Tag Archives: St. Patrick’s Day

My Wild Irish Wine šŸ·šŸ€šŸ§šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø

With the luck oā€™ the Irish at yer back, may you find health, happiness and a pot of gold. Okay, thatā€™s not really a blessing but a mashup of a few.

St. Patrickā€™s Day is a sure sign that spring is on its way. And spring is often viewed as a season of magic and alchemy. Wine is also a blend of magic and alchemy. Especially Irish wine.

Growing conditions in the Emerald Isle can pose many challenges to winemaking. And thatā€™s where the magic comes in.

I first wrote about my quest for the 2015 Lusca Cab/Merlot in 2018 so this is a bit of a fun throwback.

Established in 2002 by fruit alchemist David LLewellyn, Lusca cultivates several varieties of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Dunkelfelder and Rondo – a grape that can heartily withstand Irelandā€™s damp, misty weather.

Click the video to learn more about Irish wine and how its made!šŸ‘‡šŸ€

A few years ago I was determined to find my little pot of gold, and I did. To read more about my search click here. Since then this lucky bottle has remained, relatively undisturbed, in my little cellar wine fridge. I hope itā€™s been enough to ensure its good condition. All told, it has aged about 9 years. I had many thoughts before opening: has it already peaked? Is it a delightful vinegar? But maybe luck would be on my side.

There was only one way to find outā€¦

Time to release the wine!

To be safe, I decanted for about 2 hours. I wanted to let it open up as fully as possible to make a fair assessment. So how was it?

It didnā€™t turn to vinegar! I wasnā€™t as concerned about the wine as my storage. I donā€™t have a fancy wine cellar, and occasionally had to move the bottle around. I had been worried that after all this time, maybe some oxygen had gotten inside. But I was so happy that all seemed to be well. Magic!

It was a lighter bodied Cab/Merlot. I enjoyed delicate notes of blackberry, dried herbs, and a pleasant, earthy cedar undercurrent. I found myself swirling my glass often to coax out every essence. It had a clear, deep ruby color giving way to a slight brownish rim variation (the outer edge of the wine). This suggests aging of the wine. I didnā€™t notice any nutty or toffee flavors that indicate an oxidized wine.

As I tasted, I noticed the sun was shining – here in the Cleve we catch it while we can- so I bundled up, sipped my glass outside.

To find out more or to order a bottle visit: The Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green. They are super friendly and helpful.

I send you all the blessings to have a safe, fun and magical St. Patrickā€™s Day! āœØ

SlĆ”inte!šŸ·šŸ€

Here’s Mead in Your Eye

Itā€™s St. Patrickā€™s Day and I made my annual feast of Dirty Nellieā€™s Irish Stew. I know ~ youā€™re wondering what makes it dirty, right? Iā€™ll leave that to your own imagination. Alright, itā€™s made with GuinnessĀ ~ minds out of the gutter, all of ya.

This year, I wanted to pair it with something other than Guinness (not that thereā€™s anything wrong with it). I wanted wine, which, for the most part, was a no-brainer, except that I wanted something with an Irish vibe. And that proved to be an interesting quest. While looking at my local wine store, I asked for something a little different. I was introduced toĀ Mead. Mead, is a fermented honey and water beverage that dates as far back as 2000 BC. And while Ireland is quite proud of what they produce, many countries in Europe, and as far as Ethiopia lay claim to it as well.

Mead can be extremely diverse, depending on the type of honey used and ingredients added (i.e. maple syrup, fruit, chili peppers, herbs and spices). The names of some of them sound like characters from Lord of the Rings. After a few glasses, itā€™d be easy to slip into a monologue of, ā€œFill my goblet with that Acerglyn nectar, and I will drink to the dregs!ā€ Oh man, I didnā€™t even have that much with dinner.

Mead can look quite different in your glass. The bottle of Chaucer I bought was fairly thick and very sweet; it made me think of a late harvest Vidal or light Ice wine. I really didnā€™t think it would work at all with the savoury nature of the stew. And for me, it didnā€™t. On the label, it said to serve it a little warm, which I did, but I just couldnā€™t handle the juxtaposition of the two very different vibes. Itā€™s not to say it wasnā€™t good, just not with this particular dish. The Chatoe Rogue Mead with Jasmine poured and tasted like a very light beer. I served it chilled, like beer, and sipped between bites. This seemed to work a little better for me but not as well as a nice red wine.

Looking at the difference between the two glasses got me wondering: Is Mead a wine…or is it a beer?

Mead is honey, water and yeast much like beer…and wine. The confusion seemed to begin during the days of yore. Mead was boiled before fermentation, much like making beer but not wine. The very high temperatures caramelized the sugars, giving it a darker color. Today, Mead undergoes the same fermentation process as wine, with very little added heat. And like wine, there are many varieties and variations of taste, color, consistency and dryness. Other types, like beer, are brewed and add hops to the mix. Mead ranges in price from $10 to 30 per bottle.

It was interesting to try two very different types of Mead and I think next year, itā€™llĀ  be worth sampling more with a variety of traditional Irish dishes.

Slainte!

Ā©TheWineStudent, 2013