This week I’m focusing on a recent trip to the most expensive vineyards in Italy (courtesy of O’Briens).

September is Wine Sale month with the French wine sale at DunnesStores having begun on Tuesday last and SuperValu’s French sale on Thursday. Lidl’s French sale is wisely holding off until September 30 and Aldi and O’Briens have more general sales.

August is almost upon us which spells the beginning of the end of Summer (in my head at least), so I am focusing on wines for the sunshine.

As promised a few weeks ago, I’m giving over my column to the Loire Valley, a region I have holidayed in regularly since 1994.

Champagne is a drink that works all year round, as welcome on a chilly Christmas morning as on a hot day in June.

This week, I’m focusing on Veneto, home to some of my favourite Italian wines, such as Bardolino, Soave and, of course, many Irish people’s favourite: Amarone della Valpolicella.

With the clocks going forward, longer evenings are coming and hopefully warmer days and evenings. Given that we have already had some warmer days I’ve found myself drinking more white wine and rosé, as well as Beaujolais and lighter styles of red.

The world of wine falls into two very distinct categories — the big brands making easy drinking accessible wines to please as many as possible, and the smaller producers that make wines in their own way and as best they can but with little or no thought to what the market wants — if they like it, why shouldn’t others?

January is the month many of us plan our summer holidays so this week I want to suggest two destinations with a wine focus.

From wine to after dinner beverages, Leslie Williams unveils his drinks menu for the festive season.

As I write this the weather has turned remarkably mild so I’ve abandoned my original topic of winter warming wines in favour of good value wines suitable for parties — parties can happen in good and bad weather after all. Christmas seems to start earlier and get more expensive every year so in the coming weeks I’ll try to keep value as much in mind as much as quality.

I have banged the drum loudly for Spanish white wines on this page in recent years but I admit I have focused more on the textured fragrant Albariño and Godello wines of Galicia, and rather neglected Spain’s most successful and equally fascinating white grape Verdejo from Rueda.

The addition of three new restaurants to the Irish Michelin portfolio elevated interest in the international food guide’s prestigious accolade.

Did you hear you shouldn’t be drinking any alcohol, ever? A meta-analysis study on alcohol published in the Lancet in August received massive publicity as it claimed that having even one drink is dangerous to health.

School is back, holidays are over but don’t despair, wine is here to

A profile of a great wine house this week. FE Trimbach in Alsace dates from 1626 and has passed fairly seamlessly through the generations, despite that region’s tumultuous history ping-ponging between France and Germany. Jean Trimbach from the 13th generation visited recently — the 14th generation is already in the business and the 15th is on the way.

The Cork Summer Show returns once more and, as always, carries a huge programme of food-related events including a food ‘market’ featuring over 60 indoor and outdoor stalls and with plenty of areas for some casual picnicking on purchased fare while checking out some of the live entertainment on throughout the weekend.

Valentine’s Day is in a few days so this week’s column offers some gift suggestions, both conventional and more unusual.

From the main course to the pudding, wine columnist Leslie Williams has the perfect drinks list for the festive season 

BBQ for a great cause: Sage Restaurant in Midleton will host a Summer BBQ on Monday (July 24) as a fundraiser for the Time for Tilara fund. 

Does wine have a gender? There was a time when tasting notes would refer to a wine as feminine or masculine — a delicate fragrant chablis might be feminine but a big fruity hermitage from the Rhone would always be masculine.

Bordeaux is the largest fine-wine producing region on the planet and produces around 700m bottles of wine from its 120,000 hectares, says Leslie Williams.

This week I’m taking a snapshot of the Languedoc-Roussillon, easily the most unwieldy wine region in France and arguably the world.

By now the first paycheck of the new year should be in but there are no scary prices below for the simple reason that I am focusing on Southern and Central Portugal this week, arguably two of the best value wine regions in the world.

Welcome to 2017, the Trump Presidency is only weeks away and we still don’t know what is happening with Brexit but at least we have wine to get us through, writes Leslie Williams.

Want a little Christmas spirit? From sparkling wines to cider, beer to gin, our wine columnist, Leslie Williams, has the perfect list to choose from.

The dreaded ‘C’ word is fast approaching so if you can be disciplined (or can lock the wine away somewhere) it is good to begin picking up some wines or at least thinking about what you will need.

I am often asked to give general (and difficult) wine recommendations along the lines of — “what red wines do you like?” and my answer has been the same for the last few years — look to Spain.

The words “Vintage Wine” often conjure up a romantic vision of a delicious elixir “cooled a long age in the deep delved earth tasting of flora … and Provencal Song” as Keats put it.

If you are grilling at home any of the southern Rhones below will work well. I’ve included one white in case you are cooking fish or would like an aperitif.

Macivors cider orchards were first planted in 1855 and are still in the same family. 

 

Watching the Euros has got me thinking about French wines so once again this week I’m back in the Languedoc.

For some reason 2016 seems to have had a higher proportion of celebrity deaths than usual, and this month two well-known wine names could be added to the list — Louis Latour (aged 83) and Etienne Hugel (aged just 57).

Galway Bay Brewery now has 11 pubs in Galway and Dublin and will be opening in Limerick in June. 

This week’s beer of the week is Bo Bristle IPA, 5.0%; ABV, 50cl — €2.99-3.39.

Is that wine worth its price? This is a question I am frequently asked, mainly regarding expensive Bordeaux.

O’Haras Notorious Red IPA; 5% ABV, 500ml — €3.39