News

  • Brent Pope: Rugby Wingers Are Just Like Wolf Blass Chardonnay
  • Monday, February 20, 2017
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    The Outhalf and Centres share characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon

    Wolf Blass, one of Ireland's favourite Australian wine brands, has teamed up with famous rugby pundit Brent Pope to launch the new Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition in Ireland.

    Throughout February and March, each bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay will feature one of the fifteen rugby positions, from Loosehead Prop to Full Back.
    When launching the new labels here in Ireland, Brent Pope was asked what rugby positions a bold, powerful but smooth Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon would remind him of. He named some legendary Irish Outhalves and Centres, mentioning that as well as needing smooth skills, those players also had to be brave and fearless given the important decisions and crunching tackles they need to make.

    For the Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition Chardonnay - described as fruity, delicate and balanced - Pope instantly thought of the Wingers and Full Back. These often-misunderstood positions needed to be flexible and light on their feet, and compared to most of the other players they were slightly more delicate but had an unmatched class and elegance - many elements found in Wolf Blass's Yellow Label Chardonnay.

    But when asked why he named no Forwards in this exercise, he said that wines to match their characteristics would be too rough and robust to be palatable!

    And enjoying the theme of wine personalities, Brent couldn't resist a parting dig at his colleague George Hook, who he described as "bold, loud and definitely not smooth! You could call it Hook's Hooch!"
    The new bottles form part of Wolf Blass's ongoing “Here’s To The Chase” campaign, which celebrates the bold pursuit of triumph and striving to be your best, traits that often separate those who dream and those who achieve – something fundamental to the success of the brand and its founder Wolfgang Blass.
    Speaking before the tournament of Ireland's chances, Brent said, "They're in a good position this year, though you'd like to think it comes down to a playoff in their last game! But I think Ireland's chances are looking good - a lot of their key players have got a lot of important game time recently."

    However the games turn out, consumers are invited to mark each clash with a glass of Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon this February and March.

    The Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition wines will retail at €14.99 and are available in stores nationwide from 1st February.

    -- Ends --
  • Bollinger Named "Most Admired Champagne Brand" for 3rd Time in 4 Years
  • Friday, February 17, 2017
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    Drinks International magazine recently announced their list of the “Most Admired Champagne Brands 2017”, and once again Champagne Bollinger takes the top spot.
     
    This is the fourth year of the rankings, with Bollinger coming first in three of these: 2014, 2015, and now 2017.

    The voting panel is drawn from 74 leading retailers, marketers, educators and top wine journalists who are asked to name their top five champagne brands from a list of 50 houses and cooperative producers.

    Writing in Drinks International about choosing Bollinger for the third time, Giles Fallowfield said:
     
    "Our criteria for success in the Drinks International World’s Most Admired Champagne Brands survey might be summarised as ‘consistent quality’

    "The one brand that exemplifies this, arguably more than any other, is Bollinger which, after a special year in 2016, returns to the number one slot it has already occupied twice before.

    “As a demonstration of consistent excellence over nearly two centuries this [launching La Reserve & Galerie 1829] was a feat that few, if any, other houses could match, underlying our voting Academy’s support for the Bollinger brand.”

    You can read the full Drinks International article by clicking on this link.
  • Women Who Lead the Way in Wine
  • Wednesday, February 15, 2017
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    March will be a month for women, with International Women's Day celebrated around the world on Wednesday 8th, before Mother's Day is marked both home and abroad on Sunday 26th.

    To celebrate, we've picked out some wineries where women play a key part - whether via management, ambassadorship or the actual day-to-day winemaking - and included a profile of each before recommending a wine in which they have had a key involvement... 
    Name: Stephanie Dutton
    Company: Penfolds (Australia)
    Position: Red Winemaker
    Wine: Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet

    Stephanie first joined Penfolds exactly 10 years ago in 2007, working at Magill Estate Restaurant and the Penfolds cellar door. In 2010, Stephanie joined the Penfolds red winemaking team, based at the Nuriootpa Winery in the Barossa Valley, and is now responsible for crafting Penfolds Koonunga Hill wines.

