In the latest episode we showcase a wine that has been winning admirers for some time now ! The Fontanario is just plain deliciousness in a glass – Tomas Clancy agreed when he scored the wine 89 points in his Sunday Business Post Column. Its another wine from our fantastic Co-op in Setubal, Portugal and if you like this you will love it’s bigger brother, the Reserva – one of our new wines that we selected following our recent trip to Prowein.
Wine Tasted – Fontanario de Pegoes
In the first of our new recipe series we are delighted to have a lovely dish from Tara from the fantastic site – www.thetastytart.ie
BBQ Sumac Ling with Fennel & Wild Rice with Goats Cheese & Chilli
This is a fantastic casual & light meal, perfect for summer evenings. It reminds me of holidays on the Med. The fish is meaty enough to really hold well on the BBQ but the flavours of the marinade are lovely and delicate. The goat’s cheese offers a delicious contrast. Serve family style and let everyone help themselves!
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 lge fillet of Ling (400-500grms)
2 tblsp Sumac
1 tblsp Tahini Paste
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
2 bulbs of young Fennel
1 bunch of Dill
150grms Wild Rice
1 red chilli, finely chopped
75grms soft goats cheese
2 Lemons (unwaxed if possible), 1 juiced, 1 sliced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Method:
Mix together the sumac, dried herbs and garlic together with some olive oil to make a paste.
Score the skin of the fish to allow the marinade to penetrate the whole fish.
Place the ling on a platter and pour the marinade over. Leave for at least two hours, but the longer the better.
The fennel is to be used 3 ways- finely sliced for the wild rice, charred on the BBQ & the herby fronds as a garnish.
Firstly, remove the fronds and set aside for later. Removing the tough outer layer, slice one of the fennel bulbs into ½ cm slices lengthways and blanch (bring to the boil in cold water and remove immediately).
Cool in iced water.
Remove the tough outer layer of the second fennel bulb and shave very thin slices with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler. Place in a bowl and pour some lemon juice over to prevent it from discolouring, just a small amount will do.
To cook the wild rice place in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 40 mins. Check the texture is to your liking (not too soft) and rinse in cold water.
Mix the rice with the chopped fennel fronds, thin slices of fennel, chilli & goats cheese and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice & season when ready to serve.
To cook the ling, heat the BBQ to medium heat and place in a fish rack. Cook skin side down for 3-4 mins, then turn. Cook until opaque and a slight crust has formed from the marinade.
To cook the blanched fennel, brush some olive oil on and grill on BBQ.
Char the slices of lemon on the BBQ also.
To serve, place the dill on a platter and set the fish on top.
Place the lemon slices on the ling with the charred fennel around the side and serve the rice separately.
With Tara fantastic fish dish we would recommend either a bottle of the delicious Beso De Vino Macabeo. The fresh limey fruits here would really suit this type of dish. Or if you are looking to try something a little different why not check out a glass of our Kangarilla Road Viognier. With the wonderful aromatic from the wine enough on their own to make your mouth water.
Many thanks to Tara for the post
Here at Wine Alliance, we are giddy with excitement – why you might ask ? Is it due to Manchester United’s recent good run of form, or that Hernandez is looking like the signing of the century ? No it isnt these, but trust me they are constantly putting a big cheesy grin on my face.
We are super excited about the new wines that we have coming to a store near you – real soon ! We have been searching up high and down low for the last number of months and we believe that we have found some absolute gems for you.
Antonio, our lovable Spanish bull, is continuing to wow people across Ireland with his deliciousness. Just in time for summer, we have added the Rose to our range. With 87 points from Jay Miller this is no token wine to complete a range. Its a sexy, stylish sleek wine described by Miller as the “ideal picnic wine”. So lets hope the weather keeps !
Stay tuned for further Antonio updates as we are in the process of bringing some more of his relatives to Ireland aswell. Having met him at Prowein, we were blown away by the consistency and value that goes across the whole range. Exciting times indeed.
Our current “wonders from down under” as @winealliance frank calls them have been ripping it up. The Kangarilla Road range really turns peoples heads with sleek, smooth and elegant wines from McLaren Vale. Brad and the Wines By Brad/Mantra crew bring some funky packaging and some brilliant Margaret River deliciousness. And then they were THREE – we are delighted to announce the upcoming arrival of our new Barossan Range. Say hello to our Cat Amongst the Pigeons range. We are awaiting the arrival our Barossan”Nine Lives” Shiraz and Barossan “Cat Walk “Cabernet and look forward to sharing them with you all. Previous vintages of the Shiraz have scored 91 points from Robert Parker and James Halliday. These are quite simply wines not to be missed.
We are delighted to have secured them, with comments from Jay Miller : ”Cat Amongst the Pigeons has followed up its brilliant debut with another fine set of wines”. We whole heartedly agree and think you will to.
