Archive for the 'Tasting' Category

16
Nov
11

Australian Stickies Tasting

With a savoury budget due on December 6th, a touch of sweetness is in order to, as Mary P would say, make the medicine go down.

So Wine Australia are hosting a delicious sweet wine tasting in Cork on the 6th December in the Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork City.

Affectionately known as “Stickies” Down-under, the story of the Australian wine world is steeped in fortified and dessert wine making. Often tricky to sell, the one time that they do find favour is around Christmas. So perfect timing for you to join us and try a range of these wines from Australia.

Joining us to lead the presentation duties is Chris Pfeiffer, owner and wine maker of Pfeiffer Wines in the Rutherglen. A regular visitor to Cork with a huge passion for these wine styles, Chris is the ideal person to take us on this sweet journey.

So whether you have a sweet tooth, are looking for a different present for the wine lover in your life or on occasion you’d just prefer to pour (instead of make) your dessert, this is the tasting for you.

The cost is €20 per person, which includes the tasting and tasty nibbles afterwards.

The tasting begins at 7pm, and with only 30 places, book your passage early.

To do so, please contact John at Wine Australia on ireland@wineaustralia.com or 065 7077 264.

 If you need any further information, please get in touch.

12
Jan
11

Bird in the Hand or Two in the Bush?

 

Full range of Australian Wines are on Sale for a massive 25% off for the month of January

Our Bird in the Hand / Two in the Bush wines are produced by the Nugent family based in Adelaide Hills.

 Andrew Nugent the viticulturalist and winemaker, grew up next door to Penfolds at Magill and from there started his profession in South Australia’s McLaren Vale.

Moving to the emerging wine region of the Adelaide Hills, in 1997, Andrew Nugent planted vineyards and an olive grove on 100 acres on Bird in Hand Road, Woodside. The road itself was named after the “Bird in Hand” gold mine that operated in the district in the 1850s. Four hundred metres above sea level, the vineyards face north and boast deep, well drained red earth, formed from metamorphic rock.

To extend the winemaking range available to Bird in Hand, another vineyard in the famous wine-growing region of Clare has been acquired to provide fruit for world class Riesling and Shiraz.

 The Nugent family lives and works on the picturesque property, reflecting the strong sense of community in the Adelaide Hills. Andrew exudes a quiet but steely determination to grow Bird in Hand into one of the world’s great wineries. “We live and work at the winery. We know the best thing we can do for our community is grow and produce the best wine and olives we can. Our success will be our community’s success. A high tide lifts all the boats in the bay. At Bird in Hand we’ve assembled the best team of people, we’ve painstakingly selected the perfect terroir and we’re well on our way.” Tasting notes on some of the wines:

Bird in Hand Riesling,  Clare Valley

 2005 vintage was considered to be amongst the best that Clare has produced, fast gaining the same iconic reputation as the 2002. Bird in Hand Riesling, from the northern slopes of the Clare Valley has an intriguing aroma of white flowers. On the palate it offers the classic lime and citrus characters of the Clare Valley, underlining a mineral finish.

 James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2007 – 93 Points 

Bird in Hand Cabernet Sauvignon, MT Lofty Ranges

The 2006 Bird in Hand Cabernet Sauvignon has been aged for over 17 months in tight grained French oak. This limited release is an elegant example of classic varietal Cabernet. It is a vibrant deep red colour, exhibiting appealing aromas of blackberry, cassis and a mix of subtle fruit and oak spice. The palate is a rich and intense expression of its aromas offering great complexity, mouth feel and length. It is silky in texture with persistent tannins. It is drinking beautifully now and will age gracefully developing cedar and cigar box characteristics over time.

Two in the Bush Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills

The 2008 vintage is a lively and vibrant example of this classic blend. The bright zesty lemon characteristics from the Semillon are enhanced and made more complex by the intense tropical aromas and flavours of the Sauvignon Blanc. The Semillon also provides palate weight, texture and roundness. Crisp, fresh and full flavoured, this wine is best enjoyed young.

Two in the Bush Shiraz, Adelaide Hills / Mt Lofty Ranges

The 2006 “Two in the Bush” shiraz has been aged for 12 months in French and American oak. It is deep red with purple hues and exhibits intense aromas of rich dark berries and exotic spice. The palate has hallmark cool climate white pepper together with blackberry and licorice characteristics and a long flavoursome finish. The “Two in the Bush” reds are outstanding wines with instant appeal combined with balance and structure to age gracefully.

Full range of Australian Wines are on Sale for a massive 25% off for the month of January

26
Apr
10

A review of the Burgerspital Wurzberg Silvaner Trocken ’08 by Kevin of Fenns Quay Restaurant

Not content with changing the food world with his wonderful Fenns Quay Restaurant, Kevin Crowley recently launched his own online video review channel.

