Quality wine, plonk prices

With a superb sense of timing, Mary Dowey, wine writer for The Gloss and a former Irish Times columnist, has brought her considerable…

With a superb sense of timing, Mary Dowey, wine writer for The Gloss and a former Irish Times columnist, has brought her considerable palate and pen into play with 101 Great Wines for Under €12 (A&A Farmar, €9.99), a book that may very well prove essential in these straitened times.

I shall review it in greater depth soon, but in the meantime I can certainly recommend a purchase. Dowey has sifted through the shelves of our off-licences and supermarkets to come up with a treasure trove of mouth-watering bargains.

Mary Dowey will also host a five-course champagne dinner in Donnybrook Fair on Wednesday, November 12th, featuring the wines of Laurent-Perrier. Tickets are €100 per person. Contact Andrew or Linda on 01-6144849. Donnybrook Fair will also hold a burgundy game dinner on November 21st. www.donnybrookfair.ie.

John Wilson

John Wilson

John Wilson, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a wine critic