O'Briens Wine Blog

 

 

Our Ultimate Christmas Case containes our fail-safe suggestions for Christmas day wines but what about the rest of the holidays.  Here are some ideas on what should be nestling in our wine racks and fridges over the festivities -  easy drinking styles at very accessable prices.

Fizz First

Every time for parties, aperitifs and unexpected guests La Pieve Prosecco should be kept in the fridge at all times. Its delicate sparkle and off dry style appeals to all and adds to the occasion. Its great with nibbles and tapas but also with desserts and fruit.

The Banker White
This Christmas it is without doubt Domaine Duffour from Gascony in France. Zingy on the nose and palate with a ripe but dry flavour its perfect alone or with pasta, white meats, fish and cheese and amazing value if you have a crowd to cater for.

Red Red Wine
Stay close to Chateau Reumary - it not only looks classy but it punches above its price in terms of quality. From the Languedoc in France its has plenty of ripe red berry fruits but critically it has supple soft tannins that add structure but dont dominate the wine. Great with any pasta, meat dishes and cheeses may even convert some people who dont like red wine.

Sweet Surrender
For a sweet treat over the holidays the Longview Epitome Late Harvest Riesling is the clear winner. Its also perfect with blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Cashel Blue for a food match to impress foodie friends.

Last Wednesday, 13^th of April, O’Briens Athlone were very proud to welcome Paul Count von Schönborn to present his marvellous portfolio of German Wines.

The evening started with Count Schönborn sharing the story of the family business, a history of more than 650 years, including information about his estates in Franconia ﴾Franken﴿ and the Rheingau. 

Count Schönborn then took us through a tasting of his fantastic wine range, followed by some finger food and an opportunity to ask any questions about the wines or his estates.

The German wine renaissance is truly underway here in Athlone. A big thank you to Count Paul von Schönborn for showing us what fantastic wines Germany has to offer!

The wines that we tasted on the evening are as follows:

Schloss Schönborn Silvaner 2009

Lovely floral aromas with hints of peach and green apples. Bursting with flavours of apples and citrus, the palate is well balanced with sweetness and acidity. A wine in which all the elements work in perfect harmony together.

Schloss Schönborn Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) 2009

A very enjoyable wine which saw some serious slurping on the evening. Aromas of spiced apples and citrus. The palate has plenty of pear, apple and great mineral flavours. Some attendees were sceptical about German wines but this very classy example had them all converted!

Schloss Schönborn Riesling Trocken 2009

The comeback of Riesling is truly underway and with excellent dry German Rieslings like this on the market it’s no wonder! Medium bodied, this is a classic Riesling with pure fruit and good minerality. A really delightful easy to drink white! 

Schloss Schönborn Riesling Nussbrunen 2009

This wine has a steely minerality, and a slight sparkle! Thrillingly fresh citrus/green apple fruit of great intensity. As good as any dry German Riesling I’ve tasted – an outstandingly good wine!

Schloss Schönborn Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) 2007

A vibrant nose of red fruit, this wine is an absolute gem to rival some of the best Burgundian wines. It has it all; gorgeous savoury notes, lush red cherry fruit and velvety smooth mouth-feel. A great wine which was well received by everyone.

Schloss Schönborn Pfaffenberger Riesling 2007

An intensely aromatic nose leads into a medium sweet palate that is exhilaratingly fresh and exhibits the perfect balance of piercingly clear apple fruit and mouth tingling minerality. Anyone who considers themselves a wine enthusiast simply must try this wine! We definitely saved the best ‘til last!

Greg McGill – O’Briens Athlone

Greg McGill  works with us in our Athlone store and was part of the team who organised this fantastic night in the Coffee Haven, Athlone for O’Briens customers.

The Neven Maguire Cookery Roadshow stopped at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone last week and the team from O’Briens Athlone went along to introduce our wines to the huge crowd that attended.

Neven uses produce from local suppliers in his dishes and we were thrilled that, as O’Briens is a family owned Irish company, Neven was happy to recommend our wines to match his delicious menu.

To start off Neven made a Carrot, Coconut & Basil soup which we matched to the fabulous Domaine Duffour 2010 from Gascony.  The wonderful aromatics of the wine perfectly matched the soup and many people at the tasting table thought it was a New Zealand Sauvignon!

The second dish looked very tasty indeed – a curried chicken spring roll with mango salsa which we paired with the Taltarni T Series Sauvignon Semillon 2009.  This is a gorgeous, lively, pure-fruited wine with a lingering touch of honey to finish – this was everyone’s favourite wine match including Neven’s!

