Practising barrister TOM HANNONon his favourite wine
IT MUST have been sometime in the 1980s that I first became "aware" of wine, when it started to make increasingly regular appearances at the family dinner table. This was the era of a new culinary sophistication in Ireland when the exotic delights of oven-baked pizza (with herb-filled sachet included!) and spaghetti bolognaise started to make their way into the repertoire of most mothers I knew, my own being no exception. Wine was French and French meant sophisticated and this was something we were now becoming, too.
Luckily, I was still too young to find out if I would "J'adore le Piat d'Or", discover the magical sensuality of B&G, or that wine in a box was not actually awful, but the seed was sown for my own future consumption. This began, typically, in earnest in college with my discovery of the robust reds of South Africa which Dunnes Stores generously stocked and charged little enough for.
Discovering, too, the existence of other countries and other wines was something that would only begin in my 20s and I now rank the wines of Spain and Italy as among my favourites; with regular "wet Wednesday" comfort bottles featuring Chianti or Ribera del Duero. Where I live in Dublin spoils me for choice with Redmonds of Ranelagh, D-Six, Donnybrook Fair and Bin No 9 all but 10 minutes' drive away. I also use Berry Brothers, who are quite happy to deliver to one's door.
I foresee a little bit of indulgence occurring this weekend when I intend foisting my latest discovery, Setanta Cabernet Sauvignon, on family and friends and, of course, myself. I am also planning dinner in the Cellar Restaurant, the Tea Rooms or Fallon & Byrne, or possibly even a weekend at Rathsallagh House, all of whose wine selections I heartily recommend.
Setanta Black Sanglain Cabernet Sauvignon, Adelaide Hills, Australia 2005 14% €20.
From:D-Six, Harold's Cross Road, D6W; The Bunch of Grapes, Clonee; Holland's, Bray; Nectar Wines, Sandyford; Wicklow Wine Company, Wicklow; The Silver Granite, Palmerstown.