Having joined Winemason in April, I have the joyful task of tasting my way through the portfolio, one wine (sometimes more) at a time! A standout for me, so far, has been La Justice which sent me on a deep dive of Domaine de Bellevue and Muscadet. Jérôme Bretaudau, a maverick winemaker from Domaine de … Read More
John Wilson says that “Chianti is one of the great food wines, going perfectly with most red meats and pork, as well as rich Mediterranean vegetarian dishes.” He describes Volpaia Chianti Classico as “A harmonious, supremely elegant Chianti with pristine cherry and wild stawberry fruits. Unputdownable”. Agreed.
Time to dust off those barbecues and enjoy some non alcoholic rosé in the garden! “The right drink for your big grill.” John Wilson describes the Kolonne Null Rosé as a “non alcoholic with light strawberry and raspberry fruits with good acidity. Serve chilled with fresh summery salads, goat’s cheese and grilled chicken or fish.” … Read More
Etna Bianco 2022 has just arrived as well as Etna Rosato 2022. We are selling through the last few cases of Etna Rosso 2020 and will have to wait until late September before Etna Rosso 2022 is in stock. Enjoy the whites and rose in the meantime or consider some of the Cru vineyards where we have stocks of 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The wines of Etna have been in short supply due to climatic challenges and especially due to the recent lows yields in 2021.
In 2021 production plummeted and the yields were the lowest of the last 20 vintages. April freezes, coulure, difficulties at flowering, followed by a four month drought resulted in very small berries with tough skins and little juice, with roughly a 30% loss in production, only partly compensated by several hectares of new vines of Nerello coming into production. On the positive side, the prolonged drought yielded all grapes in the healthiest sanitary condition ever seen. The harvest was long and deliberate, lasting over one month, and allowed slow but sure ripening.
2022 also produced climatic challenges. Winter was long and warm but with no significant snowfalls. In Spring rainfall was concentrated in the last weeks inducing a later budding. Stable Spring weather and above average temperatures were followed by a drought starting in early June and an unusual heat wave. July temperatures were lower though it was dry. The only advantage to the drought is the absence of disease pressure from either mildew or oidium. Good rainfalls in August preceded delightfully warm September and October months though the diurnal range was less than usual. Ultimately yields were good and the red wines are expected to be elegant and silky with rich volume and tannins having an opulent grip. The whites are lofty and more lavish in nature. Enjoy!
“Made with ancient methods and in the super-sour style of a modern Stateside piquette, this limited-edition side project of Vasco Croft from Aphros Wines will appeal to fans of funky kombucha, sour beers, pet nats and natural wines. Cloudy, lightly spritzed and popping with aromas of wild strawberry and raspberry, sour cherry and pink peppercorn, … Read More
You may have tasted them at our Portfolio tasting in April? They have arrived! The rosé (Edition les Quatres)Kolonne Null Rose is made from grapes grown in Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence. Light salmon in colour, it has floral apricot and raspberry flavours on the palate. The sparkling rosé is made in collaboration with Julius Wasem of Kaiserpfalz. … Read More
WineMason welcomed Leo Gramona and Andres Rangel from Gramona with Alvaro Ribalta MW to Dublin on 25 April to present a seminar on Corpinnat and long aged sparkling spanish wines. The Gramona Academy offers a fascinating and unique insight into these wines and this was the first time it has been presented outside of … Read More
The world of non alcoholic drinks contines to get more diverse and even exciting as highlighted by the excellent piece written by Aoife Carrigy in the Weekend Magazine of the Irish Independent. Kolonne Null was wine of the week with a nice metion for Cuvee Rouge No 2 and also Fritz Muller NA.
On 26 October we returned to tasting events proper and were happy to welcome over 80 enthusiastic tasters to sample 80 wines from Portugal and Galicia at the Sky Suite, Radisson Blu, Dublin 8. It was made all the more special and fun to collaborate with our friends at VinosTito and GrapeCircus. One of … Read More
The autumn is well and truly here, and that can mean only one thing – Port. On Tuesday 12th October we welcomed customers to Wine Upstairs for tasting of seven different ports. The line up included; Niepoort 10 Year Old White Port Niepoort 10 Year Old Tawny Port Niepoort Colheita 1997 Niepoort Trudy Nat’Cool Port Niepoort LBV … Read More
