Wine Calendar

Our sommelier at The K Club, Lisa O’Doherty, has offered her suggestions for wines suitable for the different times of the year. An intriguing guide to wines that might enhance or contrast the different seasons.

On of Lisa’s best loved aspects of her job is helping her customers negotiate the 250 wines on The K Club’s signature list and introducing them to wines they might not otherwise try. Lisa hosts regular tours and tastings in the K Club’s cellars – so if you find yourself with 30 minutes to spare on your next visit don’t miss the opportunity.

This is the kind of service which won The Byerley Turk and Lisa a Gilbeys Restaurant and Catering Review Award in March 2006 for the Best Wine Experience.

Beat those January Blues with this full-bodied juicy red from Australia. Setanta vineyard is a second generation Irish owned winery in the cool hills of Adelaide. The wine is benchmark Aussie Cabernet with rich dark fruits and silky tannin. The inspiration for the name and labels comes from Irish legends; Black Sanglain was Cuchullans trusted horse. Have this wine with red meats and robust winter stews. Perfect for the cold nights ahead…

As the winter gains pace and the nights are cold, curl up with this very grown up wine from Italy. Sometimes called the Barolo of the south, this wine is powerful and rich. Dark luscious cherries and black fruit with a lovely acidity that goes particularly well with Italian tomato based dishes. Try it with Ossa Buco or Bolognese

Most people associate Châteauneuf- du- Pape with rich alcoholic red wine but its whites also have a lot to offer. This white wine from Jaboulet Aine has all the rich characteristics you would expect, apricots and honeysuckle, but also a depth and complexity, which it has gained with aging. I love this wine with food, match it with chicken dishes or even light casseroles

As spring begins to thaw the air its time to look at lighter reds with lots of fruit characteristics, which is why I have chosen a Pinot Noir from New Zealand. It comes form the Central Otago region and is bursting with red berry fruit- raspberries, strawberries and soft silky tannins. Try it with light spring dishes like Lamb or Pork.

May has arrived and the hint of summer is in the air. Time for some chilled white wine. I love this Pouilly Fuisse because it regularly behaves like a much more expensive Burgundy. It has rich white fruit, a sensitive use of oak and a nuttiness normally found in much more pricey villages such as Mersault…. I love to serve this wine with seafood staters like Smoked Salmon as the oak compliments the smoky oily flavour or some Turbot or even meaty Monkfish.

Pinot Grigio has become a very trendy grape variety in recent years and unfortunately the market has been flooded with entry level neutral wines that are just upfront fruit and nothing else… Not this one though. This Pinot Grigio shows all the classic characteristics of this noble grape from the North of Italy- lovely lively fruit, zingy acidity and unusually a slight touch of oak, which gives it a roundness, and a real depth of flavour. A great summer wine.

Summer is upon us and those lazy hot summer nights stretch ahead… What better way to celebrate than this cool customer form the Adelaide Hills. We had its big brother earlier in the Year and unlike the Cabernet Sauvignon this chardonnay is made in a very European style- refined and sensitively oaked. No overpowering buttery flavours here, instead we see nutty flavours and white ripe fruit in harmony with each other .A great wine with any fish and probably the most romantic label ever…

Pinot Noir is one of the hardest grapes to grow and when it is bad it is very very bad but when it is good in can be sublime. It can be very hard to find good Burgundy at this level but this example is one of the nicest, most feminine Pinot’s I have tasted in a long time. Full of ripe red fruit with just a hint of undergrowth coming through as it reaches maturity, it is a great match to heavier fish dishes, serve it slightly chilled on a summer day.

It has been a full year since the legendary Ryder Cup matches held here at the K Club. To celebrate the 1st anniversary I have chosen two wines, which sum up that week for me as the Sommelier.

Firstly the Caymus Connundrum, which we served in the USA room, is a wonderful example of blending in California wines. A blend of quite a few grapes- principally Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat it also has some seasoning of Viognier and Semillon.  This wine takes the best from each varietal and produces a full rich wine with nuances of honeysuckle and lychees and flavours of ripe grapes. A great aperitif wine as it seems to go on forever

Secondly the Marquis de Riscal which was the official wine of the competition. This wine is reserva, which means it has spent two years in oak, which develops wonderful vanilla, and spicy flavours in the wine. Smooth and luscious with dark berry fruit, it accompanies most meat dishes to perfection, especially rich casseroles and cassoulets.

A although this area may not be as well known as Rioja it has been producing top quality wine for generations. In fact Spain’s most famous and expensive wine Vega Sicilia comes from here. This is a classic full-bodied, juicy red made from the Tempranillo grape with spicy undertones from its one year spent in oak. I like this wine on its own or with food. Try it with some of the game dishes coming onto our menus

Winter is well and truly back so curl up with this classic Aussie shiraz. It is everything an Aussie shiraz should be- spicy, peppery, full-bodied, rich plum fruit and silky tannin. Katnook estate in Aboriginal means Fat Land, this comes from the Terra Rossa soil of the Coonawarra area This wine is made in the same spot as John Riddoch first made wine in Australia in 1896. A true Aussie classic.

Ahh. Its Christmas time again. I think at this time of the year it’s best to keep it classic, and what could be more classic than Burgundy with Christmas dinner. I have chosen a few for you to consider.

First course the Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru, a classic choice- rich elegant yet complex wine with wonderful fruit flavour and rich vanilla and nutty flavours from the oak. This wine would compliment any table

Second course the Corton Grand Cru, this wine has aged gracefully into a stunning wine. There is still quite a lot of red berry fruit but also a wonderful sublime earthiness to the wine that compliments the richness of a traditional Christmas dinner.

Dessert course Tokaji Hetszolo 5 Puttonya s- once one of the great sweet wines of the world Tokaji has been enjoying something of a renaissance lately. With some investment in the wineries since the fall of communism this wine is beginning to prove it can rival the great Sauternes yet again. Obviously sweet yet it had wonderful acidity that keeps it refreshing it has flavours of candy peel and spice and orange and quince. I think the perfect way to end a Christmas feast. Or any time of the year...