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Amancaya 2013 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

Bring this Smooth Argentinian to a BBQ and it will Charm Everyone

Buenos Aires is sometimes called the Paris of South America and the nickname certainly comes from a place of truth. Its Francophile architecture, streets buzzing with lively bistros, bakeries and coffee shops and it’s vibrant cultural and gastronomic scenes are just a few of the similarities. And just as the City of Lights has influenced …

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Porta 6 Branco – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

A Happy-Go-Lucky Portuguese White Wine to Cherish Sunny Days

Perfume makers grab inspiration in varied concepts and experiences: from Carolina Herrera’s romance with The Hamptons’ lifestyle, Kenzo’s exotic poppy seed as muse of choice and Dior’s affair with gold, it truly takes a master to distill drops of fragrance out of an idea. Winemakers tend to have a contrasting approach, they aim to bottle the soul …

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Insight Vineyard Pinot Noir – Wine of the Week from OBriens Wine

Insight Vineyard Pinot Noir – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

If grape varieties were able to practice martial arts (I know I’m pushing it but I do have a point), Cabernet Sauvignon would go for the uber-mainstream but powerful Karate; Syrah might practice something intense and with a good kick like Taekwondo, perhaps Zinfandel’s smooth strength would find a rhythmic outlet in Capoeira, and Pinot Noir… Pinot …

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Three Wines to Discover this Season from the Febvre Wines Summer Selection

Three Wines to Discover this Season from the Febvre Wines Summer Selection

Yesterday 15th of May, Febvre Wines hosted its summer wine tasting at the stylish Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar. In tune with the importer’s motto “Original Thinking in Wine”, the tasting included a selection of summer classics (Picpoul de Pinet anyone?), BBQ must-haves (bring in the Primitivo!) and several off the beaten track bottles from …

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Il Meridione Nero d'Avola – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine 2

Il Meridione Nero d’Avola – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

The Sicilian city of Avola offers many wonders to wanderlusters looking for that sweet combination of history (think of loosing yourself wondering its ancient pre-Roman roads); coastal charm and numerous food festivals and local traditions. The area names one of Sicily’s most important red grape, Nero d’Avola, simply meaning Black from Avola. And while visitors might indulge in their …

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Mionetto Vivo Rose Prosecco – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Mionetto Vivo Rose – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

Hello May! Mother Nature drives us towards summer and we impatiently keep asking her are we there yet? Trickster as she is, her intermittent reinforcement keep us passengers on the Emerald Island on our toes, making picnic plans with an asterisk and booking outdoor tables while asking the host if there’s space indoors in case relocation becomes …

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Delheim Chardonnay Sur Lie 2014 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Delheim Chardonnay Sur Lie 2014 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

If Chardonnay was a person, it would be a world famous popstar able to travel the planet and to captivate audiences anywhere it visits. Versatile beyond what other varieties would only dream of, Chardonnay thrives and performs in regions as diverse as Napa Valley, Chile, Australia and of course, its most notable residence, Burgundy, where the …

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Burgundy Wines: To Understand them is to Love them

Burgundy Wines: To Understand them is to Love them

Burgundy or Bourgogne is one of the most intriguing wine regions in France, shrouded in a colourful medieval past of powerful dukes and rebellious monks unsuccessfully tamed by worried popes. Its past continues to influence its present still melded with the medieval: walled towns, monasteries, high-walled estates and an aristocratic heritage that has bequeathed a …

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A Song of Rocks and Fire: Epic Volcanic Soil Wines to Try Now

A Song of Rocks and Fire: Epic Volcanic Soil Wines to Try Now

Volcanoes are the super villains of mountains and their thunderous evil laugh instills fear in the heart of those close enough to hear it. Unless they’re winemakers in the world’s volcanic soil regions. They’d be harvesting on the outskirts of Mordor itself while watching Sauron in the eye -sunglasses on, obviously- while sipping on a glass of the sharp, mineral …

