Here are wines chosen for their outstanding character, quality and value, many of which have won awards, there are many wine critics and competitions all over the world, both national and international and it would take an encyclopaedia to list them all. We have chosen seven of the best known competitions and awards to highlight the prize winning wines on this list as well as one Irish publication.

These are Decanter Magazine, International Wine Challenge, Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, Tanzer, James Halliday and Best of Wine in Ireland.

Quality by the glass guarantee

For our wines by the glass we use the Verre de Vin wine preservation system that keeps still and sparkling wine fresh and in prime drinking condition for up to 21 days after opening.

CHAMPAGNE:

Bin 3: Ayala Brut

SPARKLING: Snipe: 20cl

Bin 1: Prosecco Brut: Quanta Basta: Italy

Bin 24: Pinot Grigio: Villa Teresa; Italy
Bin 15: Sauvignon Blanc: 35 South, Chile
Bin 27: Chenin / Sauvignon Blanc: Bradgate; Sth Africa
Bin 12: Chardonnay: Alamos: Catena Estate; Mendoza Valley
Bin 9: Chablis : Domaine Chatelain de Oliveira ; France: Glass
Bin 10: Mâcon Lugny: Paul Sapin; France
Bin 21: Sancerre : Domaine du Nozay ; France
Bin 21: Dry Riesling: Pewsey Vale: Australia

ROSÉ WINE

Bin 23: Pinot Grigio Rosé:’ Carlo Botter: Verona: Italy

Bin 56: Merlot: 35 South: Chile
Bin 50: Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot: Bradgate: South Africa
Bin 47: Malbec: Alamos: Catena Estate; Mendoza Valley
Bin 33: Shiraz: Tortoise Shell Bay; Australia
Bin 51: Cabernet Sauvignon Castillo de Molina Reserve; Chile
Bin 38: Fleurie Domaine des Marrans. Cru Beaujolais; France
Bin 39: Pinot Noir: Windy Peak: De Bortoli Wines; Australia
Bin 31: Côtes du Ventoux. Delas Frères; France
Bin 34: Shiraz: Terra Barossa; Australia
Bin 41: Albali Arium Gran Reserva: Valdepenas: Spain Glass

SPARKLING WHITE & ROSÉ WINES - ITALY

Bin 2: Prosecco Brut: Fantinel; Italy

Champagne

Bin 3: Ayala: Brut Reserve
Bin 4: Ayala: Rosé Brut
Bin 5: Bollinger: Spécial Cuvée
Bin 6: Veuve Clicquot Brut
Bin 7: Dom Perignon: Vintage

CHARDONNAY

The winemakers “artist’s palate”, Chardonnay can take on many styles, depending on its provenance and the winemaker’s intentions. From cool, classic Chablis, through creamy, fruity unoaked Mediterranean offerings of huge, tropical fruit-filled New World giants.

Bin 8: Chablis Domaine Chatelain de Oliveira; France
Bin 9: Mâcon Lugny. Paul Sapin; France
Bin 10: Chardonnay: Tortoise Shell Bay; Chardonnay: Australia
Bin 11: Fleur du Cap Chardonnay; South Africa
Bin 12: Catena Alamos Chardonnay; Argentina
Bin 13: Baron Philippe de Rothschild Chardonnay; Chile
Bin 14: Yalumba Wild Ferment Eden Valley Chardonnay: Australia

SAUVIGNON BLANC & Blends

Whether your taste is for the exuberance of the New World or the more restrained & elegant style of the Loire Valley, you will find a wine here that fits your taste. In my opinion, ‘New World’ is just too sweeping a category for Sauvignon Blanc, so why not explore a country you don’t know so well for this versatile and refreshing grape variety.

Bin 15: 35 South Sauvignon Blanc; Chile
Bin 16: Castillo de Molina Sauvignon Blanc Reserva; Chile
Bin 17: Pouilly Fumé: Les Pierrefeux; Château Langlois; Loire, France
Bin 18: Sancerre Domaine Nozay; France
Bin 19: Craggy Range Te Muna Blanc Sauvignon Blanc; New Zealand
Bin 20: Anapai Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough; New Zealand
Bin 21: Waterford Sauvignon Blanc: Stellenbosch; South Africa

RIESLING

The Riesling grape is very much a favourite, in all its many guises: from squeaky clean, citrus laden young Australian wines of the Eden Valley, to the richness & elegance of the Rhine, on to the sheer finesse & opulence of Alsace’s, this is truly a noble grape, capable of very great things.

Bin 22: Pewsey Vale: Dry Riesling, Australia
Bin 23: Riesling (Organic) Dom Mittnacht : Alsace; France

Gewurztraminer

From a pink-skinned grape variety it is an exotic, distinctively aromatic and somewhat spicy full bodied white wine, usually from Alsace or Germany.

Bin 24: Dopff Irion Gewurztraminer: Alsace; France

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris / Pinot Blanc

These grapes tend to give flavourful, almost oily wines, rather high in alcohol and slightly low in acidity. More spicy in France than Italy or Argentina. It is full-bodied enough to accompany red meats if red wine is not used.

Bin 25: Pinot Grigio Villa Teresa; Italy
Bin 26: Terra Barossa Eden Valley Pinot Gris: Australia
Bin 27: Pinot Blanc: Dopff & Irion, Alsace; France

Chenin Blanc

Probably the world’s most versatile grape variety, it is usually found in light and fruity New World wines, particularly from South Africa where it is known as Steen. It also produces some of the finest, longest-living sparkling, dry, medium and sweet white wines in the Loire Valley and Limoux.

Bin 28: Chenin / Sauvignon Blanc: Bradgate, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Bin 29: Fleur du Cap Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch :South Africa

ROSÉ

Back in fashion, now we can’t keep up with demand for this any occasion wine.

