Two good-value French wines from Dunnes, one from a former rugby star
wines
from
Dunnes Stores
this week. Gérard Bertrand is one of the great success stories of the Languedoc. Born in the region, he turned to wine after a successful rugby career, coming back to the family business. He now owns 16 estates, a hotel and a restaurant. The rosé offers great value for money at €12.
Château de Barbe comes from the Côtes de Bourg, one of the lesser-known sub-regions of Bordeaux that usually offers very good value. It is a fine, large château with a long history. The wine is made from a blend of 80 per cent merlot, 15 per cent malbec and 5 per cent cabernet sauvignon. This is a classic Bordeaux at a keen price.
Gérard Bertrand Côtes des Roses 2024 Rosé, Languedoc
13%, €12
A very seductive rosé with succulent fresh ripe red cherries and redcurrants, with a good long, dry finish. This would make a great sipping wine or an accompaniment to prawn, salmon and tuna.
Dunnes
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Château de Barbe 2019, Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux
14%, €12
Medium-bodied with smooth chocolate and dark fruits. Light tannins bring a little grip and structure. Drink with roast lamb or beef, or a gourmet burger.
Dunnes
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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
My pick of wines from the best European co-operatives
We are familiar with dairy co-ops in this country. For many decades they have played a big role in our agriculture sector and the rural economy. Wine co-ops were equally important in continental European countries including Spain, Italy and parts of France. As with dairy co-ops, members pool resources to gain access to markets and expertise, increase selling power, and ensure they had a customer for their grapes every year. Being a member of a co-op also means you do not have to invest in expensive winemaking equipment. Management teams set standards and buying prices, make the wine and sell it around the world. For most of the 20th century co-ops provided a lifeline for many producers. However, some had a poor reputation. Farmers were paid by volume and so had little incentive to cut yields and go for quality. Many wines were just plain boring, others faulty. In the 1980s and 1990s, faced with a huge wine lake, the EU provided grants to modernise wineries, hire experienced viticulturists, reduce volumes and increase quality. It worked in most areas. More than half of French wine still comes from a co-op, a figure that rises above 70 per cent in the south of the country. The co-ops have always been strong in the Rhône and Languedoc regions, although they also have a significant presence in areas such as Chablis, Champagne and Alsace. Today, co-ops can be quite coy about mentioning their name, possibly because some consumers turn their nose up at them, preferring to think their wine comes directly from a work-hardened artisan son of the soil. Most co-ops now pay members by quality and sugar content and produce a range of wines from inexpensive to some very high-quality wines. There always have been some excellent co-ops who make wine that is every bit as good as any domaine. Today, our wines come from four of the best co-operatives in Europe. Paco & Lola Albariño 2024, Rías Baixas, Spain Paco & Lola Albariño 2024, Rías Baixas, Spain 13%, €15-17 Aromatic with a rich palate of plump rounded pears and stone fruits. Drink solo, with fish or with white meats. READ MORE Dunnes Stores; Tesco; SuperValu Vola Volé Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2022, Italy, Biodynamic Vola Volé Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2022, Italy, Biodynamic 13.5%, €18.50 Medium-bodied with dark cherry and plum fruits and an earthy, spicy finish. A good all-rounder to enjoy with pizza and tomato-based pasta dishes. Morton's, Dublin 6; Green Man, Dublin 6; Firecastle, Kildare; Mannings Emporium, Ballylickey, Co Cork; Sheridan's Cheesemongers Riesling Ried Trenning Federspiel 2023 Domäne Wachau 2023 Riesling Ried Trenning Federspiel 2023 Domäne Wachau 2023 12.5%, €21.99 Vibrant and lively with fresh apricot and lime, finishing bone dry. Perfect summer drinking with crab or mussels. Chablis La Pierrelée La Chablisienne 2022 Chablis La Pierrelée La Chablisienne 2022 12.5%, €30-35 Racy green apple and peach fruits with lemon zest and a touch of liquorice. Perfect on its own, with oysters and other shellfish. Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; 64 Wines, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 2; DrinkStore, Dublin 7
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Two good-value French wines from Dunnes, one from a former rugby star
