TalkTV: Ireland vs Wales

This week on TalkTV with Mike Graham, Helena redeems herself for a poor show of Welsh drinks for St David’s Day while showcasing some of Ireland’s finest for St Patrick’s Day. It’s an Irish-Welsh mash up!

Killowen Pangur Irish Poitin

Poitin is the classic, Irish spirit that has a reputation for being utterly lethal. There certainly was truth in this as it wasn’t until 1997 that Poitin production became legal and regulated. Before that, it was essentially home made moonshine. This premium spirit from Killowen Distillery in the Mournes, County Down, was inspired by the famous white cat in the 9th century poem 'Pangur Bán' and is a 50-50 marriage of two Poitin’s, one from tiny Killowen and one, a much bigger distillery across the way. Try it neat or in cocktails.

Find it for £41.77 at KWM Wine and at the Killowen Distillery

Killowen Gloria Coffee Liqueur

Micro distillery Killowen have aced it with this gorgeous coffee liqueur, made with cask aged Poitín vatted together with rich, natural ground coffee before being left to rest for six months in an ex-bourbon cask. The result is a smooth, complex drinking liqueur. Lovely on its own with ice or as part of a cream liqueur-based cocktail.

Find it for £35.50 from Irish Malts

Killowen Distillery features in Episode one of The Three Drinkers in Ireland, streaming live on Amazon Prime! If you have not watched it yet, let us know what you think! Watch Now!

Ancre Hills Blanc de Noirs

Fine wine from Wales, claxon! This serious sparkler hails from 12 hectares of organic and biodynamic vineyards close to the border town of Monmouth and the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire. 100% Pinot Noir, barrel fermented and aged on the lees for 2-3 years, this classy sparkler is creamy and brioche-scented with tonnes of red fruit notes.

Find it for £39.99 from Grape Britannia

Merlyn Welsh Cream Liqueur

I never thought I’d say this, but Merlyn gives Baileys a proper run for its money. Wow. So rich and creamy, not confected, a bit of chocolate and spice… it has it ALL! I could bath in this. Wonderful Welsh cream. Buy it.

Find it for £17.35 from The Whiskey Exchange

TalkTV: Scottish Drinks for Burns Night

What better way to start your whisky journey is there than to taste a dram or seven this Burns Night! In celebration of the great Scottish Poet Robbie (Rabbie) Burns, we won't; quite be addressing the haggis, but we will be looking at some classic Scottish drinks, from Single Malt Scotch to Scotland’s other national drink: Irn Bru!

Rob Roy Cocktail

A classic, easy-to-make, delicious small cocktails for Scotch newbies and aficionados alike. 

It is said to have got its name when a bar in New York tweaked the classic Manhattan cocktail recipe to use Scotch whisky instead of Bourbon in homage to a new operetta called Rob Roy, that was playing in a theatre nearby. The protagonist of this story was a  Scottish folk hero named Rob Roy MacGregor. Simply pour the Scotch whisky, vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir well. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass or couple and garnish with the cocktail cherry. 

Whisky used: Glen Marnoch Highland Single Malt Whisky (£17.49 from Aldi.)

Vermouth used: Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (£23.95 from The Whisky Exchange)

Cocktail Maraschino cherries by Hotel Starlino (£9.99 from The Bottle Club)

Ingredients:

50ml Scotch Whisky

25ml Sweet Red Vermouth

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 Speared cocktail cherry

Ne-bru-ni

Joy of joys, here’s a Negroni with a Scottish twist, swapping out the vermouth for the Irn Bru. At least it’s not as strong, so less bad for you, right? Don’t forget to use a classic, Scottish gin for the full Burns Night effect. Add the gin and the aperitif into a shaker with ice and shake hard for a full 30 seconds. Pour over a large cube of ice into a tumbler and top up with Irn Bru. Stir gently and garnish with an orange wheel if you’re feeling fancy. 