    It is only fitting, then, to recommend one of her creations, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet, a classically distinctive “Aussie Blend” that is very much a reflection of the Penfolds winemaking style and philosophy. Sourced from premium vineyards across South Australia, the wine is known for its full-flavoured style with excellent Shiraz and Cabernet fruit, with the former component providing fleshy fruit flavour while the latter provides a frame of fine grained tannins.

    RSP €17.99 from good independent off licences nationwide
    Name: Albiera, Alessia & Allegra Antinori
    Company: Marchesi Antinori (Italy)
    Position: Proprietors, Managers, Ambassadors, and more...
    Wine: Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico

    Sisters Albiera, Alessia and Allegra are the 26th generation of the famous Antinori wine family, an incredible statistic by any measure. Their father Piero Antinori brought the family firm to international attention in the 1970's with the creation of the iconic Tignanello "Super Tuscan" wine, which helped revolutionise the Italian wine scene.

    Today the firm is run by Albiera Antinori with the support of her sisters Allegra and Alessia, directly involved in the business. Marquis Piero is now the honorary president of the company.

    Given the family is Tuscan to the bone, it is only fitting to choose their Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico. Consisting of 90% Sangiovese, the historic Tuscan grape, plus a dash of Merlot & Syrah, Pèppoli is a rich and supple expression of Chianti, and the latest vintage is also one of the first feature in the stunning new Antinori Chianti Classico winery and cellars at Bargino, Tuscany.

    RSP €22.99 from O'Brien's; Terroirs, Dublin; Molloy's Off-Licences, Dublin; Mitchell & Son, Dublin; and all good off-licences nationwide
    Name: Marimar & Cristina Torres
    Company: Marimar Torres (USA)
    Position: Proprietor & Brand Ambassador respectively
    Wine: Marimar Torres Acero Chardonnay

    Starting out as a representative for her family's Spanish wines in the USA in the mid-1970's, Marimar Torres set about establishing her own estate in the Russian River/Green Valley of Sonoma County in 1986. Today she is joined by her daughter Cristina who acts as Brand Ambassador for the winery, thus continuing the estate into the second generation.

    Only 16 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean and 80 kilometres north of San Francisco, the estate is influenced by the sea’s cooling breezes and drifting fog, ideal for producing exquisite Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. One such example is the much-lauded Marimar Torres Acero Chardonnay, a Chablis-style Chardonnay with fragrant notes of lemon are combined with the classic, delicate flavours of Golden Delicious apple and white peach.

    RSP €38 from Mitchell & Son, Dublin
    Name: Marie Clay & Clare Dry
    Company: Wolf Blass (Australia)
    Position: Winemakers
    Wine: Wolf Blass Silver Label Chardonnay

    Of the five members of the Wolf Blass winemaking team, two are women, and collectively they have plenty of feathers in their caps, most recently picking up the 2016 International Wine Challenge Red Winemaker of the Year for an incredible third time.

    Marie Clay (to the right in the picture above) discovered wine through her Dad's stellar collection of South Australian reds, one of which just happened to be a 1979 Wolf Blass Black Label, the year of her birth, which was cracked open at her 21st birthday. Clare Dry, meanwhile, took just two days of work experience at a winery on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula for her to know she wanted a career in the wine industry, culminating, like Marie, in a Bachelor of Oenology (Wine Science) at Adelaide University.

    Both winemakers profess their love of the cooler regions of Australia, so it would be very fitting to select the Wolf Blass Silver Label Chardonnay, sourced from premium vineyard sites in the Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley. These cool areas produce elegant Chardonnay with a fine mineral structure and great persistence of flavour.

    RSP €15 in Tesco , Supervalu, and other supermarkets nationwide
    Name: Mireia Torres Maczassek
    Company: Jean Leon (Spain)
    Position: Director
    Wine: Jean Leon "3055" Merlot / Petit Verdot

    Not only is polymath Mireia the director of the storied Jean Leon winery, she is also director of the Torres family's Priorat outfit, not to mention having a hand in the development and implementation of the projects in Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Rueda.

