Wine, undressed

In his new column, Ashford Castle’s Head Sommelier Philip Dunne shares his insights into  the wonderful, sometimes baffling world of wines

Wine

Philip Dunne

‘To take wine into our mouths is to savour a droplet of the river of human history’

– Clifton Fadiman

A kaleidoscope of colour, rhythm, and movement, wine is one of the world’s oldest and most appreciated drinks. The bottle of wine you drink with your dinner in the evening, or pop open for that special occasion in the swanky restaurant has a very special unique story behind it.

The vineyard where the grapes were grown is the heartbeat, overseen by the pernickety winemaker who cares for each of the grapes like one of his or her offspring. Tenderly, they watch over the fruit until until it reaches full maturity, until primed to be turned into wine.

There are over 60 countries in the world producing different styles of wine, however we see  just a handful of these countries on our local supermarket shelves and wine lists. France, Spain and Italy have dominated for decades, with Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina competing with prowess. Within these countries we find many different styles of wine, including red, white, rosé, sparkling, sweet.

What lies next is the puzzling decision for the customer – which wine do you buy? The intimidation of choosing a quality wine for a family member’s special occasion or trying to impress your date with a decent bottle within your budget of a 40-page restaurant wine list, can propel shivers down the spine of the hardest of souls.

Before we go further, remember, wine is to be enjoyed. It is a journey, a taste of a region or country, a palate sensation.

My profession day to day is to inform on the unknown, the juice that everyone is fond of but doesn’t know much about, and break down what all of those peculiar French and Spanish words mean on the label. I am a sommelier, the term given to a professional specialising in wine. I have the privilege of working in one of the greatest hotels in the world, Ashford Castle, in the idyllic setting of Cong, where we have a truly marvellous wine cellar.

The profession of a sommelier is not one normally associated with a fresh-faced, 25-year-old Irish man such as myself, but then again, the wine world is changing, rapidly.

Wine was at one time only for the wealthy, a sign of social status perhaps. In 2016, wine is indeed for you, me, and Mary two doors down.

In this new regular wine column, I would hope to help break down the ‘fear’ and make you feel more relaxed and self-assured in your choice as you do your weekly shop or buy that special bottle. You will understand more confidently whether you are a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, Malbec or Merlot type of wine connoisseur, and why that Cabernet Sauvignon you bought recently really didn’t set your world alight.

I’ll finish with one more quote: ‘Compromises are for relationships, not wine’ – Sir Robert Scott Caywood.

Philip Dunne is Head Sommelier at Ashford Castle, Cong. Trained by the Court of Master Sommeliers, he is part of the team voted the Best Wine Experience in Ireland 2016 at the Restaurant Association Awards in Ireland.