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Media Coverage 2001

Wine reviews & media excerpts	source
Tired of playing safe? Get funky! Tom Doorley on wines with that little something extra If you have yet to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone keep an eye out for a subtle scene where we see the awful Dursleys emerging from their suburban semi. You will notice that there is a Vauxhall Astra estate outside every single house in Privet Drive. I suspect that this is not a case of product placement. Well, I suppose we know what the Vauxhall Astra’s equivalent is in wine terms. Soemthing efficient, inoffensive and reaonsably priced – like middle-range varietal wallpaper: It does exactly what it says on the bottle. The huge growth in wine consumption in Ireland over the past few years is largely fuelled by such safe wine. However, I detect a growing interest in wine that is…well…just a little different, slightly challenging, a mite funky, so to speak. Now we don’t want to move too far away from the bounds of conventional wine-making because, to be frank, unconventional wine-making produces a lot of nasty wine for every bottle of eccentric brilliance. But we want unusual grapes or blends, perhaps an occasional outbreak of old-fashioned oxidative wine-making, minute yields, old vines, or, at the very least, something delicious from somewhere it is least expected. I would suggest that one approach to getting beyond the Vauxhall Astra stage of wine enthusiasm is to pay a visit to Ben and Michael at the Wicklow Wine Company in Wicklow town. They ere formerly with Searson’s and have an unerring nose for good wine at fair prices. Consider, for example, Hewitson Old Garden Barossa Mourvedre 1998 (£12.99 WWC) which comes from vines planted in the 1850’s by one of the early German settlers. Known for years in Australia as Mataro (and somewhat shunned), this grape is now producing rich, complex, peppery, bramble-scented wines of which this is a superb example. Funky wines at the party hooch level are rarer than ever but the WWC has two crackers which, while they can be served to the masses, are excellent on more intimate occasions too. Cuvée Orelie Vin de Pays d’Oc Coteaux de l’Ardeche 2000 (£5.99 WWC) is as fresh as the morning dew, crisp, lively, clean and bone dry; it’s one of the best whites you will get anywhere at this price and vastly superior to the oceans of similarly priced southern French varietals. From the same neck of the woods comes the Vignerons Ardechois Merlot 1999 (£5.99 WWC) which packs a terrific amount of sound, unambiguous varietal character at the price. This is a lovely, soft, plummy red with real stuffing and decent length at a bargain price. The best cheap red, by far, that I’ve tasted in recent months. Keep an eye out also for the Domaine Sainte Marthe Syrah (£6.99 independents) which belies its humble Vin de Pays d’Oc AC by delivering great concentration of classic, peppery fruit, round tannins and real grip. This is real wine; the oak-aged version is predictably more complex but I’m inclined to stick with the unwooded because of its vibrant fruit.	The Sunday Tribune 18th November 2001
Need wine, will travel - Mary Dowey Bustling cities aren’t the only places to hunting for that perfect bottle Wicklow Oh, the perils of running a wine shop! What do you do when two of your brightest young employees announce they are opening up a retail outlet of their own? That is a difficulty currently being addressed by Searsons of Monkstown – but at least the new competition is 30 miles away. Just before Christmas, Ben Mason and Michael Anderson launched the Wicklow Wine Company. The hardest thing about this bold business venture? “Handing in our notice,” Anderson says, wincing. By all accounts, a lot of people in Wicklow town have been extremely nice about the airy wine shop these two chaps have fashioned from the dilapidated premises of a former carpet store. They consider themselves “terribly lucky that 99 per cent of the reactions have been really positive”. But luck may not have that much to do with it. With several years’ experience of wine retailing, wholesaling and selling to restaurants, the pair started with a far-more businesslike approach than many of the wine aficionados who drift romantically but haphazardly into the shop might imagine. Maybe it’s just a chance case of parallel tastebuds, but within a relatively modest space I spotted a lot of bottles to salivate over. Outstanding producers such as Comte Cathare in the Languedoc, Jean-Marc Joblot in Givry, Domaine de Baumard in Savènnieres, Zenato in the Veneto, Telmo Rodriguez in Ribero de Duero and Rioja, Leeuwin in Australia, Saintsbury in California, Catena in Argentina… you’ll see all these and more. But do not imagine this is a shop aimed at uppity connoisseurs with wads of cash. There are plenty of bottles at £6.99. Vaughan Johnson’s Good Everyday Cape Red and Good Everyday Cape White, both at £5.99, are runaway bestsellers. “We want to be accessible to everybody,” Ben Mason stresses. “At the beginning, we stocked a lot of new World wines because customers kept coming in asking what we had from Chile. Now that they are beginning to trust us, they’re moving into Spain and Italy.” Their clientele also includes some serious punters – a customer recently bought two cases of Jaboulet hermitage La Chapelle 1998 at £60 a bottle. Good olive oils, vinegars, mustards, cigars and Riedel glasses – absolute favourites with committed wine lovers – all contribute to the feeling that this is a shop for sybarites. And, oh yes – there are even chocolate truffles from Barcelona with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon fillings. The Wicklow Wine Company, Main Street, Wicklow (0404 66767). Bottles of the Week Freie Weingärtner Wachau Gruner Veitliner Smaragd, 1998 An amazing mouthful – and I don’t just mean that tortuous name. Luscious flavours of peaches, apricots and honey are countered by lively, lemony acidity in this glorious Viognier-like Austrian white. The perfect smart aperitif – or try it with scallops or crab. From Wicklow Wine Company. Domaine de Sainte Marthe Syrah, Vin de Pays d’Oc 1999 Another cracker from the south of France, offering real depth of flavour at a dazzling price. Complex aromas promise well, and this caramel-edged red delivers on the palate too, with a juicy middle and peppery finish. From Wicklow Wine Company.	The Irish Times 12th May 2001
Heard it on the Grapevine Tara Cremin When we talk about careers in the service industry we mainly think of chefs, hotel managers, waiters and receptionists. But what about the people who dedicate their lives to encouraging the average wine drinker to enjoy the vine more, and experiment? Is there such a thing as a career in wine? Michael Anderson, partner in the Wicklow Wine Co, had a vague interest in wine before he left Ireland to live in France at the age of 22. After 9 years he returned with a love for the grape and an eagerness to learn more. He cold-called every wine supplier he could find, to ask them how would he get a job in the industry. Michael is quick to pint out that the people he talked to were willing to part with their time and information. He summarised their advice into two invaluable pointers: 1. Take Wine Development Board courses . It was on the certificate course that Michael made contact with a girl from the board, who had heard that Searsons Wine Merchants were looking for staff. Michael contacted Searsons and was offered a job. Searsons subsequently paid for the rest of Michael’s courses while giving him the necessary time off for exams or classes. 2. Get working with the product. Michael believes that a major part of learning the industry is on the job itself. The points out that the wine business is one of few apprenticeship careers left. Therefore, you must start at the bottom and work your way up. Michael enjoyed five good, but tough, years with Searsons. It was there that he met his future partner in business, Ben Mason, with whom he opened his shop in November 2000. It took about a year for them to get up and running, from the initial idea. Michael is keen to point out that they would not have been able to open the shop without the experience they gained in Searsons. However, they still have a lot to learn through making their own judgments and probably the odd mistake here and there, he says. Currently delivering countrywide, the two wine lovers are looking forward to a future where they may bring a selection of their own hand picked wines to supply small restaurants and specialist shops. When asked what advice Michael would give to someone thinking of a career in the wine trade, Michael says that patience is a virtue. Just remember…you got into this business more for the love of wine that the love of money, he says. The Wicklow Wine Company, Main Street, Wicklow Town 0404 66767	April 2001

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