Wine with Leslie: Three bottles for your August bank holiday barbecue
The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has begun as Mr. Keats said.
I should also mention that my birthday falls on August 2, which happens to be Saturday, the first time I've written a column for my birthday since 2014.
So, yes, I like the August bank holiday in part because I get presents, I love presents!
Everyone imagines I open fabulous, expensive bottles for my birthday but this is rarely the case.
I'm mostly looking for fruit-forward aromatic whites that might match prawns (or lobster) simply grilled on the barbecue.
This could be a Pouilly-Fuissé with a bit of age or maybe a Viognier or a Greco di Tufo.
If I'm cooking a butterflied lamb or sirloin steak (never fillet) on the barbecue I could go for red Bordeaux, but it's more likely I'm drinking a lightly chilled red such as Eric Texier's Chat Fou or the Azul y Garanza wine featured below.
For my last roundy birthday I did serve aged Bordeaux with steak-frites to some wine appreciating friends, but more importantly we began with lobster and vintage Champagne, the biscuity intensity of aged fizz is a perfect foil for meaty sweet lobster.
I promise that such extravagance is a rarity, I'm just as likely to be drinking a pet-nat with some prawns.
So when do I open the good bottles, you might ask? Well, honestly, it could be any day of the week, but is most likely going to be a Sunday when I've cooked a roast and I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that the weekend is over.
Fine wine is a lovely distraction.
Suggestions for the bank holiday weekend are assuming you will be having a barbecue.
L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96
L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96
O'Briens
Bank holidays and rosé go very well together and O'Briens have their annual rosé specials on offer until the end of August with 25% reductions. From the Cazes family of Ch. Lynch-Bages, this pours pale salmon pink with subtle rose petal and red fruit aromas and a touch of tropical fruit balanced by citrus freshness. I also recommend Delheim (€11.96), Gaia (€14.96) and Petit Bourgeois (€14.96).
Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17
Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17
Matson's Bandon, Grange and YoughaL (€15); O'Briens; Whelehans
Made by Paul and Isla Gordan, an Aussie-Irish couple who grow organic old-vine Carignan, Grenache and Syrah in a remote part of the Languedoc. Minimum intervention, wild yeasts and always respecting terroir their wines are delicious; this is fruit-focused with cherry and blackberry scents, herbal smoky notes and soft dark fruits. Perfect for grilled sausages, also watch for the blanc and the juicy PIG red.
Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26
Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26
Mannings, Little Green Grocer; Vintry; Bubble Brothers; bubblebrothers.ie
This organic minimal intervention wine is from 35 year old Garnacha vines grown in the Desert of Bardenas Reales in Navarra — hot days, cool nights and poor soils. Wild yeast ferment, part amphora aged with light plum and red currant aromas, supple and juicy and suited to light chilling. I'll be serving this with grilled free-range pork from the bbq this weekend.
Spirit of the Week
McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49
McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49
Celtic Whiskey Shop Dublin and Killarney (and online).
Two-time winner in the blended category of the Irish Whiskey Awards, so long due a mention here. Founded in 1776 but revived more recently with a new distillery (and visitor experience) in the old Crumlin Road Gaol.
Aged 5 years in Bourbon cask and finished in Oloroso. Fruitcake, chocolate and dark honey aromas, sweet black fruits on the palate, supple, balanced and delicious.