    On top of all that, she also serves as the chief winemaking consultant for the Torres group including projects such as the Pazo das Bruxas Albariño and the new super premium sparkling Vardon Kennett.

    All this hard work calls into mind the organic "3055" range of Jean Leon wines, which recall the number of the taxi that the eponymous Jean Leon drove when he first reached New York from Spain. The rest is history, with Leon setting up the famous La Scala restaurant in Beverley Hill with his friend James Dean, and counted Marilyn Monroe, Zsa Zsa Gabor, John F Kennedy, Marlon Brando and Robert Wagner amongst its clientele.

    The organic Jean Leon "3055" Merlot / Petit Verdot is an aromatic, elegant, seductive, velvety and contemporary wine with soft tannins - ideal to reflect with at the end of a hard day's work.

    RSP €19.99 from Redmond's of Ranelagh, Dublin; O'Driscoll's of Ballinlough, Cork; and Bradley's of North Main Street, Cork
  • Bollinger to Sponsor ‘Best Dressed Lady’ at The Punchestown Festival 2017
  • Thursday, February 09, 2017
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    Bollinger Champagne has been announced as sponsor of the Best Dressed Lady competition at the 2017 Punchestown Festival. The social and sporting highlight of the Irish calendar takes place from Tuesday 25th April to Saturday 29th April at Punchestown Racecourse, Co. Kildare.

    The search for the Bollinger Best Dressed Lady will be held over the first four days of the Punchestown Festival. Judges and style scouts will be tasked with finding the most stylish ladies in attendance and selecting a number of finalists each day. The daily winner will then progress to the grand final on Ladies Day, Friday 28th of April.
    The association between Bollinger and Punchestown has been ongoing for some time - Bollinger has been a key partner for the Kildare venue for a number of years and the Bollinger Champagne Bar is a firm favourite with racegoers at the five-day festival each season.

    The inaugural Bollinger Best Dressed Lady at Punchestown Competition took place last year and it was a roaring success.

    The sponsorship has further deepened this relationship as the stylish partnership renew their agreement for 2017, providing a unique brand alignment opportunity for the iconic Champagne house and prestigious racing festival.

    An incredible money-can’t-buy prize is being kept tightly under wraps but organisers ensure it will be authentically French and appropriately stylish to wow the Bollinger Best Dressed Lady at Punchestown!
    Bríd Wynne, Bollinger Ireland, said “Bollinger is delighted to sponsor the Best Dressed Lady Competition at the 2017 Punchestown Festival.  Bollinger and Punchestown are a great fit as both brands were established in the 1800’s and have maintained a reputation based on unrivalled sophistication and style. This is a particularly fitting sponsorship for us as it positions Bollinger to the fore of the minds of Ireland’s most stylish ladies. Punchestown is the leading festival for racecourse style in Ireland and we are excited to work with them and look forward to finding the Bollinger Best Dressed Lady. For us the style will be all about classical elegance combined with a contemporary twist”.

    Welcoming the announcement, Dick O’Sullivan, General Manager, Punchestown Racecourse said, “We are delighted to have Bollinger on board to sponsor the Best Dressed Lady Competition at Punchestown again this year. Bollinger is the perfect fit for our festival adding a touch of Parisian sophisticated elegance to the much coveted Best Dressed Lady title. With ladies accounting for almost half of the attendance at our festival, the fashion element has become a really exciting feature of what is widely considered one of the social and sporting highlights of the year. We look forward to welcoming Ireland’s most stylish ladies dressed to impress at the Bollinger Best Dressed Lady competition at Punchestown.
  • Glendalough Launches a Wild Botanical Gin
  • Thursday, February 02, 2017
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    Thursday 2nd February 2016

    This year, Glendalough - Ireland's first craft distillery - successfully captured all four iterations of their famous seasonal gins in one bottle: Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin.

    Bottled at 41% ABV and priced at €35 RSP, Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin is beautifully presented in the distillery's distinctive and evocative packaging complete with the outstretched figure of the fabled Saint Kevin.

