As of Friday 29th January at 5pm, we have 13 people taking part in our Twitter Blind Wine Tasting, but it’s not too late for you to join in this Sunday (January 31st at 8pm) if you live in Cork, as our Bandon store is open until 6pm on Saturday evening. Feel free to pop in and collect your secret bottle from there.

All you have to do on Sunday is follow Brian (@brianclayton), Kevin (@kevatfennsquay), and/or ourselves (@curiouswines), and use the tag #twebt in all your tweets.

Have fun!

Following on from the success - oh, well ok, the sheer good craic - of the Twitter Event Blind Tasting (twebt) experiment by Brian Clayton and Kevin Crowley back in November, we were honoured and delighted to be asked to pick and supply the second bottle to go into cyber-tasting!

The event is open to anyone and everyone who enjoys a glass of the old elixir, and having a bit of interaction and fun over the web while they’re at it. All you need is a Twitter account and a glass, and we’ve put together a special price to ensure you can participate from anywhere in country for less than €20.

The time for the synchronised tasting is Sunday 31st January at 8.00pm. All you have to do is follow Brian (@brianclayton), Kevin (@kevatfennsquay), and/or ourselves (@curiouswines), and use the tag #twebt in all your tweets. We’ll also post a revised listing of everyone registered by next Friday (29th) so you can follow everyone on the night.

Bottles will be wrapped discretely to hide the labels. The only rule is one of honour - you don’t look at the label until everyone’s tasted and compared notes. Other than that, it’s a free-for-all. Have a swirl, get your nose in, have a glug, tell the world.

I’ve selected the bottle myself and have put together a special price including delivery anywhere in the country, for just €19. You can also call into the warehouse here in Bandon and collect it over the counter for €14.

Click here to buy now

Last orders online Thursday 28th January, 1.00pm, or collect from the warehouse up to Saturday 30th, 6.00pm. Thanks a million to Brian and Kevin for organising and the kind invitation.

The busy 2010 schedule for Wine Australia is about to get under way.

“An Evening in the Barossa” is a tutored wine tasting taking place in Dublin, all details below.

I’ve said it before, but if you manage it to make it to these events, it really will be worth your while. Not only are they great fun, but the sessions are incredibly interesting and you’ll learn loads.

When: Tuesday 26th January 2010, 6.30 – 8.00pm, followed by a 4 course dinner.

Where: The Function Room at Fallon and Byrne, 11 - 17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.

Booking: Cost is €65 per person and places can be booked directly with Fallon & Byrne (tel. 01 472 1000)

“With over 160 years of winemaking history, and home to some of the great names of the Australian wine world, is an evening enough time to tell the full story of the Barossa? We are delighted to welcome Toby Barlow, Winemaker at St Hallett Wines to take up that challenge and be our guide for this evening.”

If you require any further information:
Tel: +353 65 7077264   Fax: +353 65 7077264
Email: ireland@wineaustralia.com

Looks like the winter is going to be seriously busy for Wine Australia, and if nothing else, there are some great Christmas gift ideas here.

1) Barossa Tasting and Dinner

Tuesday 26th January 2010, Fallon and Byrne, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.

Join us to celebrate Australia Day 2010 at our Evening in the Barossa. With over 160 years of wine making history, and home to some of the great names of the Australian wine world, is one evening enough time to tell the full story of the Barossa? Toby Barlow from St Hallett Wines takes up the challenge Toby will host a tasting of Barossa wines followed by a delicious 4 course meal accompanied by some of his own St Hallett wines.

The Cost; 65 Euro per person. To Book; Direct with the Restaurant at Fallon and Byrne 01 4721000

2) Australian Wine Course

February/March, Fallon and Byrne, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.

Wine Australia, in conjunction with Fallon and Byrne, is delighted to offer a 4 week Australian wine course. Want to learn more about Australian wine, or wine in general, this could be just for you. The plan for the 4 weeks is as follows:

February Thursday 11th - Regional Heroes. Classic styles from unique locations.
February Thursday 18th - Generation Next. New regions, different styles, unusual varieties.
February Thursday 25th - Mystery Night. Let’s have some fun.
March Thursday 4th - Landmark Australia. Australia’s finest.

Presented by John Mc Donnell from Wine Australia, with fun, enjoyment and lots of delicious wines to taste (and no exam), this is an ideal wine lovers course. Tasty bites served each evening.

