On the Grapevine blog

The real reason why drink crisis gibberish gibberish

2012-02-10T14:00:00.000Z

"Never trust a man who doesn't drink" - a renowned philospher*

If you want to get yourself annoyed today, I suggest you get hold of the Irish times and turn to John Waters' column which has a headline not dissimilar to the above. Sometimes, it is difficult to know where to begin but I suppose the beginning is as reasonable a place as any.

The first line reads "We are used to politicians running scared of proposals to tackle Ireland's lethal relationship with alcohol". It is a popular myth that successive governments are under the evil control of the drinks industry, just as in the USA, right-wing commentators constantly moan about the 'liberal media" which they themselves dominate. If governments were so scared of publicans, why did they introduce the absolutely correct policies of smoking ban and rigorous enforcement of drink-driving laws? Correct as these policies are, the result has been a drastic and continuing reduction of the number of pubs, especially in rural areas.

Last Friday's Irish Times ran a report saying that alcohol consumption in Ireland reduced by 17% in the years 2001-2011 and yet today John Waters tells us that alcohol consumption increased by the same magic figure between 1996 and 2007, the "decade of the Celtic Tiger" (John very subtly links alcohol with the CT and with the EU/IMF bailout to make it seem even more evil). So which are we to believe? Are both correct, just different ways of looking at the same figures? Is it more relevant to talk about figures to 2011 or 2007, given that in the intervening 4 years, the country has changed utterly?

He goes on to say that poor people spend a greater proportion of their income on alcohol than rich people. What a massive surprise. I suspect the same is true of food expenditure, utilities and everything else, because guess what - rich people earn more than poor people! But no, John uses this completely random and useless fact to argue that Irish people use alcohol to "even out the effects of felt-inequality and to ameliorate social pain".

In John's world, the whole country is in some sort of alcohol-induced reverie that stops us from thinking straight. Foreigners are apparently queuing up to avail of John's wisdom about the lack of riots on the streets in Ireland, compared to, say, Greece and John tell them mysteriously to "look at the drinking statistics". Given that we are drinking less than we used to, I presume the foreigners deduct that we need to drink more!

No, despite the facts, we are all, politicians and plebs alike, under the malign spell of the publicans and can't think straight, that's John main argument today and the job of the government is to keep us that way.

I don't know why some Irish people drink in the pattern that they do - nothing all week and then get plastered at the weekend - but we are not unique in this; if you don't believe me spend a weekend in Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool or, indeed and British city and you will see scenes that make Temple Bar look like Salt Lake City. Binge drinking seems to be concentrated mainly in countries that have high taxes on drink and bad weather - Ireland, Britain, Scandinavia. As I have said before, it is a culture thing, not a price thing - how that is to be solved is another question entirely, but attitudes can be changed through education. The current generation of twentysomethings largely regard drink-driving as a major no-no. Surely a distaste for being drunk could also be instilled in people?

The only thing the government fear from the alcohol industry is a reduction of the massive taxes that the industry creates. I have a small shop, operating in a small sector of the market, yet even we feel we are more tax collectors than wine merchants, handing over staggering (to us!) amounts every month in duty and VAT. Increasing duty will drive people north of the border, the Dept of Finance will testify to that. A ban on below cost selling would stop the use, by supermarkets, of alcohol as a loss leader. I believe alcohol is not like other grocery products and does need to be viewed seperately and hopefully this is what the government has in mind.

The newspapers are involved in quite a lot of hand-wringing about the future of their industry - and rightly so. One of the main arguments is that any old eejit like me can voice their uninformed opinion on the internet, whereas you have to go to the traditional media to get intelligent, informed opinion.

John Waters does his best to undermine that argument today.

As Valerie Clarke, in the letters page opposite says "A light hand from parents rather than a heavy hand from the government will be more effective in the long run".

* My father, whose philosophy was renowned really only in our house.

Wine Weekend with the Eurostars

2012-02-02T11:46:00.000Z

Wow, what a great weekend. We had some brilliant winemakers over showcasing some really interesting and different wines over the weekend at a series of events.

Firstly, we had a trade tasting in The Cliff Townhouse on Stephen's Green on Friday afternoon, followed by a tasting and really good dinner for about 60 punters in Beaufield Mews. An early start on Saturday morning led into a consumer tasting and masterclasses on Saturday, followed by an 8 course tasting menu with matching wines, with the food prepared with the much-feted Seamus Commons in the Knockranny Hotel.

