Two bad things can happen as you survey the shelves of your local wine shop. Weariness may set in - a dull throb of deja-vu at the sight of so many familiar labels. Oh, for something new! Or pinpricks of suspicion that some bottles are pure rubbish may ruin the pleasure of anticipation. Oh, for something reliable, something the salesperson knows inside out! Could it be time to try a new approach to wine-buying? Two specialist Dublin companies with a relatively low profile sell exciting, quality wines direct.
Ronan Foster, previously an Irish Times reporter and for a time the scribe of this column, set up Best Cellars in 1991 when it was clear that his enthusiasm for wine couldn't be contained within the confines of a newspaper. Quality was his focus from the start.
"I'm still surprised that all sorts of people who have swum into and out of the business since I started seem to think what's needed is cheaper and cheaper wine," he says. "I felt there was a good opportunity to offer better quality wines."
Corporate bigwigs, who he interviewed for news stories and then got talking to about wine, formed his early customer base and are still the backbone of the business. But there must be plenty of other wine fans who would welcome the idea of having a case of wines from top producers - wines you are unlikely to find anywhere else - delivered to the door.
Bordeaux is a special strength, developed through regular treasure-hunting visits as well as negociant contacts. As a result, the Best Cellars list features a fairly wide spread of properties and vintages - from big guns such as LeovilleBarton, Grand Puy Lacoste and d'Angludet to the bestselling Chateau BistonBrillette, a Moulis cru bourgeois which raised Ronan Foster's spirits quite by chance one evening in the Medoc when he chose it from a restaurant wine list.
But there are other gems. First comes Gosset, a respected, small house which is the source of wonderfully rich, full-flavoured champagnes. "I told them I'd give it a try if they could let me have a shipment right away. They said they could. Forty cases arrived and in less than a week I'd sold them all. Gosset has been absolutely brilliant for me."
Besides providing fast-moving, classy bubbles, Gosset has opened other significant doors for Best Cellars. Visiting Champagne in 1995, Foster told the company's export director, Philippe Manfredini, that he was looking for some good Italian wines to import. Why not Gaja, the Gosset man suggested? (Angelo Gaja, currently Decanter Man of the Year, is the most revered winemaker in all of Italy, the undisputed King of Barolo and Barbaresco.) Come on, Foster spluttered, get real.
Why not give it a try? came the riposte. The telephone was seized. In pidgin Italian, Manfredini was heard describing Best Cellars to Gaja in three vital phrases: "piccola firma, molta seriosa, senza problema con la pagamento". It was all he needed to know: this Irish outfit was small, serious and it paid on time. Ronan Foster now offers six of Gaja's famous wines, including the popular Sito Moresco and the legendary Barbaresco and Barolo Sperss (resulting in begging phonecalls from as far away as the US). And, in one of those chains of recommendation that loop so many wine people together, Gaja has led Best Cellars on to Pierre Sparr, an excellent grower in Alsace (see below).
The list, which also includes the fine Loire producer Henri Bourgeois and a first-rate southern French discovery, Domaine des Aspes (see Bottles of the Week), is likely to expand further. "I'd love to find some good Oregon or Washington State wines, or California Cabernets which I absolutely adore," Foster says. His approach to his customers - a personal service with plenty of information and advice - is similar to that of Conor Richardson of Burgundy Direct. For the past 10 years he has sold quality wines, sourced at first hand, with the enthusiasm and commitment that comes of direct contact, both with the people who make them and those who are about to drink them. "I'm able to offer small quantities of very good wines from small producers," he says. "They are absolute jewels for consumers."
It began as a hobby. "I'd grown to love Burgundy, partly through visiting a brother who lives just north of Chablis. I decided to sell a little so that I could drink a little." Gradually, however, the Burgundy Direct portfolio grew as Richardson seized opportunities to link up with some of the biggest names in what is generally recognised as the wine world's most potentially thrilling but pitfallridden region.