Bin 23: Pinot Grigio Rosé’ Carlo Botter; Italy

 

Connoisseur’s Corner

The pick of the crop from the main list for there outstanding quality.

Bin 54: Roda Rioja Reserva Rioja: Spain
Bin 84: Amarone DOC. Monte Del Frá Italy
Bin 45: The Armagh Shiraz 2005 Clare Valley: Australia
Bin 59: Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Clos de l’Oratoire;2005 :France
Bin 66: Château Lynch-Moussas 5ème Cru Classé, 1999/2001 Bordeaux
Bin 49: Meerlust Pinot Noir: Stellenbosch South Africa

Syrah / Shiraz /Grenache and blends

Syrah is the great grape of the northern Rhône; the deep, dark, dense qualities of the wine are characteristically strange and satisfying. Scented with black pepper, capsicums and sometimes violets, the grapes flourish in warmer climes such as California, Australia and South Africa, where it is known as Shiraz. Grenache/Garnacha a Mediterranean grape which, although quite pale in colour, packs a vinous punch of pepper and warmth.

Bin 31: Côtes-du-Rhône ; Domaine Coccinelles
Bin 32: Côtes du Ventoux. Delas Frères ; France
Bin 33: Château Camplazens Grenache: France
Bin 34: Tortoise Shell Bay Shiraz; Australia
Bin 35: Terra Barossa Shiraz; Australia
Bin 36: Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Clos de l’Oratoire;2005 S. Rhône, France
Bin 37: Waterford Estate Shiraz; South Africa
Bin 38: The Armagh Shiraz 2005 Clare Valley: Australia

Gamay

The Beaujolais grape is paler and bluer than most red grapes, with relatively high acidity and a simple but vivacious aroma of freshly picked red fruits.

Bin 30: Fleurie Domaine des Marrans. P. Ferraud ; France

PINOT NOIR

Winemakers swear it is the hardest, most fickle grape variety to grow & make wine with, yet most want to have a go at it sometime in their career. From the Burgundian archetypes to the furthest outposts of the New World we are seeing better vine clones, more vine age, & most of all more winemaking experience. The results are in the bottle.

Bin 40: Windy Peak Pinot Noir: De Bortoli Wines; Australia
Bin 41: Meerlust Pinot Noir: Stellenbosch South Africa

TEMPRANILLO / GRANACHA

Tempranillo and Granacha are Spain’s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache vine varietals that puts the spine into a high proportion of Spain’s most respected red wines. Its grapes are thick-skinned and capable of making deep coloured, long lasting wines that are not, unusually for Spain, notably high in alcohol.

Bin 42: Albali Arium Gran Reserva: Valdepenas: SpainBin 43: Berberana Rioja Reserva; SpainBin 44: Care Syrah Tempranillo/Garnacha: SpainBin 45: RODA Reserva Rioja: Spain

ZINFANDEL:

Originating most likely in the Adriatic, this exotic minerally, black-skinned grape grown predominantly in California, can make dark, brooding wines for barbecued steak or, bizarrely, sweetish, light hearted quaffing rosés called “blush”. If you like red Rhône or Southern Italian wines, then try any of these Zins- laden with ripeness, depth, fruit & strength, they are all very fine wines, made by people who believe Zinfandel is a hidden jewel in a sea of increasingly anodyne wines.

Bin 46: Rancho Zabacho: Sonoma County
Bin 47: Zig Zag Zin: Mendocino County

MALBEC

Once popular in Bordeaux but now more readily associated with Cahors in South West France and more so with Argentina, where the varietal produces lush wines with gamey concentration and ageing potential.

Bin 43: Catena Alamos Malbec; Mendoza Valley

CABERNET SAUVIGNON and BLENDS

The noble Bordelaise grape has travelled far .Every wine growing region has its own style of Cabernet Sauvignon, with its blackcurrant and cedar characteristics. Renowned for its longevity, many of the greatest wines in the world, and many of the simpler ones are likely to have this structured, sturdy, elegant grape variety as at least part of the blend.

Bin 49: Mc Williams Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon; Australia
Bin 50: Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon ; South Africa
Bin 51: Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot; Bradgate : South Africa
Bin 52: Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva ; Chile
Bin 53: The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon; Jim Barry; Australia
Bin 54: Château Patache d’Aux Cru Bourgeois Médoc; France
Bin 55: Château Lynch-Moussas 5ème Cru Classé, 1999 & 2001 Bordeaux
Bin 56: Château Royland :Saint Emilion Grand Cru

MERLOT & CARMÈNÉRE

Carmenere is an arcane Bordeaux variety, grown in Chile until the early 1990s as Merlot, until genetic fingerprinting re-identified it. Now heralded by Chile as its own grape, it is too similar to Merlot to list elsewhere, and is often blended with Merlot- Merlot, [as the real Merlot is known in Chile], Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bin 57: 35 South Merlot; Chile
Bin 58: Casa Silva Gran Familia Carmènére; Chile

Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara

This trio make up the wonderful cherry-red wines of Verona, from the light and delicious Valpolicella to the powerful Amarone “Vino da Meditazione”, with the luscious Ripasso in between. Use with meaty risotto, wild boar, boiled meats and Parmigiano Reggiano. Also great with almonds.

Bin 59: Ripasso ; DOC. Tomassi; Italy
Bin 60: Amarone : Della Valpolicella Classico DOC. Monte Del Frá Italy

DESSERT WINES - BY THE GLASS

Bin 61: Yalumba Wrattonbully Late Harvest Viognier

PORT - BY THE GLASS

Bin 62: Taylor’s RubyBin 63: Taylor’s LBV 2000