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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Wine with Leslie: Three bottles for your August bank holiday barbecue
The August bank holiday weekend is my favourite of the year. I love the warm days and warm evenings with just a whisper of autumn in the air. The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has begun as Mr. Keats said. I should also mention that my birthday falls on August 2, which happens to be Saturday, the first time I've written a column for my birthday since 2014. So, yes, I like the August bank holiday in part because I get presents, I love presents! Everyone imagines I open fabulous, expensive bottles for my birthday but this is rarely the case. I'm mostly looking for fruit-forward aromatic whites that might match prawns (or lobster) simply grilled on the barbecue. This could be a Pouilly-Fuissé with a bit of age or maybe a Viognier or a Greco di Tufo. If I'm cooking a butterflied lamb or sirloin steak (never fillet) on the barbecue I could go for red Bordeaux, but it's more likely I'm drinking a lightly chilled red such as Eric Texier's Chat Fou or the Azul y Garanza wine featured below. For my last roundy birthday I did serve aged Bordeaux with steak-frites to some wine appreciating friends, but more importantly we began with lobster and vintage Champagne, the biscuity intensity of aged fizz is a perfect foil for meaty sweet lobster. I promise that such extravagance is a rarity, I'm just as likely to be drinking a pet-nat with some prawns. So when do I open the good bottles, you might ask? Well, honestly, it could be any day of the week, but is most likely going to be a Sunday when I've cooked a roast and I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that the weekend is over. Fine wine is a lovely distraction. Suggestions for the bank holiday weekend are assuming you will be having a barbecue. L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96 L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96 O'Briens Bank holidays and rosé go very well together and O'Briens have their annual rosé specials on offer until the end of August with 25% reductions. From the Cazes family of Ch. Lynch-Bages, this pours pale salmon pink with subtle rose petal and red fruit aromas and a touch of tropical fruit balanced by citrus freshness. I also recommend Delheim (€11.96), Gaia (€14.96) and Petit Bourgeois (€14.96). Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17 Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17 Matson's Bandon, Grange and YoughaL (€15); O'Briens; Whelehans Made by Paul and Isla Gordan, an Aussie-Irish couple who grow organic old-vine Carignan, Grenache and Syrah in a remote part of the Languedoc. Minimum intervention, wild yeasts and always respecting terroir their wines are delicious; this is fruit-focused with cherry and blackberry scents, herbal smoky notes and soft dark fruits. Perfect for grilled sausages, also watch for the blanc and the juicy PIG red. Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26 Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26 Mannings, Little Green Grocer; Vintry; Bubble Brothers; This organic minimal intervention wine is from 35 year old Garnacha vines grown in the Desert of Bardenas Reales in Navarra — hot days, cool nights and poor soils. Wild yeast ferment, part amphora aged with light plum and red currant aromas, supple and juicy and suited to light chilling. I'll be serving this with grilled free-range pork from the bbq this weekend. Spirit of the Week McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49 McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49 Celtic Whiskey Shop Dublin and Killarney (and online). Two-time winner in the blended category of the Irish Whiskey Awards, so long due a mention here. Founded in 1776 but revived more recently with a new distillery (and visitor experience) in the old Crumlin Road Gaol. Aged 5 years in Bourbon cask and finished in Oloroso. Fruitcake, chocolate and dark honey aromas, sweet black fruits on the palate, supple, balanced and delicious.
Irish Independent
25-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Barbecue-friendly wines that won't break the bank
Today's wines have been chosen as much for their excellent value as for their food-friendly style. On a long and lazy day in good company when the chats are flowing and the night is still drawing in slowly, who wants to be stressing about the cost of opening another bottle? If you're expecting a crowd, a smart way to cut costs is with bag-in-boxes or pouches, especially given the greatly improved quality of the wines available in these alternative packaging formats. The boxes typically start at two and a quarter litres, going up to 10 litres, and the wine inside keeps well for up to four to six weeks should it last that long. They are an eco-friendly alternative to glass bottles, which — being energy-demanding to produce, to transport and to recycle — are typically the greatest single contributing factor in your wine's related carbon emissions. This alternative choice is better for your pocket as well as for the planet. It's interesting to compare the cost of one of today's red wines, Altano Rewilding, which I previously recommended as a bag-in-box from O'Briens. The wine is a collaboration between Symington winery and Rewilding Portugal, and each sale supports the rewilding of 120,000 hectares in northern