There are at least four cases worth of wine on the tasting counter just across from my work station here at Curious Wines. Samples sent from wineries we are genuinely interested in sourcing from. Each will be critically evaluated in order to answer the big question. That is, will it represent excellent value for money when it hits our shelves? It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, right?

Every so often we’ll come across a wine, or a range of wines, that ticks all the right boxes in terms of value for money, but also has the added advantage of looking the part, which is more important than you might think.

And here they are, the V8+ range looking like a million dollars. You’ll just have to trust us on the taste part.

To view the full range from V8+ Vineyards, with 20% off until the end of April, click here.

Last weekend was very Italian-esque for my fiancée and I. Okay, so we weren’t exactly enjoying gelatto in the blistering Sicilian sunshine, more like pints of Beamish in a bitterly cold beer garden in Rochestown, but on the wine front there was plenty to keep us dreaming of an Italian honeymoon.

I didn’t plan it, but five of the seven wines we enjoyed over the weekend were Italian. And just in case you think we drink too much, that was over three full days (we took Monday off work) and we had some help from family and friends.

When I’m deciding which wines to take home on a Friday evening I almost always go for wines I have yet to try (with Mike being our Chief Taster the odd one skips me initially), or failing that, something I haven’t tried in a long time.

Poggiobello Sauvignon Blanc: We’ve had this Friuli Sauvignon for as long as I can remember. It’s a quietly brilliant wine, certainly not of that typical Sauvignon style that can perhaps be a little repetitive in the New World. It’s undergone some light oak ageing adding an amazing dimension to it, but it’s also matured since I tried it last, and for me it’s a better wine now than it was the first time I tried it. The acidity has softened ever so slightly, allowing more subtle and interesting flavours to shine through.

Farina Montecorna Valpolicella Ripasso: We currently have the 2009 in stock, which will being going live on the website in the next day or two, but I had the 2005 stashed away from the previous batch we received. I love Ripasso for its elegance and lightness, yet it has a concentration and depth aided by a very distinctive dried fruit Amarone-like richness. The Montecorna has a sweetness, yet the finish is dry, and it went superbly with a two year old cheddar we’d purchased at the Midleton market on Saturday morning.

Bricco dei Guazzi Albarossa: Most definitely the “funkiest” wine of the weekend. The nose was intriguing, not for everyone, but Bronagh and I loved it. It had me reminiscing of some sort of berry cordial I had when I was a kid, and then those lashings of licorice (again, not for everyone) evoked more childhood memories. A fascinating wine and grape variety, Albarossa is certainly one for the curious wine drinker.

Tabali Late Harvest Muscat: The only non-EU wine we had at the weekend, this Chilean dessert wine was chosen as a less expensive alternative to Sauternes. I needed something to go with a big hunk of Cashel blue cheese, also acquired from the market. It was a marriage made in heaven. The strength of flavour and the creaminess of the cheese mingled beautifully with the musky honeyed sweetness of the wine. “You can take your Sauternes…”, I can hear the Chileans shout.

V8+ Sior Lele Rosé Brut Spumante: My first taste of the pink from the V8+ range. A sexy and tantalising bottle it might be, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and it didn’t disappoint as it was the perfect aperitif before we got sat down for an Indian feast on Sunday evening. It goes to show once again that sparkling wine shouldn’t be brought out solely for special occasions. Open one and make the wine itself the occasion.

Dignite Viognier: We sold out of this Frenchie just before Christmas but Mike pulled one out of a hat and we made quick work of it over our Indian meal. Time has been kind to this wine, mellowing out the acidity and, not unlike the Poggiobello, bringing forward the best of the oak yet retaining good varietal expression. It complimented the relatively mild Durban chicken very well I thought. A very accomplished wine.

Marsala Superiore Riserva Vito Curatolo Arini: A lovely way to finish the weekend. Light, refreshing and palate cleansing, this Marsala has tons of character and finishes with a distinct nutty savouriness. Marsala is savagely underrated here in Ireland, but I believe every fridge should either have a good Marsala or a good sherry sat next to the milk carton.

