Wine market in Ireland

A remarkable trait of the Irish wine market is its affinity for Bordeaux wines. The reasons for it are mostly cultural and historical, as in the 18^th century about three-fourths of English-speaking wine merchants on the Quai des Chartrons were Irish.^[3] Chateau Lynch-Bages, a Bordeaux Grand Cru estate once owned by an Irishman and still retains its Irish name, is by far the most represented Bordeaux wine in the country’s on-trade sector. It is also the second most popular brand of all still wines in the country in terms of on-trade distribution, after the Italian negociant brand Zenato, with around 5% of Irish restaurants having either a first wine or a second wine from Chateau Lynch-Bages in their wine lists. Around 40% of Irish restaurants carry wines from Bordeaux, compared to 18% in the US and 29% in the UK.

Rioja is another important wine region for the Irish wine market, with an overwhelming 60% of restaurants carrying Rioja wines (compared to 14% in the US and 50% in the UK). It is understandable for a nation fond of Bordeaux to drink less expensive Riojas as an everyday wine, as the styles of these two regions are culturally close. Italian negociant brands with an emphasis on Valpolicella, such as Zenato, are very popular among more casual wine drinkers. Champagne, in contrast, is significantly less popular than in the US and the UK, which can’t be explained by disposable income alone, given the popularity of expensive Bordeaux Grands Crus.

Compiled and checked by Ilya Zabolotnov