I’ve been on Facebook, Twitter and the blog a little less of late due to a very hectic travel schedule. I’ve been driving the highways and byways of Ireland spreading the Wine Alliance gospel, doing customer tastings, selling wine and looking after the day to day running of the company.
I’m just back from visiting two of my Portuguese suppliers and will be doing a proper blog on the trip shortly, once I’ve caught up on the backlog !
People have been asking me if its a nice place to visit. So to answer the question, look at this very short video of São Leonardo da Galafura near the Quinta Do Judeu Covelinhas vineyard in the Douro Valley.
(Apologies for the camerawork, I was conscious of not falling off the wall. Bit of a drop on the other side !)
The latest in our series features a very simple and useful one that tells you the correct temperature for the various wines you may be drinking.
Introducing Wine Temp
This does exactly what it says on the tin as they say. If you want to know the perfect temperature to serve a wine style, just search for it and hey presto, this app will tell you. Simple !
Why, you may ask, would I be bothered with temperature – is that venturing into the dark, nerdy side of wine drinking ?
Well, the correct temperature of wine can (often) significantly affect its enjoyment. In general we tend to drink our whites a little too chilled (losing aromatics and flavour as a result) and our reds a little too warm (the wine may appear a little jammy and lack some acidity / freshness). Its important to serve the wine at its correct optimum temperature as its then you will get the greatest pleasure from your glass of wine.
Its been a hectic few weeks. Lots of new wines, thousands of kms of travel, wine fairs, customer tastings and visits. Its hectic stuff but also great fun !
Today is my first full day in the office in ages so I said I’d do a quick video to keep you up to date on whats happening in the very busy world of Wine Alliance.
I am traveling more and more and its coming into the silly season for the wine trade so its all hands to the pump. All the O Mahony clan will be getting involved as its shaping up to be a very busy holiday season.
Frank O Brien is getting on great in his new life in Australia where he tells me its 26 degrees and sunny and he’s got a little sunburned. I’m not a bit jealous. He is on the prowl for new and interesting wines from the land of OZ to join our best selling Kangarilla Road and Cat Amongst The Pigeons range
All this traveling means I’ve been spending less time on Twitter and Facebook (driving and typing do not mix !) but I will re-double my efforts to spend a bit more time interacting.
I’ll be doing a series of tasting / wine fairs over the coming weeks right up to Christmas and I’ll put details of each of them on the blog. This week I’ll be traveling to see customers with Fleur McCree of Little Beauty. I’ll be going a wine fair with Der O Sullivan of Tralee on the 2nd December. Then its off to Dublin for the Hole In The Wall Wine Fair on the 5th. I have wine tastings scheduled with Mannings of Ballylickey & Killarney, Bradleys of North Main Street Cork, JJ O Driscolls in Ballinlough, O Crualaoi’s of Carrigaline and more besides. This in addition to visiting all of my customers as per normal. Phew !
Thanks to everyone for your continued support. We have a fantastic bunch of customers and suppliers put together in just over a year and we look forward to adding more in the months to come.
In the first of our series of interviews with the independant wine retailers of Ireland, we head to the beautiful town of Kinsale in County Cork to meet with Ken Murphy, owner of the wonderful 1601 Off Licence
Tell us a little bit about the history of your company
My wife Catherine and I took over the ownership of the off licence nearly four years ago. We had managed it for six years previously. We felt it was the time to go for it. We knew the customers, loved the place. Its a great place to work and we are very happy.
What got you into wine first day ?
I started in wine quite by accident. At the tender age of 12, I got a part time job with Barry Galvin of Galvins Wine and Spirits. He was a pioneer and I learned a lot in my time there. I also had a great love of french in school so that also led me more into wine and French wine in particular.
Why do people shop in your off licence verses elsewhere ?
The ambiance. The wide product range. Our friendly staff. We work hard to have a well merchandised, attractive shop. Our wine, beers and spirits are keenly priced. All of our people working here have in-depth product knowledge. Above all, customer service is very important to us
What do you look for in a wine range ?
Quality at every price level. Real value for money. Diversity !
Whats your favourite wine region ?
It would have to be Burgundy. We sell wines from this region throughout the year, though more red than white. French pinot noir is classic. We recommend our Burgundy wines to customers and they come back time and time again for more.
Whats the next big thing in wine ?
I see Albarino really on the rise. Malbec from Argentina is getting bigger and bigger. Its been around for a while but its really coming into its own now. I think Portugal has huge potential. More and more people are looking for wines from there.
Whats the most valuable lesson you learned selling to customers ?
Give the customers what they want, not what you think they want.
Whats your best wine memory ?
1982 Château Cos d’Estournel. That specific ! I had it maybe twenty years ago in Goleen, West Cork. I shared it with one of my best friends and we had some delicious West Cork cheese with it. Simply amazing.
Whats your favourite Wine Alliance wine / range ?
I love the Portuguese Stella Rosso and Stella Blanco. They sell really well for us. The Little Beauty range, in particular, the Sauvignon Blanc is amazing. The whole of the Kangarilla Road range is great from start to finish.
Whats your desert island wine ?
Beaune Gréves ‘Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus’ 1er Cru Bouchard BOUCHARD Pére & Fils, Red, Burgundy, 2005. That will do me. Thank you very much
Thanks to Ken for his time. If you are in Kinsale, make a point of calling in to say hello and tell Ken I sent you !
In todays video, Kevin O Brien of Kangarilla Road talks to us about perhaps my favourite wine of his, the delicious and wonderfully titled Devils Whiskers !!!!
