‘A paradise for wine growers and wine lovers’, glowed David Gonzalez, head wine-maker at Santa Alicia, when we asked him last month about Chile.

We mightn’t be qualified to comment on the growing bit but one thing’s for certain, Irish wine-lovers love Chile, and so do we. So much so, we’ve knocked 20% off every bottle in March!

Highlights include 2007 Chilean Winery of the Year Santa Alicia, now only €7.75 for the Reserva range, our budget-friendly organic Sierra Grande down to €6.63, and the premium Tabali from €9.59.

And, if you want a whistle-stop tour in a box, our Case of the Month is A Taste of Chile, 12 of our favourites with a stonking €31.88 in savings.

James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion has rated Langmeil Winery five stars for the last five years running, placing it amongst the very top echelon of Australian Wineries. More than that, Langmeil are sitting on a bit of Australian wine heritage - a three and a half acre vineyard that was planted in 1843 called “The Freedom”, believed to be the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia, and possibly the world.

You can save €6 when you buy two of the Village series, and €10 when you buy two of the Old Vine Garden series, including the limited availability 1843 Freedom.

Finally, if it’s good quaffing with a taste of sunshine you’re after, look no further than our Californian corner where we’ve got 2 for €15 on Fish Eye and Winston Hill.

Offers will run until 31st March or, as ever, while stocks last.

February’s here and we’ve gone a bit loco on Spanish for the month, with a whopping 20% off every bottle! From Rioja and Ribera in world-beating reds, to Rueda and Rias Baixas in equally classy whites, we’ve over 40 wines with a fifth off, and free delivery as ever on 12 bottles or more.

Over to France, we launched our tasting videos feature last week and first up was our critically-acclaimed house white, the Cuvee Jean-Paul Sec from the Côtes de Gascogne. So, what better chance to try it and it’s frère rouge, now only €6.99 when you buy two or more - that’s €83.88 for a case of 12 delivered!

And to Australia, if €50 Amon-Ra is a bit outside your comfort zone for a midweek tipple, we’ve the guy behind it for a fifth of the price. Heartland Stickleback is the entry-level red and white in the superb Heartland range, all produced by superstar wine-maker Ben Glaetzer, and is now €9.99 when you buy two or more.

So get in there, mix and match, and stock-up. Offers run until 28th February or while stocks last.

It’s 2010 and we’re giving you a reason to be happy this winter with prices continuing to fall across the board.  There are well over one hundred price reductions from last year, and a couple of special offers thrown into the mix to help you hit the new year with a bang!

Long Neck (€6.99 each when you buy two or more)

All the way from South Africa’s Western Cape comes one of the most exciting range of wines to land on Irish soil in recent years. There are 7 to choose from, all representing fantastic value for money even before discount. If you want to go with South Africa’s specialities, don’t miss out on the Pinotage and the Chenin Blanc. An independent review of the Sauvignon Blanc can be found here.

Domaine Chateau d’Eau (€9.99, normally €12)

If you’re looking for a detox this January, then these fantastic Lunar Organic wines from Moillard are for you. Whether or not you’re convinced by the benefits of organically sourced grapes, there is nothing to take away from the quality found in these Languedoc wines, the pick of the bunch for me being the Syrah - a real fruit bomb!

Further price reductions for 2010

There are more handsome price reductions on well over one hundred wines. Included is our sensational Heartland range, starting at €10.99, and another chance to detox, this time with our organic Sierra Grande range, which is now retailing at €7.99.

Pre-mixed cases from €95

Our unbelievably popular pre-mixed cases have also seen a reduction from 2009, and as always, there’s free delivery nationwide.

Well, what a year that was! After scooping two major web awards already, Curious Wines marked it’s first birthday with a short-listing for a third award at the Golden Spiders coming up at the end of this month. So, (as if we needed an excuse!) we’re celebrating, with a line-up of Christmas offers to warm the cockles of your heart on cold winter’s night.

For starters, every celebration needs a little bubbly - so we’ve knocked 25% off all sparkling wine and Champagne. That’s every bottle, from our finest vintage Champagne to our loveliest, fruitiest Prosecco, 25% off until New Years’ Eve!