The Wines

Wines were as follows:

Kunstler , Rheingau
Riesling Herrnberg - perfect example of Rheingau Riesling
Riesling Stielweg - my favourite of the range - amazing concentration and balance
Rieling Domdechaney

Verus, Slovenia
Pinot Gris - still proving to be a massive hit
Furmint - also known as Sipon, another star of the range
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc

Moric, Burgenland Austria
Blaufrankisch - perfectly poised, mineral example of this little known variety
Blaufrankisch Reserve - wowed many with its power and balance

Jean Marc Millot
Cotes de Nuits Villages - a wonderful example of purity and elegance
Vosne Romanee (Saturday) - stunning

Guillot Broux
Macon Blanc "Les Genievres" - complex wine, v nice
Macon Cruzille Rouge - made from Gamay, nice wine
Bourgogne Pinot Noir - serious, austere style, great food wine

Cantina del Pino
Dolcetto - elegant, pure and delicious
Nebbiolo - soft and supple, very drinkable
Barbaresco - stunning balance, power, but still with trademark elegance

Basciano
Poggerissi Bianco
Poggerissi Rosso - great value house wine from Tuscany
Renzo Masi Chianti - remarkable quality at its price
Basciano Chianti Rufina - the best value Chianti on the market?

So, the wines were great, the producers were happy, thank you to all who attended the various events and aslo a HUGE thank you to Beaufield Mews who showed once again that they are turning out some great food, have probably the best-priced wine list in Dublin and are well worth checking out.

We were also blown away by the Knockranny House hotel in Westport, beautiful hotel with great service and stunning food.

Like Wine? Like Fish? Here's €5!!

2012-01-26T17:16:00.001Z

Wine & Fish Promotion

As you know we have a great new fish shop – Roberts of Dalkey - next door to us where Xtravision used to house its sulky youths and, as we have noticed lots of people coming to buy wine with fish and vice versa, we have devised a little promotion to encourage you to do more of the same. Here’s how it works….

Go in to Roberts and spend €20 on fish (or other goodies), keep your receipt and present it in On the Grapevine and we will give you €5 off your bottle (or case!) of wine….OR it also works in reverse – spend over €20 on wine and you can present your receipt to get €5 off your purchase in Roberts…..

Hope that’s clear then, we will have lots of nice whites chilling and Peter will have lots of delicious and healthy fish on offer next door – we look forward to seeing you!

The deal is on this Friday and Saturday, if it works well, we might even do it again!

Beaufield Mews Dinner

We have about 50 people booked in for tomorrow night already, with over 20 wines from 7 producers being sampled BEFORE dinner and then 4 of the wines being guzzled WITH dinner, this will be a great night – still places left for any of you last-minute types! Call the restaurant on 01 2880375 to book….

Still places left for our Winemaker's Dinner Fri 27th

2012-01-20T17:22:00.000Z

WE still have a few places left for our Winemakers dinner in Beaufield Mews on Friday 27th of January, which includes a lovely four course dinner with matching wines and a chance to have a walkaround tasting before dinner to try all the wines and meet the people who make them - the winemakers include:

Millot and Guillot Broux from Burgundy, Renzo Masi from Tuscany, del Pino from Peidmont, Kunstler from Germany, Verus from Slovenia and Moric from Austria....

This is a unique event and will be a great night - tickets are for €65 all inclusive - book your place directly with the restaurant on 01 2880375.

Clear Out Begins - Bin End Sale starts today

2012-01-13T11:28:00.001Z

First and long overdue post of 2012....after a Christmas season that was thankfully busy, we now face into another year with renewed energy and optimism (stop sniggering down the back) and as ever, we plan to refresh the range with new wines to keep up with the never-ending search for great wines at reasonable prices.

To make space, we are clearing out some wines - at greatly reduced prices. Some, we just can't get any more and we may as well get rid of the last few bottles. Some, we bought too much of and need to move the stock. Still other, we are just fed up looking at them and want a change...

So, if you are in the mood for a random bargain, call in and get something deliciously cheap for the weekend.

Highlights for me are : Niepoort Sasta at a tenner, Rupert & Rothschild at a tenner, Rully at a tenner, Lamiable 1/2 btls at €12.....

