My Grape Escape

In an annual debate as divided as The Front Line on Budget Day, the question as to which wine to pair with your Christmas dinner is always a good one.  I’ll return to that debate later in the week with advice from some real experts. Down the years though I’ve generally noticed three schools of [...]

The first in a deluge of discoveries from the 2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference. Just home from Vienna and what a trip it was! I took in lots of ideas, gadgets and apfelstrudel; I learned all about the delights of Austrian wine (Blaufränkisch? Gemischter Satz??); and most importantly mingled and networked with the 200 fellow [...]

I’ve been watching a lot of American Football lately, and my new hero is none other than the Rhinestone Cowboy himself; mullet wearin’ quarterback killin’ rattlesnake eatin’ Jared Allen. In a recent interview I learned the Minnesota Vikings defensive-end likes to hunt wild game and feast on it (‘you gota grill what you kill’); would eat Peyton [...]

Friday the 24th of September saw the very first International #Grenache Day. And just like Arthur Guinness’s 251st birthday a day earlier - I resent the likes of Diageo, a plethora of international wine critics, or a Twitter hashtag dictating what I can or cannot drink on any given day. Having said that, I’m a sucker for [...]

Merlot – from the old French word for young blackbird; seemingly the only creature that loves the grape resolutely, unaffected by films or fads or medical studies. Amongst us humans however, it is loved and loathed in equal measure. Bridget Jones influenced a whole generation of Chardonnay consumption, and in a similar fashion Merlot has been a victim [...]

I have always held a special affinity with Alsace. I often fondly reflect on the incredible Erasmus year I spent in the Alsatian capital, Strasbourg, the highlights of which included chasing Racing Strasbourg FC around Europe in the UEFA Cup, and chasing Colombians and Mexicans around the nightclubs of the city. Other must-sees included daily [...]

Ever since Benedictine monks invented the stuff in 1927, Buckfast has been getting students, bums, undesirables, yuppies, miscreants and whoever else “f*cked fast” for years. Its heady combination of alcohol, caffeine, price and sweetness make it an ideal solution to many of life’s problems – whether your intention is a) getting your buzz on before [...]

Love it or hate it, Leggs Wine Bar is one of Dublin’s most popular nocturnal haunts. The drill is all too familiar. You have enjoyed a great night out but it’s not enough. You glide past security and stumble down those cold, concrete stairs. Abandon your jacket in on the left and you enter battle. No [...]

The French Alps. Having just returned from there, and for the time of year that’s in it, I think an Alpine Special is the ideal way to kick off My Grape Escape. I’ll get to the wine later, because it would be a culinary crime to ignore the mouth-watering dishes this region has to offer. [...]