Take 6: Fion Eile
We've found your Christmas wine
It’s all happening at the big junction in Phibsborough these days. Pioneering artisans Two Boys Brew have been joined by Elliott’s Bakery, Borgo Trattoria, 3fe, Bunsen, and Dublin’s coolest new place to enjoy wine, Fion Eile, the brainchild of Sinead and Paul.
Here are half a dozen beauties we picked from the FE shelves.
Bedoba Saperavi 2022 13.5% €24
This just might be the ideal bottle for your Xmas table, or for that brilliantly surprising Xmas present.
If you only know the saperavi grape from bland supermarket versions, prepare to be blown away by this Georgian superstar. Layers of flavours run from sour cherry through green bananas and on to cruciferous vegetables. Boom!
Nocturne Treeton Chardonnay 2022 13%abv €37
Pricey, but worth the cash for a wine of perfect balance and alchemised subtlety. Winemaker Julian Langworthy has written that “Chardonnay is what Jesus made when he turned water into wine” and this may very well be that Jesus bottle. Greengage, unripe strawberries, and notes of Asian pear will have you shouting “Praise the Lord!”
Schodl Safari in Natura 2024 12%abv €24
The three Schodl siblings – Viktoria; Mathias and Leonhard – blend four different grape varieties – Gruner Veltliner; Welschriesling; Wesiburgunder and Muskatel – to make this zippy charmer. The colour is initially confusing, with the orangey-golden hue suggesting a wine that will veer towards sweetness, but that colour is due to skin contact, and the wine is bracingly fresh and acidic, with orange peel and yellow pepper haloing a really fine natural wine.
La Parilla El Pinto Palomino 2023 11.5%abv €19
The Palomino grape is traditionally used to make sherry, but here the grape produces something really surprising and punky, a fino-hued but dry white wine with a salty, nutty character which offers great value for money. The production is natural and sustainable, and beautifully captures the agrestic richness of the Cadiz region.
Celler de Roure Vermell 2024 13%abv €19
Pablo Cataluyud is fascinated by the ancient grape varieties native to Valencia and uses them to make a range of Vins Antics, which are aged in amphorae. The Vermell blends Garnacha Tintorera with Mandó, the grapes are hand-harvested and the framing practices are certified organic, and that care and attention to detail shines through every sip of this beauty, which is a steal at the price.
Sette Piemont Grignolino 2023 14%abv €28
Grignolino is a little-known variety from Piemonte, and Gino and Gianluca from Sette, who farm 5.5 hectares around Nizza Monferrato, have real fun with it, despite the challenges the grape presents: one winemaker described it as “anarchist & individualistic”, so you can see why brave winemakers enjoy the challenge of grignolino. The grapes are grown near Asti, have a couple of weeks of maceration on the skins, followed by up to 9 months in amphora. You might get some notes of Turkish delight wafting from this rustically splendid Italian eccentric.
Related:
Without Wine, Life would be a Mistake – Fion Eile
An occasional wine column where we mangle the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous dictum – “Without music, life would be a mistake” – to extol the virtues and culture of the world of wine.