    The newest addition to their award-winning gin collection was launched at an intimate and exclusive party at JT Pims in Dublin on Tuesday 31st January, where guests sipped it in a wild Irish G&T with Poachers Tonic, just one of a menu of craft cocktails paired with venison and pork belly canapés.

    Guests included some of the finest mixologists in Dublin, newspaper and magazine editors, Ireland's hottest social media influencers, and a certain Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman, who both popped in to sample first hand the distillery's newest creation.

    Glendalough Distillery's Wild Botanical Gin is produced in exactly the same small batch, artisanal method that has made the company's seasonal gins so lauded, so with each bottle you can still expect:

    • Fresh wild botanicals, never dried, picked from the mountains around the distillery and in the still within hours of foraging
    • Sustainably foraged by one person {Geraldine Kavanagh}
    • Slow-distilled to tease out delicate flavours
    • Tiny batches: less than 250 litres each
    • Cut-points decided batch by batch {by smell and taste, never timed, or automatically}
  • Brent Pope Launches the New Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition Range
  • Monday, January 23, 2017
  •   Read More

     

    The rugby-themed bottles will be available in shops nationwide throughout February and March as Ireland take to the pitch at home and abroad


    Wolf Blass, one of Ireland's favourite Australian wine brands, has teamed up with famous rugby pundit Brent Pope to launch the new Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition in Ireland.

    Throughout February and March, each bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay will feature one of the fifteen rugby positions, from Loosehead Prop to Full Back.

    So while the Irish rugby squad are doing us proud against the best teams in Europe, we'll have the chance to show our love of rugby and pick a bottle that matches our favourite player or position.

    Brent is pictured here in St. Mary's RFC in Dublin, the club he first played for when he arrived to Ireland as a young man, with the new Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition bottles, available nationwide from February.

    The new bottles form part of Wolf Blass's ongoing “Here’s To The Chase” campaign, which celebrates the bold pursuit of triumph and striving to be your best, traits that often separate those who dream and those who achieve – something fundamental to the success of the brand and its founder Wolfgang Blass.

    It seems that the Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon is Brent's wine of choice: when describing it as bold, powerful yet smooth, 'Popey' quickly quipped, "Like me!".
    Speaking of Ireland's chances in their upcoming games, Brent said, "They're in a good position this year, though you'd like to think it comes down to a Grand Slam playoff in their last game! But I think Ireland's chances are looking good - the provinces have all done really well and that means a lot of their key players have got important game time recently - so I think it could be a Grand Slam year for them."

    However the games turn out, consumers are invited to mark each clash with a glass of Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon this February and March.

    The Wolf Blass Rugby Limited Edition wines will retail at €14.99 and are available in stores nationwide from 1st February.
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  • Glendalough Distillery Releases Sloe Gin
  • Monday, December 19, 2016
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    Glendalough, Ireland's first craft distillery, is proud to announce the release of the Limited Edition Sloe Gin, the newest addition to their famous seasonal botanical gin range.

    Only 120 bottles of this small-batch gin has been made for winter 2016-17, making it an even rarer expression than their critically-acclaimed seasonal botanical gins.

    Sloes, the dark tannic fruit of the native blackthorn, are the last of the wild harvest each year. Once picked, each is pierced with a thorn, added to Glendalough's famous botanical gin, and sweetened.

    Over time, the gin turns a deep ruby red. Tasting at once fruity and tannic, it's best sipped and savoured in cosy surroundings on a winter's evening, and is perfect as an aperitif or after dinner with dessert or cheeses.

    Many sloe gins have a lower alcohol strength since the sloes dilute the spirit, but Glendalough maintains a 43% ABV to more fully retain the botanics of the base gin and highlight the nuances of the distinctive sloe character.

