Mick O Connell of Neighbourhood Wines. Photo: Gerry Mooney
Dubliner Mick O’Connell took his studies to the infamously challenging level of Master of Wine, writing a thesis on Sardinian wine. Having moved to London with a rock band, he began learning about wine to earn better money in retailers like Oddbins and Handford Wines admitting “I always hoped that one day the music would pay for the wine”. Today, Mick owns the dynamic Neighbourhood Wine in Leeson Street (with a south county Dublin branch on the way) with importer Shane Murphy.
Among their selection of Irish-made wines you will find Mick’s own baby, a light and juicy red which he makes in Sardinia. The wine’s original name was Garnacha not Guerra, a cheeky play on ‘Cannonau’, which is the official name for Sardinia’s robust red wine made from a local type of Garnacha grape. Mick makes his in a very different style and so is not allowed to use the term Cannonau or even Garnachia as unamused officials info
Mick O Connell of Neighbourhood Wines. Photo: Gerry Mooney
Dubliner Mick O’Connell took his studies to the infamously challenging level of Master of Wine, writing a thesis on Sardinian wine. Having moved to London with a rock band, he began learning about wine to earn better money in retailers like Oddbins and Handford Wines admitting “I always hoped that one day the music would pay for the wine”. Today, Mick owns the dynamic Neighbourhood Wine in Leeson Street (with a south county Dublin branch on the way) with importer Shane Murphy.
Among their selection of Irish-made wines you will find Mick’s own baby, a light and juicy red which he makes in Sardinia. The wine’s original name was Garnacha not Guerra, a cheeky play on ‘Cannonau’, which is the official name for Sardinia’s robust red wine made from a local type of Garnacha grape. Mick makes his in a very different style and so is not allowed to use the term Cannonau or even Garnachia as unamused officials info
Bill Zacharkiw s Wines of the Week: Feb. 12, 2021 Every week, Bill Zacharkiw identifies his top wine picks available at the SAQ and offers ideas for food pairings.
Author of the article: Bill Zacharkiw • Special to Montreal Gazette
Publishing date: Feb 12, 2021 • February 12, 2021 • 2 minute read • Bill Zacharkiw s Wines of the Week. Photo by Regis Duvignau /Reuters files
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Every week, Bill Zacharkiw identifies his top wine picks available at the SAQ and offers ideas for food pairings.
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Decanter My Top 20: Viognier wines beyond the Rhône
Have you discovered it yet? Its peachy, food-friendly versatility has made Viognier something of a cult-favourite among the Anything-But-Chardonnay circles, but what are the best-value options? Fiona Beckett picks her favourites from beyond its home region.
Viognier is inextricably associated with the
Rhône – and especially, perhaps, the iconic wines of Condrieu and Château-Grillet. But it is of course produced elsewhere, so we thought it would be intriguing to explore what other countries have to offer.
Records show that Viognier was planted and harvested in the Rhône region back in the late 18th century, though it wasn’t until the 1980s – when it became widely planted in areas that suited Rhône varieties, including the neighbouring
Sponsored Story 23rd December, 2020 by Patrick Schmitt
Languedoc-Roussillon, home of Pays d’Oc IGP expressions, is one of the largest wine-producing areas in the world. To get to grips with all the region has to offer,
db is running a series of online varietal masterclasses, so read on and register your interest by clicking here.
WITH TODAY’S wine trends seemingly favouring the well-known, the authentic, and the affordable, few regions are better placed to sate current consumer desires than Pays d’Oc. Of the Languedoc-Roussillon’s 240,000 hectares, 120,000ha are devoted to making Pays d’Oc wines.
The classification represents a vast viticultural haven for winemakers, who can craft varietally-labelled wines that offer drinkers the comfort of famous names, or blends of native grapes to capture the attention of the more adventurous imbiber. Not only that, but this giant region is able to deliver wines with masses of quality and personality for the price.