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John Wilson relates his meeting with Pascal Verhaeghe (Chateau du Cedre, Cahors) and Luc de Conti (Tour des Gendres, Bergerac) during their Dublin visit last March. Download here.

First, a lovely white from Gascony, South West France. Domaine de Menard "Cuvee Marine" 2009 a refreshing, flavoursome white, blend of Colombard, Ugni blanc and Gros Manseng, three varietals native of the South West. We are also thrilled to have secured the agency for Ireland for the brilliant Chaume-Arnaud estate in Vinsobres, Southern Rhone. Their Cotes du Rhone is a warm, spicy and sweetly fruited wine, while the Vinsobres is a more meaty, intense, full-bodied red from this new Rhone Appellation. Coming soon, the wines of the great Jean Foillard in Morgon, Domaine de la Plaigne`s toothsome Beaujolais-Villages, Rioja Crianza and Reserva from Hacienda Grimon and two Verdejos from Rueda producer Torres Manur...

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A wonderful opportunity to meet two of the most progressive winemakers in France, who produce authentic and exceptional wines that reflect and respect their terroir which will be matched with a menu inspired by the hearty, regional cooking of the French southwest. Luc de Conti and Pascal Verhaeghe will present a selection of their wines. M. de Conti is a staunch defender of agrobiology and biodiversity, rejecting chemical fertilisers and weedkillers in favour of natural treatments. He has introduced into the vineyard plants with deep roots to aerate the subsoil and others that naturally control pests. The vines become more vigorous and healthy, digging deeper into the soil to reach different geological layers, and the biodiversity of the vineyard environment changes radically. This philosophy and practice is evident in the domaine’s wines that reproduce the specificity and characteristics of the terroir (soil, subsoil and mother rock) whence they come. M. Verhaeghe also strives to obtain ecological balance in the vineyard and to maintain the potential of the grape to make exceptional wines in the Cellars. His aim is to create wines that are both modern yet respectful of tradition, and can be drunk young. The domaine combines the bourguignon philosophy of promoting the specificity of different terroir with bordelais production techniques of blending a single grape variety –malbec, also known as cot or auxerrois- from different origins and climats. In some cuvées, small proportions of tannat and merlot are also sometimes blended with the malbec. No insectides or fertilisers are used, and surface roots are removed to force the main roots to plunge deep for nutrients. The wines thus reflect the composition, complexity and minerality of the deeper subsoil and geological layers. €65 per person Tuesday 16 th March 2010 at 8 pm The Exchequer Room Fallon & Byrne Dublin 2 Please book your place in advance with David Gallagher, Wine Manager, Fallon and Byrne Contact: wine@fallonandbyrne.com or 01 4721012

The Bridgestone, IRISH FOOD GUIDE 9th Edition Introduction: " Irish farming is in a state of crisis. The crisis is not merely financial, though that is presently the most potent manifestation of the crisis. But more fundamentally, the crisis in agriculture is a matter of power. Quite simply, the Government has ceded control over the fate of Irish agriculture to massive multinational supermarket chains, and in so doing it has sacrificed Irish farming and Irish farmers. It has allowed those supermarket chains to acquire and exercice power, but this power is wielded without responsability, and power without responsability, as Kipling remarked so long ago, has been "the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages". Are the supermarkets harlots, then? Most definitely. They are amoral and destructive and they dance only to the bidding of the money markets, as a true harlot does. They owe no loyalty, and they know nothing other than submission to their will to profit. They have no culture, and they are mesmerically clever; for how else can one explain why people shop in stores that destroy Irish towns, refuse to disclose their profit margins, and generally act in ways that are totally contrary to the best interests of the country. Above all, that means acting in ways that are inimical to the interests of farmers and farming. Ireland has been colonised, one more time. One more time, we are but a pawn in an empire, this time an economic empire. ... " And we couldn`t agree more Le Caveau review: " A modest but intelligent man, with a real passion for wine". That`s how John Wilson, wine writer of the Irish Times, described Pascal Rossignol, when he wrote a piece celebrating the tenth anniversary of Pascal and Geraldine`s shop, which Mr Wilson called "one of the finest wine businesses in Ireland". Right on both counts, John. Le Caveau is a gem, one of those tardis-like shops that is tiny, and which unveils its wine portfolio slowly, steadily, delightfully. They import 180 wines from more than 75 producers, and yet they never rest, always looking for new wines, new bargains, new frontiers, most recently their wonderful array of Italian wines. Talk to Pascal or Geraldine - like her husband, equally modest and intelligent - and they always stress the need for wines to show "character and authenticity". Add in the need for good value in these straitened times, and Le Caveau delivers at every point. Ten more years, please, ten more glorious years." John and Sally McKenna

DECEMBER 2009 OPENING TIMES: Monday to Saturday: 10.30 to 6.30 pm Special openings: Sunday 13th December 12.00 to 6.00 pm Christmas Week: Thursday 17th December 10.30 to 8.00pm Friday 18th December 10.30 to 8.00pm Saturday 19th December 10.30 to 6.30pm Sunday 20th December 12.00 to 6.00pm Monday 21st December 10.30 to 7.00pm Tuesday 22nd December 10.30 to 8.00pm Wednesday 23rd December 10.30 to 8.00pm Thursday 24th December 10.30 to 3.30pm Christmas Day to Monday 28th December included closed New! Tuesday 29th December 10.30 to 6.30pm Wednesday 30th December 10.30 to 6.30pm Thursday 31st December 10.30 to 5.30pm Then closed for annual holidays, re-opening on Tuesday 5th January 2010 at 10.30 Website last orders for guaranteed delivery before Christmas is Monday 21st December. Orders placed after this date will be processed and delivered in the New Year. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year 2010!

