This week I’m off to London for three days to visit the London International Wine Fair
Lots of great wineries exhibiting there and I have a hectic schedule ahead of me meeting with existing suppliers and lots of potential new ones.
Its been a couple of years since I’ve been to the London show – I tend to alternate with the massive Prowein show in Germany.
Some exciting meetings ahead including some French, Italian, Australian, German, Spanish and Portuguese wineries. You never know when you are going to find that next wine gem !
What a cracking week last week. The highlight though was a wonderful Little Beauty Wine Evening in Latitude 51 in Cork’s city centre. Over thirty wine lovers assembled in the beautiful tasting room upstairs and were treated to a wonderful talk and tasting by Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty. More than two hours of stories and talking about the five delicious limited edition wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir) on show that evening. Fleur and the crowd were in flying form and it was great fun. And very educational too !
One of the guests, Cork’s own Billy Lyons was kind enough to write a lovely piece on his site. Thanks Billy ! Here’s the link
A huge thanks to Fleur for coming over. In addition to a wonderful tasting, we also had a great series of meetings with customers in the Cork area. Thanks to Beverley and Emma for being such wonderful hosts. Their beautiful wine bar is a must visit. Do yourself a favour and call in for a glass of wine, a craft beer, some delicious food and / or some gourmet coffee/ tea.
Its an honour for Wine Alliance to be part of L’Atitude 51′s first event in their “Meet the Winemaker” series
Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty of Marlborough, New Zealand will present a flight of five of her limited edition wines in a guided tasting in the newly opened L’Atitude 51 Wine Workshop (on the first floor) of . . . .
L’Atitude 51.
1 Union Quay,
Cork City
021 2390219
Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Entrance Fee is just €12 and places are very limited.
The line up includes a tasting of . . . . .
Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc
Little Beauty Riesling
Little Beauty Pinot Gris
Little Beauty Gewurztraminer
Little Beauty Pinot Noir
Canapés & Snacks will also be served on the evening
Fleur will walk us through the New Zealand wine landscape and will then focus on her beloved Marlborough and her privately owned vineyard. If you want to read up on Little Beauty, check out their website here
L’Atitude 51 is the perfect location for a tasting. Centrally located in in the heart of Cork’s city centre, the owners Beverley Mathews and Emmanuelle Legrand offer a beautiful selection of wines (including a big selection by the glass), craft beers and gourmet coffee and tea. They also offer a delicious selection of homecooked food in a lovely relaxing setting on the banks of the lovely Lee across the road from Cork’s City Hall.
So why not come along and sample each of these beautiful limited edition wines for yourself
Yes the wine tasting season continues and this Friday the 16th of December, I’ll be in the wonderful Bradleys Off Licence in the North Main Street, the heart of Cork City.
Bradleys have been around for a few years, in fact since 1850. No, thats not a typo. Bradleys have been serving the people of Cork, Munster, Ireland and the World for that long !
No better man than Michael Creedon, proprietor of Bradleys to describe what his wonderful company is all about
“A family business since 1850, Bradleys is a specialist off-licence with a convenience/grocery store attached.
Based on the North Main Street, in the historic centre of Cork city, we pride ourselves in carrying the most extensive range of wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs available in Cork. That’s right – apart from the brands you expect to find in a quality off-licence, we also carry those you just can’t find anywhere else! Furthermore, if we don’t stock what you are looking for, we also specialise in sourcing your requests. Maybe you are looking for a wine for your wedding, or that special bottle for a big occasion. Possibly a chocolate stout is more to your taste, or an after dinner Limoncello. Whatever it might be, look no further!
Next time you are in Cork, please feel free to visit us and browse our shelves. And if you can’t carry it home, nationwide delivery can be arranged. “
We are going to kick off the wine tasting at 5pm and I’ll be pouring a selection of wines. We are starting with the following and will go on from there . . . . . . . . . .
