Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Wine Geese

The “Wine Geese”…
The idea of owning a vineyard might not be everybody's cup of tea. But, I'd say the idea works for a lot of us…surrounded by rolling valleys, century old vines and cellars laden with dusty bottles. Well, that dream came true for many of our ancestors and perhaps if you were to do a little searching back through the generations you might well find a link to your own family.

You, undoubtedly, have heard of the "Flight of the Wild Geese", the name given to Irish migrants of the 17th and 18th Centuries. But what about the “Wine Geese”…

In 1689, a mighty battle took place on the banks of the River Boyne with a result that secured ruling of Ireland for the victorious Protestants. Any Catholics who objected were advised to skip town. Over the next 60 years, many of them did just that. In 1691, the 'Flight of the Wild Geese' officially commenced when 14,000 Catholic soldiers and 10,000 women and children left for France. Due to banishments and land confiscations 2 further waves of migration occurred in 1715 and 1745. Irish emigrants left Irish shores, taking boats for Nantes, Rouen and Bordeaux. Bordeaux, capital of the wine world today, became their home, with the Loire Valley and Cognac close behind. Almost immediately they immersed themselves in the wine trade. They exported wine back to Ireland and cleverly the ships returned laden with premium Irish beef and butter, textiles and metals.

When Thomas Jefferson, America's leading wine connoisseur, visited Bordeaux in the 1770s, he discovered that the principal wine merchants on Bordeaux’s Quai des Chartrons were the Irish families of Gernon, Barton, Johnston, Foster, Skinner, Coppinger and MacCarthy. The most prominent man in the city was the wine-broker Abraham Lawton, formerly of Skibbereen, West Cork. Other well-known 'Irish Wine Geese' families include Kirwan, Clarke, Dillon, Phelan, Hennessy and Lynch. Today, Bordeaux boasts 14 Chateaux, 10 Streets and 2 wine communes with distinctive Irish names.

In the late 18th Century, Scotland and to an even greater extent Ireland were the main outlets for Bordeaux wines. Customs duties were less exorbitant than those imposed by England so consumption of French wines was stronger as a result. The Irish gentry, in particular, were renowned for its partiality to ‘A Fine Claret’.

France was by no means the only beneficiary from Ireland's growing passion for high quality wines and ports. Irish emigrants were involved in winemaking from Mexico to South Africa to the remote regions of Australia and New Zealand. Some of the first vineyards of California's Napa Valley were planted by gold mining millionaire Samuel Brannan, son of a Waterford emigrant. Other Californian winery's founded by the Irish include Durney (perhaps a link to my own ancestors), Delaney Vineyards, Ravenswood, the Limerick Lane Cellars, Murphy-Goode and Kenwood (owned by the Lee family).

Lets take a short stroll through the Bordeaux Vineyards.

Chateau Leoville Barton 1826 2nd Growth, St Julien, Bordeaux
‘French Tom’ Barton left his home in Curraghmore, near Enniskillen in 1722; by 1744 the Barton’s had established themselves as the most important traders in fine wines in the whole region of Medoc. Grandson of Thomas Barton, founder of Barton & Guestier, Hugh Barton consolidated the considerable family fortune. After having to flee France during the Revolution, he returned to his homeland. Having acquired Château Langoa in 1821, Barton bought part of Château Léoville in 1826 and called it Léoville Barton. Since that date, this vineyard has always belonged to the same family. Anthony was born and raised in Ireland. He grew up on his family estate, Straffan House in Kildare, now the K Club.

Chateau Phelan-Segur 1810 Bernard Phelan, a wealthy landowner from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, accepted an invitation from his friend Hugh Barton in 1792 to join him in Bordeaux where the Bartons were already established as one of the leading wine-producing firms. The Phelans went on to purchase the Clos de Garramey in St. Estephe, and soon established a reputation as remarkable winegrowers. In 1810, they acquired the Domain de Segur, joined the two properties together and created Chateau Phelan-Segur.

Chateau MacCarthy 1818 Cru Grand Bourgeouis, St Estephe, Bordeaux
This vineyard owes it’s name to Denis MacCarthy, a member of the ancient MacCarthy clan of Carbery who originally owned the Castle of Skibereen in Co Cork. Denis went on to become a leading figure in Bordeaux society. Rue MacCarthy in Bordeaux commemorates this great family. Although not in the front line of famous Bordeaux clarets, Chateau MacCarthy is full-bodied and robust with plenty of fruit and represents good value for money.

The Clarkes of Dromantin, originally from County Down, are still resident in Bordeaux. Luc-Tobie Clarke gave the name Château Clarke to his vineyards in Listrac. This Bordeaux magistrate bought the estate in 1775 and had the château built there in 1810. The estate was then sold to the Saint-Guirons family, who remained the owners until 1955. Since 1979, Château Clarke has been part of the 177 hectares of vineyards belonging to Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who has undertaken some fabulous restoration work on them.

Château Kirwan, which is set close to the vineyards of Cantenac, owes its name to a wine trader from Galway. Sir John Collingwood bought the estate in 1715 before handing it to Kirwan when he married his daughter. Kirwan was stripped of all his assets and guillotined during the Revolution. His son survived and became chief editor of a regional newspaper before heading back to Ireland. The family recovered its property and finally decided to sell the estate in 1802. The Margaux Troisième Cru Classé wine now belongs to the Schröder et Schÿler company.

Waterford’s love affair with Wine stretches back into the mists of time, but the marriage was celebrated in the 1230’s when King Henry granted Waterford the special exemption of only paying half the import duty on wine. At The Wine Vault on the Viking High Street, you can see the stone remains of a 15th Century fortified town house probably built by Peter Rice who was mayor of Waterford in 1426. His son James Rice became an important exporter of wool and related goods, leather and fish. He dealt principally with Spain from where he imported large amounts of wine. The brick vaulting at The Wine Vault dates back to the 18th Century when the famous Gallwey family owned the building. They operated it as a bonded warehouse brimmed full of imported Brandy, Geneva, Port, Maderia, Claret, Hock and Malmsey. Archaeological excavations on the site revealed 13th Century Bordeaux wine jars!

David’s Top Tips of the Week

Check out Aer Arann http://www.aerarann.com/ for frequent flights between Waterford and Bordeaux this summer.
Weekend Wine Tastings at The Wine Vault every Friday & Saturday 10.30am to 6.00pm.
Spanish Wine Night at The Wine Vault next Wednesday 16th with Mr Jaume Garcia of the Mont Marcal vineyard in the Penedes. Phone 051 853777 to book as numbers are limited.

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