The main course of grilled rib-eye steak with sauce Diane and roast garlic mash made everyone’s mouth water. The dish worked in perfect harmony with the Gerard Bertrand Pic St Loup 2009, a red with ripe brambly fruit, subtle oak flavours and silky smooth finish from the Languedoc.  

To finish off the evening Neven produced a seductive dessert of apple tartlets with butterscotch sauce and mascarpone.  We paired the dish with the equally seductive La Pieve Spago Prosecco – a delicious, frothy sparkling wine bursting with ripe pear and peach.

A brilliant evening of great cooking tips and delicious wine matching – watch out for some fabulous dinner parties around Athlone soon!  

Greg McGill  works with us in our O’Briens Athlone store and was part of the team that attended the  Neven Maguire Cookery Roadshow at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone.

PRE DINNER DRINKS :  Beaumont des Crayers Champagne France
“ a real class act “ Ernie Whalley – Evening Herald

FOR STATERS : Bethany Semillon Barossa Australia
“ soft and mature Semillon” Thomas Clancy – Sunday Business Post

FOR TURKEY & OTHER BIRDS : Ecco Balance Pinot Noir Chile “This has attractive cherry and strawberry fruit flavours with, crucially, a smooth low tannin texture. It’s just the thing to wash down turkey, ham or stuffing and its organic to boot” Martin Moran- Movies & Booze Newstalk Radio

 Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire Jean Marc Brocard France : “ this beauty is classic Chablis, bone dry with layers of delicious lemony and flinty green crisp apple fruit”   Liam Campbell – The Dubliner

 
FOR DESSERT: Royal Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos “honey rasins with a touch of orange rind and tinned apricots “ Thomas Clancy – Sunday Business Post

FOR THE WINE RACK :-   Joel Delauny Sauvignon Blanc France “  Fresh, forward, and enticingly aromatic, this Sauvignon is brimming with delicious crisp green fruits and a snappy dry finish. Worth considering as a party wine too.” John Wilson – Irish Times Magazine

Vieux Chateau des Combes Saint Emilion “ excellent Bordeaux at a great price based on merlot – red berry fruit flavours it is easy drinking with ripe soft tannins”  Mathew Nugent – Irish Mail On Sunday

Protocolo, Spain : “ unbelievable elegance for €7.99”
Ernie Whalley – Evening Herald

Peter Saturno – Owner – Longview Adelaide Hills, Australia
“The flight from Adelaide to Dublin includes 3 stops and is one of the most difficult legs any traveller will have to endure. Once arriving in Dublin and catching up with the O’Briens team the flight all seems worth it, the jetlag doesn’t seem to affect you when Kevin O’Brien is cracking jokes. “
There is an air of excitement in Dublin not only because it has been given more money from the European Union but “Taste of Christmas” Dublin is occurring this weekend – so pop along and say hello.
The team have got me visiting most of the stores before the big weekend event and although I am flat out busy I can’t wait to sink my teeth in to a pint or two of Guinness. This is my first trip to Ireland since O’Briens took Longview on an Exclusive brand. The wines have all been received with excellent response and people seem to love the funky new labelling.
I guess the first things to mention when describing Longview is Family Owned, Estate Grown and Cool Climate. These things are all important in the world of wine as being Family owned and operated we control everything from start to finish. This can also be said for our wines, every drop of Longview comes from our Family estate and thus we control the quality. Even when we have a difficult vintage we control how much we make of a wine or if we decide not to make one at all. Finally we are based in the premium cool climate region named the Adelaide Hills and this is important for balance and structure but more importantly wines that work perfectly with food.

Peter Saturno

On Sunday 12th September we will be partnering with the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation to hold a fantastic event at The Curragh Racecourse.

The day will start at noon with a Champagne reception followed by a delicious lunch matched with wines chosen and presented by our wine buyer Lynne. Racing begins at 2.15 and a professional tipster will be in attendance all afternoon.

The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation provides direct funding to families of children with brain damage who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay. These are children who, as a result of their condition, require intensive home nursing care and this funding enables the families to purchase home respite care.

The Foundation gives these families the gift of time to do the things that we so often take for granted like shopping, taking their other children to the park, or even just a night’s sleep. For more information visit www.jackandjill.ie. 

So if you fancy a great day out, while also supporting this brilliant charity, book now by calling Liz in the Jack & Jill Foundation on 045 894538 or email liz@jackandjill.ie. Tickets are €100 and places are limited.

If you can’t join us for lunch but still plan to go to the races then please don’t forget to bring your Jack & Jill voucher! Vouchers can be printed below and for every voucher that is presented with payment of full price admission to The Curragh Racecourse on Sunday 12th September, €5 of the entrance fee will be donated to The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation. There will be lots of entertainment for the whole family including free candyfloss and activities for the kids.