Christmas Opening Hours

2011-12-20T18:54:00.001Z

We are on the final run-in now, so here are our opening hours over the festive season....

WEDNESESDAY 21st 11AM – 8PM

THURSDAY 22^nd 11AM – 8PM

FRIDAY 23^RD 11AM – 8PM

CHRISTMAS EVE 10AM – 5PM

CHRISTMAS DAY CLOSED

ST. STEPHEN’S DAY CLOSED

TUESDAY 27^TH CLOSED

WEDNESDAY 28^TH 11AM – 7PM

THURSDAY 29^TH 11AM – 7PM

FRIDAY 30TH 11AM - 7PM

NEW YEAR’S EVE 11AM – 5PM

WE WILL BE CLOSED FROM JANUARY 1^ST AND WILL RE-OPEN WITH OUR NORMAL OPENING HOURS ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 6^TH.

WE WISH ALL OUR CUSTOMERS A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Don't we look festive?

2011-12-01T18:41:00.000Z

And so it starts again...despite the impending fourth austerity budget which will be unveiled over not one, but TWO days next week and despite the fact that even this bad news could be rendered meaningless in the doomsday scenario of the collapse of the euro and despite the fact that I am a grumpy pessimist at the best of times...despite all this I still have a good feeling about this Christmas....

We have a bit of corporate stuff going on earlier than usual, we have plenty of good wines in stock, Mrs Grapevine is mad busy with the hampers, I just feel we are in reasonable shape.

Also, now that I have bought a 25kg bag of rock salt, we know it is not going to snow for about 10 years, so we won't have the snow-induced collapse in business that caught almost everybody out last year.

In the meantime, we are having our Christmas Wine Club Get-Together next Wednesday night in Ouzo's - great food, great wines, great craic & great value - get your place booked!

Wine Fair next Thursday 10th November

2011-11-04T14:21:00.002Z

Wine Fair 2011

Our Annual Wine Fair takes place this year on Thursday, November 10th from 6pm to 9pm in Dalkey Town Hall (Heritage Centre).

This is always a great night and is a good opportunity to taste over 100 wines from all over the world and at all prices to see what you like and don't like. There will be great offers on the night, Pam will be there with hamper and gift ideas and Sheridans are supplying some cheese to wash down all that wine!

So come along, tickets are only €10, make a night of it and go for a meal or a pint in one of Dalkey's many hostelries.

The truth is in there....

2011-10-25T18:25:00.002+01:00

Kilkenny purveyors of all things yummy, Le Caveau, put on a very interesting tasting last week with Dario Poddana from London merchants, Les Caves de Pyrene to talk about and taste a range of natural wines. This is a hot topic in the wine world at the moment and I have to admit I know generally what the idea is, but my knowledge in this area is sadly lacking. So I was keen to learn and taste some natural wines and see what the fuss is about.

So, what are natural wines? I like to think of it as three steps:

1. Organic Wine - made from organically grown grapes
2. Biodynamic wine - organic with bells on - follow the lunar cycle, bury cowhorns in the ground and lots of other dodgy sounding stuff
3. Natural wines - some or all of 1 and 2 but also brings this thinking into the cellar, so we are talking minimal intervention, natural yeasts, no filtering, little or no sulphur etc etc

I'm not sure organic makes much difference and I don't really fully understand biodynamics, but I have to admit that producers who use these methods very often produce very nice wines. So, it does seem to work. Does it work because it creates extra work and all that extra love and attention shows through in the wines? I'm inclined to think this is a factor.

But all I'm really interested in is what is in the bottle - this is where the truth lies. So what were they like?

Prosecco Coste Piane
Made in the champenois method and without filtering, so all the dead yeast etc gathers at the bottom of the bottle, which explained why my sample was slightly cloudy. Funny stories about the sediment is the best part didn't convince me as to how we would explain that as we poured it for a customer. It tasted quite nice, but not any better than a regular good prosecco. Unconvinced.

2010 Vouvray Sec La Dilettante, Breton €19
Very funky and animal nose, I didn't like this at all and I thought it didn't taste anything like Vouvray - I would have returned it as faulty, but I was informed this is what it is supposed to be like.