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L'Extra par Langlois – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

L’Extra par Langlois – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

When an obscure candidate unexpectedly wins, we call it a dark horse. It might be an athlete from a country where proficiency at a discipline is unheard of, a beauty queen that steals the judges’ heart at the last minute with a surprisingly witty answer to a shallow question, it might even be an actual dark horse at …

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Masi Campofiorin 2013 - Wine of the Week from O'Briens 2

Masi Campofiorin 2013 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? It’s a Supervenetian! While the name sounds like Clark Kent’s alter-ego, had his rocket landed in Valpolicella instead of Smallville, the term refers to a different type of hero, one created by winemakers in the northern Italian region. Masi, one of the biggest and most prestigious wineries in the …

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Gnarly Head Zinfandel - Wine of the Week from O'Briens Wine

Gnarly Head Zinfandel – Wine of the Week from O’Briens Wine

When a city or a region becomes known as “The X capital of the world” you can expect Xs coming from that place to be the benchmark against which all others will be measured. Paris is the epicenter for fashion lovers, Berlin is it town for vegans and Melbourne’s infamously viral deconstructed latte makes a good case for the Aussie …

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Three to Try Our Top Picks from Tindal Wines' Portfolio Tasting edited

Three to Try: Our Top Picks from Tindal Wines’ Portfolio Tasting

Last Tuesday 6th of February, we attended a tasting of wines from the comprehensive portfolio of Tindal Wine Merchants, a family-owned importer bringing fine wines from both Europe and the New World into the Irish market. The event, held at the stylish Marker Hotel, was followed by a consumer tasting on the same evening, where …

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Romeo & Juliet Passimento White 2015 - Wine of the Week from O'Briens

Romeo & Juliet Passimento White 2015 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Italy has always been a source for romantic inspiration… Think gondola rides in Venice, joyfully sharing a gelato in Rome or having an intimate picnic on a sunny afternoon in a beautiful park in Tuscany. With Valentine’s Day getting closer, we decided to give a nod to the country’s allure and embrace the amore. Romeo & …

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Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2013 - Wine of the Week from O'Briens

Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2013 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Famous duos usually have a ying and yang dynamic going on: the good cop will bring you coffee while the bad cop will get the information, Han Solo will shoot enemies while Chewbacca flies the ship. For this reason, Cabernet Sauvignon’s most common sidekick is Merlot, complementing each other as the tough and the mellow. Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cabernet …

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Vincent Julienas La Conseillere 2

Vincent Julienas La Conseillere 2014 – O’Briens Wine of the Week

There’s camping and there’s glamping. There’s Beaujolais and there’s Beaujolais Cru. While you might not be a fan of a rustic and purposely unsophisticated escape no matter how beautiful the landscape; dissing all outdoors overnight stays because of a distressing excursion that only served to remind you how much of an urban creature you are, it’s …

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Los Vascos Chardonnay 2015 - O'Briens Wine of the Week

Los Vascos Chardonnay 2015 – O’Briens Wine of the Week

Los Vascos Chardonnay 2015 comes from Chile’s Casablanca Valley, 75 Km northwest of Santiago and renown for the good quality of its wines, commonly made from international grape varieties. Chardonnay thrives here, as the region’s climate is not unlike that of California’s cool spot Carneros, another “it” zone for Chardo. And it doesn’t only benefit …

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Mas Buscados Tinto 2014 - Wine of the Week from O'Briens

Mas Buscados Tinto 2014 – Wine of the Week from O’Briens

Wanted: Paco Oso, Paco Toston and Paco Lagarto. Their “crime”? Producing the grapes behind Mas Buscados Tinto 2014, a Tempranillo and Petit Verdot blend from Castilla in Spain, a Vino de la Tierra geographic indication known for its diverse and palate pleasing good value wines. Fun fact: “Mas Buscados Tinto” is Spanish for “Most Wanted Red”. In a …

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