As autumn kicks in, and all those extra school expenses begin to bite, most of the multiples have special offers starting off in early September.
Dunnes Stores kick off their French wine sale on Tuesday September 4th with 30 plus wines on offer. I tasted my way through the entire range recently.
My highlights amongst the white wines included the fresh fruity Les Courtelles Picpoul de Pinet (€11), and the Millegrand Chardonnay IGP d'Oc (€10.50) with its opulent exotic fruits, vanilla and citrus. My pick of the whites would be the medium-bodied Solas Viognier (€12.50) full of luscious peaches and toasted nuts; perfect with prawns and scallops. With the Picpoul try a plate of mussels or oysters.
Amongst the reds, I enjoyed the light restrained dry Bordeaux Ch. Darzac, (€12.50). Other Bordeaux worth looking out for include the grippy plump Ch. Bois Pertuis 2015 (€12.50), and the rounded Ch. Le Joyeux (€11) with its smooth brambly blackcurrant fruits. Moving up in price, the most expensive wine at the tasting, Ch. Grand Moulin Macquin (€16) had plenty of ripe cassis and blueberry fruits, while the medium-bodied Ch. Guillou 2015 Montagne St. Emilion (€15.50) was full of rounded red cherries overlaid with spice. These would be best with plain roasts of lamb or beef.
I rarely recommend wines under €10, but if you are feeling the pinch, I find the Giacondi Bianco (€7.95) very drinkable
The lightly fruity Laurent Miquel Solas Pinot Noir (€12.50) will go down well with Burgundy lovers. Laurent Miquel also have the richer more full-bodied Kinsale Faugères for a very reasonable €12.50. Elsewhere in the Languedoc, I was very taken with the Ch. Sainte-Marthe (Languedoc) full of dark savoury fruits for €12.50. Try these with more substantial casseroles, and spicy barbecued red meats.
SuperValu
Not to be outdone, SuperValu start their French Wine Sale on Thursday 6th September. From their offering, the crisp fresh dry Muscadet Domaine du Haut Bourg (€10) and the aromatic, exotic Combeval (€10) are both very keenly priced. SuperValu will also have their Mâcon-Lugny on sale at €10. Amongst their red wines, the Ch. Pey Latour stood out as good value at €9, as did the elegant Château Les Haut Gros Caillou Saint-Emilion (€13.99) with its peppery red fruits and dry finish. If you prefer more full-bodied reds, then go for the more powerful, hearty Hommage Du Rhône Vinsobres for €10.
O’Briens
O'Briens launched their annual wine sale this week; it runs until 23rd September, and includes almost 150 wines from all over the world. I rarely recommend wines under €10, but if you are feeling the pinch, I find the Giacondi Bianco (€7.95) very drinkable. For a matching red the Mas Buscados Tinto is a steal at €8.95. I have recommended both the Albiano Vedicchio die Castelli di Jesi (€11.95) and the S&R Douro (€11.95) in the newspaper. Spend a little more and you can get the delicious Pouilly-Fumé l'Arret Bufate (€16.95) or the perfumed, but full-bodied Ascheri Barolo for €25.95.