2010 Montlouis Minerale +, SAumon €19
Now this was delicious, wild and aromatic, but clean. Great intensity of fruit and length. Really good, but it tasted like a wine that was about 4-5 years old, quite evolved. Wouldn't hang around...

2010 Cotes du Rhone, Renaud €19
Amazing rich wine with nice acidity which holds it together. As usual with white Cotes du Rhones, I like it, but I don't think I could sell it. Very good wine.

2009 Morgon Cote du Puy, Foillard €28
Very nice, complex nose, slightly funky but clean. Palate disappointed slightly, but still very nice wine with decent weight of fruit. Very classy, but twice the price of what Morgon is supposed to be.

Gran Cerdo Tempranillo €12.50
Very jumpy Tempranillo, really fruity style - very good, actually. I liked this very much.

2010 Ribeira Sacra Adega Cachin €18
This is too funky for me I'm afraid, I just don't get it. Again, I would return this as faulty.

2008 Touraine "In Cot we Trust" Puzelat €20
This was billed as extreme, even by natural wines standards, but it was my favourite red so far. Crunchy red fruit, crisp acidity and nice balance and freshness - I just thought it was a nice Loire red.

2008 Malbec Familia Cecchin €17.50
Nice Malbec, but again tasted older than it was - not sure it would last much longer. Would prefer Catena at the same price....

2009 Vino di Anna, Sicilia €20
From Mount Etna, this was a light aromatic wine that was perfectly pleasant, juicy simple red wine. Well made and good.

2008 Rosso di Montalcino Pobitzer €30
Really nice rich wine, very nice fruit and balance. Soft tannins which made me think it was quite atypical for Montalcino. Still, nice wine.

Overall, it was a fascinating tasting and kudos to Pascal and Le Caveau for putting it on and bringing such interesting wines to the Irish market. In a time when the market is more and more dominated by industrial gloop sold on promotion in the supermarkets, the more interesting wines we can choose from the better.

From my own point of view, I am still a bit of a sceptic. We have always focussed on the juice first and foremost - our line of thinking is as follows:

Is it good?
Is it value for money?
Can we sell it (do people want it?)
It is typical - does it reflect its origin/grape variety?
Are the people nice?
Is it organic/biodynamic/natural?

And of course the question that overshadows all of the above questions is: Can we afford it?!!

But the point I am making is that organic etc is taken as a bonus rather than a reason to buy. We always try to keep the focus on what is in the bottle.

The truth is in there.

The Parking Angels

2011-10-22T12:15:00.000+01:00

This correspondent has been a frequent critic of the parking regime that exits in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County for a while now - let's just say I am "known" to the authorities on this issue.

As I have said many times before, I think Pay and Display parking is a necessary and potentially positive part of traffic management in towns such as Dalkey with limited parking and many people who commute into Dublin for work. However, the enforcement leaves a lot to be desired. Overzealous is an understatement - I think vindictive is closer to the mark. We are all losing business as customers are driven out of the town by sociopathic parking ticket demons. At the same time, the council is STILL rezoning yet more land around the M50 for more out of town shopping centres, while there are over 30 retail units in Dun Laoghaire lying empty. Take a walk down Dun Laoghaire main street if your life is missing a bit of grim depression - charity shops, pound shops and bookies compete with empty shops for your attention.

Anyway, Ouzos restaurant has taken a great new initiative to try and combat the parking demons. They are sending people out on the streets in Blackrock and, if your ticket is nearly expired, they will top it up with 50c with a notice like the one above on your windscreen. So you come back to your car and, instead of the usual parking ticket, you find the parking angel has topped up your parking for you. Leaving you to spend the €40 you have saved in a local business instead. Neat, huh?

Something that business associations all over the country could take note of as I know we are not on our own with hyperactive traffic wardens all over the country annoying people...

€10 off Felton Road Pinot this weekend

2011-10-21T14:21:00.000+01:00

Rugby World Cup Offer (will this thing ever end?)

Never one to shy away from flogging a dead horse, we have one last offer this weekend. It is simple, but beautifully crafted. The offer, I mean. The wine is complex and beautifully crafted…

€10 off Felton Road Pinot Noir – reduced from €45 down to €35 – this weekend only.

Is it an amazing wine? Yes

Is it worth €45? Yes

Do you deserve a bottle? Yes

Would you be mad not to buy a bottle at this price? Yes

Is it open for tasting this weekend? Yes

That’s 5 yesses in a row, I don’t get that very often.

