Cattier Champagne Brut 2000, Meyer-Fonne, Riesling Grand Cru, Wineck-Schlossberg, Alsace, 2002,and Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2004
Cattier Champagne Brut 2000, 12%, €34.99Winston Churchill is credited with saying about Champagne: "In victory we deserve it, in defeat we need it." So this keenly priced, biscuity cuvée with a soft elegant mousse, from a fine vintage, will match those emotions at the counting centres. From: Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dawson Street, D2; Red Island Wines, Skerries, Co Dublin; McCabes, Blackrock, Co Dublin; The Gables, Foxrock, Co Dublin; Fahy's, Ballina, Co Mayo.
Meyer-Fonne, Riesling Grand Cru, Wineck-Schlossberg, Alsace, 2002, 13%, €23.20Head throbbing from the tallyman's forecasts? Find solace in this sublime example of Alsatian Riesling - at a surprisingly generous price. Fallon & Byrne, Exchequer Street, D2; Listons, Camden Street, D2; Handmade Wines, Lismore, Co Waterford; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, D2; Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dawson Street, D2.
Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2004, Adelaide Hills, 14.5%, €24.99A hot year, but winemaker Brian Closer handled it brilliantly with this rich, balanced, toasty treat. A luxurious way to salute the end of the old and the start of the new. From: Cheers, Bray, Co Wicklow; Portlaoise Vine Vaults, Co Laois; Hollands, Bray, Co Wicklow; Lynch's, Glanmire, Co Cork.