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.

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

I was asked recently which wine region I would opt to live in given an endless budget and unlimited resources. After much deliberation I picked Piedmont in Northern Italy, home to the Slow Food movement, white truffles, hazelnuts, and wines made from Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, writes Leslie Williams

I wrote last week about the fact that Ireland is by far the most expensive place to buy wine in the EU with over 50% of a wine that costs €10 going to the government.

My job drinking (sorry ‘tasting’) for a living has its upsides.

The European wine harvest is in full swing but the late spring frost and hail and an extreme summer heatwave have not proved beneficial.

With summer holidays rapidly approaching I’m focusing on the Loire this week, given that so many of us will find ourselves in France in the coming months. 

Nick Munier is well known from various TV appearances but you will probably know him as the yin to Dylan McGrath’s yang on the RTÉ version of MasterChef.

Mr. Fox is serving some nicely crafted classical French-Irish food with modern touches, says Leslie Williams.

How much longer can the Murphy’s wonderful cooking remain undiscovered by the rest of the country?

I suppose I had better just come out and admit it, I’m not a big fan of sauvignon blanc.

At the time of writing we are enjoying a bit of a heatwave but spare a thought for French winemakers who have once again been hit by late frosts and hail.

Just a few weeks to go to the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Litfest of Food and Wine (to give it the full title) on May 20–22.

Fast-changing Nantes has transformed itself into a lively, buzzing, spacious city that sparkles with creativity and a strong Celtic-meets-Gallic culture, writes Conor Power.

The Dog Days are over to quote Florence and the Machine (who will be at Electric Picnic this year, as will I - of which more next week).

I have bad news.

I am often asked where I like to buy my wine and the honest answer is (and should be), everywhere. However I must confess a bit of a bias towards the independent sector.

The rumours of Port Wine’s demise have thankfully been exaggerated. While the market is overly seasonal in nature (that is, Christmas), and sales are down, sales of one style are definitely up.

SEPTEMBER has become wine sale season it seems. Last week I wrote about the Lidl French wine sale and some of their Bordeaux bargains — this week it is the turn of Dunnes Stores.

As you are have probably gathered by now the first thing any budding wine enthusiast needs to learn about is grape varieties.

PINOT Noir is one of the great misunderstood grapes but one you will be seeing a lot more of in the coming years if Chile has its way.

HAVE you ever wondered what it is actually like to own your own vineyard in France?

Gardaí say the hit-and-run driver who killed a young Frenchman in Cork City has fled the country.

A file is being prepared for the DPP after a garda’s wife was seriously injured in a hit and run in Co Cork.

THESE are not good days to be a wine lover, but spare a thought for anyone foolish enough to turn their love of wine into a career.

EVERY WEEK seems to bring news of yet another Bordeaux Chateau being sold to a Chinese conglomerate or insurance company so it is comforting to know that there are still some family operated wine producers that are thriving.

GIVEN the glorious weather of the past few weeks rosé wines don’t need much extra promotion from me as they are selling out everywhere.

The snail, the broken pots and lackadaisical approach suggest a gardener who’s not too worried about keeping up appearances.

AFTER an admittedly disastrous spring the Irish summer has been quite respectable so far with reasonably warm days and nights and just occasional bouts of rain.

ALTHOUGH increasing numbers of us buy our wine at the supermarkets, this week I want to encourage you to remember the independent wine shops who can often provide more variety and unusual styles.

The Menu’s Grá for Gaillimh has been well-documented over the years and nothing has given him greater pleasure than to watch its rise as a culinary destination.

THIS week I want to write about a wine region dear to my heart that is hardly known in Ireland, despite the fact that it is the nearest wine region to Ireland — the Loire Valley.

SO how many new year’s resolutions have you broken yet?

IT’S that time of year again and the calendar is stuffed with delicious events.

Got any change on you? Want to check out 35c worth of wine?

WANT a wine tip? Here are two to start with: Château de L’Estagnol white and red.

A few weeks back, I rounded up a few new and interesting rosés for fear we might get a bit of sustained warm sunshine. Just in case, like.

IT’S almost a year since SuperValu introduced its exclusive ‘Specially Sourced’ wine collection and, significantly, had enough confidence in it to throw much of the range open to a media tasting.

Never mind the weather — out here in the Atlantic, there’s no predicting from day to day whether we’ll be basking in the sun or dodging the hail — but the clocks go forward an hour tonight, meaning that from tomorrow it’ll be bright until about 8pm, inspiring us to head towards lighter dishes on the dinner menu and wines that put the emphasis on freshness and light.