Flying Bordeaux visit

2011-10-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

I really don't get to Bordeaux often enough, it was a few years since I had been and we had a reminder last weekend of just what a wonderful city it is. It began as a plan to just have a weekend away, with no wine visits or tastings lined up - we just wanted to enjoy the city as tourists.

Of course, it would be a shame not to visit Chateau Mangot while we were there, so we set up a quick visit out in Saint Emilion and then, our friends who joined us for the weekend wanted to see some of the splendour of the left bank, so we set up an appointment in Chateau Lynch Bages for the afternoon.

On the Friday evening, we arrived at our cheap and cheerful hotel in pleasant 23 degree sunshine. The girls went to see a few shops, Eoin and myself had abeer and then we bought a bottle of Gosset Grande Reserve to have in the room while getting ready. It was delicious - plastic glasses and all!

We then went out to Bar a Vins - a must-visit for all wine-focussed people. In a beautiful building owend by the CIVB, this place offers a showcase for the wines of Bordeaux. Great wines by the glass from €2 per glass - it is amazing value and great atmosphere - not helped by the rude staff, but that was a running theme of the weekend....

Our visit to Chateau Mangot in beautiful Saint Emilion was great with the ebullient Yann in great form showing us the winery and some of their 60 hectares (split between Saint Emilion grand Cru and Cotes de Castillon).
After tasting various vintages of Chateau La Brande, Chateau Mangot and their upper cuvees (the 09s are amazing), we proceeded to a lovely lunch outside in Castillon. We then had a quick scoot across to the Medoc where we arrived bang on time for our appointment in Lynch Bages. A very smooth operation with 400,000 bottles made each year, this is a really nice place to visit. In fairness to the Cazes family, they have done a great job investing money in the village and doing a really classy yet understated job of their own.

Dinner in a local brasserie and a few drinks on the Place Saint Pierre rounded off a great day. I was awoken the next morning to get my Twitter account hacked - I wasn't the only one - but this really was a pain to try and sort out on my phone from Bordeaux...once again apologies to anyone who received a dodgy message from me!

Overall, Bordeaux is a beautiful and enjoyable city to visit - a great mix of fine wine, beautiful architecture, great food and nice weather - I would highly recommend it.

Rugby World Cup Offer #4 - 20% off French Wine in On the Grapevine

2011-10-13T17:17:00.000+01:00

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly tweeted last week that the world may have ended last week, but the Rugby World Cup goes on and so this Saturday, we offer 20% off all French wine for one day only.

Just in case they get turfed out.

While my customers run riot availing of great bargains on Saturday, I will be in Bordeaux visiting Chateau Mangot in Saint Emilion and Chateau Lynch Bages in Pauillac - will give a full lowdown next week....

20% off all White wine today

2011-10-08T10:37:00.001+01:00

The World Cup dream is over but the deal lives on - 20% off all white wine today only in the shop.

Look out for our French offer next weekend.

Cymru on Ireland - Stupid Rugby Offer #3

2011-10-06T17:09:00.000+01:00

These early morning starts are really ruining my weekend lie-ins (ha!) these days, but here we are in the quarter final of the World Cup, faced with an impressive-looking Wales team. I have always had a problematic relationship with Wales because, as a child in Wexford, I had to put up with the Welsh version of Channel 4 – S4C. So while the rest of you were enjoying edgy programming and interesting documentaries, we had to put up with Ivor the Engine re-runs. In Welsh.

Also, all that singing kind of annoys me.

Anyway, how you fashion a wine offer for a country that doesn’t make wine? I put this to some of the best marketing minds in the country – Pam, Carol and my friend, Michael - and we have decided to forget geography and go by the colour of the jerseys – red and, er, green. The offer is as follows:

If Ireland win : 20% off all RED Wine

If Wales win : 20% off all WHITE Wine

If Ireland win by more than 15 points (not going to happen, so I’m told) : 20% off ALL WINE

The offer is for ONE DAY ONLY, SATURDAY, OCT 8^th. No other discounts apply, etc etc….

Something for everyone – see you on Saturday. COME ON IRELAND!

