The Online 'Wilson on Wine' tasting is a follow on event from last years Online Tastings with John Wilson, wine writer for the Irish Times. It will take Place at 6.30pm on Friday February 5th. Buy a tasting case now and we will send you a link for the live tasting. Make an evening of this one, for it's one not to miss!  After a wonderful reaction and over 170 people online at the last tasting, We are once again ready to kick off the first tasting of 2021, and this one is going to be a cracker!  John has just released his latest book 'Wilson on Wine, the wines to drink in 2021' but this year it's a digital publication.The Irish Times have kindly made it available to everybody joining our tasting. Wilson on Wine 2021 is a compilation of the very best wines available in Ireland right now. John has selected Six of his favourites from the book, and you will get a bottle of all six in your tasting case. John Wilson will give us an uninterrupted and guided tour of all six wines, answering your questions along the way. Pick up great hints and tips on what to look for when buying wines, how to spot great value when selecting wines, and what regions to buy from to get the best value. John will talk generally about the best wines from the book also.  The tasting will last approximately one hour and 30 minutes. it will be held on Zoom and we will send you a link for the tasting by email two days ahead of the tasting.  How it Works?Once you purchase a Tasting Case, we will email you a link for the online tasting. The tasting will take place on Friday 5th February at 6.30pm. We will ship your tasting case to you up to one week beforehand.  You are welcome to buy a case and share the wines amongst a couple of households. To do this, you should share the link sent to you, with multiple households in order that you can all taste the wines, getting the most out of each Case of wine.  What wines has John Chosen? Cullerot 2019, Celler del Roure Valencia, Spain1 x 75clWhen Pablo Calatayud founded Celler del Roure in 1995 he chose as its setting an ancient country estate outside of Moixent. For centuries this was an integrated farm producing grain, almonds, olives and grapes with unsubtle evidence for the production of olive oil and wine – a large, stone, olive press and extensive subterranean cellar with dozens of intact 17th century amphorae. It took a few years of research and restoration but Pablo is using these clay vessels to make wine once again. Cullerot, which means tadpole, is the white that Pablo makes in the old cellar utilizing heirloom and indigenous varieties including Macabeo, Malvasía, Pedro Ximénez, Verdil and others.   Verus Pinot Gris 2018Stajerska, Slovenia1 x 75clIt is no exaggeration to say that the Verus wines, which we tasted for the first time six years ago, are truly outstanding – probably some of the most exciting whites we have tasted in a long, long time. And if you don’t take our word for it, how about this: “This week’s wine is a truly stunning white. An exciting new producer, Verus, a triumvirate of particularly ambitious young winemaking friends, has produced a range of thrillingly pure white wine varietals. I can recommend all of them as beautifully made, precise varietal expressions.” Jancis Robinson Danilo, Bojo and Rajko all worked together at a large local co-operative and decided to strike out on their own. Being familiar with many vineyards in the locality, they forged relationships with the best producers to source their grapes and now have access to some plots of stunning quality – very Burgundian in approach! The wines are fresh and ‘clean’ and are bottled with Stelvin closures. All are around 12.5% or less alcohol with modern winemaking techniques employed – minimum air contact, cold fermentation (under 15 degrees) in stainless steel tanks to maximise freshness. The wines are all produced in small volumes. Our first vintage with Verus was 2007 (theirs too!), and the wines have found admirers every vintage since. They just get better and better. “Wine of the Week” - Jancis Robinson, Financial Times for Pinot Gris “White Wines of the Year” - Irish Times Magazine for Verus Pinot Gris. Hochar Musar 2016Lebanon1 x 75clChateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar. It is still owned and run by younger generations. The vineyards are at a high altitude and benefit from gravelly soils which encourage the production of high-quality grapes. This wine is known as the second wine of Château Musar. Aromas of red fruits with cherry and hints of dark chocolate. On the palate there are ripe red fruit flavours with spicy notes, soft tannins and fresh acidity. Paparuda Pinot Noir 2019Cramele Recas, Romania1 x 75clRomania has a longstanding and proud history of winemaking. There are records of viticulture dating back to the Roman Empire, and legend has it that the Banat region of Romania was where Bacchus, the God of Wine, spent his childhood. The current new wave in Romanian winemaking has resulted in winemakers flocking to the country, and producing wines, including this Pinot Noir, that rival many of their Old World rivals. With its Mediterannean climate, this Western region of Romania is the home of the multi award winning Recaş producer. Johannehohe Blaufrankisch, Weingut Prieler 2017Burgenland Austria1 x 75clThe prologue. The grapes for this wine stem from nine different vineyards, nearly all of which have iron and fossil-rich cambisol soil. My intention with the Johanneshöhe interpretation is to express a particular lightness in Blaufränkisch. Elegance, drinkability and fruit are the focus while tannin, power and spice remain satisfied in supporting roles. Please don’t understand this wrong. Depth, balance and intensity still have highest priority in Johanneshöhe; they are simply bedded on a more airy foundation. Muga Rioja Reserva 2016Rioja, Spain1 x 75clBodegas Muga is located in the historical Barrio de La Estación (railway station district) in Haro. The facilities (270,000 square foot) are two centuries old, built mainly of stone and oak. In fact, oak is paramount in the winery. There are 200 oak deposits as well as 14,000 barrels, made out of different types of oak ranging from French oak (Allier, Tronçais or Jupilles), American, Hungarian, Russian and even the small consignment of Spanish oak. Bodegas Muga vineyards are located on the foot of the Montes Obarenses, within the area called Rioja Alta. The site climate is exceptional due to, on the one hand, the singular geography and orientation of the vines and on the other hand, the surrounding climates Mediterranian, Atlantic and Continental climates are combined harmoniously thus creating a suitable climatic site for growing grape. The soil in this area is mostly clay and limestone, divided in small terroirs with different physical and chemical qualities between them; thus each terroir has a unique and defined personality. This abundance of climatic influences and different soils define prolonged stages in the vine growth cycle. The growth will be complex and delicate, key to the potential quality of the wines in this area Bodegas Muga owns 620 acres of vineyards but it also has control over 370 acres owned by vine growers in the area. The grape varieties grown are Tempranillo (the essence), Garnacha (Grenache), Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano for the red wines; and Viura and Malvasia are used for the white wines. Tasting Powerful, intense and very lively, anxious to please from the start. Almost perfect mingling of red-berry fruit and toasted oak aromas on the nose, with the fruit coming to the fore in the mouth and rounding off a supple, balanced overall effect. The total RRP of these wines is €144.00. This is a paid tasting where John Wilson will be paid for his time in host ing this event. We have discounted this element of cost from the tasting so that you are paying even less than the RRP of the wines for the tasting. For transparency purposes, there is a €21 cost for John Wilsons hosting. You will pay just €135 for everything - the six wines and the live tasting, and this is possible because there are so many of us taking part in what is bound to be a really enjoyable evening.  Total RRP: €165.00 Mixed Case RRP: €135.00 Save: €30 on this Case & live tasting!