Next up, we’ve got the return of the Roo, with more super savings on [yellow tail] and this time including the very special Reserve range. You can save €4 when you buy two of the regular range (€7.50 a bottle) and a whopping €8 when you buy two of the Reserves (€9.50 a bottle).

Moving onto the main course, our fabulous New Zealand range is on show twice before Christmas, in our first Dublin wine tasting and the Good Wine Show in Cork. We’ve 15% off all New Zealand to celebrate, and don’t miss the extra special discount on the Greenhough Pinot Noir - 25% off the perfect Christmas dinner wine.

If French is more your thing, panic not - we’ve some absolute treats at special, special prices.

We’ve a thing for Beaujolais and now’s the time to try something beyond your usual Fleurie (although we have to say this one is rather good!). From Brouilly to Saint-Amour, we’ve six of the ten Beaujolais Grand Cru villages represented and all with 20% off.

For alternative Christmas dinner delights,  save €8 on Chablis and €10 on Chateauneuf du Pape when you buy two of any kind. That’s famed and family-owned Chablis from €13 a bottle and multi-award winning Chateauneuf from €20!

Finally, we picked out three of our finest Vin de Pays, and you can save €6 when you buy two. We’ve the award-winning Dignite Syrah and Viognier for €12 when you buy two or more, and (appropriately!) Le Fou Pinot Noir for €10 when you buy two or more.

Delivery as ever and always, free, free, free, anywhere in Ireland when you purchase 12 bottles or more. All offers will run until 31st December or until stocks last - whichever comes sooner - so don’t hang around!

Yes, despite the fact that we’ve seen about as much sun in the last three months as in a lunch-time episode of Neighbours, Autumn is officially here. Fret not however. Infinitely more reliable than the weather, we’re delighted to announce our latest round of special offers that are sure to bring you an Indian summer all of your own.

We’ve always been particularly proud and passionate about our Australian wine. From 500 case vintages, to 100 Parker Point icons, to global success stories, we’ve something for everyone, and now there’s 10% off every last bottle. So whether the Barbie gets one last run in September or you give in and light the fire one evening, wrap yourself ’round a buttery Chardonnay or a big, peppery Shiraz, with change in your pocket (or as I always prefer to think of it, a free bottle in a case).

Now, we’ve had some new additions to the wine warehouse in the last few months and now’s your chance to try a few. Along with some old favourites, we’ve put together a Super Six of red and white pairings (well, OK, there’s one white and rosé pairing in there!) with €4 off when you buy two or more of any bottle. Mix and match, and you can save €24 on a case of 12, delivered of course in the price.

Of the newbies:

• Abadal, Spain: two wonderfully enticing blends from the Catalunyan sub-region of Pla de Bages, a rich Cabernet Franc/Tempranillo red and a crisp Chardonnay/Sauvignon/Picapoll white. Only €10 when you buy two more.
• Elgin Vintners, South Africa: classy Elgin cooperative producing excellent second vintage Merlot and a classy fourth edition Sauvignon Blanc. €12 when you buy two or more.
• Fuenteseca, Spain: organic and award-winning winery from Utiel-Requena, with two more beguiling blends - a Bobal/Syrah red and a Macabeo/Sauvignon white. Just €10 when you buy two or more.

And the tried and tested:

• Casale Vecchio, Italy: premium range from three-time IWSC Italian Winery of the Year Farnese, classic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and delightful Pecorino. €12 when you buy two or more.
• Mas Macia, Spain: two more estate-bottled Catalunyans, the red an oak-aged Tempranillo/Carinena/Merlot blend, the white a native, old vine Xarel-Lo. Only €10 and €9 respectively when you buy two or more.
• Tussock, New Zealand: top quality Nelson estate producing classic Sauvignon Blanc and strawberry and cream Pinot Rosé. Both only €11 when you buy two or more.

Finally, if it’s good enough for Gordon Ramsay, Rick Stein, Oz Clarke and James May, then it really is time you tried the wonderful result of English wine-making in Bordeaux. Gavin and Angela Quinney’s Chateau Bauduc has been the house wine at Ramsay and Stein’s restaurants for ten years now, and we’re making it our featured winery of the month for September. There’s an ‘ooh la la’ buy 2, save €5 across the range, or €30 off a mixed case.