Rugby World Cup Stupid Offer No. 2 - Italy

2011-09-29T15:50:00.000+01:00

While having a great laugh at my expense and availing of my hasty 30% discount on all Australian wine after I got it spectacularly wrong on my prediction for the Australian match, many customers were already looking forward to the deal on the Italian match, so here it is:

10% of all Italian wine on Saturday and Sunday no matter what happens.

20% off Italian wine if we win on Sunday - remember we close at 6pm on Sunday!

If we beat the Paddy Power handicap and beat Italy by 12 points or more, the discount is increased to 30% on
Sunday only!

Grape Gripes doesn't put the boot in

2011-09-19T13:22:00.000+01:00

A bunch of grape gripes was the name of an article in today's Irish times by Fiona Reddan. It set out to address a major gripe of all independent off-licences and wine shops - namely the so-called wine "promotions" now dominating the wine trade in Ireland.

Every week the newspapers are covered in ads and pullouts for all the major multiples advertising this weeks special offers. Top of the list is nearly always booze - beer, spirits and wine lead the advertising blitz every week. How that fits in with the trade's supposed self-regulation in relation to "sensible drinking" is a blog for another day, but the article today addresses what has always been my concern - are these promotions for real or do they artificially increase the price before then cutting it to half price - the price that truly reflects the quality of the wine on offer??

There are, no doubt, some genuine offers - Taittinger and Mount Pleasant are two that spring to mind. Who now would pay €50 for a bottle of Taittinger when it is on Tesco periodically at €25 - less than the wholesale cost from Taittinger's Irish agent? Who would pay €100 in a restaurant...? However, there are also a large amount of dubious-looking offers that make up the bulk of the sales. Someone told me last week that a Tesco manager said that 88% of his wine sales come from the 12-foot section which houses his promo wines. The rest of his wine section was just wallpaper.

However, in most cases, the wines on promotion are unknown wines, only seen on shelves while on promotion. Are we really to believe that Chateau Neverheardofit Bordeaux Superieur was ever worth €19.99 and thus is an unmissable bargain at €9.99? Or is the supermarket making their normal margin at €9.99 and are using the €19.99 as a sales trick?

These are the questions the article asked, but never really answered. They got Lar Veale of www.sourgrapes.ie fame and Maureen O'Hara who used to work for Findlaters back when it was a proper wine importer before getting sucked into first Grants and then the even worse Woodford Bourne and they gave their opinion on the wines which generally backed up our suspicions that these wines are generally not worth the supposed full price.

Somehow, however, we never really got to the crux of the matter - are the multiples conning their customers in many cases with their wine promos? Is it impossible to answer this question or are we not digging deep enough? I suspect the Irish Times would regard is a foolhardy to dig too deep into the darker recesses of major advertisers....

The article in today's paper certainly raised more questions than answers, but at least it asked the question - its a start!

20% - or maybe 30% - off Australian wine this Saturday

2011-09-15T17:54:00.002+01:00

I got up last Saturday AND Sunday morning (got a bit mixed up) at 7am to see the Ireland v USA in the Rugby World Cup, only to witness another turgid performance by Ireland at this particular competition. What is it about Ireland and Rugby World Cups? Are the other teams not English enough??

In order to instil a bit of excitement, we are doing 20% OFF ALL AUSTRALIAN WINE this Saturday in the shop for one day only!

However, if Ireland win, we will do 10% off EVERYTHING and another 10% of the Aussie stuff to total a loss-making 30% discount on Australian wine.

It will surprise some of you to know that, despite this sudden rush of blood to the head, I will still be shouting for

Ireland

So, if Australia win, we still do 20% off Australian wine.

If Ireland win, we will do 30% off Australian wine and 10% off everything else – is that complicated enough?

Has Retail Changed Forever?

2011-09-03T17:42:00.001+01:00

If you play your cards right in our shop, you can come in, get a free tasting of wine, buy a bottle on promotion at, say, €8, get a further 5% discount if you have a Dalkey Loyalty card and get a stamp on the high-tech-12-stamps-and-you-get-a-free-bottle On the Grapevine card.

And we would be would be very happy to see you!

We, like everyone else, has to keep working hard to get customers and keep customers and I have no problem with that. The question that has been rattling around in my cranium, though, is the question of value. Or, to be more specific, the perception of value.

