A few months back I did an interview with Harriet from Tindal Wines. I absolutely love wine and am so keen to learn more about it. I got in touch with Harriet recently and asked that she do a guest post here on the blog and let me know all about what patriotic wines she’d suggest for this coming Patrick’s weekend! I love her suggestions, Thanks so much Harriet and have a lovely long weekend everyone!
Lilly x
For those of you wanting to remain true to your roots on Paddy’s day here’s some suggestions, of which some are supporting Irish families and others have a vaguely Irish link. None will fail to please your palate!
The Bartons, an Irish family, purchased Leoville-Barton in St.Julien in 1836. Anthony Barton has lived in Bordeaux for 55 years, born in Straffan House, Kildare, he was transplanted to St.Julien and for the last 20 years has run and owned the Chateau and its neighbour Langoa-Barton. Barton has never had time for the greed that characterises so much of the Bordeaux scene, so his wines have always offered exceptional value.
La Réserve de Léoville Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux 2008 – €39.25
- This is regularly one of Bordeaux best ‘second wines’ and is produced from younger vines from both Léoville and Langoa Barton. Elegant and concentrated with lovely fruit and well balanced tannins, this classic St Julien style offers value for the true claret connoisseur.
Château Léoville Barton, St Julien 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux 2008 – €99.25
- Good colour with a concentrated nose. Quite intense with distinct cassis notes, the palate is very forward despite its relative youth. Very impressively packed with fruit, yet most refined; with complexity, fine balance and a very long finish.
William Fèvre in Chablis are a well respected house who own their own vineyards and produce outstanding examples of the ‘terroir’ driven wines that Chablis is famous for. Their logo has a particularly relevant logo for the day that’s in it and for those of you who will be glugging back some native oysters on Monday it is the perfect match!
Chablis AC, William Fèvre, Burgundy 2010 – €21.75
- Pale gold with hints of green; refined bouquet of citrus and white flowers entwined with a light mineral touch. Fresh, rich mouth balanced by good freshness.
As a business Tindal Wine Merchants has family members at the fore. Run by Anthony Tindal with his son William, following in his footsteps, whilst running his area in the North West, servicing restaurants and hotels between surf breaks. I’m the daughter and run all things web, with the site, social media and education keeping me busy, on top of my studies for the Master of Wine qualification.
We have introduced our own range of wines, which Anthony blends each year on his trip around to the Southern Hemisphere. The original one was Swallows’ Tale from South Africa, which lends its name to the migration of the swallows from Ireland to South Africa and back again. More details on our ‘flock’ of own label wines can be found here.
Swallows’ Tale Sauvignon Blanc—/Chenin, Robertson 2013
(Found nationwide in restaurants and hotels as a house wine)
- 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Chenin. Simple yet elegant green pepper and apple add subtle Sauvignon tones to the more tropical Chenin Blanc. A refreshing acidic lift on the finish leaves a pleasing citrus taste on the palate.
Swallows’ Tale Shiraz—/Cabernet Sauvignon, Robertson 2013
- Shiraz 45%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35% & Merlot 20%. Rich and ripe bramble fruits offer an appealing rounded palate. Ripe tannins and sustaining acid give some structure to the wine.
For those of you who’d like to know more about wine and enjoy discovering new places to eat around the country come and see us at our next monthly wine club meeting on 27th March at the Drury Buildings, Dublin 2 where we’ll be opening and discussing a few bottles in an informal manner with the option of staying for dinner afterwards. Follow us on Facebook or visit our events page to register your interest and find out about more events like this nationwide.
Lilly Higgins: Food blogger, cookbook author and food photographer with a love for all things edible. Columnist with The Irish Times.