    As such the Glendalough Limited Edition Sloe Gin is best enjoyed sipped neat or on ice, but don't let that stop you adding good tonic or mixing it up this winter.
    The Glendalough Limited Edition Sloe Gin
    is available from the following select outlets:

    The Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dawson St, Dublin 2
    J.T. Pim's, South Great George's St, Dublin 2
    P. Mac's, Stephen St Lwr, Dublin 2
    Drury Buildings, Drury St, Dublin 2
    The Jar, Wexford St, Dublin 2
  • Matua named IWSC New Zealand Wine Producer of Year for the 4th Time
  • Tuesday, November 22, 2016
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    Matua named IWSC New Zealand
    Wine Producer of Year for the 4th Time


    Matua has taken out the top prize for all New Zealand wineries at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), winning the trophy for New Zealand Wine Producer of the Year, announced last week in London.

    The winery, which produced New Zealand’s first Sauvignon Blanc in 1974, had a medal tally which incorporated the Trophy alongside 12 medals, including Gold Outstanding for the 2013 Matua Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, five Silver Outstanding medals, four Silvers and a Bronze.

    This now means that Matua has received the title of NZ Wine Producer or Winemaker of the Year at a major international wine competition four years consecutively – 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 - after having already been bestowed this honour at the 2013 and 2015 New Zealand Royal Easter Show Wine Awards and the 2014 New Zealand International Wine Show.

    Matua was up against Giesen, Kim Crawford and Brancott Estate for the coveted 2016 IWSC Trophy. 
     
    Matua Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir are available for €14.99 in Supervalu nationwide.
    Matua Lands & Legends is available in the on-trade.
    Greg Rowdon, Matua Chief Winemaker is absolutely thrilled with the result. “More than ever New Zealand is producing wines that stand up on the global stage and to be acknowledged as the IWSC New Zealand Producer of the Year is testament not only to the quality of Matua wines but also the breadth of our portfolio and the consistently high standards we are achieving,” he said.

    “We entered 12 wines and received 12 medals – so we are so pleased to have a 100% strike rate. It wasn’t a case of one particular wine outshining the rest either, but our portfolio as a whole consistently performing well, which is our ultimate aim,” Rowdon said.

    Founded in 1969, the International Wine & Spirit Competition is widely recognised as the original, the most prestigious and the most respected wine & spirit competition in the world. Receiving entries from nearly 90 countries worldwide, the Competition uses a two stage judging process taking place over a six month period to ensure the IWSC produces the industry’s most credible results.
    Matua received the following medals at the 2016 IWSC:

    Award Wine NZ Producer of the Year Trophy - Overall

    Gold Outstanding - Matua Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013
    Gold - Matua Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Malbec 2014

    Silver Outstanding - Matua Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
    Silver Outstanding - Matua Lands and Legends Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
    Silver Outstanding - Matua Single Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2014
    Silver Outstanding - Matua Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Merlot 2013
    Silver Outstanding - Matua Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Merlot Malbec 2013

    Silver - Matua Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014
    Silver - Matua Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Syrah 2014
    Silver - Matua Lands and Legends Marlborough Chardonnay 2014
    Silver - Matua Lands and Legends Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014

    Bronze - Matua Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Albarino 2015
    About Matua
    Matua began in 1969 when Bill and Ross Spence started from a small tin shed in West Auckland. In 1974 Matua created the wine that made New Zealand famous, producing the country’s first Sauvignon Blanc. Not a well-known varietal then, some wine drinkers even mistook it for white Cabernet Sauvignon.
    Today Matua is not just about producing great Sauvignon Blanc – the team is also committed to being world leaders in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and today is one of New Zealand’s most awarded and internationally acclaimed wineries.
    The Matua portfolio includes the fruit driven Regional Range (teal label), the innovative lighter in alcohol and calorie Regional First Frost Sauvignon Blanc, the Lands & Legends Series, and the flagship Single Vineyard Collection.
    www.matua.co.nz www.iwsc.net 

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Findlater Wine & Spirit Group was formed in March 2009 following the merger of two of Ireland’s most prestigious and historic wine companies: Woodford Bourne and FindlaterGrants, itself an amalgamation of two of the country’s most respected distributors. With the combination of these three companies, Findlater Wine & Spirit Group can boast over 580 years of experience in the wine trade in Ireland.

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