The 2019 European harvest is mostly picked by now and reports are mixed but positive.

May is sustainability month in the Irish Examiner and last week I wrote about the challenges facing wine makers and wine drinkers as we all try to lower our carbon footprint. I’m sure some people were aghast at my recommendation of wine in a bag as despite it having a lower carbon footprint than glass it just feels wrong.

This week I’m focusing on Garnacha/Grenache, arguably the most important grape in France and Spain yet also a grape that is less known than it should be given that it only occasionally appears on wine labels.

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and there is no denying that silky, fragrant wines such as Pinot Noir, Grenache and Viognier can play their part in the noble art of seduction.

This week, a focus on Chile which is rather overdue given that Chile now holds 27% of the Irish wine market (and growing).

When we think of Champagne we tend to think of the big brand houses who spend fortunes every year on marketing so it’s easy to forget the smaller quality-conscious houses and growers plugging away in their wake.

A dip into South America this week following tastings with two producers. Garzon is a fairly new project (2008) on the east coast of Uraguay with flying winemaker Alberto Antonini in charge of winemaking while La Celia in the Uco Valley in Mendoza was founded 125 years ago.

A selection of some of the best wines stocked by Whelehans Wines and I would urge you to visit and have a chat with David, Martina or Gavin.

Minority sports crave that moment that propels them into the national sporting consciousness. Think Katie Taylor at London 2012 and the O’Donovans in Rio 2016. Hockey Ireland’s Phil Oakley swears that after Irish ’s exploits at the Cricket World Cup in 2007, he saw lads using hurleys to play cricket in Mayfield on Cork’s northside.

Ireland’s wine drinkers have fully embraced the big bold Malbec wines from Argentina but this week I’m recommending a couple of Pyros Wines from a valley you have probably never encountered before.

What's big for food in the week ahead?

The first World Cup event of the rowing season began yesterday in Belgrade. Having wintered together in Australia and New Zealand, two Skibbereen double-acts now face very different challenges. Gary and Paul O’Donovan are on top of the world to be shot down, while Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan must summon the appetite to survive the biggest test of their careers.

Easter is almost upon us and many of us will be preparing traditional roast lamb.

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

One question I am often asked is what is Ireland’s best selling wine and the answer — Santa Rita 120 — probably shouldn’t surprise you, writes Leslie Williams.

Christmas is approaching rapidly and it is wise to begin planning a little and thinking about your wines for the season. 

Independent off-licences breathed a sigh of relief when the Minister for Finance opted not to increase excise duty on alcohol. 

I always feel I am tempting fate when I write about wines for summer in Ireland — I feel as if the weather gods are waiting to thwart me should I even mention the garden or the word barbecue.

Now in truth the grape never went away, it was really the fat oaky styles that we abandoned, says Leslie Williams.

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.

To get a feel for the world of wine you need to get a feel for geography and do a bit of driving – perhaps from Napa to Sonoma, from Bra to Barbaresco or take a drive up the D2 from Bordeaux through Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe. 

Have you noticed the closure or takeover of a local wine shop recently?

Well, you don’t get to welcome home Olympic medalists every day of the week.

 

Ireland is a small country that drinks a relatively modest amount of wine per head of population — around 17 litres per year compared with 24 litres in the UK and 53 litres per head in France.

South African wine doesn’t feature on this page all that often for the simple reason that there is not that much imported here compared to other countries, and a lot of what I have tasted is either not worth writing about, or is too expensive for the quality.

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

Here I go again, praising the wines of Spain.

New Zealand is a tiny wine producing region in world terms but has managed to carve out a hugely influential niche for itself with their unique take on Sauvignon Blanc.

The bould Neidín is hardly a very wet week back from his winter sojourn in St Tropez and The Menu is saddling him up once more, this time for a gallop of the west coast to Knockranny House Hotel, for the Wine Producers’ Weekend (February 26-27). 

Just a few days left to pick up some last minute presents and to prepare for Christmas.

There’s good news this month on the hospitality front for West Cork’s Skibbereen.

Sad news to report as in case you didn’t hear the legendary Cork-based wine importer Joe Karwig died suddenly on October 26.

I have a nostalgic theme this week as I was reminded at recent tastings by how much our tastes have changed since I first became interested in wine.

The only people that seem to be happy with Budget 2016 are the craft brewers. 

Chile has come a long way. If you told a wine merchant in 1990 that in 2015, we would be drinking more wine from Chile than anywhere else in the world, they would simply have laughed at you.