There’s 20% off Italy until the end of April, including the above Italians, so there’s no better time to experience the spice of life…

March’s case of the month is an eclectic mix of the best of this month’s specials, with wines from Italy, the Loire, the Rhône and New Zealand, and over €35 off normal prices!

The standard mix contains 6 reds and 6 whites, normal combined price €151.89, case of the month price delivered only €116 (€9.67 per bottle):

From Italy:
1 x Mirabello Pinot Grigio 2010 (RRP €8.49)
1 x Rapido Sangiovese 2010 (RRP €7.99)
1 x Solonio Rea Silvia 2010 (RRP €12.99)
1 x Solonio Il Grottone 2009 (RRP €12.99)
1 x Borgo Magredo Pinot Grigio 2010 (RRP €12.49)
1 x Borgo Magredo Pinot Nero 2010 (RRP €12.49)

From the Loire in France:
1 x Les 2 Pentes Touraine 2010 (RRP €12.99)
1 x Muscadet Les Presbytères Tradition (RRP €11.49)

From the Rhone in France:
1 x Cotes du Rhone Reserve De L’abbe 2009 (RRP €9.99)
1 x Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun 2007 (RRP €11.99)

From New Zealand:
1 x Ant Moore Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (RRP €14.99)
1 x Ant Moore Pinot Noir 2009 (RRP €23.00)

And we’ve got all red and all white versions, with two bottles of each type from the standard mix, and with equivalent discounts.

Click here for March mixed cases ->

We’ve a triple header of specials to welcome Spring to Curious, with over 60 wines on offer through to Easter and beyond.

With 20% off every bottle €25 and under from Italy, the Loire and the Rhône, you’ve every style and price-point covered from the Old World, with prices delivered from only €6.39 per bottle.

Click here for Italian wine offers ->

Click here for wines of the Loire ->

Click here for wines of the Rhône ->

And for a taste of the New World, we’ve the wines of Ant Moore from New Zealand, with 20% off per bottle and a blistering 25% off when you buy half a dozen!

Click here for the Ant Moore range ->

All offers run until 30th April 2012 and while stocks last.

I have a bit of thing for Albariño, as do many curious wine drinkers it would seem. It’s really caught on in the last few years. Our latest addition to the range is something we’ve been after for a while now. A good quality, reasonably priced Albariño that slips into the €10-€15 price bracket, and we’ve found it in the form of the Namorío Albariño.

The Namorío is made by Bodegas Valdamor, who also produce (the clue is in the name) the Valdamor Albariño, which has been on our list since day one. Although the Valdamor represents smashing value for money and has developed a very loyal following over the years, we wanted something at a lower price point. In steps the Namorío, retailing at €14.99, or €11.99 as part of our Spanish sale, which is ongoing until the end of February.

Like Pinot Noir and Riesling, I’m not sure we’ll ever see Albariño super cheap, like the tons of sub €10 Pinot Grigio and Cabernet we see all the time. And if it was it wouldn’t be making the impression on people that it is.

It’s a fickle grape variety, and with its thick skins and large number of pips it needs to be managed carefully to avoid any kind of bitterness in the final wine. As well as this, in comparison to the noble grape varieties (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon et al), it is not widely grown outside of Spain, so it’s a bit of a Spanish specialty. Portugal also produces its fair share, but essentially it’s not one of those variety’s that will just produce results anywhere it is grown.

If you’ve tried Albariño before, you may have an idea of what to expect. Peach and apricot leap out of the glass, and then what makes them almost dangerously drinkable, that lightness on the palate and the slightest touch of residual sweetness from the soft ripe fruit. Bodegas Valdamor are quite unique in that they only work with Albariño. They don’t produce any other wines.

If they did, they’d probably be the best winery in the world.

For more information on Albariño: Rías Baixas / To view Namorío Albariño, on sale this month, click here.

How would you like to spend a year tending the vines of one of Marlborough’s most prestigious wine estates? If you’ve ever been to Blenheim, that idyllic little hub in the middle of New Zealand’s most renowned wine region, it would be a rather nice place to spend a year of your life. The beautiful surroundings, the kind weather, the slow pace of life, you might just find yourself staying there for life. If you can cope with the workload that is.