Finally from Portugal, fans of our Palmela might need to sit down. As we are dialled it all the way up to 11. Prepare to say hello the Palmela Reserva. The Fontanario, a wine that Tomas Clancy from the Sunday Business Post recently scored 89 points, has been delighting people across the country with its huge quality/price ratio. Well if you like the regular Palmela you are going to love the Reserva. The 2007 vintage is the current release from Co-op Pegoes and speaking with the wine maker Jaime at Prowein we learned that this wine does 12 months in Oak and is aged for a further two years in bottle before it is released. This patient approach to the wine really pays off as it has fantastic elegance, fruit purity and balance. It was one of our wine highlights of our recent trip to Prowein. Try a bottle. Trust us you wont be disappointed !
So check out our latest bunch of wines. We are super proud of them all. We have lots more surprises up our sleeves but we promise to tell you more about these in the near future.
In the latest episode we showcase the guy that you have all been waiting for. Antonio is charming wine fans across the country with his just plain deliciousness. Customers are telling us that this might well be the best sub €10 Spanish wine in the Irish marketplace today !! Needless to say we absolutely love it and it is no surprise that it scored 90 points from Jay Miller, who writes for Robert Parker.
Wine Tasted – Beso De Vino Seleccion 2009
In the latest episode of WATV we showcase our Wine By Brad Sem/Sauvignon Blanc 2009. This white blend from Margaret River with its funky packaging, some say Mad Men styled, way over delivers in terms of Price/Quality. Brad take a bow ….
Check it out !
We were very fortunate for two of our wines to receive some very nice comments from Tomas Clancy of the Sunday Business Post recently.
We have clipped a piece of the article in below and we are delighted with the very positive comments on the wines.
The Fontanario De Pegoes received 89 points , with the line that at €15 – €20 it would be an enjoyable treat – at €10.99 it’s a bargain ! Does not get much better then that. We have just shot a video on the Palmela as this wine continues to turn heads and get people talking about Wine Alliance and Wines from Portugal.
The second wine covered was perhaps the hidden gem of our already well established Kangarilla Road range from the McLaren Vale in Australia. The obvious choice in terms of reds from McLaren Vale is Shiraz and we have previously received some nice press on this wine. However the Cabernet is quietly doing its thing and is now getting the attention it deserves. With a score of 91 points, this is a fantastic return for your €16.99.
We love the line ” the fact that it is priced at just €16.99 – and not the €30 that you might expect to pay – makes it remarkable value”. These scores, along with the fantastic international press that Kangarilla Road has received from Robert Parker (describing it as one of his favourite wineries in McLaren Vale); The Wine Spectator and James Halliday suggests that this is range that you really should check out if you havent done already.
Recent weeks has seen some absolutely stunning Spanish Wines launched here at Wine Alliance. We are thrilled that we have recruited such a hugely impressive stable of Spanish Superstars.
Our bullish new best mate Antonio has been winning peoples hearts from the minute they meet him. The guy just oozes charm 
But better yet the wines are brilliant.
Both the red and white have received big scores from the worlds most influential wine critic, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate – the Red, a Syrah/Garnacha blend boasting a fantastic 90 points from Jay Miller, who described the wine as “stunning value”. This is a pretty amazing achievement considering the fact that this wine is available in stores for under €10. The white, a Macabeo is not to be underestimated as its a wine that has been labelled “limealicious” at Wine Alliance HQ. The wines, we believe, are a complete no brainer at the price – what is super exciting is that a lot of other people are saying so to !!
And finally, the 3rd party of the trilogy. We have really pulled out a hidden gem with these wines. Wines that Paul Kiernan [Grapes of Sloth] recently gave 4 and 5 stars to – our Promesa Riojas. These classy, sexy spanish stars have gotten an absolutely fantastic reaction from retailers and customers alike. The Crianza offers fantastic value for money at the price. It is worth noting that while this is the lesser expensive of the two wines – it was this wine that Paul tacked 5 stars onto !! The Reserva is a very sleeky, stylish, refined wine that offers both lovely primary and secondary flavours. Being from the 5 star rated 2004 Rioja vintage, this is one that should be sought out and enjoyed with a nice piece of roast lamb. Yummy, scrummy in my tummy !!
So we have really been spoiling you all with our latest Spanish Selections, but wait … theres more. High on a hilltop in the west, rumour has it that we are currently tasting some more beauties. So keep that dial tunned to WATV as there will be some more launches coming very soon !
A recent discussion on twitter with a number of the Irish Wine Crew raised a question. I met with some strong opinions when I suggested that I was using some stemless wine glasses. This got me wondering – what do most people use in terms of wine glasses ? Am I alone in appreciating the fact that the stemless glasses are that little bit tougher, fit in the dishwasher easier and in general fit the bill for many occasions.
This does not mean that I am a stem hater – I obviously have both but more often then not lately I find myself reaching the stemless. So we thought it would be fun to see what people think ? We have done a very simple survey below to see what people are using ?
Click Below for the Survey !!