Ideas for a corking Christmas Tomas Clancy, Sunday Business Post, 29th November 2009 Whatever your budget, there’s a wine out there for your Christmas table, and to give as the perfect gift. Here is a roundup of the best on offer across different price ranges. Meyer-Fonne, Riesling, Vignoble de Katzenthal Vin D’Alsace 2007 (90) Meyer-Fonne is the epitome of a bespoke Alsace producer - a family-run winery founded in the 19th century and still run by the same family, working the same land. Precision is the word that comes to mind when tasting this riesling. It is not tart, as so many modern rieslings are, but rather it is mellifluous, with a touch of ripe apricots, honey and a dash of lime marmalade. A perfect Christmas wine, ideal chilled with a hard, tart cheese. Tomas also recommended one of our all time favourite port: Niepoort Colheita 1995 (93) As a gift, port can be slightly tricky - give something solid and classic, like a vintage port, and it might be mistaken for an LBV at a fifth of the price. A much easier way to give port is to head away from the dark side to the tawny port rebels, and that path almost immediately leads to Dirk van der Niepoort, the man who made port lively and hip. This is a vintage tawny port, which is a rarity, and is a magical wine that will last open in the fridge all Christmas.

We were delighted to receive Cedric and his wife Dorothee in our shop this week, they were spending a long week-end in Ireland and enjoyed greatly the Kilkenny hospitality. We import their lovely, good-value, Sancerre-like Touraine Sauvignon blanc since this summer and customer`s reaction has been quite positive.

Savour Kilkenny Festival 2009 Artisan wines and food tasting at Le Caveau Call in and sample three terrific artisan wines with some organic French pates and jams. Sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley, Trebbiano from Abruzzo and Syrah fom Southern Rhone together with pates and jams from an organic farm in Cantal (Southern France). Informal and free. Friday 23rd October 2009: 2.00 to 6.00 pm Saturday 24th October 2009: 10.30 to 6.00 pm Sunday 25th October 2009: 12.00 to 4.00 pm Visit Savour Kilkenny Festival Website

WINES OF THE WEEK Cahors, L’Héritage du Cèdre 2007, Château du Cèdre, 12.5%, €12.95-€13.50. Château du Cèdre produces some of the great wines of south-west France. If you can afford it, I would certainly recommend the Le Prestige (€19.95) or even the silky-smooth Le Cèdre (€38.50); you will not be disappointed. However, the L’Héritage is also well worth a try; light clean, slightly austere blackcurrants with a light spice and dry finish. Perfect with belly of pork or duck breast. Stockists : Fallon Byrne, Exchequer Street, Dublin.; Corkscrew, Chatham Street, Dublin; Liston’s, Camden Street, Dublin; Avoca, branches nationwide; Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; 64 Wine, Glasthule. John Wilson, Irish Times Saturday 17th October 2009

Our third and last wine presentation to the 12-weeks Certificate Course students of Ballymaloe Cookery School for 2009 took place on Wednesday 14th October. Au programme, Burgundy, Beaujolais and the South West of France. The wines tasted were: Vincent Girardin, Bourgogne blanc Saint-Vincent 2006 Domaine Parize, Givry rouge Champ Nalot 2007 Jean-Charles Braillon, Regnie Les Forchets 2003 Alain Brumont, Vdp de Gascogne Gros Manseng - Sauvignon blanc 2008 Chateau du Cedre 2006, Cahors Charles Hours, Jurancon Clos Uroulat 2007 6 wines that represented their regions of origins rather well. [gallery ids="1535,1536,1537"]

John Wilson recommends three of our imports in his Autumn wine guide... Tamellini, Soave DOC 2006 (12.5%) Good Soave is a wonderful thing, and we now have a number of really good examples in this country. This has lovely rich, textured fruit, cut through with a welcome mineral streak. Probably big enough to handle chicken, but happiest with some hake or cod. Champagne J.M. Gobillard Premier Cru Brut N.V. (12%) A lacy, floral nose, leading onto a wonderful, elegant Champagne with delicate honey and biscuits to complement the fresh green fruits. Very attractive and very keenly priced too. Tour des Gendres Cuvée Classique, Bergerac AC 2007 (12.5%) “Bordeaux-lovers should head straight for this wine, with its delicious, beautifully defined, poised blackcurrant fruits and pleasing dry finish. An organic wine made from a blend of Merlot and Malbec, this is one of my all-time favourite wines, a fine match for most red meats, but perfect with roast lamb.” John Wilson The Irish Times: John Wilson’s Autumn Wines Saturday, October 3rd, 2009