Gin used: Hendrick’s Gin (Find at Ocado for £27)

Aperitif used: Campari 

Irn Bru 1901 in a bottle - the original.  (Find at Ocado for £2.55)

Ingredients:

25ml Gin

25ml Bitter Aperitif

25ml Irn Bru

Oban 14 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Finally, we can’t toast Burns NIght without a single dram pof fine Scotch whisky and I;ve gone for an Oban 14. One of my favourite Highland Malt Scotches and a classic example of whisky from the Western Highlands, this tiny distillery uses pot still for small batches and more character. The 14 year old is full-bodied and has aromas and flavours of candied orange peel, heather, honey, a whiff of peat smoke and a slick of sea salt in the finish.

Find it at Ocado for £77.50

Don’t forget to watch The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky, streaming 24/7 on Amazon Prime! 

See more on Scotch whisky in these articles: 12 Top Whiskies to sip this Burns Night

TalkTV: Sweet Treats

Coole Swan Superior Cream Liqueur

Made with single malt Irish whiskey, Belgian white chocolate and fresh cream.

£25 from John Lewis, The Whisky Exchange

Sainsbury's Spiced Ginger Biscuit Irish Cream Liqueur

Irish cream with spiced biscuit flavours - a bit like Speculoos!

£9 on offer from Sainsbury's

M&S Vegan Chocolate & Coconut Cream Liqueur

Not a bad version for vegans! Made with coconut oil.

£10 in store from M&S

Bellucci Velvet Amaretto

Aldi's dupe of Disaronno's Velvet Liqueur, but does it hit the mark?

£5.49 from Aldi

TalkTV: Festive pudding & cheese pairings

Sweet treats and cheese can provide matches made in heaven or completely the opposite if you get them wrong. Here are a couple of go-classic pairings that will elevate your festive hosting game!

Blue cheese with sweet white wine

Salty, blue cheeses like stilton or roquefort have traditionally been matched with sweet reds like Port but actually, a sweet white provides a more zingy, fresher match at the end of a meal or as a course in itself. Look for late harvest wines, ice wines or wines with Noble Rot (botrytis) like Sauternes or Tokaji and you’ll never look back!

In the glass: Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2014, £12.99 mix 6 price Majestic

On the plate: Paxton & Whitfield Stilton, via Ocado

Chocolate log or pudding with fortified red wine

Chocolate and wine is a notoriously hard pairing as the fat in the chocolate tends to strip out the fruit in wine and leave it tasting metallic. The best way around that, especially with milk chocolate and cakes rather than very dark chocolate, is to go for something richer and sweeter. Port and other fortified red wines are perfect for this. Also, try Banyuls or Maury from France or fortified Malbec that is now coming out of Argentina.

In the glass: Niepoort Ruby Dum Port, £17.25 from The Whisky Exchange

On the plate: Irresistible Yule Log, £5 from Coop

Mince pies or Christmas cake with PX Sherry

For all those spirity, dried fruit and candied peel notes in mince pies and Christmas cake, there is nothing better than a heavier style of sherry. If you prefer it dry and saline, then a darker, Oloroso style is perfect whereas if you like a touch of sweetness (but not the Bristol cream style your nan drinks), look for a PX or Pedro Ximenez. It’s figgy, chocolatey and baking spicy. Yes, that’s a thing.

In the glass: Nectar Pedro Ximenez from Gonzalez Byass from The Whisky Exchange on offer for £15.25.

On the plate: Christmas cake

TalkTV: World Cup Wine & Gin!

Who’d have thought it? England are still in the World Cup 2022! To celebrate, let’s look at a few drinks from some of the countries that are or have been in the running.

England

Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Wine 2010 

This vintage English fizz has been a smart find for professional winos since it hit the shelves. It’s made like champagne, from a great vintage year and it’s got loads of bottle age, giving it lots of complexity and flavour. If this were champagne, it would be three times the price. 

Find it here at Morrisons for £27

Uruguay

Specially Selected Albariño

It’s no surprise that a Spanish varietal has become Uruguay’s flagship grape when you consider that most of the winemaking community are descended from Basque immigrants. Hailing from Maldonado, close to the Atlantic, this a decent Albariño, somewhat bolder than the classic Rias Baixas version and with notes of quince, baked apple and white peach with a zesty acidity and saline finish. 