I have spoken at tedious length about the bogus promotions in supermarkets where many (not all, but many) wines are discounted down to half price. The problem is, the discounted price is the true value of the wine and not the "normal RRP", at which the same wine never sells and, in many cases, is not even offered for sale. In the UK, over 80% of wine is sold on promotion - anyone got stats on Ireland?

The other phenomenon are the Citydeals/Megadeals/Citymegasuperdeals and whatever you are having yourself. Now, you can think what you like about these, but they are growing exponentially at the moment in a retail environment which has about as much life as the average dodo. Some sectors seem to suit these deals particularly well. Personally, my skin is red raw from too many microdermabrasions, the enamel has been all but stripped from my teeth after so many teeth-whitening treatments and if I have any more eyelash extensions, I could be turned upside down to sweep the floor!

If you have some young wan standing around doing nothing when she could be giving someone a half-price Indian head massage in the hope that you will come back for a second one, I can see it makes sense. If you are lying on a beach in the Algarve and your hotel is being managed by NAMA and the only way to fill rooms is to do a half price deal, then it can be an attractive way of drumming up business.

From the punters point of view, you are getting a great deal, so why not? As I said, this sector is growing hugely and I'm all for it. What it does, though, is reinforce the habit of only buying stuff half price. People don't differentiate between a high margin service industry with lots of capacity available and just buying something in a shop. What do you mean you bought a bottle of wine at its full price? I got a weekend away in the Quality Hotel in Tullamore and I only paid half price!!

Am I being hopelessly naive and old-fashioned to think we can buy a nice product, apply a modest margin and sell it at a fair price? Are those days over?

September News

2011-09-02T15:37:00.000+01:00

September Offers

Gregoris Soave Classico – RRP €13 – now €10

Many of you are already familiar with the excellent Pinot Grigio from Antonio Fattori, under the Gregoris label. Well, we have tasted his Soave a lot over the years and finally this year, we feel it is as good as its sister Pinot Grigio. Clean, fresh fruit, medium-bodied, soft but nicely balanced, this is excellent wine. Unfortunately, he sent it to us in the wrong bottle (it should be in a Burgundy shaped bottle), so we need to sell this wine before we ship the wine in its correct packaging. (The bottle is fine, but it looks too much like the Pinot Grigio). Come and taste and you won’t get a better white at this price.

Domaine La Prade Sauvignon Blanc – RRP €10 – now €8

Domaine La Prade make an excellent range of well-made varietal wines in the South of France. The Sauvignon Blanc has great freshness, crisp acidity and typical zingy, grassy Sauvignon fruit that has made this variety such a hit all over the world. Terrific stuff at a tenner, complete steal at this price.

Domaine La Prade Merlot – RRP €10 – now €8

Quite full-bodied, with round, plummy fruit, soft tannins and a nice finish. Perfect house wine and great value.

Contrade del Falco, Puglia – RRP €17 – now €14

Back by popular demand, this is a terrific blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia from the ‘heel’ of Italy. Full-bodied, voluptuous, smooth and harmonious, dark, brooding fruit and a long finish.

Wine Course

We would like to start a new wine course this September, so, if you would like to brush up on your wine tasting skills from all over the world or if you would just like an excuse for mid-week drinking, the call Carol on 01 2353054 to book your place. The attached doc has all the details….

Spanish Wine Tasting

We are delighted to have all these interesting new businesses open in Dalkey and we would like to support one of them by hosting a Spanish Wine tasting in the Dalkey Dispensary on Tuesday, September 20^th at 7.30pm. Antonio from specialist Spanish wine importer Vinostito will be along to taste some of the great new wines coming out of Spain. We might even wangle a tapas or two out of the Dispensary. Cost will be €20 per head.

Sheridans Cheese and Wine Tasting this weekend

2011-08-18T16:58:00.000+01:00

Just for the hell of it, we are cracking open some new wines and some Sheridans cheese in the shop this weekend to have a big tasting...

Brie, Bleu d'Auvergne, Comte will be among the cheeses.

Bussola Valpolicella TB, Chateau La Tonnelle, One Tree Sauvignon Blanc will be among the wines.

All day Friday and Saturday - spread the word and call in!

My licence saga

2011-08-08T15:19:00.000+01:00

When we opened in 1999, there weren't that many shops only selling wine and there wasn't a licence available for weird shops like ours, so we were given a Wine "On" Licence which covered us to sell wine on or off the premises. We toddled along happily with this licence until this year when we were told that we had to apply for the new Wine Retailer's Off Licence.