Two articles in the Marlborough Express have been following two interns in the industry. The first from Tauranga in the North Island, Erin Kenyon, who picked up a four-year organic horticultural apprenticeship at Seresin Estate, one of the wineries I visited back in 2008. Erin says she thrives on the variety of working with the animals and in the vegetable gardens as well as the grape vines at Seresin, which has a biodynamic philosophy.

Forrest Estate, another fabulous winery I was fortunate to visit, have Chilean man Carlos Rojas Stiven working on their internship programme aimed at encouraging graduates into the Marlborough viticulture industry. Going from Santiago, with a population of around seven million people, to quaint little Blenheim would be quite a culture shock, but there are plenty of similarities between Marlborough and Chile’s Maipo Valley when it comes to the job at hand.

No doubt this is tempting for anyone with a sense of adventure who is in the position to take advantage of such an opportunity. As well as 12+ month placements, every year thousands of people are employed by New Zealand’s wine industry to help out at harvest, which would be beginning around about now for the 2012 vintage. Better get booking those flights!

Source: The Marlborough Express

It’s that time again for the truly curious wine drinker: your chance to bag a bargain in our biggest ever Secret Parcel Sale!

This time we’ve not one but TWO secret parcels, one all red, one all white, and a total of 140 cases to go in the next 3 days.

Here’s Mike to explain the deal:

For those that aren’t in the know, our Secret Parcels are your chance to scoop wine at cost price or below as we clear out some bin-ends or last of vintages. What you’re guaranteed is 12 great wines at the lowest possible price. What you don’t know is what’s in the case.

Each parcel is a mix of 12 different wines, ranging from €10 to over €20, with a combined normal retail value of €149-152. You pay just €95 including delivery, saving a minimum of €54 per case.

As ever, with every purchase from Curious Wines, every single bottle comes with our 100% guarantee – your delight, or your money back – no fuss, no quibbles.

We’ve 80 cases of Secret Parcel Red and 60 cases of Secret Parcel White. Sale ends 12 noon Sunday 12th February or whenever we sell out, so don’t delay.

Wine made from the Scheurebe grape variety is rare enough here in Ireland. I myself only tried it for the first time last weekend. It is a cross between Riesling and what was thought to be Grüner Silvaner, one of the varieties used in Liebfraumilch.

Silvaner, worth noting, is quite a bland variety grown in Alsace and Germany. Not unlike Pinot Blanc, this means that it can take on a good expression of its terroir. However, DNA testing in the late 1990s ruled in Riesling and ruled out Silvaner. The viticulturist who developed Scheurebe in 1916, Dr. Georg Scheu, had been using wild vines to cross with Riesling so the other parent could have been anything.

Back to the Scheurebe. I found ‘bland’ to be the last word you would use to describe it. I’m no expert on Scheurebe, perhaps there are many very unexciting examples made from this cross-breed, but this one wasn’t sort of character.

Being from the 2004 vintage, it has had plenty of time to develop and evolve. The fruit was restrained on the nose, with soft and subtle grapefruit, and even hints of cassis, which I believe it quite common in Scheurebe. It was a touch herbaceous and you could tell instantly it was a mature wine with a slight muskiness, which you’ll often get from older whites. On the palate the acidity was tight enough to hold everything together. I found it to be quite opulent and full, with softened, yet concentrated tropical fruit and spice.

Lingenfelder is based in the Pfalz, a region who’s reputation suffered through the likes of Liebfraumilch. Huge volumes of mediocre wines were being machine harvested from the flat Rhine plane. Today a new generation and a few veterans have helped restore a quality reputation. German tourists and city dwellers now flock to the region to experience the relaxed hospitality on the German-French border and try some dry, full-bodied Riesling that is now one of the staples of the country. Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder), Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) are all successfully grown in the Pfalz.

No doubt a wine for the curious wine drinker, the 2004 Lingenfelder Scheurebe is about as far off the commercial mainstream you’ll find at this kind of price. Not everyone will like it. But a lot of people are going to love it.

With marriage on the cards, the most important thing for me now is looking after the honeymoon. I’m hoping all that wedding stuff will just fall into place by itself. Anyway, Tuscany is where the two of us will be spending our first proper holiday together as a married couple, so I’ll have the chance to check out some wineries if I’m allowed (oh the pain of the thought). At the top of the list will be Dievole, a superb winery who have an interesting project going on in Siena that has caught my attention.