Two French wines from Dunnes Stores this week. Gérard Bertrand is one of the great success stories of the Languedoc. Born in the region, he turned to wine after a successful rugby career, coming back to the family business. He now owns 16 estates, a hotel and a restaurant. The rosé offers great value for money at €12. Château de Barbe comes from the Côtes de Bourg, one of the lesser-known sub-regions of Bordeaux that usually offers very good value. It is a fine, large château with a long history. The wine is made from a blend of 80 per cent merlot, 15 per cent malbec and 5 per cent cabernet sauvignon. This is a classic Bordeaux at a keen price. Gérard Bertrand Côtes des Roses 2024 Rosé, Languedoc 13%, €12 A very seductive rosé with succulent fresh ripe red cherries and redcurrants, with a good long, dry finish. This would make a great sipping wine or an accompaniment to prawn, salmon and tuna. Dunnes READ MORE Château de Barbe 2019, Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux 14%, €12 Medium-bodied with smooth chocolate and dark fruits. Light tannins bring a little grip and structure. Drink with roast lamb or beef, or a gourmet burger. Dunnes
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
France, Germany and UK call on Iran to resume nuclear discussions with US
France , Germany and the UK have told the UN they are prepared to trigger the reimposition of sanctions on Iran unless it resumes negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme. The foreign ministers of the three countries – known collectively as the E3 – wrote to the UN on Tuesday to raise the spectre of implementing a 'snapback' mechanism unless Iran takes action. But they said they had offered to extend a deadline to start the process if Tehran returned to the negotiating table. 'We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, [the E3] are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,' the ministers said in the letter, which was obtained by the Financial Times. The European powers have to decide whether to invoke snapback a month before crucial clauses of a 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with the E3, the Obama administration, Russia and China, expire in October. READ MORE The accord, under which Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief, has been in a state of collapse since US president Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned it during his first term. Iran responded by aggressively expanding its nuclear activity and was enriching uranium at levels close to weapons grade before Israel launched its 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June . Before the conflict, the Trump administration and Iran had been holding indirect talks in an effort to resolve the long-running stand-off over its nuclear programme. But Israel's attack, which was launched 48 hours before Tehran and Washington were to hold a sixth round of talks, upended the diplomatic process. The US briefly joined Israel in bombing Iran's main nuclear facilities. The E3 told Iran at talks in Turkey last month that they could extend the snapback deadline if Tehran agreed to resume talks with the US and co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. One western diplomat said the talks had been 'difficult'. On Tuesday, the E3 said their offer of an extension 'remained unanswered by Iran'. The ministers said a 'limited extension' would provide more time for talks aimed at concluding a new nuclear agreement, while maintaining the ability to reimpose sanctions to prevent nuclear proliferation. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin /AFP via Getty Images Following the Istanbul meeting in July, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told the FT that the E3 had no 'legal or moral grounds' to implement the snapback. He warned that Iran would exclude the European powers from future nuclear talks if they went through with the process. Mr Araghchi accused the E3 of failing to meet their commitments under the 2015 deal and said the snapback mechanism was 'not that important any more'. 'With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything,' Mr Araghchi said. 'If they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them.' In their letter, the E3 ministers said they were 'clearly and unambiguously' legally justified in reimposing sanctions on Iran because since 2019 – a year after Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord – Tehran had 'wilfully' departed from its commitments under the deal. Tehran has said it remains open to talks with the Trump administration. But its stance hardened after Israel's assault. Mr Araghchi has said Iran wants assurances from the US that it will not be attacked during future talks, and wants 'confidence-building measures', including the US agreeing to compensate Iran for war damage. Iran announced after Israel's attack that it was suspending co-operation with the IAEA, which has had inspectors in the country. A senior IAEA official met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry said, but the UN nuclear watchdog has not commented on the trip. The letter to UN secretary general António Guterres and the UN Security Council was signed by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, and UK foreign minister David Lammy. It comes two months after the US and Israel struck nuclear sites in Iran. The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.- Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