Remember, we always keep the odd little offer, such as bin-end wines or mixed case specials, for our Newsletter subscribers. If you’re not signed up, you’ve nothing to lose but everything to gain by doing so - click here to find out more and to sign-up in one easy step.

We’re celebrating the arrival of [yellow tail] to Curious Wines this week with a knock-out €7.50 per bottle when you buy two or more.

The success of [yellow tail] since its launch in 2001 has been nothing short of a phenomenon in the global wine industry. Here are ten things we bet you never knew about Australia’s most successful export since Kylie!

1. Despite the incredible success of the brand, [yellow tail] remains 100% owned by the Casella family who have lived in the small New South Wales town of Yenda since they began wine-making in 1969.

2. The Casella wine-making tradition goes back six generations to the original family homestead in Sicily.

3. The ‘roo’ featured on the [yellow tail] label is actually a yellow-footed Rock Wallaby.

4. [yellow tail] is the number one Australian wine brand in the US following the most successful wine launch in US history.

5. 15% of all wine products leaving Australia are from Casella Wines.

6. Over two million glasses of [yellow tail] are consumed every day around the world.

7. Casella’s newest bottling line can process 36,000 bottles per hour - the fastest bottling line in the world.

8. All rain and waste water is recycled at the [yellow tail] winery. The treatment plant is currently the biggest of its type in Australia and is capable of recycling the equivalent of 160 Olympic-sized swimming pools every year.

9. [yellow tail] was named as the most powerful family-owned wine brand in Australia and the fifth most significant wine brand globally by independent UK consultancy Intangible Business.

10. The largest storage tank in the Casella winery is 1.1 million litres. If you were so inclined to drink your way through it at one bottle per day – it would take you 3,835 years!

We’ve €7.50 per bottle when you buy two or more [yellow tail] for the month of August with, as ever, free delivery anywhere in Ireland on cases of 12.

Being different isn’t enough - you’ve actually got to deliver something people will enjoy… we wouldn’t have this success if we weren’t delivering exactly what they wanted.

John Casella could’ve been talking about the vision for Curious Wines when he described the simple philosophy that has made [yellow tail] an unprecedented phenomenon in the global wine industry. From zero sales at the start of the new millenium, and despite being launched into the teeth of the dotcom bust (sound familiar?), this no-nonsense and brightly coloured wine from Australia is now being consumed at the staggering rate of over 2 million glasses every day around the world!

When the Casella family planted their first vine in Sicily in 1820 they could not have imagined what they had started. Today the sixth generation of the Casella family runs the business using the same humble principle of producing wine for all to enjoy.

Filippo and Maria Casella emigrated to Australia in 1957 and began their winemaking careers at Yenda, in the Riverina region of New South Wales in 1969. Today, Casella is still very much a family business with the second and third generations all involved in this extraordinary success story. From humble beginnings, the Casella family has become Australia’s largest family-owned winery and its greatest single wine exporter.

We’ve a great affinity with what the Casella family set out to achieve. Everything that the Casellas and the rest of the [yellow tail] family do is about demystifying wine and making it easy to enjoy. It’s about making consistently high-quality, great tasting wine at an affordable price that goes well with pretty much anything.

We’ll drink to that, and to celebrate the arrival of [yellow tail] at Curious Wines, we’ve €7.50 per bottle when you buy two or more for the month of August with, as ever, free delivery anywhere in Ireland on cases of 12.

Check out the full range here.

The wait is over! Visitors to our Bandon warehouse in the last ten days have been greeted by a new arrival to the Curious Wines wine list but were sworn to secrecy ahead of our official online launch. The Roo has landed and is now available from curiouswines.ie at a very special price in August.

We’ve a magnificent seven from the phenomenally successful [yellow tail] range lined up for starters, and all available at ONLY €7.50 per bottle when you buy two or more! That’s a case of 12, any mix, for €90 delivered to your door anywhere in Ireland.

Check out the range we have for starters:

[yellow tail] Shiraz - berry and smooth vanilla aromas, subdued earthy tones with soft ripe sweetness, displayed in perfect harmony with fine tannins.

