Campo Viejo Tapas Taail

I dropped in to a very entertaining launch of the 2011 Campo Viejo Tapas Trail last week. Fun is what a tapas trail is all about. Essentially its a 'small restaurant crawl' much in the manner of a 'fun pub crawl'! The Campo crew have structured this in such a way as to keep it all under control, provide a great deal of fun and introduce the concept of tapas to loads of people without it costing them much money at all. Too good to be true? Not at all.

But first, last week....

After a long walk up to the roof at Odessa - seriously; it was a hike - we were greeted by suitably attired Spanish models who thrust glasses of red wine into our welcoming hands. We were on a chilly but well dressed roof balcony. Flamenco guitar and Spanish singing wafted. When I asked what the wine was I seem to have taken our welcomers by surprise -" It's Campo Viejo!" mmm, "Ok, Thanks". Clearly the wrong place and time to suggest there may be more than one wine in the range! Not to mention the white  ....  the organisers had made a call. This wasn't about the wine. This was about something else altogether. Leave your wine critic at home.

After a short time our celeb chef, the affable and forever smiling, Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody Country House in Wexford entered. First up he told us what the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail is:

100 people can sign up at €20.00 a head. This will split into five groups of 20 who will then, one at a time, visit five different Dublin tapas reataurants on the one evening! Isn't that great? They will taste and drink at each venue where the tapas will be introduced by the chef of the day. The wine of course will be Campo Viejo and as we have seen it really doesn't really need an intro at all.

The Trail will run for the month of June every Wednesday between 6pm and 9pm and Saturdays between 2pm and 6pm.

Back to last week. The chef microphone didn't work and one of the impressive welcomers held a mike for him instead. She was brilliant and really dived into the fun of the evening. I wasn't wild about the tapas styles on show - too many potatoes - began to look like tapas Irish style. Give me a sausage!

This is value added marketing by Camp Viejo. It's to be applauded and hopefully well supported. It's also firmly directed at young adults. Well, that's how it seeemd as the young things had their photos taken. Why not me, why not me? Perhaps, like the wine, I don't need an intro or maybe it was just a case of not concentrating on Reservas and leaving it to the Crianza's to strut their stuff instead. 

Restraurants on the trail are

Salamanca Dame St

Salamanca Andrews St

The Port House William St

Bar Pintxo Eustace St

Havana Tapas Bar Georges St

The Queen, Obama and Australia+ Wines

Loads of great events in Dublin! Party town or what. First the Queen gives us a thumbs up and a cupla focail, then Obama downs a pint, gives us more than a cupla and finishes with is feidir linn, is feidir linn, is feidir linn! We really must revive the language properly. Everyone wants in.

Then there was the A+ Australian Wine Tasting at Croke Park yesterday. Not as many wines as in previous years but a good show. Why? Simple answer - Quality.

Selling wine is a tricky business these days. So much is defined by the selling price alone. Place of sale, rate of sale and repeat sales are all price driven and the average price is still dropping. One quarter of all bottles of wine sold in Ireland are now €6.99 or less! Nothing wrong with that but as selling prices continue to drop so does the possibility of finding quality bottles of wine. That's a fact. Seeing as Australia controls 25% of the market and seeing as I found a lot of quality at the show what's going on?

Market share: brands and own labels need this for their survival. So they buy their share of the market. Money that might otherwise go into value added promotion is, instead, ploughed into 'buying' shelf space in supermarkets by supporting lower prices. It's crazy and it's here for the long haul. 

We are lucky in Ireland. We have a strong and well distributed independent wine retail sector. For the sake of quality it is imperative that this survives. This is where many of the fabulous wines I tried today are on sale. I cannot emphasise the importance of supporting your local wine store! Last week I was at a wine educators meeting in London - Association of Wine Educators. It was mentioned that it has become next to impossible in the UK to easily find a good selection of quality, regionally defined wines from Australia. We don't want that to happen here. 

A couple to try that looked impressive include:

Katnook Founders Block Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Katnook Estate in Coonawarra. It was a privilege to taste these with winemaker Wayne Stebens. He's brilliant. Founders Block is not even close to his best labels but I always find that the really great wine makers can turn out well proportioned and memorable wines at entry level. That's a skill. There's many can make fine wine given the tools to do it but an equal number who don't quite understand how they're doing it in the first place!! The best can do both.

Xanadu Next of Kin is another entry level label that's drinking really well. Xanadu Wines is in the Margaret River in Western Australia and imported by Bubble Brothers. Once again both the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon danced across my palate. There are many, many countries that just can't seem to achieve this vibrancy of fruit. Wine maker Glenn Goodall is doing a fine job. His Estate wines are exceptional and Next of Kin a testament to his skills.

Many of my regular readers will know I bang on about Tim Adams of the Clare Valley quite a lot! See my blog last month. It was a real treat therefore to see him support, via his UK agent, a stand yesterday. Beside the range on sale at Tesco he also showed his 2008 The Aberfeldy Shiraz. One of the Clare Valleys finest. It's a seductive and smooth mouthful ....