Its called “Kevin’s Tried And Tasted”

Kevin is a true wine lover and its brilliant to see him launching his video reviews.

We were honoured when he choose our Burgerspital Wurzburg Silvaner Trocken 2008 to kick off proceedings.

If you missed it, check out his video review below. Enjoy.

And watch out Gary Vaynerchuk !

22
Mar
10

kevin from fenns quay restaurant drops in for a chat

Cork is blessed with many fine restaurants. One of my favourites is the wonderful Fenns Quay Restaurant in the city centre. Kate Lawlor along with her cousin Kevin Crowley and his partner Pennapa Wongsuwan took over the running of Fenn’s Quay restaurant in the summer of 2008 from the original owners Pat and Eilish O’Leary.

They sum up their philosophy as . . . . .

We use only the best produce from the best local suppliers and treat it with care and attention to detail.

They have a marvelous menu for breakfast, lunch and evening meals. The restaurant itself is comfortable and relaxed, the service is top notch and very friendly and the food and wine are superb.

Kevin is a regular visitor to our warehouse and shop in Carrigaline so the last time he called in, we asked him to tell us a little bit about his restaurant and especially his wine preferences.

How did you originally get into wine Kev ?

What wines / regions interest you at the moment ?

Thanks to Kevin for calling in to chat to us. Make sure to put Fenns Quay top of your list of places to try out. It really is a brilliant place to eat and he has a wonderful wine list including some from Karwig Wines ;-)

10
Mar
10

wine – at its best when its shared

Photo by Roger Overall

 

Recently I posted a piece about Eiswein and a small planned tasting in Glanmire.  

Well it was a grand evening. We tasted 3 different dessert wines. First up was the the Ernst Bretz Bechtolsheimer Sonnenberg Huxelrebe Beerenauslese followed by the Bockheimer Grafenstuck Eiswein. We finished up with the lovely Dexheimer Sonnenberg Scheurebe Eiswein. They were all quite different (not all dessert wines taste the same !). We all had our favourite and some were liked more than others. Ironically, the least expensive one, the Beerenauslese was probably the most popular one on the night.  

The Yummy Cakes

Photo by Roger Overall

 

It summed up for me all that is right about wine. I would like to think that the wines contributed to the overall event but it was only a part of the evening. It was also about lively conversation on a wide variety of subjects ranging from Spike Milligan meeting Harry Seacombe to red moleskin books used by Picasso to the best applications for the iPhone and everything else in between. Thats what happens when you share a glass with a writer / poet and an award winning photographer. I was in position three in the creativity stakes for sure but such was the quality of the company, it did not matter  

Roger Overall was kind enough to bring along some lovely high quality chocolate while Paul O Mahony (perhaps a distant relation ?) provided the venue and a wonderful selection of cheeses and cakes. It was interesting to try the wines with them. The food / wine matching had variable results, proving what the experts say. Wines must be as sweet or sweeter than the food. The salty element of the cheese contrasted with the sweetness of the wines to perfection. The chocolate (excellent quality – yum) and eiswein did not match well, but that was as expected. Chocolate is very difficult to pair with wine and so it proved to be the case here. A Vin Doux Natural (something like a fortified Grenache Noir) or a Vintage Port would work better. It was an interesting exercise in itself I thought. Some of the cakes worked perfectly well with the wines while the chocolate based cake again did not work. It was delicious on its own though. Yummmmm.   

Give it a good swirl !

Photo by Roger Overall

 

 One of the real true pleasures of wine for me  is sharing. It was lovely to share wines with interesting people and engaging conversation. We spoke of wine but it never dominated the proceedings. Thats as it should be. Nobody likes a wine bore ! When I think of all the wonderful bottles of wine I have tasted, they have one thing in common. I’ve shared them with good people, great fun and lovely food.  

I hope that this is the case when you have your next glass of wine

03
Mar
10

Eiswein : one of wines best kept secrets

   

Eis Eis Baby

Eis Eis Baby

 

Eiswein. I love it. But it was not always so. You see, a few years ago, Eiswein (or Icewine) was something that held no appeal for me at all. I was guilty of making up my mind before opening it. Basically, although I have a sweet tooth, i thought that Eisweins would be too sweet for me. A bit like drinking a glass of golden syrup. Man, was I wrong.  

