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 DĂșn 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.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Biting off more than you can chew?

My Landmark colleague, Jamie Goode, posted a piece on his blog recently about natural wines and their role within the wine world. Personally, I have yet to be convinced by so-called natural wines - I've had some nice ones but also a few I wouldn't want to touch again. What is interesting is that Jamie's piece has no real basis and a number of disturbing statements are made within the article. Leaving out my own comments there are some very good responses to the piece. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Sour gripes?

Max Allen, one of Australia's top wine journalists, has an interesting pice about wine in restaurants. Could we say the same here?