I could keep this up all day Look at Yalumba's Y Series Viognier, Jim Barry's The Lodge Shiraz, Pewsey Vale Riesling, Ferngrove from the Frankland River in Western Australia, Peter Lehmann, De Bortoli, Clairault made by our own Bill Martin, d'Arenberg - love the current Stump Jump red blend! - , St Hallets Poachers Blend ........

I'll build a lot more of these into future blogs. I just don't have the space or the time here. Sorry to all who didn't get a mention that's a lot of you! The point, I hope, is well made. Price points and brands - no problems; bring them on. Quality, regionality, excitement, good stories and excellent wine making. Yes please. That's what A+ Australian Wine is all about. Have a look see yourself.  

Win Two Tickets to Taste of Dublin - Yes, folks it's back!

When Taste of Dublin arrived first I had issues (when do I not?). It's a private venture, I cried. How can 'they' be allowed to use 'our' name (eh, that's the Dublin bit..) to make profit and give nothing back in return? It charges a lot of hard earned dosh just to give out a few mouthfuls .... Besides, it's open air and what happens if it rains? So, I went along to have a peek and I've been back every year since. It's brilliant and it's back at Iveagh Gardens from the 9th to the 2th of June.

Why is it brilliant?

• It really does have a dazzling selection of food and drink styles on show.
• There is a  fantastic collection of top chefs close to hand demonstrating and being down right friendly.
• Nearly everyone who goes to Taste of Dublin gives you the impression they've skived off something else (maybe left the kids at home for once...) so they can have a bit of pampering and well earned indulgence. This makes it a happy place.
• It's not really expensive at all! Check it out.
• So what if we get a bit of rain. It didn't stop the Queen or Obama (and he's not here yet..) from coming and enjoying themselves. Man up! 
• Dublin wants to be shared by everyone!

To celebrate this years event, which includes the following amazing wine stands and events, Free Running has two tickets for the Friday the 10th June 12.00 entry to give away to one lucky reader!

Wine at this years Taste of Dublin includes 

Cassidy Wines

Classic Drinks

Coole Swan

Cono Sur

Edward Dillon

frenchwines.ie

Jacob's Creek

Jeio Bisol Prosecco

Mitchell and Son Wine Merchants

O'Brien's Wines

The Pink Bar

Veuve Clicquot

If you are lucky enough to get down to the Taste of Dublin this year be sure to check in to some of the Master Classes at the Edward Dillon stand. They are very impressive and include:

CARMEN  -  Explore our Premium Wines from Chile

DONA PAULA  -  Exciting and New from Argentina

PENFOLDS  -  The Penfolds Bin Story

WOLF BLASS  -  The Wolf Blass Journey

ROSEMOUNT  -  The Fruity Wines of Rosemount

To be in with a chance to win simply email the answer to the following question to me at kevin@kevinecock.ie

What grape variety does Dona Paula say it 'believes in'?

As ever one prize only. All info gathered during the course of this competition will be used solely and only for the purposes of deciding on a winner and will be discarded safely when the competition has been closed. Closing date will be Sunday the 5th June at 6.00pm. Winner will be notified on the evening of June the 5th. Good Luck.

Nautilus - a cephalopod worth waiting for.

Ceolacanths and cephalopods have always held a fascination for me. Both are referred to as living fossils. Perhaps I might add Seanad Eireann, The Queen of England, (God bless you 'maam), the Eurovision, the Rose of Tralee and Black Tower into the mix ..... ? Living fossils the lot of them. The gas thing is I'm fascinated by all of these and won't have them demonised!

A Nautilus shell grows as a perfect Logarithmic Spiral

Coelacanths are caught on rare occasions in fishing nets off Africa and in the Indian Ocean. Like the Loch Ness monster they were once thought to be extinct. They're a big fish. Cephalopods on the other hand are related to squid and others like them. They have an externalised skeleton otherwise known as their shell.



 Happy Coelacanth photo   http://www.creationscience.com/

Where is this going to and what has it to do with wine?

Well, Clive Weston, GM of Nautilus Wines in Marlborough, New Zealand, met a few of us at The Unicorn restaurant (a fine meal it must be said) earlier this week. I just thought the whole idea of meeting a Nautilus at a Unicorn ....... was different.

We were shown both Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2009 and Nautilus Pinot Noir 2009. Both were exceptional and the PN was outstanding.

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is not aggressive in any way but shows instead bright and alert notes of light tropical fruits, tomato skin, gooseberry and light warmed asparagus on the nose. This is well developed and deep seated. The palate hides a fine acidity quite expertly. It shows a soft fruit character where the mid plate is textural and ripe. This is an excellent food wine and showed well with both the Calamari Fritti Green Salad and the Medallions of Irish Monkfish with Clonakilty Black Pudding starters.

