"IT IS INTERESTING how many parallels can be drawn in life. I often find myself linking the similarities between the wine styles of different countries or regions and the various styles of music that exist. Unfortunately for my bank balance (or lack of it, I should say), the style of wine I prefer seems to be the reasonably good juice from Europe, and, in particular, France.
This, as you probably know, can be a bit of a risk given the variations in climate and producers. But then again, the pay-off for making the right choice is in the richest vein. A musical comparison for the great French wines might be a symphony by Bach or Mozart. Both the wines and music can be life-changing and often take some education to appreciate.
Sherry, I believe, is Spain's greatest wine. The best examples have all I expect from fine wine - balance, character and complexity. Thankfully, these wines are usually quite inexpensive, given the quality. The analogy for sherry would be folk music. Like the wine, folk music is a window to the people.
Australian wine is really the benchmark for all New World wine, being rich and powerful, based on the three chords of Cabernet, Chardonnay and Shiraz. Its counterpart in the musical world has to be heavy metal - music only by the most liberal of definitions. Both are high-octane and should be taken in moderation.
The wines of Chile tend to be rather bland, predictable and unexciting. For many, this is their appeal. The musical analogy is obvious. The better-balanced wines from this country are somewhat like generic pop music - the content is instantly forgettable but the production values can be reasonable. Like a tune from a group such as Westlife, Chilean wine won't be remembered for being special in any way, but somehow, its lack of character has contributed to its undeniable commercial success.
Can you judge a person by the type of music they listen to? Are symphonies and operas listened to by the more educated among us? Is rock and rap the enclave of rebellious youth, or pop music the candy floss of the more compliant? Who knows? I feel that if you can judge a person by the company they keep, then you can certainly be as confident of a similar opinion by what they drink.
Of course, badly made wines, from whichever country, are like bad karaoke. If I happen to be in the presence of either, I can only think of being somewhere else."
Brunello di Montalcino 2002, Il Poggione, €39.95. This is one of the top Tuscan wines from one of the top Brunello producers, in a fairly run-of-the-mill vintage. The fact that the vintage is so average actually works in the drinker's favour in this case. The wine is supple, accessible and drinking wonderfully right now. It is reminiscent of ripe, wild bramble fruits and layers of savoury, complex character. Stockist: The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, Dublin 2.
Nigel Donnan is a wine lecturer at the Wine Board of Ireland, which runs wine courses throughout the country. www.wineboard.ie, 01-4757580