Wine with Leslie: Ireland's connections to Brittany go deeper than music and culture

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

I realise you are probably fed up hearing about my travels this year, but my next trip (but one) is accessible to everyone in Ireland. I am off to one of my spiritual homes, Brittany.
I have been visiting Brittany since the mid-1990s, almost always via the Cork-Roscoff ferry, and I can already taste the oysters and Muscadet, and the crêpe complète with cidre fermier.
My son will be studying in Nantes University from September, so we will be visiting that great city and also visiting friends near Lorient, home to the annual Interceltique music festival (the 2025 festival finishes tomorrow).
Ireland's cultural connections with Brittany extend beyond music, of course, and in the early days of Irish farmhouse cheese production, some producers would travel to markets in France to sell their cheese, which was more appreciated there than in Ireland.
Brittany is home of great seafood too, but they also buy lots from Ireland.
Brittany now has a number of wine producers but it is early days for them so best to seek out wines from historic Brittany.
Muscadet is just south of Nantes and still considered Breton by me and most right-thinking folk (Nantes having been annexed by the collaborationist Vichy government in 1941).
I recommend a fine one below from Wines Direct but most Muscadet is worth a try these days, thanks to the warmer climate - e.g. the Marquis de Goulaine Muscadet (made by a wine geese family), or the Nicola Reau 'La Pentière' (l'Atitude 51).
I hope to make a day trip into the Loire Valley to visit a producer or two and maybe pick up a few bottles of Savennières, Coteaux-du-Layon and Anjou Villages.
Suggestions below are all from the Loire and include a red Sancerre which is making its debut.
Domaines Landron 'La Louvetrie' Muscadet, Loire, €19-21.75
Domaines Landron 'La Louvetrie' Muscadet, Loire, €19-21.75
Wines Direct Athlone & Mullingar; Winesdirect.ie
Jo Landron was a pioneer of organic and biodynamic viticulture in the Loire, long before it was fashionable and the 'natural wine' boys and girls moved in.
This is zingy and fresh with a touch of ozone and flint mixed with lemon and apple fruits.
Taut and crisp, this is a fine match for oysters (Irish or Breton) not to mention prawns, mussels and clams.
Max Roger Sancerre Pinot Noir, Loire, France €20.40
Max Roger Sancerre Pinot Noir, Loire, France €20.40
Dunnes Stores
This is reduced from €25.50 until August 26, with similar reductions on the Max Roger Sancerre Blanc and Menetou Salon.
Finding quality French Pinot Noir under €30 is almost impossible, so this is solid value; it's a shame that red Sancerre is so rare.
Earthy red fruit aromas, lively strawberry fruits on the palate with a touch of crunch, pleasingly fresh and taut on the finish.
Marc Brédif Vouvray Classic, Loire, France €26.95
Marc Brédif Vouvray Classic, Loire, France €26.95
JJ O'Driscolls; Vintry; Redmonds; Independents.
The finest white wines of the Loire are not Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé in my view, but the Chenin Blancs of Vouvray and Savennières.
Marc Brédif is one of Vouvray's best producers and this is aromatic and complex on the nose with ripe pear and tropical fruit notes.
On the palate, it's textured and intense with vibrant acidity, layers of flavour and good length.
Beer of the Week
Trouble Brewing Vietnow IPA, 5.5% ABV, 440ml €3.99
Trouble Brewing Vietnow IPA, 5.5% ABV, 440ml €3.99
Bradleys; JJ O'Driscolls; Sweeneys; Craftbeersdelivered.com; Cassidys and Blackbird pubs on draught.
Initially brewed in partnership with two fine Dublin pubs, Cassidy's and Blackbird, luckily it is also available in cans for the rest of the nation.
Pouring with a fluffy head, an orange gold hue and citrus and tropical fruit aromas, this is juicy and punchy with five hoppings (yes 5) to add aroma, bitter fruits and a tangy finish.