The procedure to apply for this new licence means getting court approval. Between an ad in the paper, solicitor's fees and barristers fees we will be down over €2,000 - just to be able to apply for the licence in September!

We were in court until 3pm, listening to everyone else's tedious business. When my turn came, I had to take the stand, swear on the bible and all the rest of it, answer a few cursory questions about the business and the the judge sighed, turned to me and said "Why do the licencing people insist on making everyone's life so difficult?" And that was it.

I know the revenue had to tighten up on wine licences, but surely, for those of us who have to migrate from one licence to another, a simpler and cheaper way to do it should be made available? There will be more than us who will have to make the change, and an extra 2k is hard to find these days.

More red tape, more expense, more making life difficult for small business. As an aside, there has been a traffic warden all day on our near-empty street all day today.

Maybe the council should just start running shuttle buses to Tesco and be done with it.

August deals from On the Grapevine

2011-08-02T17:43:00.000+01:00

On the Grapevine August Offers

Mixed Case Special – 3 bottles each of the wines below, only €100 –
that’s a saving of 27% or €38!

Lanzos White – Sauvignon / Viura – Was €11, now €9
This is really well-made, zesty white from
the Rueda region of Spain. Local grape
variety Viura is blended with the betterknown
Sauvignon Blanc to give a fresh,
fruity white that is great on its own or with
lightish food.

Lanzos Red – Tempranillo – Was €11, now €9
This is made in Toro where Tempranillo is
given the slightly unimaginative name of
Tinta de Toro. What you get is a mediumbodied,
gutsy, slightly spicy, slightly
leathery red, bursting with red berry fruits.
Soft and easy drinking and a great allrounder
at a great price.

Domaine de Cabrol Picpoul de Pinet 2010 – was €12, now €10
Want a crisp, fresh summery white? Step back
from the Pinot Grigio, put down that New
Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and try this for real
refreshment. From the shores of the
Mediterranean, this is crisp and fresh with
lovely citrus tang and the nice feeling of
knowing you are drinking a real wine with
character. One of the Languedoc’s hidden
gems.

Lombeline Gamay 2009 – Loire Valley – was €12 now €9
2009 was an exceptional year in Loire valley for the red
and the wines in particular show amazing depth. The
bouquet of this Gamay is pure cherry and strawberries with
a hint of spices. On the palate there is a superb, harmonious
smoothness, tender structure with lovely minerality. Classic
summery wine, serve it a little bit chilled .Delicious now
with cold meat.

Barrel Bargain - half price wine! (nearly)

2011-07-05T18:55:00.000+01:00

We have just changed the red wine in our barrel and put in Chateau Terre Forte Cotes du Rhone which we got at a good price. Just tried it and it is delicious - classic Cotes du Rhone nose, smooth with bright red berry fruit.

A bottle of this wine normally costs €14 or €18.60 per litre. We are selling it at the usual barrel price of €10 per litre or €5 per half litre.

Get it while you can!

July Offers (for the heatwave!)

2011-06-30T14:17:00.001+01:00

Real Deals on Real Wine for July

We have read a medium term forecast predicting a heatwave in the second half of July, so in the spirit of positive thinking (also called by some here at OTG HQ as baseless optimism), we are focussing on some nice summer wines for the month ahead.

Le Scapitozze Bianco – RRP €11 - now €9

A blend of trebbiano with a splash of chardonnay – easy, fruity summery white.

Le Scapitozze Rosso – RRP €11 - now €9

100% Sangiovese – but with no harsh edges - soft, fruity, easy-drinking. Great value.

Domaine Houchart 2010 Provence Rose - RRP €14 - €12

A beautiful, bottle, a beautiful colour, a beautiful wine and now at a beautiful price. The nicest Rose you will get this summer. Close your eyes and think of the Cote d'Azur....strawberries and cream, fresh and just fruity enough. Food, no food, it doesn't matter - this stuff just disappears.

Pasqua Passimento – RRP €17 - now €13

Just in case it remains cool.....we have done this before, but it is too good not to repeat. Smooth, chocolatey, full-bodied hearty red from the Veneto. It never gets too hot in Ireland does it...?