Nautilus Pinot Noir 2009. Here's a wine that has just blossomed into an endless attractive style. It's a fine testament to the fact that Nautilus has had the same wine maker, Clive Jones, since 1998. It may be the fact the Clive now has the world's first Pinot Noir winery - that is, nothing else is made at it! (Mind you, I'm not sure what a Pinot Winery might be able to claim against, say, a Syrah Winery..but you know what I mean) This is an assured wine oozing confidence. This is not Burgundy but it might be. This is not Oregon but once again it might be! The varietal shows well on the nose with refined and ripe, small berry fruits with loganberry and cherry punching through, edged with spice elements and light fennel. The palate is smooth, graceful, rich and also restrained. There are layers of interest here. A very fine Pinot will allow the drinker to explore. In this case the task will be rewarded with luxury and class. Both the Veal and Lamb chops allowed the exploration to continue. 

   

Clive was a genial host and we managed to have a wide ranging discussion about New Zealand wines and the world in general. I am now certain that Nautilus and Unicorns do still exist. The former has given its name to an outstanding range of wines that seem to get better year on year. Perhaps New Zealand needs to encourage us to drink less but pay a bit more. The reward has coelacanth potential.

Trust in Me and Buy your Wine Blind

A couple of new ideas caught my attention this week. The first, while not entirely new in the Spanking New Nobody Has Ever Done it Before type of new, was announced with such energy and enthusiasm that I really did sit up and take note. Not only that, but for the first time I began to get the concept behind it. It's a mystery box of wine being sold and delivered anywhere in Ireland for €109.00 by Curious Wines in Cork. You pays your money, the wine is delivered and you won't know what the bottles are until you open the box up. What excitement!! They call it The Secret Parcel Sale; they offer 100 cases only and run the promotion for 48 hours only. (I hope it's not over by the time I publish this blog...)

Up to now I treated these Pig in a Poke sales as being an opportunity for retailers to hoist at least one in twelve dodgy or poor value wines onto us. 'Look', they say 'aren't the other 11 brilliant'. No come back for the consumer either. If you choose to buy wine unseen and put all your trust in an online retailer that you may never meet you don't deserve any come back. You deserve all you get.

I was wrong.    Again     

Most people in Ireland buy wine in supermarkets. 90% of all wine sold! Many supermarkets change labels, style, offers and promotions weekly. I would suggest therefore that there is little difference in buying 12 bottles of wine unseen to buying 12 bottles of unknown wine! In both cases you are putting your trust in your retailer. That, folks, is a good thing and that is what the real difference is here. Who do you believe has chosen the best wine, at the best price to suit both your pocket and the occasion you are buying the wine for. Many believe in Curious Wines and their expertise. This trust has been earned and I don't believe that such a good retailer would demean, or endanger, that trust by chucking in a few dodgy bottles! I may be wrong. But this time I don't think so.  

Curious Wines HQ in Cork

The same can be said for brands. It takes a long time to develop a strong wine brand. Many come and many go. There are the frivolous one - usually with profanities, animals on the labels or jokes (perhaps all three?) and the funny ones - I still love Marilyn Merlot and the crude ones - Dogs Bollox. These pale though beside the 'real' brands such as Blossom Hill and Black Tower. There are many consumers out there who couldn't tell you which is the older of the two brands. That's interesting because it's both true and completely off the point! The point is that they both exude trust. Both make a promise simply by sitting on the shelf. 

The second good idea to cross my desk this week was the new Black Tower bottle of Chilean Merlot. Can't say I'm a fan of the colouration in the jpeg but I really do get the concept of stretching a brand from its original home in Germany all the way to the Valle Central in Chile. It's saying, You liked me before; I didn't let you down then; I won't let you down now; You will like this new wine. Buy me sight unseen and your trust will be rewarded.

If I purchased a Curious Wines Secret Parcel and found a bottle of Black Tower Chilean Merlot inside it I might at first say something like, Bugger This! or What the Hell? Then I would try it and then I would like it because it would not be there in the first place unless it deserved to be. If that's not the case then I would be reluctant to go near another Curious Sale of the kind again. The exact same applies to the recent Superquinn French Wine Sale that I reported on here. I saw many, many, trolleys being happily wheeled to cars with a dozen bottles in them that their owners had never tried before. If this back fired on Superquinn I reckon Dunnes Stores would be a preferred retailer the next time around!  

Bottom half of the bottle is clear glass to show the wine inside

Trust is not intangible. It can be measured. It does make a difference to the bottom line. Why then, does most of our trade go out of its way to badger and bash a path through the trade with practices designed purely and solely for their own benefit? Why do so many of our large distributors seem to instinctively mistrust the consumer? Why do they never seem to engage the consumer in meaningful value added concepts? How then can they moan about the fact that it's a price driven market and there's nothing they can do about it? 

Trust in your customer and they might very well trust you back.