About Me

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Dublin, Ireland
Hi, I'm Dermot Nolan, and I became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997, and resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2023 after being an MW for exactly 26 years. I opened a wine shop in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, called The Wine Library, which closed in 2018, and this is my personal wine blog. I will do my utmost to be fair and responsible in my posts – please read my Who Pays article in re the ethics of wine trips and writing. I have worked in wine education, retail, and consultancy since 1990. I was a Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) from 2008 to 2014 and was also a member of the Events Committee, founder of the Trips Committee, and member of the Governance Committee. Having had problems with potentially libellous comments from unidentifiable posters, I now require that if you post a comment, you must identify yourself properly or it won't be published. Please note that I do not review products or services on request so kindly don't ask. I value my independence and I believe my readers (few that they may be) do so also.

Friday, September 25, 2009

A bridge too far?

To all lovers of Mosel wines, in particular those from Erden, Rachtig and Urzig you might be interested to look at these plans here for a motorway bridge over the Mosel cutting right through the above-named villages. A number of the locals are campaigning against this, not surprisingly, and have enlisted the support of Hugh Johnson, among others.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Another quickie...

...sometimes, they're the best.

If you go here, you'll find all sorts of information about next years Landmark Australia Tutorial. This will be held in the beautiful Yarra Valley (windy so bring warm clothes) and will also be open to Australians, which Landmark 2009 was not.



If you want to know what I felt about and got from this year's Tutorial, then read back through my blog. What I can say here and now is that it was the best wine week of my life and a truly unforgettable experience.

We have a saying in Ireland: if you're not in, you can't win! I almost didn't apply, assuming that I wouldn't have a chance of being selected. So, if you're not sure whether you should apply or not, get off the fence and do it - you'll regret not applying and who knows, you might be one of the lucky 12 who are selected.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Forging links

This is a short but important post. Next June (right in the middle of the World Cup, which is what happens when you let the women run the show!) the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) will hold a Symposium in Bordeaux, entitled Forging Links.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Today spätburgunder, tomorrow...

On Thursday 10th September 2009, the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) held a German Pinot Noir Masterclass at Vintners Hall in London. There were 20 wines to taste, and an illustrious panel of producers, who had generously given up their time to attend (especially generous as harvest was starting for one of them already!). We had Meike Näkel, one of the daughters of Werner Näkel, of Weingut Meyer Näkel in the Ahr; Dieter Griener of Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau; Paul Fürst of Weingut Rudolf Fürst Burgstadt in Franken; the lusciusly named Yquem Viehhauser, Cellar Master (or Mistress to be exact) of Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden; and Joachim Heger, of Weingut Dr Heger, also in Baden.