The Cost; 100 Euro. To Book; Direct with Dave Gallagher at Fallon and Byrne on 01 4721012

3) Wine Australia goes to the rugby - Ireland vs Italy

Saturday 6th February.

After the huge success of our outing to the Australian match last month, we’re off to the rugby again.
Join us for a delicious lunch at The Exchequer on Exchequer Street served with some tasty Italian themed Australian wines (Australian Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese or Nebbiolo anyone?). Then off to see the opening match in the Ireland’s defence of their 6 Nations crown.

The Cost; 100 euro per person (to cover the lunch, yummy wines and your match ticket). To Book; Contact our office to reserve your place as soon as possible. (065) 7077264 or ireland@wineaustralia.com

We can accommodate only 40 people so it’s a case of first in, best dressed. Places and tickets can only be confirmed on receipt of full payment, which is due by the end of December.

Click here to go to Wine Australia.

It’s give-away time in November as we took Curious Wines on the road!

As promised, all visitors to the Good Wine Show were entered into a draw to win a couple of unique mixed cases, featuring four wines each from the three organising wine merchants, Curious Wines, Bubblebrothers and Karwig Wines. Additionally, we had four cases of New Zealand wine to give away, for those purchasing at the Good Wine Show as well as our first Dublin tasting at the start of the month.

So, the lucky winners, picked at random:

A mixed case of Good Wine Show featured wines: Aidan Horgan and Alan Mansfield.

Two cases of New Zealand wines featured at Good Wine Show: Michael Ryan

Two cases of New Zealand wines featured at NZ Dublin Tasting: Michael Woods

Congratulations guys, you’ve some festive cheer on the way to you!

Oh, and one other person that will be celebrating with a bottle of Premier Cru Rosé Champagne. Geoffrey Philips was a wise man putting his name down for our newsletter at the Good Wine Show - congrats to Geoffrey also.

If you missed out this time round, fret not. We run a monthly contest for our newsletter subscribers. All you have to do is sign up for monthly love in your inbox, and you’re in to win!

For us, and indeed some of the attendees, it was the best possible appetiser in the run up to what is sure to be one of Ireland’s best wine shows of the year. Last Friday’s New Zealand wine tasting in Dublin, exactly a week before the Good Wine Show, went without a hitch as 50 lively Dubliners got to taste our best New Zealand sellers in our long awaited Dublin launch.

A big thanks to Joyce Austin who put on another unforgettable show, and to Lar Veale at sourgrapes.ie, who “projuiced” the attached video and managed to set up a live feed, so our Twitter and Facebook friends could tune in. Isn’t technology just wonderful!?

Joyce took the audience through an evening of 11 world class wines. Four were served blind to showcase New Zealand’s best rising stars - a richly textured Pinot Gris, two salivating Rieslings and a voluptuous Gewurtztraminer. Outside that we had Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Noirs and the surprise of the night a show stopping Pinotage.

Our full tasting line up, all of which have 15% off until the end of December (discounted prices below).

Tussock 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (€11.05)
Waipara Springs 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (€12.75)
Greenhough 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (€13.60)
Waipara Springs 2008 Riesling (€11.05)
Muddy Water 2008 James Hardwick Riesling (€15.30)
Bilancia 2007 Reserve Pinot Grigio (€17.00)
Waipara Springs 2007 Chardonnay (€12.75)
Greenhough 2008 Gewurtztraminer (€14.45)
Waipara Springs 2008 Premo Pinot Noir (€17.00)
Greenhough 2006 Pinot Noir (€15.00)
Muddy Water 2006 Pinotage (€17.00)

And on top of our 15% off deal, every case order from now until next Thursday is in the pot to win a mixed selection of 24 glorious New Zealand wines.

See our full New Zealand selection here – also 15% off

The three gents pictured below are (right to left) Joe Karwig of Karwig Wines, Billy Forrester of Bubble Brothers, and our very own plonker… ahem, I mean chief taster, Michael Kane, owner and founder of Curious Wines.

The shoot was done at Cork Bonded Warehouse on Tuesday morning. The Irish Examiners Blake Creedon has already managed to get hold of a cool photo, which he has included in this blog post.