Certosa di Pontignano is an ancient monastery bordering of the states of Siena and Florence. It has a rich history originating from its construction in the 14th century, which included a church, cloisters, cells and other buildings to house twelve monks, three lay brothers and their servants. Situated in open countryside it was once vulnerable to attack, first of all from a band of Florentines who broke in 1449, and during the “Congiura dei Pazzi” in 1478 (a conspiracy against the Medici rule). The monastery was set fire to and then immediately rebuilt before being plundered again in 1554 by German and Spanish militias. Who’d want to be a monk living in the 15th or 16th century?

Despite testing times the heart of Certosa di Pontignano has been kept intact through extensive restorations helped by renaissance contributions during the late 15th century. Since then it has been relatively untouched, and now it houses the University of Siena’s Congress Centre, as well as boasting guest accommodation and a restaurant.

In May 2002 Divole took over the management of the land of Certosa di Pontignano with the University of Studies of Siena entrusting them with the rebirth of the monastic culture. Within its walls an Agro-Environmental Park has been created with vineyards and olive groves. The park is divided into two sections, one for specific cultivation (vines, olives, cereals, aromatic and medicinal herbs), and the other mainly dedicated to the landscape vocation, trying to combine the needs of preserving the historical and agricultural archaeology, and at the same time to give new life to the territory through modern, sustainable landscape management.

Dievole are now carrying on the tradition in honour of the vine-loving Monks with the Certosa di Pontignano Chianti Classico, made from Sangiovese grapes grown on the grounds of the old monastery. These vines are still relatively young, but with rigorous, quality-focused selection and time in oak, it’s the kind of wine I hope to be enjoying a lot of come September. Fresh up front red fruit, and a dry tannic structure that I think will go rather well with that Tuscan cuisine they all say is so good. I look forward with great anticipation and excitement.

Three wines caught the attention of two Irish wine writers in last weekend’s newspapers.

Paarl Heights Chenin Blanc 2010: “Outside of the Loire, the other region making thirst-quenching Chenin is South Africa. This little cracker from coastal vineyards in Paarl is excellent value. Fresh, dry, with tropical fruits on the palate.” Matthew Nugent, Irish Mail on Sunday.

My take

The Coastal region of South Africa is renowned for its fine and expressive fruit. The adaptability and versatility of this wine is what makes it a success for me. Keenly priced, this is an all-round crowd pleaser, and can be matched with a wide range of foods or simply on its own by the glass. It has been one of our most successful new world house wines.

Bleasdale Pott’s Catch Verdelho 2010: “Spain’s Verdelho grape has settled well in Langhorne Creek. Naturally crisp acidity with melon, pineapple and guava notes. Nice weight and a lingering finish.” Matthew Nugent, Irish Mail on Sunday.

My take

Verdelho is a variety that has always been prized by Bleasdale, Australia’s second oldest winery after Yalumba. Some of the vines are approaching 90 years old, even in Spain that is very rare, but it is testament to the efforts and persistence the family has taken with this fabulous grape. I think freshness is key at this stage of the 2010, but it should start to take on some nice secondary flavours soon. Quite a subtle wine, there is a simplicity to its delight, but drink on and its depth of flavour will become more and more evident.

Pago de Cirsus 2005: “This beauty is just one bottle worth checking out in Curious Wines’ current Spanish sale. 20% off? How bad! A blend of cabernet, merlot and tempranillo it’s all about fresh ripe fruit but elevated by that delicious savoury whiff of coffee and spice.” Blake Creedon, Irish Examiner.

My take

Just to the northeast of Rioja is the trendy DO region of Navarra. It is known for two styles of red. The lighter Côtes du Rhône style, or the fleshier, weightier, alcoholic type of wine that the Pago de Cirsus is. At 14.5% it’s a bit of monster, and a customer even said recently it needs about four hours decanting to soften down. This is from a particularly good Navarran vintage, and if anything it seems to have improved with age. Tight on stock at the minute, though!

Pictured: The new label Paarl Heights Chenin Blanc – coming soon.