Well, my mind was changed one fateful day in London town. One of my best friends is a bit of a fan of dessert wines in general and eisweins in particular. We stopped off at a lovely small independant wine shop near where he and his wife live. Minutes later he was purchasing a most beautiful bottle of Inniskillen Icewine. I tried to talk him out of it as it was a wee bit expensive and I did not want to be ungrateful by not drinking a glass. He ignored me and opened it at home after chilling it for a wee while. He poured the golden liquid into the glass. I swirled. I sniffed. I tasted. I was blown away. I picked up the bottle and read the tasting note on the back  

Sublime aromatics of fresh lime, apricot, grapefruit and peach blossom with a slight minteral edge. A racy interplay of sweet and tart offer up echoing balanced flavours of lemon, lime and candied apricot.   

It was all that and more. To this day, it is one of the most memorable wines I have ever tasted.  

Bockheimer Grafenstuck Eiswein

Bockheimer Grafenstuck Eiswein

 

Eiswein or Icewine is a dessert wine made from frozen grapes. The grapes literally freeze on the vine. The temperature must be a minimum of -8c so harvesting takes place later in the year (sometimes up to January). Think of putting on every bit of warm clothing you own and then heading out into the vineyard to work in the middle of the night. The grapes are crushed on arrival at the winery and the water (still in ice form) is taken away leaving a syrup that is intensely sweet and acidic.  

Notice the word acidic in there. That’s what most people don’t realise. Yes, Eisweins are gorgeously sweet but they also have high acidity. So you get a blast of intense sweet fruit on the palate. However it is not cloying at all as there follows a lovely rush of crisp acidity that clears the palate and makes you smack your lips and take another delicious sip. Its simply wonderful.  

Eisweins are low in alcohol and are made from a range of grape varieties including Riesling, Vidal, Silvaner, Scheurebe, Kerner and even Cabernet Franc (yep, the red one) to name a few. New World producers are increasingly experimenting with other grape varieties, both white and red.  

Being such a fan, I am lucky to have a number of Eisweins (and other dessert wines) in our warehouse and shop. They are well priced and superb quality. If you want to read a little more about dessert wines, check out the wonderful post done by @manicmammy  

The reason for this post (apart from being a massive Eiswein fan) is that tonight I am meeting some people for an Eiswein tasting. One is a convert, Roger Overall,  @rogeroverall (Roger also happens to be an award winning photographer) while another Paul O Mahony @omaniblog  has never tried an eiswein in his life (Paul is a writer and poet). It promises to be a fine tasting  in such creative company.

23
Feb
10

#twebt 3 Sunday March 7th 2010 9pm – how to get involved in the fun

Hi there

Lots of interest already in the #twebt 3 Twitter ‘Blind’ Wine Tasting on the 7th March at 9pm.

A number of people have already ordered the mystery bottle

Wondering how to get involved ?

The Godfathers of #twebt explain how . . . . . . .

It really is as simple as that

  • Order the mystery bottle.
  • Follow @brianclayton, @kevatfennsquay and @karwigwines
  • We will tell you who else is taking part so you can follow them too
  • Open the bottle on the night (but do not peek at the cork !)
  • Tweet. Get involved in the discussion
  • Enjoy the fun.
22
Feb
10

#twebt 3 – this time its Karwig Wines !

Hi everyone,

We are delighted to be taking part in #twebt 3 on Sunday March 7th at 9pm. Thanks to @brianclayton and @kevatfennsquay for asking us to take part.

Who are the people behind this ’blind’ twitter wine tasting ? 

So what is this #twebt that you speak of  ?

Where did the idea come from ? Kevin from Fenns Quay Restaurant explains

Karwig Wines are delighted to take part and we have come up with a really lovely bottle of wine for the event (we hope you guys agree)

The wine is located here

http://www.karwigwines.ie/pc/Twebt-Mystery-Bottle-2p394.htm

Its €19 delivered anywhere in Ireland (€15 if you call to collect it in our shop in Carrigaline)

Last orders for guaranteed delivery by courier is mid-day on Wednesday 3rd March. You can call to the shop anytime up to 6pm on the Saturday.

Full details of #twebt are available on http://brianclayton.ie/twebt/

All you need to take part is to order the wine and follow @brianclayton@kevatfennsquay and @karwigwines on twitter.

Brian Clayton will also publish a list of all participants before the event starts so you can follow this list too to see what everyone else is saying on Twitter 

If you’ve any questions you can contact Brian Clayton  @brianclayton, Kevin Crowley  @kevatfennsquay or myself Maurice from Karwig Wines  @karwigwines on twitter.

We hope you will take part in #twebt 3. Its all a bit of fun.

#twebt 3

Sunday March 7th 2010

Starts 9pm





Because Life Is Too Short To Drink Boring Wine . . .

Karwig Wines are importers, wholesalers and retailers of selected and estate bottled wines from all over the world. Its all about the wine. We have one of the broadest selections of wine from quality Old World and New World producers.

Categories

Archives

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,204 other followers


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,204 other followers