PEOPLE have been sidling up to me at parties and getting straight down to business after a sip and a half from the glass in hand. Sometimes it sounds like a genuine inquiry; sometimes more like a trap into which they are hoping I might tumble, revealing truly reprehensible tastes. Either way the substance is the same. What are the best bottles I've tasted this year? Which ones really deserve the singing and dancing prose?
Thinking of it in terms of a journey, I'd have to start in France. Rediscovering old favourites and tasting some great classics for the first time was a reminder of just how difficult France is to beat for sheer finesse
Continuing beyond the southern boundaries of France, my wine route led to unexpected treasures in both Spain and Italy. In Spain, areas of special interest included Valdepenas, Navarra and the star strewn Ribera del Duero. In Italy, the major discovery was that, while Tuscany produces as high a proportion of stunning wines as Milan does breathtaking designer clothes there's a whole, fat handful of other regions worth venturing into especially the Veneto in the north east and Apulia on the heel. Again, the gutsy flavours of these wines, based on indigenous grapes, make them a thousand times more distinctive and intriguing than just another cloned Chardonnay or Cabernet. Robust and climbing Irish sales suggest this line of reasoning may be right.
Further afield, the El Dorado of high guatyata, low price was unquestionably Chile. If I were forced to pick out the single most striking wine revelation of the year, I'd plump for Chile's increasing skill at producing inexpensive wines with way above average flavours. South Africa is finding it difficult, I think, to establish its niche in a market where it is squeezed by outstanding Chilean value on one side and well honed Australian winemaking and marketing skills on the other. And 1996 was the year that I discovered you have to travel to South Africa for a representative sampling of that country's best.
But regions, grapes, prices and other generalities aren't the only factors when it coming to picking the year's winners. One other discovery I've made is that the passion and eloquence of a committed producer, absorbed as you sip, can add a special dimension to a wine - an element of personality which you'll remember every time you taste it. In this respect, 1996 has been a terrifically interesting year, with opportunities to meet some exceptional winemakers on their home ground, and to taste with many more during their visits here.
High up the list for dynamism, charm and wonderful wines was May de Lencquesaing, the extraordinary woman who rescued the ailing Bordeaux second growth Pichon Longueville Lalande when she was in her mid fifties, and who is still its unflagging protagonist 20 years on. Equally compelling were Andre and Pierre Henry Gagey, the father and son who have contributed so much to the success of the reputable Burgundian firm of Louis Jadot, and Johnnie Hugel from Alsace - a man so entranced by his work that even after his fourth retirement lunch in Dublin, nobody really believes he won't be back.
Bernard Portet of Clos du Vat and Jim Allen of Sequoia Grove flew the flag triumphantly for California. Viv Thompson of Best's Great Western, Bruce Tyrrell of Tyrrell's and Wayne Stehbens of Katnook and Riddoch were a reminder of how foolish we would be ever to forget Australia. San do Boscaini of Masi and Marchese Piero Antinori were Italian ambassadors of enormous flair, while quiet Miguel Torres let his wines speak eloquently for themselves. There were others, many others, who brought the Irish wine trade worthwhile wines wrapped in an irresistible tissue of enthusiasm and conviction.
It's fashionable for wine writers to end the year with a long and illustrious list of the grandest bottles sampled. I was thrilled to taste a few myself, including Chateau Petrus 1987, Domaine de la Romanee Conti Richebourg 1989, Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze 1953, Grange Hermitage Bin 95 1975, Guigal's three single vineyard C6te Roties, La Mouline, La Turque and La Landonne, all from 1992, and various exquisite vintages of Champagne Salon, Dom Perignon and, just recently, Dom Ruinart Brut Rose 1986, one of Decanter's wines of the year. But also among the wines I most enjoyed were a few bottles of rose at around £5.99, sipped with friends one sunny Friday evening in the garden. Let's raise a glass to a New Year of happy drinking, at any price.