Consumer education the key to detecting cork taint
One of the most disheartening things as a wine merchant is having corked wines returned. It's completely NOT the fault of the customer.
Curious Wine Blog
The Flying Winemakers
It started in the early 1980s. Young twenty-something Australian winemakers watching 'The Flying Doctors' on a Tuesday afternoon waiting for something exciting to happen. While September is desperately quiet for southern hemisphere winemakers, it's a different story altogether in Europe and North America.
It's great to get back to porridge
It's great to be back. After a well earned rest we can't wait to get this year well and truly underway. The Christmas break was fantastic, highlights on the wine front included my first experience of a seriously old Burgundy, a 1929 Clos de Vougeot.
‘Tis the season! Festive wine tastings at Curious
It’s coming into that time of the year again when everything goes a little giddy, and noisy, in the wine trade. Well, we’ve a series of hosted wine tastings between now and the Yule to help you see the wood for the Christmas tree when it comes to choosing your top seasonal tipples.
What is it we dream about? What brings on a sigh?
Food, glorious food did it for Oliver Twist and the gang. If food does it for you, too, then there are one or two events in Cork in the coming week you should know about.
The Big Move: last few days
The Big Move is upon us, with our spanking new Cork premises opening next Wednesday, 30th June.
Wine Trade Dealt Hammer Blow by Frisky Irish
More than twice as many people in Ireland would give up wine before sex, according to Curious Wines' National Wine Drinkers Survey carried out last month.
National Wine Drinkers Survey: The Results (Part II)
Following on from Part I yesterday, where we dealt with the 'where' and 'how much' of wine, Part II of our National Wine Drinkers Survey reveals the attitudes of Irish wine drinkers, on everything from alcohol levels and availability, to what you'd be prepared to go without to have a glass.
National Wine Drinkers Survey: The Results (Part I)
Our thanks again to everyone who participated in our inaugural National Wine Drinkers Survey, last month. In all, over 500 of you were generous enough to respond, to give us some real insights into how wine is bought, consumed and regarded in Irish society.
The Big Move is on!
Announced quietly on Twitter a number of weeks ago, it's official: we're moving!With just a tinge of sadness, just 18 months after opening our Bandon wine warehouse, it is testimony to our wonderfully supportive customer base that we've outgrown it and are moving to the city.
Video Round-Up: You'll either love it or you'll hate it
No, it's not Marmite, it's Riesling, and a medium dry/sweet one at that. Throw off your fears and inhibitions and crack the cap on this with a mild Thai curry - I guarantee it'll open up a whole new world of flavour combinations you didn't know existed.
Jeruzalem Ormož Sauvignon Blanc, Slovenia
A friend of ours dropped in two bottles of Slovenian wine before Christmas. He'd travelled there quite a bit on business and was enjoying bringing different wines home. This is the first, the Jeruzalem Ormož Sauvignon Blanc 2004, from the town of Ormož in Slovenia.
Winner of the Barossa Wine Traveller
After a Morning in the Barossa on Tuesday, John McDonnell of Wine Australia kindly donated this ultimate guide to the valley and its people and we promptly threw it up as a prize on Wednesday morning.
A morning in the Barossa (well, if only!)
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending the morning Trade tasting of the previously posted Evening in the Barossa, hosted by Wine Australia and Toby Barlow of St. Hallett Wines.
Tasting Video: Cuvee Jean-Paul Sec 2008
And we're off! We've only been talking about it since we launched the site but we're delighted to finally launch our tasting videos feature.
Santa takes time out in Barossa?
You'd think Santa would have enough to do at this time of the year but it seems even the big man has time to help out in one of Australia's best wineries. We didn't think they needed the help but the team at Langmeil captured these pics on security cameras in their Barossan winery.
Wedding survey: 5 in 6 couples say “I don't” to hotel wine
The results of our wedding survey are in and it makes for nice reading for online wine retailers if not for hotels.
What to do when you want to open a bottle of wine and you've only got a tree handy
All new customers of Curious Wines, and indeed readers of this blog from the start, will be well aware of our love of the humble but splendid Pulltap's corkscrew. I wrote an ode to the Pulltap's in December last, praising it's strength, reliability and most of all it's simplicity.
Fighting fit on your wedding day
Continuing our wedding series, this week we spoke to personal trainer and former Olympian Gillian O’Sullivan about getting in shape for the big day, and the dreaded question of whether getting fit and enjoying wine were mutually compatible! It has been well documented that wine can aid digesti ..
Creating a Legacy: Casella Wines and [yellow tail]
Being different isn't enough - you've actually got to deliver something people will enjoy. .
Wedded Bliss for Beginners: The Perfect Honeymoon
In Week 4 of our wedding series, we asked Mary Foyle of Travel Counsellors Ireland to give us the benefits of her extensive knowledge and experience gained from years of helping couples organise the perfect honeymoon.
Pan-fried Scallops and Spanish Albarino
I picked up some scallops last weekend from the fabulous Glenmar Fish Shop in Union Hall, West Cork, and reminded myself just how easy they are to cook and so utterly divine to taste.
Healthy Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup
Home-made soup is so underrated as a meal and this super-healthy hot and sour soup from Look and Taste had me salivating at the thought of all those Thai flavours and spices, with big juicy prawns as the meaty filler.
The perfect venue – Dos and don’ts of picking a wedding venue
Our first guest contributor to our Wedding series is Paula Cogan of Cork's River Lee Hotel. Here Paula gives some excellent (and very impartial!) tips on picking your perfect wedding venue. Weddings, particularly in Ireland have taken on a life of their own in the past 10 years.