In the latest of our Questions for our wine makers we put our questions to Juan Jose Marchante of Bodegas Lozano or as we like to call him the Mojo Maker ! Just before we start into the questions here is some background information on Bodegas Lozano. The vineyard was established in 1920 and today the vineyard is managed by a third generation Lozano – Juan Ramon sharing his name with the founder. Based in the heart of La Mancha, following on from our region profile last week, which is Spain’s largest denomination of origin and the world’s largest wine producing area. Despite low yields La Mancha is known as ideal vineyard country due to the quality of the fruit, the ripening cycle, long sun drenched days and the health of the vines.
Although this is a large area, the flat geography and the soil is remarkably consistent – red-brown sandy clay, poor in organic content and rich in limestone and chalk. Limestone outcroppings are frequent and must be broken up to allow the roots of the vines to prosper. La Mancha’s plains, sitting at an average of some 2,100 feet have an archetypal continental climate: Icy winters give way to torrid summers. Summer temperatures often exceed 110° F, while the winter thermometer will see temperatures as low as 10ºF.
So let’s see how Juan got on with our questions -
With La Mancha being the largest plantation in the world, with ideal growing conditions you can work with almost all varieties of grapes, and the climate of high contrasts. So it is always exciting to see what nature is going to deliver.
We are looking to make fun, enjoyable, fruity, that are easy to drink. We always look for good balance of fruit on our wines. So that they are not wines that you have to put away for a long time to enjoy but can be popped and poured and enjoyed with friends and food .
We are very proud of our Bodegas Lozano Sauvignon Blanc. This is a different range to the wines that Frank and Maurice import. But it is one that are hoping to bring Ireland soon.
While we didnt want to be picking our own wines all of the time we have selected our Lozano Verdejo for this. We do enjoy wines both from Spain and across the wine world. But we obviously have a special feeling towards our own wines.
This is a very tough question as being true wine people we love all types of wine whether they are fashionable or not. We enjoy Rieslings from Alsace, Chardonnay from Australia and Carmeneres from Chile. But the one region that has that little something extra special for us is Champagne. The wines, the region, the whole theatre of it all just makes it for us.
There are so many producers who we feel are doing exciting and invovative things in the wine world. But focusing on our home marketplace people such as Torres de Vilafranca del Penedés and Prado Rey de Rueday are two that we feel are pushing the envelope. You have to respect them for that !
Depends on the kind of wine for us. If it a wine that has been made to be consumed soon after bottling then screwcap or synthetic cork work fine we feel. However if it is for wines that are to be put away and cellered before being consumed then we think that it has to be natural cork. We work really hard to ensure that the cork that we put in our bottles is of the highest quality and that it will present the wine in the best possible condition to our customers.
Oh it would have to be Chile ! The people are fantastic, so friendly and warm. The country looks so beautiful, like something you would see on a postcard. Also the opportunity to grow wines in the New World spirit would be very exciting. The older world countries have rules, regulations and tradition. It would be nice to tear up the rule book a little.
That is a excellent question ! Similar to the last question it is a very straight forward answer. It has to be Riesling !! It is such a versitile grape that you can make any style of wine from Dry to really sweet. They have excellent aging potential, purity of fruit and massive levels of acidity it is no wonder that so many people consider it the greatest grape variety of them all !
We also focus on making wine that we hope our customers will enjoy. If the critics happen to enjoy them and give then good scores or awards then that is a bonus for us.
We would like thank Juan Jose from Bodegas Lozano and Elena from Long Wines for their time and answers to our questions. If you would like to see more on Juan Jose’s wines that we carry – click here.
Following on from the first of our wine region posts on Portugal , we are now going to have a little look at the wine region of La Mancha in Spain.
As you can see from the map on the left La Mancha is located in the southern half of Spain, south of Madrid. La Mancha was declared a DO in 1976 and has over 300 registered Bodegas. But to put this in perspective, on a global scale with over 190,000 Ha of continuous vines, it makes La Mancha the largest continuous vine growing area anywhere in the world.
Producing wines that are not just baked fruit is a continuous worry and struggle for wine makers and growers in this area as long warm summers with temps getting to 45 degrees and drought is common due to La Mancha’s own micro climate
With such a large area under vine, obviously it isn’t difficult to find a bottle of two of wine. The key part is finding good wines that over deliver at the price. Simply buying the wine because it is cheap but tastes only average is never a good business model. Here at Wine Alliance we believe that we have found two cracking La Mancha wines and we have covered our Rojos before on the site. But as their popularity continues to grow and grow (and grow!) we are finding that people are just coming back time and again for these fruity, fun, spanish sippers that are perfect midweek wines. It isn’t just us that is saying it either with a number of fellow irish wine peeps getting all giddy too
Paul Kiernan – Grapes of Sloth
Eamon FitzGerald – Grape Escape
Lar Veale – Small Sips & Wine Writer for the Sunday Tribune
Cork Billy- Restaurants and Food in Cork
So if you feel like you have lost your Mojo with all of the shenanigans of 2011, head down to your local independent retailer and ask for a bottle of Rojo. We hope you like it
