O'Briens Wine Blog

Rathgar: Il Divo Restaurant at 7.30pm tonight

Donnybrook Store:  New Tasting Room 7.30pm on Thursday

“I’m just arrived in Dublin and I will be here for a couple of days presenting my wines at O’Brien’s.

First of all I like to be here as I know that I will meet nice people indeed. Irish and Italian people are very similar regarding different aspects and one of this is related to good things of life, like wine and food!

So good sensations and the proud to speak about my products in order to transmit something that is, of course related to the pleasure of drinking a good wine, but even more to my place and my roots.

So I will try to explain something about Piedmont and its food/wine culture hoping to transmit positive feelings. At the end, with a bottle of wine, we can deliver to every part of the world this culture and this makes wine a special product indeed.

By the way this will be my last journey of the season as I have to be back in the vineyards and in the winery. The season started very early with a very warm first part of April, so things are running a little bit. At least we had the chance to escape late frost problems and this is nice, even working with the nature, you never know…”

There are still a few places left for these two tastings - to book:

Donnybrook contact James/Marcus (01)2693310

Rathgar contact Katherine (01) 4909366 or Tim (01) 4967811

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.

This week I have the pleasure of visiting the O’Briens family and staff in Dublin. I look forward to this visit every year to enjoy their hospitality and take part in their tastings and sales of Bethany wines in the O’Briens stores.

 Bethany wines is a family company, owned by the Schrapels for 150 years, we have been exporting wines direct to O’Briens for the past 12 years as our exclusive supplier.

Last night we hosted a structured tasting of our individual wines at The Tasting Room at the O’Briens Beacon store. Tonight the tasting road show continues in Clontarf at Tibors restaurant opposite O’Brien’s store on Vernon Avenue. This will be a relaxed tutored tasting of our terroir driven wines accompanied by an assortment of tapas – should be good fun. No rest for the wicked we continue on to O’Brien’s Athlone for another tasting in the Sheraton hotel.

 The main purpose of my visit is to introduce two wines produced especially for the O’Briens these wines are the Bethany G6 Chardonnay 2008 and the Bethany G6 Shiraz 2006. The G6 is symbolic of the 6 generations of the Schrapel family that have been involved in Bethany winemaking. These two varietals were selected from two unique, individual vineyard site expressing great fresh, ripe varietal fruit character and a genuine sense of place.

 I hope that you will find occasion over the coming months to taste and enjoy my wines……all the best Geoff Schrapel.

The Schrapel family began growing grapes in the Barossa Valley in 1852 and Bethany Wines is still owned and run by brothers and fifth generation descendents Geoff and Robert Schrapel.

 Join Geoff to hear the history of this amazing region and winery and to taste from their stunning range of wines.

Places are €10 each and guests will receive a €10 vouchers to spend on Bethany wines on the night! 

 To book please call Rebecca on 01 2069003.

 Please note that The Tasting Room can only be accessed by a staircase.

On Thursday 7^th October we will be joined by Philip Tuinder of Château-Fuissé.

Château-Fuissé is a small, quality focused winery, owned and run by the Vincent family for five generations.

An important part of Philip’s job is explaining the ins and outs of Burgundy and Pouilly-Fuissé in particular. The notion of ‘terroir’ should no longer be a mystery after this tasting!

Places are €10 each and guests will receive a €10 voucher to use against purchases of wines tasted on the night plus further discounts! 

To book please call Rebecca on 01 2069003.

Please note that The Tasting Room can only be accessed by a staircase.

On Thursday 16^th September, Duncan McTavish, winemaker at Man O’ War vineyards will be visiting to give us an overview of the upcoming wine region, Waiheke Island, New Zealand. 

After graduating from Lincoln University in New Zealand Duncan embarked on a global journey to study, taste and learn from the great wine growing regions of the world; working harvests in Burgundy, the Rheingau, the Mosel, California, Australia and Waipara Valley in New Zealand before eventually arriving at Man O’ War Vineyards with a goal to create iconic New Zealand wines.

This is a great opportunity to taste from this brand new range of wines exclusive to O’Briens.

Places are €10 each and guests will receive a €10 vouchers to spend on Man O’ War wines on the night! 

 To book please call Rebecca on 01 2069003.

 Please note that The Tasting Room can only be accessed by a staircase.

On Thursday 9^th September Aida Toro from Viña Chocalán will be giving us a first hand account of the devastating Chilean earthquake and its impact on the Chilean wine industry.  The talk will be followed by a tasting of a selection of the fantastic Chocalán wines.

Aida Toro is the General Manager of Viña Chocalán; a family owned and run company located high up in the remote foothills of the Maipo Valley, Chile.

Aida started Viña Chocalán with her father, Guillermo Toro, 12 years ago and they bottles their first wines in May 2003.

Vina Chocalán source their fruit from a variety of different terroirs around the region allowing them to produce wines in a range of styles from high quality red wines and white wines with mineral notes and lots of freshness and fruits.

Places are €10 each and guests can avail of a €10 discount on the night on Chocalán wine purchases. 

To book please call Rebecca on 01 2069003.

Please note that The Tasting Room can only be accessed by a staircase.

On Thursday 2^nd September, Sue White of Whitehaven Wines will be joining us for a talk and tasting of Sauvignon Blanc wines from the Marlborough region in New Zealand. 

This is the first in the series of Wine Maker Master Classes that will take place in our brand new Tasting Room at O’Briens, Beacon Shopping Centre, Sandyford.

Sue is the managing director of this family business which produces a quarter of a million cases of internationally acclaimed wines each year.

Sue’s zest for Whitehaven Wines has carried the company to where it is today, a close-knit business which excels in producing exceptional wines.

Places are €10 each and guests can avail of a €10 discount on the night on Whitehaven wine purchases. 

To book please call Rebecca on 01 2069003.

Please note that The Tasting Room can only be accessed by a staircase.

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.

Guests received a glass of Vina Esmerelda on arrival before a short film. Miguel then outlined his personal insight into the climatic influences of the mountains and sea surrounding Chile and how they impact on the wines. These geological and climatic influences along with vines which have not been grafted gives Chiles a unique growing regions with extensive plantings of healthy vines above fifty years of age still common.

The wines tasted are available through our stores or web site:

We started with the Cordillera Chardonnay Viognier (Chile) – elegant with exotic undertones, ripe fruit with good balancing acidity.

Next came the Ibericos Rioja ( Spain ) – Rich black fruits of blueberries and blackberries with the vanilla tones of new French oak.

The Celeste Ribera del Duero ( Spain ) was spicy, intense and ripe along with notable ripe tannins.

Cordillera ( Chile ) – this was very well received silky tannins, blueberry fruit with clove tobacco and pepper character.

Manso de Valesco (Chile ) – stunning well everyones star of the nights – violet colour, ripe red fruits with spicy undertones powerful but elegant.

The tasting showed not only the diversity of wine styles produced not just by the different grapes but also the individual, careful and specific approach Torres takes to each wine within each region and country.