"In the 1980s, most Burgundy destined for Ireland came through negociants," he explains. "I decided I was interested in bringing specific wines from specific growers with a reputation for those wines. Standards have shot up since the early 1990s."
Richardson established contact with some of today's brightest stars while they were still in the twinkling phase. Denis Mortet, for instance - hotly pursued for his Chambertins - was relatively unknown when Richardson first visited him in 1993. "Eighteen months later, his name was plastered all over the wine magazines," says Richardson. Jean-Marc Joblot is another emerging genius (see Bottles of the Week), while Michel Lafarge flies the flag for the older generation in an expanding portfolio which already includes more than a dozen prominent Burgundy producers.
"There are still good wines out there, but you have to ferret," Richardson says. Having ferreted, you then have to sell them to Irish consumers who still find Burgundy hard going. "The single biggest difference between Burgundy and every other wine region is that you have to remember the name of the grower," he warns. "Then the question of texture and taste has to be addressed. A lot of people don't realise that different areas produce different styles of wine. "The Cote Chalonnaise reds are very light; the Cote de Beaune wines are similarly light in texture but with a greater concentration of fruit; and those of the Cote de Nuits are heavier - more muscular, more tannic. I usually steer beginners to the Cote de Nuits - Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-StGeorges and so on - otherwise they may be disappointed that Burgundy is so light." He prefers the Beaune style himself for its elegance and refinement, combined with persistence of flavour.
"I love young red Burgundy with its flavours of cherries, raspberries and spice and soft tannins," he enthuses. "The explosion of fruit makes it very approachable in its youth - and you can also enjoy it five or six years on." Maybe this ringing endorsement will encourage more Irish wine-lovers to venture into the red: as things stand, Burgundy Direct sells five times more white.
For some years Richardson has ventured beyond Burgundy - taking on attractive Italians from Di Majo Norante in south-east Italy and Viedi Romans in Friuli, in the north-east. Spain is the latest addition to his territory. He also offers a few of Ronan Foster's wines as part of a reciprocal agreement which enables each importer to play to his strengths yet offer a comprehensive service.
Although Burgundy doesn't come cheap, he seems determined that his wines will offer real drinking pleasure proportionate to the price. It is strangely reassuring that he returned from a recent white Burgundy buying trip empty-handed. The wines were simply too dear.
Best Cellars, 01-4946508, fax 01-4950592; Burgundy Direct, 01- 2896615, fax 01-2898470. Wines sold only by the case - but cases may be mixed.
From Best Cellars
Domaine des Aspes Chardonnay-Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc 1996 (£9 bottle/£108 case). This inspired blend makes for a wonderfully attractive, fruity white wine. See Bottles of the Week.
Pierre Sparr Alsace Gewurztraminer Reserve 1996 (£10 bottle/£120 case).
From the reliable house of Sparr, a Porsche 911 of a Gewurz - a beautifully crafted fusion of full-throttle power and elegance. Here the comparison ends; the wine comes at a remarkably reasonable price.
Chateau Beausejour Montagne St-Emilion 1995 (£10 bottle/£120 case). From the same stable as Chateau Yon Figeac, a lovely, satisfying red with rich damson and spice notes - soft, velvety and warming.
From Burgundy Direct
MaconClesse Quintaine, Guillemot-Michel, 1995 (£10.95 bottle/£131.40 case). If Macon-anything suggests acceptable but rather unexciting white Burgundy to you, try this one and see how good it can be. Full, round flavours underpinned by firm acidity.
Ramitello, Di Majo Norante, Riserva 1994 (£7.75 bottle/£93 case).
From southern Italy - prime bargain-hunting territory - a tempting red which smells like cherry toffees but has all the tannic structure it needs to taste terrific with food.
Givry 1er Cru, Clos de la Servoisine, Domaine Jean-Marc Joblot, 1996 (£13.75 bottle/£165 case).
The mystique of red Burgundy explained in a single mouthful! That magic combination of lightness and intensity. See Bottles of the Week.