Martin’s, Fairview.
Another Spanish bargain. At the price it is a truly terrific expression of plump ripe red fruit, with that typically Spanish edge of polish and vanilla. Love it.
An old favourite from the overlooked Nelson region, Aotea is imported by Classic Drinks and stockists include Cork Pinecroft, Grange; Matsons, Bandon; Mannings, Bantry. Dublin Hole in the Wall, D7; Tipp The Wine Cellar, Cashel; Waterford No 5 Off-Licence; Worldwide Wines.
Like their sauv blanc, Giesen’s perfumed, creamy pinot is one of the best value on the market. Imported by Greenlea (041-9870300), stockists of the Giesen range include Nationwide Wineonline, Cork O’Donovan’s; Dublin Jus de Vine; Deveney’s; Martins, Fairview; Londis, Yellow Walls Rd, Malahide; Gibney’s, Malahide; Savages Swords; Power & Smullen, Lucan and Wicklow Hollands of Bray.
Gorgeous rich plummy shiraz. You’ve got to take a balanced outlook on price — while many wines are pointlessly expensive, yet again this, the most expensive wine on this page is, I reckon, the best value. But at least priced under €14 it won’t bust the bank.
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