Portugal. O'Briens recently introduced the same wine by the bottle, which is solid value at its current sale price of €13.56; but at €32.36, the two-and-a-quarter-litre box is equivalent to three bottles at €10.80 each. My wine of the week — a charming white wine from a leading Portuguese winemaker, João Portugal Ramos — is even more affordable: a three-litre bag-in-box that is equivalent to four bottles at €9.68 each. For something more mobile-friendly, wine pouches are very handy for parties, festivals and camping trips. I previously recommended the sassy Un'Ombra Refosco Red (Molloy's, €26.99 for one and a half litres); it does a decent Sauvignon Blanc at the same price. Two of today's wines are limited-edition specials offering exceptional value from reputable wineries: Wirra Wirra in South Australia from Lidl and Ben Marco in Mendoza from Dunnes Stores. Also in Lidl and worth a spin is Breath of Paradise (€11.99), a fun and slightly cheeky take on a certain market-leading Provençal rosé, with its identical font type and distinctive silvery wings, not to mention candied peach and honeydew melon character. Wines of the week Ramos Elegant White 2023, Alentejo, Portugal, 12pc, €38.70 (3l) Portugal is a sure bet for value, as this three-litre bag-in-box proves. Working out at four bottles for €9.68 each, this is a cracking option for a barbecue, summer party or a holiday-home fridge. Respected winemaker João Portugal Ramos blends four local grapes (Arinto, Fernão Pires, Talia, Trincadeira) for an intriguing wine with tropical fruit aromas and lively minerality and grapefruit peel notes on the fresh palate. A lovely pairing for olives, nuts and other nibbles, and a versatile food match too. O'Briens Wine; Altano Rewilding Edition 2022, Douro, Portugal, 13pc, €13.56 Deliciously crunchy with juicy freshness making a perfect red pairing for fattier fare like lamb koftas, burgers and sausages, with appealing peppery, herbal notes meeting red plum and pomegranate. Also available in a bag-in-box (€32.36 for 2.25-litre box), which equates to three bottles at €10.80 each. O'Briens Wine; Learn more Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Chardonnay 2022, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, 12.5pc, €9.99 This steal of an unoaked Chardonnay (while stocks last) from reputable Wirra Wirra winery is bright, and layered citrus aromas of lemon curd, fingerlime and lemon grass lead to a crisp, linear pithiness on the nicely weighted palate. Seafood heaven. Lidl Ben Marco Plata Malbec, Uco Valley, Chile, 12pc, €12 (until July 29) A great-value introduction to the wines of influential winemaker Susana Balbo, this high-altitude limited-edition Malbec blended with a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc is rich and punchy with black cherry and toasted spice, good acidity and ripe tannins. Think sausages, burgers and spicy marinades. Dunnes Stores Domaine Cailhol Gautran Cantus Vitis 2023, Minervois, France, 14.5pc, €15 A nuanced blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah to please all palates at a family barbecue. Plush but balanced by juicy acidity, and aged in stainless steel rather than oak to keep it fruit forward, with savoury and herbal notes bringing complexity to raspberry and loganberry fruits. Whelehans Wines;
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Andy Carroll and bikini-clad girlfriend Lou Teasdale put on loved-up display on holiday in Magaluf
ANDY CARROLL and girlfriend Lou Teasdale have jetted off to Magaluf for a romantic holiday. The former striker , 36, now plies his trade in the French fourth tier for 5 Andy Carroll holds hands with girlfriend Lou Teasdale Credit: Instagram 5 Lou also shared a selfie with her man to Instagram Credit: Instagram 5 Lou posed for a solo snap in the sea in Magaluf Credit: Instagram Carroll has been dating Lou for five months. The Sun recently revealed that the striker divorce from ex Billi Mucklow. Loved-up pair Carroll and Teasdale headed for a quick trip to Magaluf over the weekend. Lou, 42, shared a series of snaps from the beach getaway to her Instagram account. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL She captioned her post: "One day magaluf loliday x". Lou's post included a picture of the couple beaming as they posed for a picture in the sea. The pair also grinned for a selfie with bright sunshine in the background. Lou also posed for a solo snap in her bikini. Most read in Football Carroll and Teasdale They posed for pictures on an inflatable in a swimming pool in the South of France . Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale can't keep their hands off each other on first holiday as they confirm romance A friend of the loved-up couple recently told The Sun: "Andy is very close to proposing to Lou. They are madly in love. 'She is spending as much time as she can with him in France and Andy has never been happier. 'Lou is exactly what he needs because she is a calming influence on him and it's noticeable the change she's had on him to everyone around them.' Carroll The Geordie, who left English football in 2023, has three children with Billi, as well as a further two from another previous relationship. Carroll has been in fine form for Bordeaux this term, scoring 10 goals in 17 league appearances for the fallen French giants. 5 Carroll and Lou pose on an inflatable last week Credit: Instagram 5 The loved-up pair kiss for a picture Credit: Instagram