Find it here at Aldi for £9.99

Argentina

Graffigna Genuine Collection Malbec Reserve 2020

Graffigna is the 3rd oldest winery in Argentina, with more than 150 years of history to its name. Their Malbec now hails entirely from the premium region of the Uco Valley in Argentina and their aim is to give the wine more freshness rather than heavy oak. Excellent value and a great choice for festive feasting.

Find it here at Sainsbury’s on offer for £7.50

France

Mirabeau Gin Grapefruit Gimlet

As a special treat, I thought I’d bring in a favourite French gin of mine. Made by Mirabeau using rosé wine and Provençal botanicals such as thyme, rose and lavender, this premium gin really is Provence in a glass. It’s a gin you can sip alone with ice, but it also makes a killer G&T and a Gimlet.

Here’s a simple cocktail recipe, packed full of vitamin C:

The Mirabeau Pink Gimlet

50ml Mirabeau Dry Gin 

25ml Simple Syrup 

50ml Lime Juice (1 lime) 

75ml Pink Grapefruit Juice (1/2 a Grapefruit) 

Ice for shaker. 

Pour all the ingredients into an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake together then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with half a wheel of lime.

Find it here at Waitrose on offer for £28

TalkTV: German Wines for Winter

German wines are creeping their way back into our hearts as we eschew heavy, tannic, alcoholic wines for more softly spoken, elegant and supremely drinkable options. If you think you wouldn’t recognise German wines, think again as many of the world's best-loved wine grapes thrive here - they are just often under different names and we can get scared off by the language and slightly confusing sugar levels. It’s worth noting however that German is home to home to nearly 135 different grape varieties, from the well-known and loved Riesling and Pinot Noir, to lesser known grapes like Albalonga and Zweigeltrebe. 66.9% of production is dedicated to producing knock-out white wine, with 11.5% dedciated to Pinot Noir, which is known here as Spätburgunder. Here are some quintessentially German, cool, calm and collected wines that are perfect for all year round - including your festive feasts!

Pinot Gris, ‘Urmeer’, Weinhaus, Germany, 2021

This Pinot Gris (that’s the grape) is a rich, ripe and round wine with notes of oatmeal and orchard fruit but balanced by elegant minerality and bright raciness. Try this as a foil for foods with a bit of spice. Hailing from Rheinhessen, this is a fresher and fruitier version of Pinot Grigio.

Find it for £8.99 at Waitrose

Definition Mosel Riesling, Loosen, Germany, 2020

Riesling is the supermodel grape of Germany and Mosel is arguably it’s most famous home within Germany. This is a classic style from here: zesty, like freshly squeezed lime with a hint of rubber minerality. on the nose. On the palate there’s a bit of sweetness, but it’s brilliantly balanced with razor-like acidity. Not cloying at all. Made by the famous Ernst and Thomas Loosen and will be awesome with hard cheeses and anything with a hint of spice.

Find it for £9.99 mix 6 price at Majestic

The Society’s Saar Riesling, Germany 2019

A riper, richer version of a classic Riesling with an intense, lime and slate nose and rather tropical palate. A fuller body than the previous wine and hailing from a specific part of the Mosel. This Riesling would be great with salty hard cheese and spiced Asian dishes or Mexican tacos. 

Find it for £11.50 at The Wine Society

Wine map of Germany

Also try…

Joaquim Flick, Nonnberg, Riesling trocken, Germany 

This is a great example of a dry Riesling, with its quintessentially racy acidity and notes of green apple, lemon citrus and rubber. Juicy and powerful on the palate, it’s a great one for goats cheese or even poultry. 

Find it for £11.46 at Vinello

Pinot Noir, Josten & Klein Vom Schiefer, Germany

Did you know that Germany is the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir?This country really does to fantastic, elegant, smooth and light-bodied Pinot Noir. Think silky cherry and milk chocolate but light on its feet, ballerina-style. This one has a real depth and cpm[lexity too. perfect for Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. bear in mind that the German name for Pinot Noir is Spätburgunder.

Find it for £23.50 at the good wine shop

Red Wines for Halloween 2022

Are you drink ready for Hallowine, I mean, Halloween? You may have caught me on talkTV with Mike Graham talking about the first three wines on this list, but there are many more that are worth your attention! Here’s a list of spooktastic sips for various budgets.

