Minimalism isn’t a word that we’d use to describe the D. Byrne & Co shopping experience. Anyone that visited our old cellars on King Street will know that if there’s any available space, whether it be floor, ceiling, or otherwise, then it’s not long before it disappears behind a bottle. And, since opening our much larger Victoria Brewery site we’ve had the opportunity to extend our range even further. With all this extra shelf space to fill the D. Byrne team have been busying themselves sampling lots of wines and spirits to find lots of new and interesting things to bring to the shop – it’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it…!
From limited parcels to orange wines, here are some new (and rather exciting!) bits that we’ve recently added to the shelves of D. Byrne & Co:
Weingut Dennis Wolf
A limited parcel from Dennis Wolf, Dennis is part of the ‘golden generation’ of disciples from the church of Klaus Peter Keller – a group of 30-somethings shaping a very exciting future for German wines. The Wolfs of Grosskarlbach, Pfalz have been growing grapes for sometime, however, it was Dennis’ father Kurt who was the first to make to decision to bottle their own wine. After travelling the world gaining experience, Dennis, Kurt’s son, returned to Grosskarlbach in 2018 and since then the rulebook has gone out of the window. With Dennis’s influence everything is now grown organically and biodynamically – all wines will be certified from the 2021 vintage.
These wines are incredibly fun, and anyone wanting to try something that little bit different should look no further.
Weingut Dennis Wolf Cuvee Kurt #02 NV £14.99
Now for something a little different. Named after Dennis’ father Kurt this is essentially a vessel for all of his wild experiments – it’s almost inexplicable in both its nature and in its ability to work… but it absolutely does. It’s a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, Scheurebe, Riesling, Silvaner, Kerner and Spatburgunder. A serious nose is followed by a delightful creamy mouth-feel. Above all else this is a bit of fun, this is a lot of wine for not a lot of money. Why litre bottles? Because he has a lot of experiments and didn’t want to waste any.
*Limited parcel *
Weingut Dennis Wolf Riesling £17.99
In a world of crackly, buzzing Riesling this is definitely an outlier, with a ‘calming’ quality. It spends 2 years in used oak before it’s bottled resulting in a beautifully balanced and complete wine.
*Limited parcel *
Weingut Dennis Wolf Kirschgarten Riesling £22.59
This is a very special wine from the ‘Cherry Orchard’ vineyard. A thin water-retaining layer of loam atop a huge limestone shelf has provided a perfect set of conditions from some super concentrated Riesling. This is a pithier style with a lovely deep grapefruit note before a beautifully intense finish
Emiliana Animalia [Orange Wine] [Organic] 2021 £11.59
Emiliana have ventured into the world of orange wines, this being a Sauvignon Blanc fermented on skins. Golden orange in colour and aromas of ripe stone fruits, figs and dried herbs on the nose. Where as most Orange wines anonymise varietal, Animalia actually has a grassy Sauvignon tange beneath the Orange structure. This is clever, tasty stuff from Emiliana and a fantastic introduction to the world of all things ‘orange’.
Ordinal Cabernet Sauvignon, Côtes de Thau IGP 2021 £7.99
Ordinal’ makes reference to the numbers of the French “Departement” system. These first two wines fall under the “34eDepartement” (Herault)This is a refreshing and fragrant, crunchy and approachable wine.
Ordinal Piquepoul-Roussanne AOP Languedoc 2021 £8.59
From the heart of Languedoc, near Pezenas this is an original blend with unusual grape varieties that combines the lightness and freshness of the Piquepoul grape with the complexity of Roussanne.
Courte Tempête Sauvignon Blanc £7.99
With a name inspired by the wild and unpredictable winds found in the Haute Vallée de l’Aude, this is a fresh, aromatic and zesty Sauvignon Blanc that will satisfy lovers of New Zealand and French styles alike.Sourced from our trusted partner growers; the vineyards used are at a higher altitude than the rest of the region; around Limoux and Malpère in the foothills of the Pyrenees. This results in a cooler growing climate where Sauvignon Blanc can flourish.