Terroir is one of those frustrating French terms that is beloved of winemakers and wine-writers but remains little understood by most of the wine-buying public. 

AUSTRALIA has slipped a little in sales in Ireland, partly due to a strong Australian dollar, but we still buy around a quarter of our wines from a country that constitutes just 5% of the global market.

CAN you trust a wine score or tasting note? One of the more animated discussions at the Ballymaloe Literary Festival was on the subject of wine competitions and point-scoring for wines.

THERE is an old adage about the wine industry that if you want to make a small fortune, you need to invest a very large one first.

FINALLY the summer seems to have arrived with a run of warm days. The barbecue has been on standby all week in my house and the heating has been turned off for the first time this year. Now I fully admit that summer drinking is a little more complicated in Ireland given how unpredictable our weather is, but warmer weather does demand a slight change in drinking habits.

ST PATRICK’S DAY is upon us, so it is good to remind ourselves of the Irish wine connections.

Bright clean cherries and strawberries on the nose with lovely fresh clean red fruit flavours on the palate.

WHEN we think of Australian wine we think of Shiraz.

Late last year multinational drinks giant Diageo sold Gilbey’s, its Irish wine distribution division, to Tipperary-based drinks distributor, Gleeson.

Wine tastings are always interesting, but the organisers of a one-off event devoted to the riesling grape next month have outdone themselves.

HERE’s a particularly good example of the top-class fun and great value offered by winemaker dinners.

THE public wine tastings featured here last week — and the suggestion that wine fans shouldn’t miss the opportunity — all still rings true.

TWO wineries plus three cities equals a surefire treat for wine lovers this month: The most promising wine events in the autumn line-up (so far) have to be the tastings in Cork, Dublin and Kilkenny featuring wines from Langmeil in the Barossa region of Australia and Huia in Marlborough, New Zealand.

THE sémillon grape isn’t used to the glare of publicity, but it suddenly popped up last week when a French restaurateur paid a record €85,000 for a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem 1811 — the most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold.

WHAT’s in a word?

AFICIONADOS of wine from Australia and Spain have reason to raise a glass to the 2007 National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) Gold Star selection as those countries have made a clean sweep of two key categories.