The Dip 

The deliciously decorated bottle in red and black, is named after a demon dog that’s famous in Catalan legend. This rustic Spanish red, made from a blend of Tintorera and Tempranillo, screams dark, dried berry fruits and a kick of licorice spice. Try it with smoky or grilled meat. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £8.99 mix six price

The Wanderer Malbec 

This smart, day of the dead themed bottle is no gimmick when you taste the wine inside. A gorgeously classy, smooth Malbec made from grapes harvested from long lost vineyards in San Juan and left to hang longer than usual to boost concentration and ripe fruit flavours. A winter warmer that’s great alone or with rich, meaty dishes. 

Find it at Sainsbury’s on offer for £9 

Simpsons Sparkling Syrah

The first European sparkling Syrah /Shiraz I have come across and hailing from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Southern France and made by English couple, Ruth and Charles Simpson. With more of those classic garrigue-like, French Syrah notes than the purple jam of Australia, this, served slightly chilled, is a brilliant match for Christmas turkey with the trimming, but also works well with duck and lamb cutlets.

Find it at Naked Wines for £14.99

T-bone Malbec 

A seriously delicious, juicy, Argentinian Malbec with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon for structure. Great value and a perfect crowd pleaser. Make the most of the mix six price. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £7.99 mix 6 price

19 Crimes The Uprising, glow in the dark labels

You’ll want to keep the empty, limited edition, glow in the dark bottle of this 19 Crimes ‘Uprising’ red. A blend from Australia, this is another big and fruity red with notes of redcurrant, blackcurrant and baking spice

Find it at Asda on offer for £8

Chronic Cellars, Space Doubt Zinfandel

If you like your wine big, bold and figgy, then this Californian Zinfandel is right up your street. Think strawberry, plum and ripe fig with notes of baking spice. Delicious. 

Find it at Sainsburys for £13 

Velvet Devil Merlot

If anyone orders this Merlot, I will certainly NOT be leaving! (Geeky Sideways quote). This impressive, American Merlot hails form the fine wine region of Washington State and boast velvety tones of red berry, cedar and tobacco leaf. Very smart. 

Find it on Ocado for £17

Palermo, Orin Swift, Napa Valley

The Iconic Orin Swift winery in Napa brings us this hefty, 2018 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘Palermo’. Brooding and powerful, think bold flavours of cassis and mint, cedar, raspberry and plenty of complexity. Get it open to air and have with a big hunk of cheese, pie or steak.

Find it at Majestic for £44.99 Mix 6 price

Words by Helena Nicklin

talkTV: Perfect Halloween Wines

In case you are wondering, it was very hard to not call this article ‘hallowines’ but that would have not worked for SEO, so here we are! Perfect halloween wines for your delectation. There is a theme here of course, with rich and spicy, blood red vino in various guises from around the world and a spooky, sparkling red thrown into the mix. Here are the three wines I’m tasting with Mike Graham on talkTV and a link to more options on thethreedrinkers.com.

The Dip 

The deliciously decorated bottle in red and black, is named after a demon dog that’s famous in Catalan legend. This rustic Spanish red, made from a blend of Tintorera and Tempranillo, screams dark, dried berry fruits and a kick of licorice spice. Try it with smoky or grilled meat. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £8.99 mix six price

The Wanderer Malbec 

This smart, day of the dead themed bottle is no gimmick when you taste the wine inside. A gorgeously classy, smooth Malbec made from grapes harvested from long lost vineyards in San Juan and left to hang longer than usual to boost concentration and ripe fruit flavours. A winter warmer that’s great alone or with rich, meaty dishes. 

Find it at Sainsbury’s on offer for £9 

Simpsons Sparkling Syrah

The first European sparkling Syrah /Shiraz I have come across and hailing from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Southern France and made by English couple, Ruth and Charles Simpson. With more of those classic garrigue-like, French Syrah notes than the purple jam of Australia, this, served slightly chilled, is a brilliant match for Christmas turkey with the trimming, but also works well with duck and lamb cutlets.

Find it at Naked Wines for £14.99

See more spooktastic halloween wine suggestions here!