[yellow tail] Cabernet Sauvignon - rich berry flavours, peppered with spice, long on palate and well-structured with toasted oak supporting soft fruit and velvety tannins.

[yellow tail] Merlot - ripe plum aromas and a touch of that typical Aussie spice, delivering a rich and soft fruit-driven wine.

[yellow tail] Shiraz-Grenache - the classic Rhône combination in a balanced wine displaying peppery & earthy tones, lush raspberries and a touch of spice.

[yellow tail] Chardonnay - lovely tropical fruit aroma, this wine has a rich creamy finish while being silky smooth and easy to drink.

[yellow tail] Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc -  classic Bordeaux combination, fresh grassy and lemon aromas from the Semillon with tropical fruits and herbaceous notes from the Sauvignon.

[yellow tail] Pinot Grigio -  lifted aromas of citrus fruits with delicate notes of green apples and pears, the palate displays flavours of pineapple with subtle floral characters and fresh acidity.

Special offer price for the month of August and while stocks across the range survive!

After a cracking June, hopes are high for a great Irish summer, so right on cue, we’ve some hot summer offers to keep you and your wallet as cool as a breeze.

Never mind spending piles of cash swanning off to France this summer - we’re bringing France direct to your doorstep with fabulous savings on all our French wines for July and August!

Fancy lounging in the garden with a relaxing Rosé, or sipping a chilled white by the seaside? Every bottle, every colour, every vintage is 10% off all summer long!

And it’s not just France that we’ve targeted for special prices on whites. We’ve these recommendations for summer sipping, all with cool discounts to make a stock-up a little easier.

Having trouble picking your own mixed case? Well, things just got a little easier.

We’re building a name as Ireland’s mixed case wine specialists, with permanent discounts on a range of pre-mixed cases from only €100, and with free delivery anywhere in Ireland. We’ve the established Curious favourites, with re-vamped Old World, New World, all Red and all White mixes, or check-out the newly launched Simply range, our recommendations on where to start if Australia, Chile, France or Italy is your thing.

Finally, we always keep the odd little offer, such as bin-end or limited availability wines, for our Newsletter subscribers. If you’re not signed up, you’ve nothing to lose but everything to gain by doing so - click here to find out more and to sign-up in one easy step.

Friday night saw Joyce Austin return from Auckland to present our fourth public wine-tasting, in Cork’s Ambassador Hotel, and we’ve a special 48-hour sale to mark the occasion.

We had an overwhelming response to tickets, with 50 hungry wine lovers treated to an intriguing evening of world-class New Zealand wines. In a tasting of eleven of our newest arrivals from New Zealand, it was a combat zone as each person pitted their skills in a blind tasting evening. Needless to say there were a few surprising revelations with a healthy quota of both red faced and proud-as-peacock faces! There was a huge buzz as our gathering delved into a new taste experience in pairings of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with delicious summer sipping Rosé.

Check out what a couple of tasters thought of the night: our thanks to Brian Clayton and Manic Mammy for your kind words and support, we’re absolutely delighted you enjoyed the evening.

To mark the tasting, and our goal of making New Zealand one of your top summer picks, we have a 48-hour sale on all New Zealand wines until midnight Thursday, 11th June, with 10% off across the board. In particular check out this cracking mixed case selection, hand-picked by Joyce herself. It’s a delicious case, so if you’re sipping New Zealand, now’s the time to buy.

Wines tasted on the night were:

Muddy Water Pinot Noir Rosé
Waipara Springs Sauvignon Blanc
Tussock Sauvignon Blanc
Waipara Springs Chardonnay
Mount Cass Chardonnay
Coney Piccolo Pinot Gris
Tussock Pinot Gris
Greenhough Dry Riesling
Waipara Springs Riesling
Bilancia Pinot Noir
Waipara Springs Premo Pinot Noir

Congratulations to Wietse Buwalda of Crosshaven, Co. Cork, who scooped €220 worth of wine and a pair of New Zealand crystal wine glasses in a prize draw for orders placed on the night.

And finally, our thanks as always to Joyce for a great night’s education and entertainment. There are already rumours that Curious Wines’ first Dublin tasting could be a New Zealand night this side of Christmas, so watch this space.