IRISH HARVEST:We may not have golden Mediterranean-style vineyards in Ireland, but one Dublin winemaker is surprising wine buffs with an attractive vintage, writes John Wilson
I AM SITTING AT a large wooden table, tasting a range of wines and nibbling cheese. Looking out over the rows of vines, a marvellous mix of gold and red in the low autumn sun, I could be in France or Italy or maybe northern Spain. Except that the cheese is made by Silke Cropp in Co Cavan and the wine is made in Co Dublin.
I am in Lusk with David Llewellyn, sampling what are almost certainly Ireland's only commercial wines. It is harvest time, and when I arrived Llewellyn and a neighbour were busy picking what looked like a very healthy crop of grapes. He is optimistic this year - in 2007 he made no white wine at all because of poor fruit-set, which is to say poorly developed branches , and damp weather.
Over the past decade or two many have tried their hand at growing vines in Ireland, with results that can best be described as mixed. Most have given up in the face of poor summers and lack of sun. Over the water in England there is a real excitement about the renaissance in British wines. In the early Middle Ages, England had a thriving wine industry, largely run by religious orders. There are now 1,000 hectares under vine. Could the same happen in Ireland?
It started for Llewellyn when, as a horticulture student in Warrenstown, Co Meath, he spent a summer working on a fruit farm in Germany. The farmer also made wine, and Llewellyn was hooked.
Following a degree in horticulture at University College Dublin, he started (although never finished) a master's on suitable microclimates for viticulture in Ireland. So where are these potential vineyards?
"Well, it is not really warm enough just yet," says Llewellyn, "but a few degrees will make all the difference."
At the moment most of his vines grow under cover, long polythene tunnels of the type used to grow other fruits. He does have a small plot without any protection, where he is growing new German varieties Rondo and Regent selected specifically to grow in cool climates.
"They ripened really well this year, but sadly there will be no wine - the birds ate all the grapes," he says. This is something of a problem in most vineyards around the world, and Co Dublin is no exception. Apparently, the pheasants around Lusk are very fond of grapes. Despite this, Llewellyn intends planting more.
Under cover, he has some of the better-known grape varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer for the whites, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for red wines. Growing under polytunnel means a lot more work, and therefore expense. Tractors and other farm machines are not an option; everything must be done by hand.
He is very happy with the red-grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon seems to be working very well, and he is in the process of planting more. Chardonnay he finds more difficult - "the wines are a bit bland and uninteresting." I beg to differ. I thought the one example I tried, blended with a bit of Gewürztraminer, was pretty good.
So what does Irish wine taste like? As a wine writer I have been forced to taste a great many unpalatable wines, and I was prepared for the worst on my way out to Lusk. I was very pleasantly surprised, however.
The wines were certainly light, but all had plenty of clean fruits. I tasted three very decent whites and three attractive reds. I was particularly taken by the 2006 Sauvignon, with its clean, crisp gooseberry fruits, and a delicate unoaked Cabernet Merlot. I also tried out a very palatable wine made from the "outdoor" vines, Ronda and Regent.
They may not be in line for gold medals at the great wine competitions, but they make for very interesting drinking and, served blind, would fox any wine buff who thinks he or she knows it all.
With tiny quantities available - production is a minuscule 200 to 300 litres per year - Llewellyn's winemaking is not currently a viable business. The wines are certainly not cheap, selling at more than €20 per half-bottle.
Llewellyn has also planted a wide range of apple trees, including many old Irish varieties. For the moment he relies on sales of apples, delicious fresh apple juice and an excellent balsamic vinegar in some of the farmers' markets around the city. Be sure to catch him at the market in the People's Park, Dún Laoghaire, on Sunday mornings for delicious dessert grapes, too.
For the first time this year, he has sufficient wine to sell commercially through a limited number of retail outlets. Lusca, as it is known, is now available through Fallon & Byrne and Wines on the Green in Dublin and Country Choice in Nenagh, as well as being listed in Chapter One and the Merrion Hotel.
Lusca Cuvée No 1 2006, 12.5%, €39 for 750ml, €24 for 350ml. Clean mineral nose leading on to a palate of light grapefruit, pears and even melons. The finish is crisp and dry. A glass on its own would be perfect or serve with lighter seafood dishes - Dublin Bay prawns, perhaps?
Lusca Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006, 12%, €39 for 750ml, €24 for 350ml. Delicate brambly aromas: very light, easy, smooth redcurrant fruits with a pleasant, spicy touch (the wine has seen a little oak). Crisp and elegant, so you could serve this on its own or with less assertive cheeses such as Silke Cropp's unsmoked Drumlin.