In case you missed something, here it is in a nutshell…

“Three Irish wine merchants have joined forces to bring a very special wine tasting event to Cork this autumn. Taking place in Cork’s Clarion Hotel on the 13th and 14th of November, the innovative collaboration between Bubble Brothers, Curious Wines and Karwig Wines shows the flair and energy that sets independent wine merchants apart and makes their wine selections such a refreshing change. The Good Wine Show will give guests the opportunity to make their choice from over a hundred wines open for sampling, comparison and purchase at attractive discounts exclusive to the event.”

The lads have been working hard in the run up to the show (looks like they’ve been having fun too), but it finally looks like everything is falling into place. Ticket sales are doing really well and we expect a big surge before a sell-out. Many people will be making the journey from all over the country, including Dublin and Galway. It’s just fantastic to see such an interest in this kind of event.

Everything is geared and ready to go, including an obscene amount of wine that needs to be tackled. Well, what are you waiting for?

Click here for more information and ticket sales.

Images by Gerard McCarthy (087-853-7228)

And on the seventh day, she rested…

Well, actually, it’s even more impressive than seven days. Five days after announcing our plans for the Good Wine Show, to be held in Cork city 13-14 November, you can now go online and buy tickets from the official Good Wine Show website, with more details on the hottest wine event of the year below.

What’s in store?

Join us for one day or two to sample your choice of more than 100 wines and a selection of some of Cork’s finest food at The Good Wine Show. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, a casual wine drinker, a gourmet foodie or a holiday shopper, you’ll enjoy a friendly, relaxed and fun atmosphere to taste, nibble and shop in at the centrally located Clarion Hotel in Cork’s city centre.

Friday, November 13th, 2009

The Good Wine Show is open from 3 PM - 8 PM.

• Wine Tastings: All day.
• Food Purveyors: All day.
• Prize Draw: 6 PM - Drawing for a “Best in Show” mixed case of 12 worldly, wonderful and very drinkable wines courtesy of all three wine merchants.

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

The Good Wine Show is open from 11 AM - 4 PM.

• Wine Tastings: All day.
• Food Purveyors: All day.
• Prize Draw: 3 PM - Drawing for a Luxury Food and Drink hamper packed with posh nibbles, three bottles of wine and your very own set of wine accessories.

You can purchase tickets for one day or two on the Good Wine Show website, on our own website or from Bubble Brothers, or from these retail outlets around Cork. Tickets are priced at €15 for one or €25 for both days.

Fans and followers tuning into us on Facebook or Twitter over the last month or so have been subject to a cruel (if unintentional) teaser campaign, with the “plotting (of) something exciting for Christmas”. Despite pleading, offers of bribery and even threats of violence from someone resembling Austin Powers’ arch-nemesis Dr Evil, we’ve retained both our decorum and our discretion as the detail was fleshed out.

So, the not-so big secret? In partnership with Cork’s “other two” great independent wine merchants Bubble Brothers and Karwig Wines, we’re delighted to announce the first ever Good Wine Show, to be held Friday 13th and Saturday 14th November 2009, in the Clarion Hotel, Cork.

It’s the first time three independent wine importers have joined forces in Cork to show off their portfolios in a dedicated sample-and-buy event, and with the opportunity to taste over 100 different wines in one place and special discounts for the occasion, it’ll be the premier wine-buying show coming up to Christmas.

The sessions will run from 3pm to 8pm on Friday 13th, and 11am to 4pm on Saturday 14th, and tickets will cost €15. More details to follow in the coming weeks, including when and where to buy tickets.

See you there?

For those desperate wine drinkers who are dying for us to do a tasting in Dublin, we’d encourage you to go along to Wine Australia’s Adelaide Hills tasting next month. It’s a good opportunity to warm yourselves up before Ireland’s best wine e-tailer comes to town, plus you’ll get to try an array of sublime wines from South Australia. A no brainer, really…

Although the Hills have been in the shadow of their bigger, more historic neighbours of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it is starting to develop a hot reputation for its scintillating wines.

Marty Edwards from the Lane Vineyards will be there to take guests on a tour of the region. As well as being Vineyard and Export Manager for his company, Marty is also a member of the Adelaide Hills Wine Show Committee, so he’s an ideal candidate to head the tasting.

An Evening in the Adelaide Hills is on Thursday 3rd September at the Royal College of Physicians at Number 6, Kildare Street. Tickets are 15 Euro per person and are available from John McDonnell (065-707-7264 or email john.mcdonnell@wineaustralia.com).

If you want to be the first to know about Curious Wines wine tastings this year, you can sign up to our monthly newsletter.