Please right click on the voucher below to print a copy.

We’ve just about recovered from another busy, but brilliant, four days at Taste of Dublin.  In our opinion this was the best year yet!  For anyone who hasn’t been to the event before, Taste of Dublin  takes place every June in the beautiful surroundings of the Iveagh Gardens.  

The event is a great day/evening out and you can try dishes from a selection of some of the top restaurants in Dublin.  There are also local food producers sampling yummy food, and drinks suppliers at the event, along with our very own O’Briens Wine Bar!  

O'Briens Wine Bar at Taste of Dublin

The atmosphere was buzzing for every session.  Our bar was right beside the main stage this year and the entertainment was awesome!  We witnessed some pretty impressive dance moves and we’re told that the ringing in our ears will stop any day now  

The downpour on Sunday afternoon didn’t seem to spoil the day, most of the stands had enough shelter for every one and once the plastic ponchos were distributed, a conga line (no joking) made its merry way around in front of our bar.  

It was great to see lots of our customers there and also to meet people who were visiting Taste for the first time – we hope you all had a great time and that we’ll see you again next year! 

We were sampling and selling at our stand and if you visited us, but need a reminder of what we had, here’s a list of the wines:   

Dave Powell, Owner and Winemaker of Torbreck Vintners, will be hosting a dinner in The Strand Hotel, Limerick on Friday 7th May.  Check out details below.

Torbreck Winemaker Dinner Limerick

Wines for the Tasting

Dave Powell, Owner and Winemaker of Torbreck Vintners, will be hosting a dinner in The g  Hotel in Galway on Saturday 8th May.  Check out details below.

Torbreck Winemaker Dinner GalwayWines for the Tasting

 Contemporary Christmas

Chinese 5 Spice Duck Salad

Part of what makes Christmas are the traditions and rituals that you accumulate as a family or even as a nation. So whether you love or hate the mushy peas and brussel sprouts, they have to appear on the Christmas table, its tradition!

What I love about the season are all the colours, fragrances and textures that create that festive feeling: aromatic spices, exotic fruit and nuts, heady liqueurs, rich and luxurious ingredients and dishes.

So with that in mind, I created a selection of fusion recipes for festive entertaining that might not be the traditional fare but will borrow from different cultures and cuisines with an allusion to Christmas. All the recipes need to be really special, but not stressful to prepare, so you can enjoy the event more as the host or hostess.

Christmas entertaining can be so stressful for many people. My advice is to make your shopping list and order your ingredients from your local wine shop, greengrocer and butcher ahead of time. That way you won’t be frantically scurrying around for the last bag of sage. Pare back a little on the number of dishes you prepare, and select a few stunners where the ingredients speak for themselves. Everyone ends up in the kitchen anyway, so put them to work this year! While you take a little moment to enjoy a glass of bubbly, well deserved after all your cooking!

Merry Christmas and Happy Entertaining!

 Chinese 5 Spice Duck Salad  Serves 4

• 2 Barbary duck breasts
•  2tbsp Chinese 5 spice
• 150g baby salad leaves
• 1 mango,  peeled and cubed
• 6 spring onions, finely chopped
• Seeds of 1 pomegranate
• Juice of 2 limes
• Few drops toasted sesame oil
• 2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 100g alfalfa sprouts

Method:

1. Trim any excess fat from around the duck breasts. Score the fat in a diamond pattern. Rub well with the  Chinese 5 spice. Lay fat side down in a medium hot pan and render out the fat until a thin crispy layer is left. Turn up the heat and seal the breast from the other side.
2. Mix the baby leaves, half the coriander, spring onions and alfalfa shoots together. Arrange on a large platter or individual plates.
3. When the duck breast is cooked to medium rare, remove from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice and return to the pan. Squeeze the lime juice over and stir over a medium heat until the duck is cooked to your liking, but it should still be a little pink to keep it tender.
4. Arrange the duck on the bed of salad, scatter over the mango and pomegranate seeds. Pour over the juice and toss gently.
5. Garnish with the rest of the coriander, spring onion and alfalfa shoots. Sprinkle over a few drops of sesame oil.

O’Briens Wine Match:

Match this dish perfectly with Eco Balance Pinot Noir, a generous Pinot Noir with ripe red-berry fruit that fills up the palate and finishes with a savoury twist. If you’d prefer white then we’d suggest the Bertani Lugana, a single-vineyard Lugana of incredible quality with subtle aromas of wild honey, blanched pear and fresh lemon. 

 

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