I’ll be spending plenty of quality time bonding with my beloved car over the next three weeks. In addition to visiting my customers on the east and west coasts, I’ll be taking part in wine fairs too. Always great fun !
The next wine fair is with Der O Sullivan in Tralee this coming Friday, the 2nd December. It starts at 7 (ish) and ends at some stage later in the night. Who knows when Its always a fantastic event and the who’s who of Tralee and greater Kerry will be there to sample the wines on the night. Der and his team always put on a wonderful show and the delicious home cooked dishes will compliment the lovely wine selection on show from a select few of his wine suppliers.
DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL, PARTRIDGES HAVE HAD TO POSTPONE THE SCHEDULED WINE DINNER THIS THURSDAY. IT WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR ANOTHER DATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO BOUGHT TICKETS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED. PARTRIDGES WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH ALL CONCERNED. THANK YOU.
Partridges of Gorey would like to invite one and all to a special wine tasting and dinner in their wonderful restaurant on the 24th of November. Fleur McCree of “Little Beauty” will come from New Zealand to present her beautiful selection of wines. Partridges are creating a special menu for the night to match each wine perfectly. Fleur will tell stories of her homeland, the wine trade and perhaps the odd reference to being Rugby World Champions !
Partridges have only 38 places, so do not wait to book your table. Tickets for an evening cost €40 per person and will include a superb three course dinner and five Little Beauty wines to try including a single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ; Riesling ; Pinot Gris ; Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir.
As an extra incentive, Partridges would like to offer a 10% discount on any wines bought or ordered on the night.
For more info phone 053-9484040 or email info@partridges.ie
All photos are copyright of Little Beauty & Kevin Judd
In the latest of our Meet The Wine Retailers series, we travel to the sunny south east to speak with Christian Pauritsch of Partridges Bistro in Gorey, County Wexford.
Located in the heart of this bustling town, Partridges offer a fabulous array of wines, cheeses, meats, pate’s, olives, breads and cakes in their deli. They have a thriving breakfast, lunch time and evening trade and cater for all kinds of celebrations. Full details are available on their website – check it out !
So Christian, give us a brief history of your company
Partridges Bistro started in 2006 as a fine food shop and deli and grew over the years. Its now a cafe/bistro with the opening of a bakery in November this year. This is in partnership with a local French baker.
What got you into wine first day ?
It was part of my job and training in Austria. Got to love it. Also my father in law is to blame as he used to be a wine importer. He’s now retired.
Why do people visit Partridges ?
Because they trust us and our advise, excellent customer service and if something goes wrong, they know that we will look after them without any quibble. And of course we stock very good quality products.
What do you look for in a wine range ?
Quality,value and not the norm. We like to offer our customers something different and special.
Whats your favourite wine region ?
Burgundy (but its far too expensive) and Styria and Thermenregion in Austria (I’m biased)
Whats the next big thing in wine ?
Not sure,but I hope it will be Austrian reds, some of them are just stunning
Whats the most valuable lesson you learned selling to customers ?
Rule no 1 – the customer is always right. If in doubt refer to rule no 1 !
Whats your best wine memory ?
Organising and drinking a magnum of Burgundy from the private cellars from Faiveley. This was for my father in laws 75th birthday. He used to represent Faiveley in Ireland. The wine came from the inner sanctum and was a single vineyard Gevrey Chambertin with a late 1970 vintage. It brought tears to our eyes.
Whats your favourite Wine Alliance wine / range ?
At the moment it has to be Little Beauty simply because it is a new world wine made in old world style and is great value. Beso de Vino is also a great every day wine.
Whats your desert island wine ?
The above mentioned bottle of Burgundy – in a magnum ! It is something I’ll probably taste only once in my life and happily die afterwards
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 !
Its always a fantastic event and the who’s who of Tralee and greater Kerry will be there to sample the wines on the night. Der and his team always put on a wonderful show and the delicious home cooked dishes will compliment the lovely wine selection on show from a select few of his wine suppliers.
