Budget Wine of the Week

With the current economic uncertainty, I thought I would offer my trained opinion on wines costing less than $15. I see it as my contribution to budgeting while offering some reasonably priced gems or steering folks away from potential disappointment. I'll use a 20 point scale but may expand to 100 points for those who are more comfortable with that number if requested. I'll make an effort to review one wine per week. More if I have to.

This week's wine is from the Western Cape of South Africa. The Western Cape isn't one of the premier regions of South Africa, but there is potetial to find a decent budget wine. It's not Paarl after all. I tasted Guardian Peak's Shiraz 2004 with a price of about $14. Please find my notes below:

I found the appearance to be clear but a bit dull. There is significant sediment that collects at the bottom of the glass. This wine is not a looker. The color is a deep purple with light struggling to pass through. The edges are slightly copper in color inidicating that this wine has a little age. The nose is meaty. It's not roasted meat but closer to a braised filet. There is a strong presence of berries like blackberry jam. Despite being 5 years old, the acidity remains vibrant and crisp resulting in a Pavlovian response. This shiraz feels a bit sweet on the tongue, but I'll attribute that to it's alcohol content labelled at 14.5%. I would guess it's a little higher than that. The alcohol balances well with the acidity and makes this wine full bodied. It's a mouthful even with the softer, rounded tannins that are evident. You can almost chew this one. On the tongue the fruit is forward but not quite the bomb I was expecting. That's a good thing. I prefer the meatiness of a shiraz over the fruit and this one has a decent balance. The fruit is a bit like candied cherries and has a bit of length to it. This wine is fairly well made. I don't think I would serve this at a formal dinner, but rather would save this one for grilling some strip steaks on the braai. It's not bad as an apertif as well. So, I give it a 15/20 making it an average find. Considering the price tag, I think there are likely better wines in this price range. It's not a gem,but neither is it a dud.

Dublin, Ireland

After much thought, I decided my first post would be about my most recent trip. I travelled to Dublin in January of this year, but it happened to be for business instead of being one of my typical but not frequent enough adventures. So, for this post there won't be as many do's and don'ts or reviews. I'll start with the do's. The pubs aren't to be missed even if you don't imbide things of the fermented variety. Although I have to say that the Guiness was tremendous.......for a macrobrew. Maybe it was the environment, but I don't think so. Many of the pubs are historic and have been around longer than these United States. Besides, it's where you'll meet the locals and really get a good understanding of what it's like to be Irish. The pubs are also a great place to hear local musicians. If you go to one pub while in Dublin, I would recommend O'Donoghue's at 15 Merrion Row not far from St. Stephen's green. You can check it out here: http://www.odonoghues.ie/. I stopped in on a Monday evening to find no fewer than three groups of musicians playing guitars, tin whistles, bodhrans, and mandolins. In the rear of the pub is a "room" that's actually the alley with a tented roof and heaters. It's a unique way of getting around the smoking ban, and it's where you'll find the best musicians. The mix of music was eclectic with the classic Irish folk songs mixed with a variety of other styles. The crowd went into a frenzy when the band played John Denver's "Country Roads". Other pubs to consider include Doheny and Nesbitt across the street from O'Donoghues, and The Stag's Head near Trinity College. Both are historic with the latter boasting James Joyce as a past regular. Being a fan of the microbrew, I also stopped in for lunch and a few pints at Dublin's microbrewery, The Porterhouse, located on Parliament Street near the Temple Bar neighborhood. The Wrassler's Stout was the best that I sampled, but the brewery offers a wide range of brews. There were too many to sample during a business lunch. The Oyster Stout was also quite good but a little too carbonated for a stout. Both varieties have won awards, but the Wrassler's is highly decorated. You can check them out here http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/beers.html.

Another do is to visit some of the churches and cathedrals peppered throughout the city. Although St. Patrick's Cathedral is a beautiful site, the nearby Christ Church Cathedral is more impressive. Both charge an entry fee and are self-guided. However, there are roaming staff that are more than willing to share the history of the cathedrals. Other do's in the city include a whiskey tasting at the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street near St. Stephen's green. However, unless you intend to buy a rare or obscure whiskey, you are better off making your purchase in the airport duty free shop. It's less of a hassle and the selection at the airport is surprisingly impressive. I bought the Red Breast 12 year old whiskey and would have been wise to get it at the airport.

Outside of the city are two historical sites that must be seen. Glendalough is located in the Wicklow Mountains and is the site of one of the first Christian monastic settlements in Europe dating from the 6th century A.D. The other historical site is the Druid burial site of Newgrange. Both sites are well preserved and are a sense of pride to the Irish people.

Now for the don'ts. I will list them in bullet points, and remember it's just one man's opinion.

• The Book of Kells @ Trinity College (The real book is currently on loan, but a nice, modern copy is available for viewing.)





• Irish National Stud (It's not what you think ladies, unless you were thinking of horses.)





• The Guinness Storehouse (Tourist trap! You're much better served, in all ways, by heading to a pub)





• Temple Bar (unless you want to hang out with a bunch of fellow American tourists.)